1And the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you treated us like this, that you did not call us, when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they contended with him sharply. 2And Gideon said to them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of t Ephraim’s grapes of better than the full vintage of Abiezer? 3God has delivered the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, into your hands: and what was I able to do compared with you?” Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

4And Gideon came to the Jordan, and crossed over with his three hundred men, faint, but still pursuing. 5And he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give a few loaves of bread to the men following me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.” 6And the leaders of Succoth said, “Are Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” 7And Gideon replied, “When the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness.” 8And he left there for Penuel, and made the same request there; and the men of Penuel responded to him just as the men of Succoth had. 9And he told the men of Penuel, “When I return in peace, I will break down this tower.” (the tower being the symbol of their town’s security)

10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, with their forces of about fifteen thousand men - all that was left of all their armies of the children of the east; because they had already suffered casualties of one hundred twenty thousand. 11And Gideon went up by the route of the nomads who lived in tents east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the unsuspecting army. 12And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them, and captured these two Midian kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed their entire army.

13And Gideon, son of Joash, returned from battle before sunrise, 14And caught a young man from Succoth, and interrogated him: and the young man wrote down for him the names of the leaders of Succoth, and their elders - seventy-seven men. 15And he came to the men of Succoth, and said, “Look! Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, by saying, ‘Are Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men that are weary?’” 16And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth a lesson. 17And then he tore down the tower of Penuel, and killed the men of that city. 18Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they that you killed at Tabor?” And they answered, “Men much like you; each one looked like the descendants of a king.” 19And Gideon said, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As sure as the LORD lives, if you had spared them, I would not kill you.” 20And he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Up, and slay them.” But the youth did not draw his sword, because he was just a boy, and afraid. 21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Be a man! Do it yourself! As the man is, so is his strength.” And so, Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us - you, your son, and your son's son; for you have rescued us from the hand of Midian.” 23And Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you. The LORD shall rule over you.” 24And then Gideon said, “I do have one request of you: that each of you give me an earring from your plunder.” (For the enemies were Ishmaelites, whose custom was to wear gold earrings.) 25And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a garment, and every man threw earrings of his spoil into it. 26And the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was a thousand seven hundred shekels of gold; besides other ornaments, collars, and purple clothing that the kings of Midian wore, plus the chains that were around their camels' necks. 27And Gideon made an ephod of them, and put it in his city of Ophrah: and all Israel prostituted themselves by worshipping it there, which thing became a snare to Gideon, and to his house.

28And so the Israelites subdued Midian such that they never recovered. And the land had peace for the forty years of the days of Gideon.

29And Gideon, son of Joash, went and dwelt in his own house. 30Gideon had seventy sons of his own; for he had many wives. 31And his concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whose name was Abimelech. 32And Gideon, son of Joash, died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash, his father, in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. 33And no sooner was Gideon dead, than the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshipping Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. 34And they did not remember the LORD their God, Who had rescued them from all their enemies on every side; 35Nor did they show kindness to the family of Gideon, in spite of all the goodness which he had shown to Israel.