| NET Bible | New International Version |
| 1The Ephraimites said to him, "Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us when you went to fight the Midianites!" They argued vehemently with him. | 1Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they challenged him vigorously. |
| 2He said to them, "Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim's leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer's harvest! | 2But 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? |
| 3It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?" When he said this, they calmed down. | 3God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided. |
| 4Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites. | 4Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. |
| 5He said to the men of Succoth, "Give some loaves of bread to the men who are following me, because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian." | 5He said to the men of Sukkoth, "Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian." |
| 6The officials of Succoth said, "You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your army?" | 6But the officials of Sukkoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?" |
| 7Gideon said, "Since you will not help, after the LORD hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh your skin with desert thorns and briers." | 7Then Gideon replied, "Just for that, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers." |
| 8He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had. | 8From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. |
| 9He also threatened the men of Penuel, warning, "When I return victoriously, I will tear down this tower." | 9So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower." |
| 10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies. There were about fifteen thousand survivors from the army of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand sword-wielding soldiers had been killed. | 10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. |
| 11Gideon went up the road of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. | 11Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the unsuspecting army. |
| 12When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon chased them and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised their entire army. | 12Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army. |
| 13Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass of Heres. | 13Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. |
| 14He captured a young man from Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of Succoth's officials and city leaders--seventy-seven men in all. | 14He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth, the elders of the town. |
| 15He approached the men of Succoth and said, "Look what I have! Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying, 'You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?'" | 15Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, 'Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?'" |
| 16He seized the leaders of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then "threshed" the men of Succoth with them. | 16He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. |
| 17He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city's men. | 17He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town. |
| 18He said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "Describe for me the men you killed at Tabor." They said, "They were like you. Each one looked like a king's son." | 18Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" "Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a prince." |
| 19He said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear, as surely as the LORD is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you." | 19Gideon replied, "Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the LORD lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you." |
| 20He ordered Jether his firstborn son, "Come on! Kill them!" But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, because he was still young. | 20Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid. |
| 21Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, "Come on, you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength." So Gideon killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels. | 21Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Come, do it yourself. 'As is the man, so is his strength.'" So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels' necks. |
| 22The men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us--you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian's power." | 22The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us--you, your son and your grandson--because you have saved us from the hand of Midian." |
| 23Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you." | 23But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you." |
| 24Gideon continued, "I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken." (The Midianites had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) | 24And he said, "I do 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.) |
| 25They said, "We are happy to give you earrings." So they spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. | 25They answered, "We'll be glad to give them." So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. |
| 26The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry, purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels. | 26The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels' necks. |
| 27Gideon used all this to make an ephod, which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family. | 27Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. |
| 28The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites' fighting spirit was broken. The land had rest for forty years during Gideon's time. | 28Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon's lifetime, the land had peace forty years. |
| 29Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. | 29Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. |
| 30Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. | 30He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. |
| 31His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. | 31His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. |
| 32Gideon son of Joash died at a very old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. | 32Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. |
| 33After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god. | 33No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god |
| 34The Israelites did not remain true to the LORD their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. | 34and did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. |
| 35They did not treat the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel. | 35They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them. |
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