Judges 8 – New American Standard Bible 2020 (NASB20)

Zebah and Zalmunna Routed

1 Then the men ^H376 of Ephraim ^H669 said ^H559 to [fn]Gideon, “What ^H4100 is this ^H2088 thing ^H1697 that you have done ^H6213 to us, not calling ^H7121 upon us when ^H3588 you went ^H1980 to fight ^H3898 against Midian ^H4080?” And they quarreled ^H7378 with him vehemently ^H2394.

2 But he said ^H559 to them, “What ^H4100 have I done ^H6213 now ^H6258 in comparison with you? Is the gleaning ^H5955 of the grapes of Ephraim ^H669 not better ^H2896 than ^H4480 the vintage ^H1210 of Abiezer ^H44? 3 God ^H430 has handed ^H5414 H3027 over ^H5414 to you the leaders ^H8269 of Midian ^H4080, Oreb ^H6159 and Zeeb ^H2062; and what ^H4100 was ^H3201 I able ^H3201 to do ^H6213 in comparison with you?” Then ^H227 their [fn]anger ^H7307 toward ^H4480 H5921 him subsided ^H7503 when he said ^H1696 [fn]that.

4 Then Gideon ^H1439 and the three ^H7969 hundred ^H3967 men ^H376 who ^H834 were with him came ^H935 to the Jordan ^H3383 and crossed ^H5674 over ^H5674, exhausted ^H5889 yet still pursuing ^H7291. 5 And he said ^H559 to the men ^H376 of Succoth ^H5523, “Please ^H4994 give ^H5414 loaves ^H3603 of bread ^H3899 to the people ^H5971 who ^H834 are [fn]following ^H7272 me, for they are exhausted ^H5889, and I am pursuing ^H7291 H310 Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759, the kings ^H4428 of Midian ^H4080.” 6 But the leaders ^H8269 of Succoth ^H5523 said ^H559, “[fn]Are the hands ^H3709 of Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759 already ^H6258 in your hand ^H3027, that we should give ^H5414 bread ^H3899 to your army ^H6635?” 7 So Gideon ^H1439 said ^H559, “For this ^H3651 answer, when the LORD ^H3068 has handed ^H5414 H3027 over ^H5414 to me Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759, I will [fn]thrash ^H1758 your [fn]bodies ^H1320 with the thorns ^H6975 of the wilderness ^H4057 and with briers ^H1303.” 8 Then he went ^H5927 up ^H5927 from there ^H8033 to [fn]Penuel ^H6439 and spoke ^H1696 similarly ^H2088 to them; and the men ^H376 of Penuel ^H6439 answered ^H6030 him just ^H834 as ^H834 the men ^H376 of Succoth ^H5523 had answered ^H6030. 9 So he said ^H559 also ^H1571 to the men ^H376 of [fn]Penuel ^H6439, “When I return ^H7725 safely ^H7965, I will tear ^H5422 down ^H5422 this ^H2088 tower ^H4026.”

10 Now Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759 were in Karkor ^H7174, and their [fn]armies ^H4264 with them, about fifteen ^H2568 H6240 thousand ^H505 men, all ^H3605 who were left ^H3498 of the entire ^H3605 [fn]army ^H4264 of the [fn]people ^H1121 of the east ^H6924; for the fallen ^H5307 were 120,000 ^{H3967 H6242 H505} [fn]swordsmen ^{H376 H8025 H2719}. 11 Gideon ^H1439 went ^H5927 up ^H5927 by the way ^H1870 of those who lived ^H7931 in tents ^H168 to the east ^H6924 of Nobah ^H5025 and Jogbehah ^H3011, and he [fn]attacked ^H5221 the camp ^H4264 when the camp ^H4264 was unsuspecting ^H983. 12 When Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759 fled ^H5127, he pursued ^H7291 H310 them and captured ^H3920 the two ^H8147 kings ^H4428 of Midian ^H4080, Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759, and routed ^H2729 the entire ^H3605 [fn]army ^H4264.

13 Then Gideon ^H1439 the son ^H1121 of Joash ^H3060 returned ^H7725 from the battle ^H4421 [fn]by the ascent ^H4608 of Heres ^H2776. 14 And he captured ^H3920 a youth ^H5288 from [fn]Succoth ^H5523 and questioned ^H7592 him. Then the youth wrote ^H3789 down ^H3789 for him the leaders ^H8269 of Succoth ^H5523 and its elders ^H2205, seventy-seven ^H7657 men ^H376. 15 And he came ^H935 to the men ^H376 of Succoth ^H5523 and said ^H559, “Behold ^H2009 Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759, about whom ^H834 you taunted ^H2778 me, saying ^H559, ‘[fn]Are the hands ^H3709 of Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759 already ^H6258 in your hand ^H3027, that we should give ^H5414 bread ^H3899 to your men ^H376 who are weary ^H3287?’” 16 Then he took ^H3947 the elders ^H2205 of the city ^H5892, and thorns ^H6975 of the wilderness ^H4057 and briers ^H1303, and he [fn]disciplined ^H3045 the men ^H376 of Succoth ^H5523 with them. 17 And he tore ^H5422 down ^H5422 the tower ^H4026 of Penuel ^H6439 and killed ^H2026 the men ^H376 of the city ^H5892.

18 Then he said ^H559 to Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759, “Where ^H375 were the men ^H376 whom ^H834 you killed ^H2026 at Tabor ^H8396?” But they said ^H559, “You and they were alike ^H3644, each one ^H259 [fn]resembling ^H8389 the son ^H1121 of a king ^H4428.” 19 And he said ^H559, “They were my brothers ^H251, the sons ^H1121 of my mother ^H517. As the LORD ^H3068 lives ^H2416, if ^H3863 only ^H3863 you had let them live ^H2421, I would not kill ^H2026 you.” 20 So he said ^H559 to Jether ^H3500 his firstborn ^H1060, “Rise ^H6965, kill ^H2026 them.” But the youth ^H5288 did not draw ^H8025 his sword ^H2719, for he was ^H3372 afraid ^H3372, because ^H3588 he was still ^H5750 a youth ^H5288. 21 Then Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759 said ^H559, “Rise ^H6965 up ^H6965 yourself ^H859, and attack ^H6293 us; for as the man ^H376, so is his strength ^H1369.” So Gideon ^H1439 arose ^H6965 and killed ^H2026 Zebah ^H2078 and Zalmunna ^H6759, and took ^H3947 the crescent ^H7720 amulets ^H7720 which ^H834 were on their camels’ ^H1581 necks ^H6677.

22 Then the men ^H376 of Israel ^H3478 said ^H559 to Gideon ^H1439, “Rule ^H4910 over us, both ^H1571 you and your son ^H1121, your son’s ^H1121 son ^H1121 as ^H1571 well ^H1571, for you have saved ^H3467 us from the hand ^H3027 of Midian ^H4080!” 23 But Gideon ^H1439 said ^H559 to them, “I will not rule ^H4910 over you, nor ^H3808 shall my son ^H1121 rule ^H4910 over you; the LORD ^H3068 shall rule ^H4910 over you.” 24 Yet Gideon ^H1439 said ^H559 to them, “I would [fn]request ^H7596 H7592 of you, that each ^H376 of you give ^H5414 me [fn]an earring ^H5141 from his plunder ^H7998.” (For they had gold ^H2091 earrings ^H5141, because ^H3588 they were Ishmaelites ^H3459.) 25 And they said ^H559, “We will certainly ^H5414 give ^H5414 them to you.” So they spread ^H6566 out ^H6566 a garment ^H8071, and every ^H376 one ^H376 of them tossed ^H7993 an earring ^H5141 there ^H8033 from his plunder ^H7998. 26 The weight ^H4948 of the gold ^H2091 earrings ^H5141 that he requested ^H7592 was 1,700 ^{H505 H7651 H3967} shekels of gold ^H2091, apart ^H905 from the crescent ^H7720 amulets ^H7720, the ear ^H5188 pendants ^H5188, and the purple ^H713 robes ^H899 which ^H7945 were on the kings ^H4428 of Midian ^H4080, and apart ^H905 from the neck ^H6060 chains ^H6060 that were on their camels’ ^H1581 necks ^H6677. 27 Gideon ^H1439 made ^H6213 it into an ephod ^H646, and placed ^H3322 it in his city ^H5892, Ophrah ^H6084; but all ^H3605 Israel ^H3478 [fn]committed infidelity ^H2181 with it there ^H8033, and it became ^H1961 a snare ^H4170 to Gideon ^H1439 and his household ^H1004.

Forty Years of Peace

28 So Midian ^H4080 was subdued ^H3665 before ^H6440 the sons ^H1121 of Israel ^H3478, and they did not lift ^H5375 up ^H5375 their heads ^H7218 anymore ^H3254. And the land ^H776 was ^H8252 undisturbed ^H8252 for forty ^H705 years ^H8141 in the days ^H3117 of Gideon ^H1439.

29 Then Jerubbaal ^H3378 the son ^H1121 of Joash ^H3060 went ^H1980 and lived ^H3427 in his own house ^H1004. 30 Now Gideon ^H1439 had ^H1961 seventy ^H7657 sons ^H1121 who [fn]were his direct ^H3409 descendants ^H3318, for he had ^H1961 many ^H7227 wives ^H802. 31 And his concubine ^H6370 who ^H834 was in Shechem ^H7927 also ^H1571 bore ^H3205 him a son ^H1121, and he [fn]named ^H8034 H7760 him Abimelech ^H40. 32 And Gideon ^H1439 the son ^H1121 of Joash ^H3060 died ^H4191 at a good ^H2896 old ^H7872 age ^H7872 and was buried ^H6912 in the tomb ^H6913 of his father ^H1 Joash ^H3060, in Ophrah ^H6084 of the Abiezrites ^H33.

33 Then it came ^H1961 about ^H1961, as ^H834 soon ^H834 as ^H834 Gideon ^H1439 was dead ^H4191, that the sons ^H1121 of Israel ^H3478 again ^H7725 [fn]committed ^H2181 infidelity ^H2181 with the Baals ^H1168, and made ^H7760 Baal-berith ^H1170 their god ^H430. 34 So the sons ^H1121 of Israel ^H3478 did not remember ^H2142 the LORD ^H3068 their God ^H430, who had saved ^H5337 them from the hands ^H3027 of all ^H3605 their enemies ^H340 on every ^H5439 side ^H5439; 35 nor ^H3808 did they show ^H6213 kindness ^H2617 to the household ^H1004 of Jerubbaal ^H3378 (that is, Gideon ^H1439) in accordance with all ^H3605 the good ^H2896 that he had done ^H6213 for Israel ^H3478.