1 The men of Ephraim said to Gideon, 'What is this thing you have done to us by not calling us when you went to fight against Midian?' And they argued with him forcefully.

And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.

2 But Gideon replied to them, 'What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s harvest better than the full harvest of Abiezer?'

And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

3 God gave the leaders of Midian—Oreb and Zeeb—into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?' At this, their anger toward him subsided when he said this.

God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

4 Then Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet pursuing, came to the Jordan and crossed it.

And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

5 He said to the men of Succoth, 'Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.'

And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

6 But the leaders of Succoth replied, 'Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands, that we should give bread to your army?'

And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?

7 So Gideon said, 'Very well, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I will tear your flesh with thorns of the wilderness and briars.'

And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.

8 From there he went up to Penuel and made the same request of them, but they answered him just as the men of Succoth had.

And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.

9 So he said to the men of Penuel, 'When I return in peace, I will tear down this tower.'

And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, all that was left of the army of the sons of the east. One hundred twenty thousand sword-wielding men had fallen.

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

11 Gideon went up by the route of the tent dwellers east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the camp while the army was unprepared.

And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.

12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but Gideon pursued them. He captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and threw the entire army into a panic.

And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

13 Gideon, son of Joash, returned from the battle by the Ascent of Heres.

And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

14 He captured a young man from Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the leaders of Succoth and its elders—seventy-seven men.

And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

15 Then Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, 'Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, “Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands, that we should give bread to your exhausted men?”'

And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?

16 He then took the elders of the city, along with thorns and briers from the wilderness, and used them to teach the men of Succoth a lesson.

And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

17 He also tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

18 Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, 'What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?' They answered, 'They were like you—each one resembling the son of a king.'

Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.

19 Gideon said, 'They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As surely as the Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.'

And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

20 He then said to Jether, his firstborn, 'Get up and kill them.' But the young man did not draw his sword because he was afraid, still being just a boy.

And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, 'Get up yourself and strike us down, for a man is judged by his strength.' So Gideon got up, killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

22 The Israelites said to Gideon, 'Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.'

Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

23 But Gideon replied, 'I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.'

And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.

24 Then Gideon said to them, 'I have one request—that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.' (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

25 They answered, 'We will gladly give them.' So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a gold earring from his share of the plunder onto it.

And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.

26 The weight of the gold earrings that Gideon had requested was seventeen hundred shekels, apart from the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple robes worn by the kings of Midian, and the chains on the necks of their camels.

And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.

27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During the days of Gideon, the land had peace for forty years.

Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) son of Joash went back to his home to live.

And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

30 Gideon had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives.

And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals, making Baal-Berith their god.

And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.

34 The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side.

And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:

35 They also failed to show kindness to the family of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good that he had done for Israel.

Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.