Judges 8
8Later on, the Ephraimites spoke to Gideon. They argued vehemently, "What are you doing to us?You never called us! But you went out to fight Midian!"H376H669H559H4100H6213H1697H7121H1980H3898H4080H7378H23942"What have I accomplished compared to you?" he responded. "Isn't what's left from Ephraim's harvest better than the best vintage of Abiezer?H559H6213H5955H669H2896H1210H443God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the leaders of Midian, into your control. What was I able to do compared to you?" When he said this, their anger calmed down.H430H5414H3027H8269H4080H6159H2062H3201H6213H7307H7503H1697H16964Meanwhile, Gideon and the 300 soldiers with him came to the Jordan, exhausted but continuing their pursuit.H1439H935H3383H5674H7969H3967H376H5889H72915He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the soldiers who are following behind me. They're tired, and I'm pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."H559H582H5523H5414H3603H3899H5971H7272H5889H7291H310H2078H6759H4428H40806But the officials of Succoth replied, "Do you have Zebah and Zalmunna in custody already, so that we should give food to your army?"H8269H5523H559H3709H2078H6759H3027H5414H3899H66357So Gideon responded, "Okay then, but when the Lord has turned over Zebah and Zalmunna into my control, I'm going to whip you with thorns and briers from the desert!"H1439H559H3068H5414H2078H6759H3027H1758H1320H6975H4057H13038Then he left there to go to Penuel and asked the same thing from them, but the men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth did.H5927H6439H1696H2063H582H6439H6030H582H5523H60309So he responded the same way to the men of Penuel, "When I come back safely, I'm going to tear down this tower."H559H582H6439H559H7725H7965H5422H402610Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, along with their armies, about 15,000 men who survived from the entire army of the group from the east, since 120,000 swordsmen had already fallen.H2078H6759H7174H4264H2568H6240H505H3498H4264H1121H6924H5307H3967H6242H505H376H8025H271911Gideon went up by a caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked their encampment when they were off guard.H1439H5927H1870H7931H168H6924H5025H3011H5221H4264H4264H98312When Zebah and Zalmunna escaped, he pursued them, captured those two kings of Midian, and threw the entire army into a panic.H2078H6759H5127H7291H310H3920H8147H4428H4080H2078H6759H2729H426413Then Joash's son Gideon returned from the battle along the Heres Ascent.H1439H1121H3101H7725H4421H4608H277514He caught a young man from Succoth and interrogated him. He wrote out for Gideon a list of the 77 officials of Succoth, including its elders.H3920H5288H582H5523H7592H3789H8269H5523H2205H7657H7651H37615Then Gideon approached the men of Succoth and announced, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. You criticized me about them when you said, 'Do you have Zebah and Zalmunna in custody already, so that we should give food to your weary army?'"H935H582H5523H559H2078H6759H2778H559H3709H2078H6759H3027H5414H3899H582H328716So he took the elders of the city and disciplined the men of Succoth with thorns and briers from the desert.H3947H2205H5892H6975H4057H1303H3045H582H552317He also demolished the tower in Penuel and killed the men of the city.15H5422H4026H6439H2026H582H589218Afterwards, he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What were the men like whom you killed at Tabor?" They answered, "Like you, each one like the son of a king…"H559H2078H6759H375H582H2026H8396H559H3644H259H8389H1121H442819Gideon replied, "They were my brothers - sons from my own mother. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I wouldn't be killing you."H559H251H1121H517H3068H2416H3863H2421H202620Then he told his firstborn son Jether, "Get up and kill them!" But he was afraid, since he was still only a youngster.H559H3500H1060H6965H2026H5288H8025H2719H3372H528821Then Zebah and Zalmunna responded, "Get up and attack us yourself, since a man's valor is only as good as the man himself." So Gideon got up, killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the crescent-shaped necklaces that adorned the necks of their camels.H2078H6759H559H6965H6293H376H1369H1439H6965H2026H2078H6759H3947H7720H1581H667722Then the men of Israel asked Gideon, "Rule over us - you, your son, and your grandsons - because you have delivered us from Midian's domination."H376H3478H559H1439H4910H1121H1121H1121H3467H3027H408023But Gideon told them, "I won't rule over you and my son won't rule over you. The Lord will rule you."H1439H559H4910H1121H4910H3068H491024But Gideon also added, "I would like to ask that each of you give me a ring from his war booty" because, as Ishmaelites, the Midianites had been wearing gold rings.H1439H559H7592H7596H5414H376H5141H7998H2091H5141H345925They responded, "We'll be happy to give them." So they laid out a garment, and each of them contributed a ring from his war booty.H559H5414H5414H6566H8071H7993H376H5141H799826The weight of the rings that he had asked for was 1,700 gold coins, not counting the crescent-shaped necklaces, pendants, and purple garments worn by the Midian kings, and also not counting the bands adorning the necks of their camels.25H4948H2091H5141H7592H505H7651H3967H2091H7720H5188H713H899H4428H4080H6060H1581H667727Gideon crafted the booty into an ephod and enshrined it in his home town of Ophrah. Then all of Israel committed spiritual adultery with it there, and it became a snare for Gideon and his household.H1439H6213H646H3322H5892H6084H3478H2181H310H4170H1439H100428Midian remained subjugated to the Israelites, and they didn't so much as raise their heads anymore, so the land was peaceful for 40 years during the lifetime of Gideon.H4080H3665H6440H1121H3478H5375H7218H3254H776H8252H705H8141H3117H143929Afterwards, Joash's son Jerubbaal went home and retired.H3378H1121H3101H3212H3427H100430Gideon raised 70 sons as his direct descendants, since he had many wives.H1439H7657H1121H3409H3318H7227H80231His mistress in Shechem bore him a son whom he named Abimelech.H6370H7927H3205H1121H8034H7760H4032Later, Joash's son Gideon died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.831H1439H1121H3101H4191H2896H7872H6912H6913H3101H1H6084H3333Later on, as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites again committed spiritual adultery with the Baals, and appointed Baal-berith to be their god.H1439H4191H1121H3478H7725H2181H310H1168H7760H1170H43034The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God, who continually delivered them from the domination of their enemies who surrounded them on every side.H1121H3478H2142H3068H430H5337H3027H341H543935And they showed no gracious love to the household of Jerubbaal - also known as Gideon - despite all the good that he had done for Israel.H6213H2617H1004H3378H1439H2896H6213H3478
Columbus, OH
