¹⁹ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. ²⁰ Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” ²¹ And ^(A)every man stood in his place all around the camp; ^(B)and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. ²² When the three hundred ^(C)blew the trumpets, ^(D)the Lord set ^(E)every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to ^[a]Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of ^(F)Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.

²³ And the men of Israel gathered together from ^(G)Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.

²⁴ Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the ^(H)mountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and ^(I)seized the watering places as far as ^(J)Beth Barah and the Jordan. ²⁵ And they captured ^(K)two princes of the Midianites, ^(L)Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the ^(M)other side of the Jordan.

Gideon Subdues the Midianites

8 Now ^(A)the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply.

² So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the ^[a]gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than ^[b]the vintage of ^(B)Abiezer? ^3 (C)God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their ^(D)anger toward him subsided when he said that.

⁴ When Gideon came ^(E)to the Jordan, he and ^(F)the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. ⁵ Then he said to the men of ^(G)Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”

⁶ And the leaders of Succoth said, ^(H)“Are^[c] the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that ^(I)we should give bread to your army?”

⁷ So Gideon said, “For this cause, when the Lord has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, ^(J)then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!” ⁸ Then he went up from there ^(K)to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. ⁹ So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I ^(L)come back in peace, ^(M)I will tear down this tower!”

¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of ^(N)all the army of the people of the East; for ^(O)one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen. ¹¹ Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east of ^(P)Nobah and Jogbehah; and he ^[d]attacked the army while the camp felt ^(Q)secure. ¹² When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them; and he ^(R)took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army.

¹³ Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres. ¹⁴ And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. ¹⁵ Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you ^(S)ridiculed me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men?’ ” ^16 (T)And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he ^[e]taught the men of Succoth. ^17 (U)Then he tore down the tower of ^(V)Penuel and killed the men of the city.

²³ Not only that, but we also who have ^(A)the firstfruits of the Spirit, ^(B)even we ourselves groan ^(C)within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the ^(D)redemption of our body. ²⁴ For we were saved in this hope, but ^(E)hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For ^(F)we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but ^(G)the Spirit Himself makes intercession ^[a]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷ Now ^(H)He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints ^(I)according to the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those ^(J)who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom ^(K)He foreknew, ^(L)He also predestined ^(M)to be conformed to the image of His Son, ^(N)that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also ^(O)called; whom He called, these He also ^(P)justified; and whom He justified, these He also ^(Q)glorified.

God’s Everlasting Love

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? ^(R)If God is for us, who can be against us? ^32 (S)He who did not spare His own Son, but ^(T)delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? ^(U)It is God who justifies. ^34 (V)Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, ^(W)who is even at the right hand of God, ^(X)who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

^37 (Z)Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor ^(AA)principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.