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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Judges 8 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/judges/8.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/judges/8-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NRSVCE</a> > Judges 8</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../judges/7.htm" title="Judges 7">◄</a> Judges 8 <a href="../judges/9.htm" title="Judges 9">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><div class="text-html"> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Gideon’s Triumph and Vengeance</span></h3><p class="chapter-1"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">1</span>Then the Ephraimites said to him, “What have you done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against the Midianites?” And they upbraided him violently. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">2</span>So 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? </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">3</span>God has given into your hands the captains of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; what have I been able to do in comparison with you?” When he said this, their anger against him subsided.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">4</span>Then Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the three hundred who were with him, exhausted and famished.<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-6724a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote a">a</a>]</span> </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">5</span>So he said to the people of Succoth, “Please give some loaves of bread to my followers, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">6</span>But the officials of Succoth said, “Do you already have in your possession the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna, that we should give bread to your army?” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">7</span>Gideon replied, “Well then, when the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will trample your flesh on the thorns of the wilderness and on briers.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">8</span>From there he went up to Penuel, and made the same request of them; and the people of Penuel answered him as the people of Succoth had answered. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">9</span>So he said to the people of Penuel, “When I come back victorious, I will break down this tower.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">10</span>Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the east; for one hundred twenty thousand men bearing arms had fallen. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">11</span>So Gideon went up by the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the army; for the army was off its guard. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">12</span>Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and threw all the army into a panic.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">13</span>When Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">14</span>he caught a young man, one of the people of Succoth, and questioned him; and he listed for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven people. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">15</span>Then he came to the people of Succoth, and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Do you already have in your possession the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna, that we should give bread to your troops who are exhausted?’” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">16</span>So he took the elders of the city and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them he trampled<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-6736b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote b">b</a>]</span> the people of Succoth. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">17</span>He also broke down the tower of Penuel, and killed the men of the city.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">18</span>Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What about the men whom you killed at Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they, every one of them; they resembled the sons of a king.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">19</span>And he replied, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother; as the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">20</span>So he said to Jether his firstborn, “Go kill them!” But the boy did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a boy. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">21</span>Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “You come and kill us; for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon proceeded to kill Zebah and Zalmunna; and he took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Gideon’s Idolatry</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">22</span>Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also; for you have delivered us out of the hand of Midian.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">23</span>Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> will rule over you.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">24</span>Then Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you; each of you give me an earring he has taken as booty.” (For the enemy<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-6744c" title="See footnote c">c</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote c">c</a>]</span> had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">25</span>“We will willingly give them,” they answered. So they spread a garment, and each threw into it an earring he had taken as booty. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">26</span>The weight of the golden earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold (apart from the crescents and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and the collars that were on the necks of their camels). </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">27</span>Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his town, in Ophrah; and all Israel prostituted themselves to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">28</span>So Midian was subdued before the Israelites, and they lifted up their heads no more. So the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Death of Gideon</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">29</span>Jerubbaal son of Joash went to live in his own house. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">30</span>Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">31</span>His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">32</span>Then Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">33</span>As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites relapsed and prostituted themselves with the Baals, making Baal-berith their god. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">34</span>The Israelites did not remember the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">35</span>and they did not exhibit loyalty to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.</span></p> <A name="fen"></a><div class="footnotes"><h4>Footnotes</h4><ol><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Judges 8:4">Judges 8:4</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Gk: Heb <i>pursuing</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Judges 8:16">Judges 8:16</a> <span class='footnote-text'>With verse 7, Compare Gk: Heb <i>he taught</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Judges 8:24">Judges 8:24</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb <i>they</i></span></li></ol></div> </div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 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