Judges:8

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* And the men of E 'phraim said to him , "What is this that you have done to us , not to call us when you went to fight with Mid 'ian ?" And they upbraided him violently . * And he said to them , "What have I done now in comparison with you ? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of E 'phraim better than the vintage of Abi-e 'zer ? * God has given into your hands the princes of Mid 'ian , Oreb and Zeeb ; what have I been able to do in comparison with you ?" Then their anger against him was abated , when he had said this . * And Gideon came to the Jordan and passed over , he and the three hundred men who were with him , faint yet pursuing . * So he said to the men of Succoth , "Pray , give loaves of bread to the people who follow me ; for they are faint , and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmun 'na , the kings of Mid 'ian ." * And the officials of Succoth said , "Are Zebah and Zalmun 'na already in your hand , that we should give bread to your army ?" * And Gideon said , "Well then , when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmun 'na into my hand , I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers ." * And from there he went up to Penu 'el , and spoke to them in the same way ; and the men of Penu 'el answered him as the men of Succoth had answered . * And he said to the men of Penu 'el , "When I come again in peace , I will break down this tower ." * Now Zebah and Zalmun 'na were in Karkor with their army , about fifteen thousand men , all who were left of all the army of the people of the East ; for there had fallen a hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword . * And Gideon went up by the caravan route east of Nobah and Jog 'behah , and attacked the army ; for the army was off its guard . * And Zebah and Zalmun 'na fled ; and he pursued them and took the two kings of Mid 'ian , Zebah and Zalmun 'na , and he threw all the army into a panic . * Then Gideon the son of Jo 'ash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres . * And he caught a young man of Succoth , and questioned him ; and he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth , seventy-seven men . * And he came to the men of Succoth , and said , "Behold Zebah and Zalmun 'na , about whom you taunted me , saying , `Are Zebah and Zalmun 'na already in your hand , that we should give bread to your men who are faint ?'" * And he took the elders of the city and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth . * And he broke down the tower of Penu 'el , and slew the men of the city . * Then he said to Zebah and Zalmun 'na , "Where are the men whom you slew at Tabor ?" They answered , "As you are , so were they , every one of them ; they resembled the sons of a king ." * And 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 ." * And he said to Jether his first-born , "Rise , and slay them ." But the youth did not draw his sword ; for he was afraid , because he was still a youth . * Then Zebah and Zalmun 'na said , "Rise yourself , and fall upon us ; for as the man is , so is his strength ." And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmun 'na ; and he took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels . * Then the men of Israel said to Gideon , "Rule over us , you and your son and your grandson also ; for you have delivered us out of the hand of Mid 'ian ." * Gideon said to them , "I will not rule over you , and my son will not rule over you ; the LORD will rule over you ." * And Gideon said to them , "Let me make a request of you ; give me every man of you the earrings of his spoil ." (For they had golden earrings , because they were Ish 'maelites .) * And they answered , "We will willingly give them ." And they spread a garment , and every man cast in it the earrings of his spoil . * And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold ; besides the crescents and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Mid 'ian , and besides the collars that were about the necks of their camels . * And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city , in Ophrah ; and all Israel played the harlot after it there , and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family . * So Mid 'ian was subdued before the people of Israel , and they lifted up their heads no more . And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon . * Jerubba 'al the son of Jo 'ash went and dwelt in his own house . * Now Gideon had seventy sons , his own offspring , for he had many wives . * And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son , and he called his name Abim 'elech . * And Gideon the son of Jo 'ash died in a good old age , and was buried in the tomb of Jo 'ash his father , at Ophrah of the Abiez 'rites . * As soon as Gideon died , the people of Israel turned again and played the harlot after the Ba 'als , and made Ba 'al-be 'rith their god . * And the people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God , who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side ; * and they did not show kindness to the family of Jerubba 'al (that is , Gideon ) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel .

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