¹³ The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, ¹⁴ he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged^(A) you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, for this turn of events was from the Lord,^(B) to fulfill the word the Lord had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah^(C) the Shilonite.

¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they answered the king:

So the Israelites went home.^(F)

Zebah and Zalmunna

8 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon,^(A) “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?^(B)”^(C) And they challenged him vigorously.^(D)

² But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?^{(E) 3} God gave Oreb and Zeeb,^(F) the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

¹⁰ Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who^(A) is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. ¹¹ Why should I take my bread^(B) and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”

¹² David’s men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. ¹³ David said to his men^(C), “Each of you strap on your sword!” So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went^(D) up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.^(E)