Judges:8
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And the men of Ephraim said unto him ,
Why have you served us thus ,
that you called us not ,
when you went to fight with the Midianites ?
And they did chide with him sharply .
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And he said unto them ,
What have I done now in comparison of you ?
Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer ?
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God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian ,
Oreb and Zeeb :
and what was I able to do in comparison of you ?
Then their anger was decreased toward him ,
when he had said that .
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And Gideon came to Jordan ,
and passed over ,
he ,
and the three hundred men that were with him ,
faint ,
yet pursuing them .
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And he said unto the men of Succoth ,
Give ,
I pray you ,
loaves of bread unto the people that follow me ;
for they be faint ,
and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna ,
kings of Midian .
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And the princes of Succoth said ,
Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in yours hand ,
that we should give bread unto yours army ?
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And Gideon said ,
Therefore when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand ,
then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers .
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And he went up thence to Penuel ,
and spoke unto them likewise :
and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him .
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And he spoke also unto the men of Penuel ,
saying ,
When I come again in peace ,
I will break down this tower .
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Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor ,
and their hosts with them ,
about fifteen thousand men ,
all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east :
for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword .
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And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah ,
and stroke the host ;
for the host was secure .
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And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled ,
he pursued after them ,
and took the two kings of Midian ,
Zebah and Zalmunna ,
and humiliated all the host .
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And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up ,
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And caught a young man of the men of Succoth ,
and enquired of him :
and he described unto him the princes of Succoth ,
and the elders thereof ,
even threescore and seventeen men .
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And he came unto the men of Succoth ,
and said ,
Behold Zebah and Zalmunna ,
with whom all of you did reproach me ,
saying ,
Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in yours hand ,
that we should give bread unto your men that are weary ?
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And he took the elders of the city ,
and thorns of the wilderness and briers ,
and with them he taught the men of Succoth .
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And he beat down the tower of Penuel ,
and slew the men of the city .
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Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna ,
What manner of men were they whom all of you slew at Tabor ?
And they answered ,
As you are ,
so were they ;
each one resembled the children of a king .
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And he said ,
They were my brethren ,
even the sons of my mother :
as the LORD lives ,
if all of you had saved them alive ,
I would not slay you .
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And he said unto Jether his firstborn ,
Up ,
and slay them .
But the youth drew not his sword :
for he feared ,
because he was yet a youth .
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Then Zebah and Zalmunna said ,
Rise you ,
and fall upon us :
for as the man is ,
so is his strength .
And Gideon arose ,
and slew Zebah and Zalmunna ,
and took away the ornaments that were on their camels '
necks .
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Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon ,
Rule you over us ,
both you ,
and your son ,
and your son '
s son also :
for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian .
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And Gideon said unto them ,
I will not rule over you ,
neither shall my son rule over you :
the LORD shall rule over you .
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And Gideon said unto them ,
I would desire a request of you ,
that all of you would give me every man the earrings of his prey . (
For they had golden earrings ,
because they were Ishmaelites .)
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And they answered ,
We will willingly give them .
And they spread a garment ,
and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey .
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And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold ;
beside ornaments ,
and collars ,
and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian ,
and beside the chains that were about their camels '
necks .
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And Gideon made an ephod thereof ,
and put it in his city ,
even in Ophrah :
and all Israel went thither a whoring after it :
which thing became a snare unto Gideon ,
and to his house .
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Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel ,
so that they lifted up their heads no more .
And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon .
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And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house .
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And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten :
for he had many wives .
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And his concubine that was in Shechem ,
she also bare him a son ,
whose name he called Abimelech .
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And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age ,
and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father ,
in Ophrah of the Abiezrites .
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And it came to pass ,
as soon as Gideon was dead ,
that the children of Israel turned again ,
and went a whoring after Baalim ,
and made Baalberith their god .
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And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God ,
who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side :
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Neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal ,
namely ,
Gideon ,
according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel .