8AND THE men of Ephraim said to Gideon, Why have you treated us like this, not calling us when you went to fight with Midian? And they quarreled with him furiously.H376H669H559H4100H6213H1697H7121H1980H3898H4080H7378H23942And he said to them, What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of [your big tribe of] Ephraim better than the vintage of [my little clan of] Abiezer?H559H6213H5955H669H2896H1210H443God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger toward him was abated when he had said that.H430H5414H3027H8269H4080H6159H2062H3201H6213H7307H7503H1697H16964And Gideon came to the Jordan and passed over, he and the 300 men with him, faint yet pursuing.H1439H935H3383H5674H7969H3967H376H5889H72915And he said to the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are faint, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.H559H582H5523H5414H3603H3899H5971H7272H5889H7291H310H2078H6759H4428H40806And the princes of Succoth said, Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?H8269H5523H559H3709H2078H6759H3027H5414H3899H66357And Gideon said, For that, when the Lord has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will thresh your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!H1439H559H3068H5414H2078H6759H3027H1758H1320H6975H4057H13038And he went from there up to Penuel and made the same request, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had done.H5927H6439H1696H2063H582H6439H6030H582H5523H60309And [Gideon] said to the men of Penuel, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.H559H582H6439H559H7725H7965H5422H402610Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army--about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of the sons of the east, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword.H2078H6759H7174H4264H2568H6240H505H3498H4264H1121H6924H5307H3967H6242H505H376H8025H271911And Gideon went up by the route of those who dwelt in tents east of Nobah and Jogbehah and smote their camp [unexpectedly], for the army thought itself secure.H1439H5927H1870H7931H168H6924H5025H3011H5221H4264H4264H98312And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and terrified all the army.H2078H6759H5127H7291H310H3920H8147H4428H4080H2078H6759H2729H426413Then Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.H1439H1121H3101H7725H4421H4608H277514And he caught a young man of Succoth and inquired of him, and [the youth] wrote down for him [the names of] the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.H3920H5288H582H5523H7592H3789H8269H5523H2205H7657H7651H37615And he came to the men of Succoth and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you scoffed at me, saying, Are Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are faint?H935H582H5523H559H2078H6759H2778H559H3709H2078H6759H3027H5414H3899H582H328716And he took the elders of the city and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth [a lesson].H3947H2205H5892H6975H4057H1303H3045H582H552317And he broke down the tower of Penuel and slew the men of the city.H5422H4026H6439H2026H582H589218Then [Gideon] said to Zebah and Zalmunna, What kind of men were they whom you slew at Tabor? And they replied, They were like you, each of them resembled the son of a king.H559H2078H6759H375H582H2026H8396H559H3644H259H8389H1121H442819And he said, They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not slay you.H559H251H1121H517H3068H2416H3863H2421H202620And [Gideon] said to Jether his firstborn [to embarrass them], Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword, for he feared because he was yet a lad.H559H3500H1060H6965H2026H5288H8025H2719H3372H528821Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise yourself and fall on us; for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmunna and took the [crescent-shaped] ornaments that were on their camels' necks.H2078H6759H559H6965H6293H376H1369H1439H6965H2026H2078H6759H3947H7720H1581H667722Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, Rule over us--you and your son and your son's son also--for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.H376H3478H559H1439H4910H1121H1121H1121H3467H3027H408023And Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.H1439H559H4910H1121H4910H3068H491024And Gideon said to them, Let me make a request of you--every man of you give me the earrings of his spoil. For [the Midianites] had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites [general term for all descendants of Keturah].H1439H559H7592H7596H5414H376H5141H7998H2091H5141H345925And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and every man cast on it the earrings of his spoil.H559H5414H5414H6566H8071H7993H376H5141H799826And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescents and pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and the chains that were about their camels' necks.H4948H2091H5141H7592H505H7651H3967H2091H7720H5188H713H899H4428H4080H6060H1581H667727And Gideon made an ephod [a sacred, high priest's garment] of it, and put it in his city of Ophrah, and all Israel paid homage to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.H1439H6213H646H3322H5892H6084H3478H2181H310H4170H1439H100428Thus was Midian subdued before the Israelites so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had peace {and} rest for forty years in the days of Gideon.H4080H3665H6440H1121H3478H5375H7218H3254H776H8252H705H8141H3117H143929Jerubbaal (Gideon) son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.H3378H1121H3101H3212H3427H100430Now Gideon had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives.H1439H7657H1121H3409H3318H7227H80231And his concubine, who was in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech.H6370H7927H3205H1121H8034H7760H4032Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.H1439H1121H3101H4191H2896H7872H6912H6913H3101H1H6084H3333As soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned again and played the harlot after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god.H1439H4191H1121H3478H7725H2181H310H1168H7760H1170H43034And the Israelites did not remember the Lord their God, Who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side;H1121H3478H2142H3068H430H5337H3027H341H543935Neither did they show kindness to the family of Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, in return for all the good which he had done for Israel.H6213H2617H1004H3378H1439H2896H6213H3478
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