Judges 8:24 - Prayer Tents

Judges 8

Gideon Kills Zebah and Zalmunna

8Then the people of Ephraim asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us this way? Why didn't you send for us when you first went out to fight the Midianites?" And they argued heatedly with Gideon.H376H669H559H4100H6213H1697H7121H1980H3898H4080H7378H23942But Gideon replied, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren't even the leftover grapes of Ephraim's harvest better than the entire crop of my little clan of Abiezer?H559H6213H5955H669H2896H1210H443God gave you victory over Oreb and Zeeb, the commanders of the Midianite army. What have I accomplished compared to that?" When the men of Ephraim heard Gideon's answer, their anger subsided.H430H5414H3027H8269H4080H6159H2062H3201H6213H7307H7503H1697H16964Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his 300 men, and though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy.H1439H935H3383H5674H7969H3967H376H5889H72915When they reached Succoth, Gideon asked the leaders of the town, "Please give my warriors some food. They are very tired. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."H559H582H5523H5414H3603H3899H5971H7272H5889H7291H310H2078H6759H4428H40806But the officials of Succoth replied, "Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your army."H8269H5523H559H3709H2078H6759H3027H5414H3899H66357So Gideon said, "After the LORD gives me victory over Zebah and Zalmunna, I will return and tear your flesh with the thorns and briers from the wilderness."H1439H559H3068H5414H2078H6759H3027H1758H1320H6975H4057H13038From there Gideon went up to Peniel

and again asked for food, but he got the same answer.H5927H6439H1696H2063H582H6439H6030H582H5523H60309So he said to the people of Peniel, "After I return in victory, I will tear down this tower."H559H582H6439H559H7725H7965H5422H402610By this time Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with 15,000 warriors—all that remained of the allied armies of the east, for 120,000 had already been killed.H2078H6759H7174H4264H2568H6240H505H3498H4264H1121H6924H5307H3967H6242H505H376H8025H271911Gideon circled around by the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, taking the Midianite army by surprise.H1439H5927H1870H7931H168H6924H5025H3011H5221H4264H4264H98312Zebah and Zalmunna, the two Midianite kings, fled, but Gideon chased them down and captured all their warriors.H2078H6759H5127H7291H310H3920H8147H4428H4080H2078H6759H2729H426413After this, Gideon returned from the battle by way of Heres Pass.H1439H1121H3101H7725H4421H4608H277514There he captured a young man from Succoth and demanded that he write down the names of all the seventy-seven officials and elders in the town.H3920H5288H582H5523H7592H3789H8269H5523H2205H7657H7651H37615Gideon then returned to Succoth and said to the leaders, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. When we were here before, you taunted me, saying, 'Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your exhausted army.'"H935H582H5523H559H2078H6759H2778H559H3709H2078H6759H3027H5414H3899H582H328716Then Gideon took the elders of the town and taught them a lesson, punishing them with thorns and briers from the wilderness.H3947H2205H5892H6975H4057H1303H3045H582H552317He also tore down the tower of Peniel and killed all the men in the town.H5422H4026H6439H2026H582H589218Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "The men you killed at Tabor—what were they like?" "Like you," they replied. "They all had the look of a king's son."H559H2078H6759H375H582H2026H8396H559H3644H259H8389H1121H442819"They were my brothers, the sons of my own mother!" Gideon exclaimed. "As surely as the LORD lives, I wouldn't kill you if you hadn't killed them."H559H251H1121H517H3068H2416H3863H2421H202620Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, for he was only a boy and was afraid.H559H3500H1060H6965H2026H5288H8025H2719H3372H528821Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, "Be a man! Kill us yourself!" So Gideon killed them both and took the royal ornaments from the necks of their camels.H2078H6759H559H6965H6293H376H1369H1439H6965H2026H2078H6759H3947H7720H1581H6677

Gideon’s Sacred Ephod

22Then the Israelites said to Gideon, "Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian."H376H3478H559H1439H4910H1121H1121H1121H3467H3027H408023But Gideon replied, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD will rule over you!H1439H559H4910H1121H4910H3068H491024However, I do have one request—that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies." (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.)H1439H559H7592H7596H5414H376H5141H7998H2091H5141H345925"Gladly!" they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered from the plunder.H559H5414H5414H6566H8071H7993H376H5141H799826The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds

, not including the royal ornaments and pendants, the purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian, or the chains around the necks of their camels.H4948H2091H5141H7592H505H7651H3967H2091H7720H5188H713H899H4428H4080H6060H1581H667727Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.H1439H6213H646H3322H5892H6084H3478H2181H310H4170H1439H100428That is the story of how the people of Israel defeated Midian, which never recovered. Throughout the rest of Gideon's lifetime—about forty years—there was peace in the land.H4080H3665H6440H1121H3478H5375H7218H3254H776H8252H705H8141H3117H143929Then Gideon

son of Joash returned home.H3378H1121H3101H3212H3427H100430He had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives.H1439H7657H1121H3409H3318H7227H80231He also had a concubine in Shechem, who gave birth to a son, whom he named Abimelech.H6370H7927H3205H1121H8034H7760H4032Gideon died when he was very old, and he was buried in the grave of his father, Joash, at Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer.H1439H1121H3101H4191H2896H7872H6912H6913H3101H1H6084H3333As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god.H1439H4191H1121H3478H7725H2181H310H1168H7760H1170H43034They forgot the LORD their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them.H1121H3478H2142H3068H430H5337H3027H341H543935Nor did they show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon), despite all the good he had done for Israel.H6213H2617H1004H3378H1439H2896H6213H3478