Judges 8:1-35

The men of Ephraim got into a heated argument with Gideon and complained to him, “Why didn’t you tell us you were going to fight the Midianites? Why did you do that to us?” Gideon replied, “What have I accomplished compared to you? What your tribe did is worth so much more than what my whole clan has done. After all, through the power of God, you killed both Midianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I done compared with you?” After he said this, they calmed down and were no longer so angry. Totally exhausted, Gideon and his three hundred men crossed the river Jordan and continued to pursue the enemy. When they arrived at Succoth, he said to the men of the town, “Please give my men some loaves of bread. They are exhausted, and I am still pursuing the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna.” But the leaders of Succoth replied, “Why should we give any food to your army? You haven’t even captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet.” So Gideon said, “All right! Since you won’t help me, when YAHWEH has handed them over to me, I’ll whip you with thorns and briars from the desert!” Gideon went on to Penuel and made the same request of the people there, but the men of Penuel gave him the same reply as the men of Succoth. So he informed them, “I’ll come back victoriously, and when I do, I will tear your tower down!” Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor with an army of fifteen thousand men who survived, for one hundred twenty thousand sword-wielding soldiers had already been killed. Gideon followed the desert trail of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah, surprised the enemy’s army, and ambushed them. The two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, escaped, but Gideon pursued and captured them, and terrified what remained of the Midianite army. While Gideon son of Joash was returning from the battle by way of Heres Pass, he captured a young man from Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for Gideon the names of the seventy-seven leading men of Succoth. Then Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “You mocked me, refused to help me, and said that you couldn’t give any food to my exhausted army because I had not yet captured Zebah and Zalmunna. Well, here they are!” As he had promised, Gideon took desert thorns and briars and whipped the leaders of Succoth. As for Penuel, Gideon tore down its tower and killed the men of that city. Then Gideon asked the kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, “What can you tell me about the men you killed at Tabor?” They answered, “They looked just like you. Every one of them looked like the son of a king.” Gideon said, “They were my brothers, my own mother’s sons. I swear, as surely as YAHWEH lives, that if you had let them live, I would let you live.” Then he turned to Jether, his firstborn son, and said, “Go ahead, kill them now!” But the boy wouldn’t do it. He didn’t draw his sword because he was still only a timid boy. Then Zebah and Zalmunna taunted Gideon, “Come on, kill us yourself. It takes a man to do a man’s job.” So Gideon executed them and plundered the crescent ornaments that hung on the necks of their camels. After that, the Israelites said to Gideon, “You’re our war hero! You’re the one who saved us from the Midianites. You be our ruler! Then your son will rule after you, and then your grandson.” Gideon answered, “No. Neither I nor my son will be your ruler. YAHWEH is to be your only King. However, I do have one request,” Gideon added. “Give me all the gold earrings you took from the Midianites.” (It was the custom of the Midianites to wear gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) The people answered, “Gladly. They’re yours!” They spread out a cloth, and each one placed on it the earrings they had taken as plunder. Gideon received gold earrings that weighed seventeen hundred shekels, not including the crescent ornaments, necklaces, and fine purple robes of the kings of Midian, nor the ornamental collars taken from the necks of their camels. Gideon used all this plunder to make a sacred golden ephod. He put it on display in his hometown, Ophrah, and all Israel strayed from YAHWEH and gave over their hearts to the golden ephod. It was a seducing snare for Gideon and his family. So Israel defeated Midian, who never troubled them again. The land had peace for forty years until Gideon died. Gideon, the Baal-Fighter, son of Joash, returned to his own home and lived there. Because he had many wives, Gideon fathered seventy sons. In addition, he took a concubine in Shechem. She bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, at Ophrah, a town of the clan of Abiezer. No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again abandoned the true God and worshiped the images of Baal. They made Baal-Berith their god and no longer remembered YAHWEH their God, who had saved them from all their enemies on every side. The Israelites failed to demonstrate loyal love to the family of Gideon, the Baal-Fighter, for all the good that he had done for them.