Judges 8
Lexham English Bible
Gideon Pursues Zebah and Zalmunna
8 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 the Midianites?”[a] And they quarreled with him severely. 2 And he said to them, “What I have done now in comparison with you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? 3 God has given into your hand the commanders of Midian, Oreb, and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” And their anger[b] against him subsided when he said that.[c]
4 Then Gideon came to the Jordan, crossing it with the three hundred men who were with him, weary and pursuing. 5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following me,[d] for they are weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6 The officials of Succoth said, “Is the hand[e] of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand now, that we should give bread to your army?” 7 Gideon said, “Well then, when Yahweh gives Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will trample your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness.” 8 He went from there to Penuel, and he spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth answered. 9 And he said also to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I return safely,[f] I will tear down this tower.”
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand men remained from the entire army[g] of the people of the east; those that fell in battle were one hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen.[h] 11 And Gideon went up the route of those who dwell in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked the army[i] when it was off its guard.[j] 12 And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he routed[k] the entire army.[l]
13 Then Gideon son of Jehoash returned from the battle by way of[m] the ascent of Heres.[n] 14 He captured a young man from Succoth[o] and questioned him. The young man listed[p] for him the commanders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. 15 He came to the men of Succoth, and he said, “Here is Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Is the palm[q] of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand now, that we should give food to your weary men?’” 16 He took the elders of the city and the thorn bushes and briers of the wilderness, and he trampled[r] the men of Succoth with them. 17 He broke down the tower of Penuel, and he killed the men of the city.
18 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What type were the men whom you killed at Tabor?” And they said, “They were like you;[s] each one of them had the appearance of the sons of the king.” 19 He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Yahweh lives, if you had kept them alive I would not kill you.” 20 And he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up, kill them.” But the boy did not draw his sword, for he was afraid because he was still a boy. 21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up yourself, and strike us, for as is the man, so is his power.”[t] So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
22 The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your sons, and your sons’ son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian. 23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; Yahweh will rule over you.” 24 And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you,[u] that each of you give to me an ornamental ring from his plunder.” (They had ornamental rings of gold, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 They said, “We will gladly give them,” and they spread out a garment, and everyone threw there an ornamental ring of his plunder. 26 The weight of the ornamental rings of gold that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, apart from the crescents, pendants, and purple garments that were on the kings of Midian, and apart from the pendants that were on the necks of their camels. 27 Gideon made an ephod out of it, and he put it in his town in Ophrah, and all Israel prostituted themselves to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. 28 And Midian was subdued before the Israelites,[v] and they did not again lift up their head, and the land rested for forty years in the days of Gideon.
The Death of Gideon
29 Jerub-Baal son of Joash lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring,[w] for he had many wives. 31 His concubine who was in Shechem also bore for him a son, and he named him[x] Abimelech. 32 And Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and he was buried in the tomb of Jehoash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.[y]
33 And it happened, as soon as Gideon died, the Israelites[z] returned and prostituted themselves after the Baals, and they made for themselves Baal-Berith as god. 34 The Israelites[aa] did not remember Yahweh their God, who had delivered them from the hand of their enemies from all around, 35 nor did they show favor[ab] to the house of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in accordance with all the good that he did for Israel.
Footnotes
- Judges 8:1 Hebrew “Midianite”
- Judges 8:3 Literally “spirit”
- Judges 8:3 Literally “he said this thing/word”
- Judges 8:5 Literally “at my feet”
- Judges 8:6 Or “palm”
- Judges 8:9 Literally “in peace”
- Judges 8:10 Or “camp”
- Judges 8:10 Literally “sword-drawing men”
- Judges 8:11 Or “camp”
- Judges 8:11 Or “unsuspecting”
- Judges 8:12 Or “he frightened” or “he threw into panic”
- Judges 8:12 Or “camp”
- Judges 8:13 Literally “from”
- Judges 8:13 Or “pass of Heres”
- Judges 8:14 Literally “from the men of Succoth”
- Judges 8:14 Or “wrote down”
- Judges 8:15 Or “hand”
- Judges 8:16 Literally “he taught,” but see v. 7
- Judges 8:18 Literally, “like you, like them”
- Judges 8:21 Or “strength”
- Judges 8:24 Literally “Let me ask from you a request”
- Judges 8:28 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 8:30 Literally “from his own loins”
- Judges 8:31 Literally “he set his name”
- Judges 8:32 Hebrew “Abiezrite”
- Judges 8:33 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 8:34 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Judges 8:35 Or “loyalty”
Shofetim 8
Orthodox Jewish Bible
8 And the Ish Ephrayim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with Midyan? And they did criticize him sharply.
2 And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephrayim tov (better) than the vintage of Aviezer?
3 Elohim hath delivered into your hands the sarim of Midyan, Orev and Ze’ev; and what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
4 And Gid’on came to the Yarden, and passed over, he, and the three hundred haIsh that were with him, exhausted yet pursuing them.
5 And he said unto the Anshei Sukkot, Give, now, loaves of lechem unto the people that follow me; for they be exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zevach and Tzalmunna, melachim of Midyan.
6 And the sarei Sukkot said, Are the hands of Zevach and Tzalmunna now in thine yad, that we should give lechem unto thine tz’va (army)?
7 And Gid’on said, Therefore when Hashem hath delivered Zevach and Tzalmunna into mine yad, then I will tear your basar with the kotz (thorns) of the midbar and with briers.
8 And he went up from there to Penuel [Peniel], and spoke unto them likewise; and the Anshei Penuel [Peniel] answered him as the men of Sukkot had answered him.
9 And he spoke also unto the Anshei Penuel, saying, When I come again in shalom, I will break down this migdal.
10 Now Zevach and Tzalmunna were in Karkor, and their machaneh with them, about 15,000, all that were left of all the machaneh of the Bnei Kedem; for there fell a 120,000 Ish that drew the cherev.
11 And Gid’on went up by the derech of them that dwelt in ohalim on the east of Novach and Yogbehah, and struck down the machaneh; for the machaneh was unsuspecting, thinking themselves secure.
12 And when Zevach and Tzalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two melachim of Midyan, Zevach and Tzalmunna, and did rout all the machaneh.
13 And Gid’on ben Yoash returned from milchamah by the Cheres Pass,
14 And caught a na’ar of the Anshei Sukkot, and inquired of him; and he wrote down for him the sarim of Sukkot, and the zekenim thereof, even threescore and seventeen ish.
15 And he came unto the Anshei Sukkot, and said, Hinei, Zevach and Tzalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zevach and Tzalmunna now in thine yad, that we should give lechem unto thy anashim that are exhausted?
16 And he took the zekenim of the Ir, kotz of the midbar and briers, and with them he taught the Anashim of Sukkot.
17 And he pulled down the migdal of Penuel [Peniel], and put to death the Anshei HaIr.
18 Then said he unto Zevach and Tzalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slaughtered at Tavor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one with the bearing of Bnei HaMelech.
19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the Bnei Immi; as Hashem liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I should not have put you to death.
20 And he said unto Yeter his bechor, Up, and slay them. But the na’ar (youth) drew not his cherev; for he feared, because he was yet a na’ar.
21 Then Zevach and Tzalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us; for as the ish is, so is his gevurah. And Gid’on arose, and put to death Zevach and Tzalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.
22 Then the Ish Yisroel said unto Gid’on, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy ben, and the ben of thy ben also; for thou hast delivered us from the yad Midyan.
23 And Gid’on said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall beni rule over you; Hashem shall rule over you.
24 And Gid’on said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every ish the nezem (earring) of his booty—for they had nizmei zahav (gold earrings), because they were Yishmaelim [descendents of Ishmael].
25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread out a simlah (upper garment), and did cast therein every ish the nezem of his booty.
26 And the weight of the nizmei hazahav that he requested was 1,700 shekels of zahav; beside ornaments, and pendants, and purple raiment that was on the melachim of Midyan, and apart from the chains that were about their camels’ necks.
27 And Gid’on made an ephod thereof, and put it in his Ir, even in Ophrah; and kol Yisroel went there a-whoring after it; which thing became a mokesh (snare) unto Gid’on, and to his Bais.
28 Thus was Midyan subdued before the Bnei Yisroel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And HaAretz was in quietness arba’im shanah in the days of Gid’on.
29 And Yerubaal ben Yoash went and dwelt in his own bais.
30 And Gid’on had threescore and ten banim of his own; for he had many nashim.
31 And his pilegesh (concubine) that was in Shechem, she also bore him a ben, whose shem he called Avimelech.
32 And Gid’on ben Yoash died in a good old age, and was buried in the kever of Yoash his av, in Ophrah of the Aviezri.
33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gid’on was dead, that the Bnei Yisroel turned again, and went a-whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-brit their elohim.
34 And the Bnei Yisroel remembered not Hashem Eloheihem, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side;
35 Neither showed they chesed to the Bais Yerubaal, namely, Gid’on, according to all the tovah which he had showed unto Yisroel.
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