| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Now the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply. | 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. |
| 2So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? | 2He said to them, "Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim's leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer's harvest! |
| 3God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that. | 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. |
| 4When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. | 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. |
| 5Then he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.” | 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." |
| 6And the leaders of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” | 6The officials of Succoth said, "You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your army?" |
| 7So Gideon said, “For this cause, when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!” | 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." |
| 8Then he went up from there to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. | 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. |
| 9So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I come back in peace, I will tear down this tower!” | 9He also threatened the men of Penuel, warning, "When I return victoriously, I will tear down this tower." |
| 10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East; for one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen. | 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. |
| 11Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah; and he attacked the army while the camp felt secure. | 11Gideon went up the road of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. |
| 12When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole 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. |
| 13Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres. | 13Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass of Heres. |
| 14And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. | 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. |
| 15Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you ridiculed me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men?’ ” | 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?'" |
| 16And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. | 16He seized the leaders of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then "threshed" the men of Succoth with them. |
| 17Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city. | 17He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city's men. |
| 18And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?” So they answered, “As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king.” | 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." |
| 19Then he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” | 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." |
| 20And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth. | 20He ordered Jether his firstborn son, "Come on! Kill them!" But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, because he was still young. |
| 21So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks. | 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. |
| 22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.” | 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." |
| 23But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.” | 23Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you." |
| 24Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites. | 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.) |
| 25So they answered, “We will gladly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder. | 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. |
| 26Now 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. | 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. |
| 27Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house. | 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. |
| 28Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon. | 28The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites' fighting spirit was broken. The land had rest for forty years during Gideon's time. |
| 29Then Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. | 29Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. |
| 30Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives. | 30Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. |
| 31And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. | 31His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. |
| 32Now Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. | 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. |
| 33So it was, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-Berith their god. | 33After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god. |
| 34Thus the children of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; | 34The Israelites did not remain true to the LORD their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. |
| 35nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel. | 35They did not treat the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel. |
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