Then Gideon and the three hundred men who were with him came (A)to the Jordan and crossed over, exhausted yet still pursuing. And he said to the men of (B)Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who are [a]following me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” But the leaders of Succoth said, “[b](C)Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” So Gideon said, “For this answer, (D)when the Lord has handed over to me Zebah and Zalmunna, I will [c]thrash your [d]bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” Then he went up from there to [e](E)Penuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered. So he said also to the men of [f]Penuel, “When I return safely, (F)I will tear down this tower.”

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 8:5 Lit at my feet
  2. Judges 8:6 Lit Is the palm of...; i.e., are you so sure of victory that
  3. Judges 8:7 Or trample
  4. Judges 8:7 Lit flesh
  5. Judges 8:8 In Gen 32:30, Peniel
  6. Judges 8:9 Lit Penuel, saying,

Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his 300 men, and though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy. When they reached Succoth, Gideon asked the leaders of the town, “Please give my warriors some food. They are very tired. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

But the officials of Succoth replied, “Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your army.”

So Gideon said, “After the Lord gives me victory over Zebah and Zalmunna, I will return and tear your flesh with the thorns and briers from the wilderness.”

From there Gideon went up to Peniel[a] and again asked for food, but he got the same answer. So he said to the people of Peniel, “After I return in victory, I will tear down this tower.”

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Footnotes

  1. 8:8 Hebrew Penuel, a variant spelling of Peniel; also in 8:9, 17.