Gideon’s Ephod

²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, ^(A)“Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have ^(B)delivered us from the hand of Midian.”

²³ But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; ^(C)the Lord shall rule over you.” ²⁴ Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to ^[a]make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, ^(D)because they were Ishmaelites.

²⁵ So they answered, “We will gladly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder. ²⁶ Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their camels’ necks. ²⁷ Then Gideon ^(E)made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, ^(F)Ophrah. And all Israel ^(G)played the harlot with it there. It became ^(H)a snare to Gideon and to his house.