Judges 7:19-8:12

English Standard Version

Gideon Defeats Midian

¹⁹ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. ²⁰ Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. ^(A)And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” ²¹ Every man stood in his place around the camp, ^(B)and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. ^22 (C)When they blew the 300 trumpets, ^(D)the Lord set ^(E)every man's sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah,^[a] as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. ²³ And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.

^24 (F)Gideon sent messengers throughout ^(G)all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as ^(H)Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. ²⁵ And they captured ^(I)the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb ^(J)at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon ^(K)across the Jordan.

Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna

8 ^(L)Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely. ² And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not ^(M)the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? ^3 (N)God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” ^(O)Then their anger^[b] against him subsided when he said this.

⁴ And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and ^(P)the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. ⁵ So he said to the men of ^(Q)Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” ⁶ And the officials of Succoth said, ^(R)“Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, ^(S)that we should give bread to your army?” ⁷ So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, ^(T)I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” ⁸ And from there he went up to ^(U)Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. ⁹ And he said to the men of Penuel, ^(V)“When I come again in peace, ^(W)I will break down this tower.”

¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of ^(X)the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men ^(Y)who drew the sword. ¹¹ And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of ^(Z)Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the army, for the army felt ^(AA)secure. ¹² And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them ^(AB)and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic.