And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and (A)the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. So he said to the men of (B)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.” And the officials of Succoth said, (C)“Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, (D)that we should give bread to your army?” So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, (E)I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” And from there he went up to (F)Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. And he said to the men of Penuel, (G)“When I come again in peace, (H)I will break down this tower.”

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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.