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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" /><title>Judges 8 NET Bible</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" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></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="../topmenuchap/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">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NET Bible</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">NET Bible</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/net/esv/judges/8.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="bodytext"><span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>The 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>He said to them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim’s leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer’s harvest! <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>It 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.</p> <p class="title">Gideon Tracks Down the Midianite Kings</p><p class="bodytext"><span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>He 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.” <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>The officials of Succoth said, “You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your army?” <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Gideon said, “Since you will not help, after the <span class="smallcaps">Lord</span> hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh your skin with desert thorns and briers.” <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>He also threatened the men of Penuel, warning, “When I return victoriously, I will tear down this tower.”</p> <p class="bodytext"><span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Now 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Gideon went up the road of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and ambushed the surprised army. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>When Zebah and Zalmunna ran away, Gideon chased them and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. He had surprised their entire army.</p> <p class="bodytext"><span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the pass of Heres. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>He 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>He 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?’” <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>He seized the leaders of the city, along with some desert thorns and briers; he then “threshed” the men of Succoth with them. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men.</p> <p class="bodytext"><span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>He 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.” <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. I swear, as surely as the <span class="smallcaps">Lord</span> is alive, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>He ordered Jether his firstborn son, “Come on! Kill them!” But Jether was too afraid to draw his sword, because he was still young. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Zebah 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.</p> <p class="title">Gideon Rejects a Crown but Makes an Ephod</p><p class="bodytext"><span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us – you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian’s power.” <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The <span class="smallcaps">Lord</span> will rule over you.” <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>Gideon 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.) <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>They 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>The 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. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Gideon 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.</p> <p class="title">Gideon’s Story Ends</p><p class="bodytext"><span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites’ fighting spirit was broken. The land had rest for forty years during Gideon’s time. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>Gideon 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.</p> <p class="title">Israel Returns to Baal-Worship</p><p class="bodytext"><span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>The Israelites did not remain true to the <span class="smallcaps">Lord</span> their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. <span class="reftext"><a href="/judges/8-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>They did not treat the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.</p></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><a href="http://netbible.com/">NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com.<br />Used by permission. 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