81 Then the men of Ephraim said to him, " What is this thing you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against Midian ?" And they contended with him vigorously . 2 But he said to them, "What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer ? 3 "God has given the leaders of Midian , Oreb and Zeeb into your hands ; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?" Then their anger toward e him subsided when he said that.
4 Then Gideon and the 300 e men who were with him came to the Jordan and crossed over , weary yet pursuing . 5 He said to the men of Succoth , "Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following me, for they are weary , and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna , the kings of Midian ." 6 The leaders of Succoth said , " Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands , that we should give bread to your army ?" 7 Gideon said , "All right , when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand , then I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers ." 8 He went up from there to Penuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered . 9 So he spoke also to the men of Penuel , saying , "When I return safely , I will tear down this tower ." 10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor , and their armies with them, about 15,000 e e men, all who were left of the entire army of the sons of the east ; for the fallen were 120,000 e e swordsmen e e . 11 Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah , and attacked the camp when the camp was unsuspecting . 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled , he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian , Zebah and Zalmunna , and routed the whole army . 13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres . 14 And he captured a youth from Succoth and questioned him. Then the youth wrote down for him the princes of Succoth and its elders , seventy-seven men . 15 He came to the men of Succoth and said , "Behold Zebah and Zalmunna , concerning whom you taunted me, saying , ' Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand , that we should give bread to your men who are weary ?' " 16 He took the elders of the city , and thorns of the wilderness and briers , and he disciplined the men of Succoth with them. 17 He tore 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 ?" And they said , "They were like you, each one resembling the son of a king ." 19 He said , "They were my brothers , the sons of my mother . As the Lord lives , if only you had let them live , I would not kill you." 20 So he said to Jether his firstborn , "Rise , kill them." But the youth did not draw his sword , for he was afraid , because he was still a youth . 21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said , "Rise up yourself , and fall on us; for as the man , so is his strength ." So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna , and took the crescent ornaments which were on their camels' necks .
22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon , "Rule over us, both you and your son , also your son's son , for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian ." 23 But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you." 24 Yet Gideon said to them, "I would request e of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil ." (For they had gold earrings , because they were Ishmaelites .) 25 They said , "We will surely give them." So they spread out a garment , and every one of them threw an earring there from his spoil . 26 The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 e e shekels of gold , besides e the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian , and besides e the neck bands that were on their camels' necks . 27 Gideon made it into an ephod , and placed it in his city , Ophrah , and all Israel played the harlot with it there , so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household . 28 So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel , and they did not lift up their heads anymore . And the land was undisturbed for forty years in the days of Gideon .
29 Then Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house . 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons who were his direct descendants , for he had many wives . 31 His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son , and he named e him Abimelech . 32 And Gideon the son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash , in Ophrah of the Abiezrites . 33 Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead , that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals , and made Baal-berith their god . 34 Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God , who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side ; 35 nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon ) in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel .
