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18 Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What were the men like that you killed on Mount Tabor?”

They answered, “They were like you. Each one of them looked like ·a prince [L sons of a king].”

19 Gideon said, “Those were my brothers, my mother’s sons. As surely as the Lord lives, I would not kill you if you had spared them.” 20 Then Gideon said to Jether, his oldest son, “Kill them.” But Jether was only a boy and was afraid, so he did not draw his sword.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on. ·Kill us [L Do it] yourself. As the saying goes, ‘·It takes a man to do a man’s job [L As is a man, so is his strength; C it was honorable to be killed by a great warrior, but humiliating to be killed by a boy].’” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna and took the ·decorations [L crescent-shaped ornaments] off their camels’ necks.

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18 Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?” And they replied, “They were like you, each one of them resembled 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 [to humiliate them] Gideon said to Jether his firstborn, “Stand up, and kill them!” But the youth did not draw his sword, because he was afraid, for he was still [just] a boy. 21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise up yourself and strike us; for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent amulets that were on their camels’ necks.

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