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men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this, not summoning us when you went to fight against the Midianites?” And they challenged him fiercely.
2 But he answered them, “What have I accomplished now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? 3 God has delivered the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, into your hands. What was I able to do in comparison with you?” When he had said that, their anger against him subsided.
4 When Gideon and the three hundred men with him reached the Jordan and crossed over, they were exhausted, but still in pursuit. 5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Please give some loaves of bread to the people who are following me, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6 But the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession that we should give bread to your army?”
7 Gideon replied, “Very well then, when the Lord has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” 8 Then he went from there up to Penuel and made the same request of them. But the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered him. 9 So he said to the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies numbering about fifteen thousand men. They were all that was left of the armies of the eastern peoples, for a hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had been killed. 11 Gideon travelled up the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked their army while the army remained unsuspecting. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them. Then he captured Zebah and Zalmunna and routed their entire army.
13 Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres. 14 He captured a young man from Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down the names for him of the officials of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. 15 Then Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your exhausted men?’ ” 16 So he took the elders of the city, as well as thorns from the wilderness and briers, and with them he punished the men of Succoth. 17 Then he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
18 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?”
“They were like you,” they answered, “each one had the bearing of the son of a king.”
19 Gideon said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.” 20 Then he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them!” But the youth did not draw his sword, because he was afraid, for he was still only a boy.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself; for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.”
23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” 24 Then he said to them, “Let me make a request of you: Each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For they had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 They answered, “We will willingly give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw an earring from his plunder on it. 26 The weight of the gold earrings that he requested came to seventeen hundred shekels of gold, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, and the purple robes worn by the kings of Midian, and the chains on the necks of their camels. 27 Gideon made an ephod from the gold, and put it in Ophrah, his city. All Israel prostituted themselves to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
28 So Midian was subdued before the Israelites, and they lifted up their heads no more.
Then during the lifetime of Gideon the land had rest for forty years.
29 Jerubaal (that is, Gideon) son of Joash went back and lived in his own house. 30 Gideon had seventy sons from his own body, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. 32 Then Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 But when Gideon died, the Israelites turned again and prostituted themselves with the Baals, making Baal-berith their god. 34 the Israelites did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good things he had done for Israel.