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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//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 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></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="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</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">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><p class="nb"><span class="v7_8_1"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.1" class="v7_8_1">1</span>But the men were really upset with Gideon and complained, “When you went to war with Midian, you didn't ask us to help! Why did you treat us like that?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_2"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.2" class="v7_8_2">2</span>Gideon answered:</span></p><p class="pi"><span class="v7_8_2">Don't be upset! Even though you came later, you were able to do much more than I did. It's just like the grape harvest: The grapes your tribe doesn't even bother to pick are better than the best grapes my family can grow. </span><span class="v7_8_3"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.3" class="v7_8_3">3</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.3!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Besides, God chose you to capture Raven and Wolf. I didn't do a thing compared to you.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_3">By the time Gideon had finished talking, the men of Ephraim had calmed down and were no longer angry with him.</span></p><h3 class="s1">Gideon Finishes Destroying the Midianite Army</h3><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_4"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.4" class="v7_8_4">4</span>After Gideon and his 300 troops had chased the Midianites across the Jordan River, they were exhausted. </span><span class="v7_8_5"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.5" class="v7_8_5">5</span>The town of Succoth was nearby, so he went there and asked, “Please give my troops some food. They are worn out, but we have to keep chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the two Midianite kings.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_6"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.6" class="v7_8_6">6</span>The town leaders of Succoth answered, “Why should we feed your army? We don't know if you really will defeat Zebah and Zalmunna.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_7"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.7" class="v7_8_7">7</span>“Just wait!” Gideon said. “After the <span class="nd">Lord</span> helps me defeat them, I'm coming back here. I'll make a whip out of thorns and rip the flesh from your bones.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_8"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.8" class="v7_8_8">8</span>After leaving Succoth, Gideon went to Penuel and asked the leaders there for some food. But he got the same answer as he did at Succoth. </span><span class="v7_8_9"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.9" class="v7_8_9">9</span>“I'll come back safe and sound,” Gideon said, “but when I do, I'm going to tear down your tower!”<a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.9!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_10"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.10" class="v7_8_10">10</span>Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor<a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.10!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> with an army of 15,000 troops. They were all that was left of the army of the eastern nations, because 120,000 of their warriors had been killed in the battle.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_11"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.11" class="v7_8_11">11</span>Gideon reached the enemy camp by going east along Nomad<a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.11!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> Road past Nobah and Jogbehah. He made a surprise attack, </span><span class="v7_8_12"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.12" class="v7_8_12">12</span>and the enemy panicked. Zebah and Zalmunna tried to escape, but Gideon chased and captured them.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_13"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.13" class="v7_8_13">13</span>After the battle, Gideon set out for home. As he was going through Heres Pass, </span><span class="v7_8_14"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.14" class="v7_8_14">14</span>he caught a young man who lived in Succoth. Gideon asked him who the town officials of Succoth were, and the young man wrote down 77 names.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_15"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.15" class="v7_8_15">15</span>Gideon went to the town officials and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. Remember how you made fun of me? You said, ‘We don't know if you really will defeat those two Midianite kings. So why should we feed your worn-out army?’ ”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_16"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.16" class="v7_8_16">16</span>Gideon made a whip from thorn plants and used it to beat the town officials. </span><span class="v7_8_17"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.17" class="v7_8_17">17</span>Afterwards he went to Penuel, where he tore down the tower and killed all the town officials.<a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.17!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_18"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.18" class="v7_8_18">18</span>Then Gideon said, “Zebah and Zalmunna, tell me about the men you killed at Tabor.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_18">“They were a lot like you,” the two kings answered. “They were dignified, almost like royalty.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_19"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.19" class="v7_8_19">19</span>“They were my very own brothers!” Gideon said. “I swear by the living <span class="nd">Lord</span> that if you had let them live, I would let you live.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_20"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.20" class="v7_8_20">20</span>Gideon turned to Jether, his oldest son. “Kill them!” Gideon said.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_20">But Jether was young,<a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.20!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> and he was too afraid to even pull out his sword.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_21"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.21" class="v7_8_21">21</span>“What's the matter, Gideon?” Zebah and Zalmunna asked. “Do it yourself, if you're not too much of a coward!”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_21">Gideon jumped up and killed them both. Then he took the gold ornaments from the necks of their camels.</span></p><h3 class="s1">The Israelites Ask Gideon To Be Their King</h3><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_22"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.22" class="v7_8_22">22</span>After the battle with the Midianites, the Israelites said, “Gideon, you rescued us! Now we want you to be our king. Then after your death, your son and then your grandson will rule.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_23"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.23" class="v7_8_23">23</span>“No,” Gideon replied, “I won't be your king, and my son won't be king either. Only the <span class="nd">Lord</span> is your ruler. </span><span class="v7_8_24"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.24" class="v7_8_24">24</span>But I will ask you to do one thing: Give me all the earrings you took from the enemy.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_24">The enemy soldiers had been Ishmaelites,<a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.24!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> and they wore gold earrings.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_25"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.25" class="v7_8_25">25</span>The Israelite soldiers replied, “Of course we will give you the earrings.” Then they spread out a robe on the ground and tossed the earrings on it. </span><span class="v7_8_26"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.26" class="v7_8_26">26</span>The total weight of this gold was nearly 20 kilograms. In addition, there was the gold from the camels' ornaments and from the beautiful jewelry worn by the Midianite kings. Gideon also took their purple robes.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_27"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.27-Judg.8.29" class="v7_8_27">27-29</span>Gideon returned to his home in Ophrah and had the gold made into a statue, which the Israelites soon started worshiping. They were unfaithful to God, and even Gideon and his family were trapped into worshiping the statue.<a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.27-Judg.8.29!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> </span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_27">The Midianites had been defeated so badly that they were no longer strong enough to attack Israel. And so Israel was at peace for the remaining 40 years of Gideon's life.</span></p><h3 class="s1">Gideon Dies</h3><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_30"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.30" class="v7_8_30">30</span>Gideon had many wives and 70 sons. </span><span class="v7_8_31"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.31" class="v7_8_31">31</span>He even had a wife<a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.31!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> who lived at Shechem.<a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.31!f.2" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> They had a son, and Gideon named him Abimelech.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_32"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.32" class="v7_8_32">32</span>Gideon lived to be an old man. And when he died, he was buried in the family tomb in his hometown of Ophrah, which belonged to the Abiezer clan.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v7_8_33"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.33" class="v7_8_33">33</span>Soon after Gideon's death, the Israelites turned their backs on God again. They set up idols of Baal and worshiped Baal Berith<a href="#fn" id="link_Judg.8.33!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> as their god. </span><span class="v7_8_34"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.34" class="v7_8_34">34</span>The Israelites forgot that the <span class="nd">Lord</span> was their God, and that he had rescued them from the enemies who lived around them. </span><span class="v7_8_35"><span class="reftext" id="Judg.8.35" class="v7_8_35">35</span>Besides all that, the Israelites were unkind to Gideon's family, even though Gideon had done so much for Israel.</span></p></div> </div> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.9 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">tower: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Towers were often part of a town wall.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.10 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Karkor: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">About 160 kilometers east of the Dead Sea.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.11 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Nomad: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">A person who lives in a tent and moves from place to place.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.17 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">all … officials: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Or “every man in town.”</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.20 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">young: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Gideon wanted to insult the kings by having a young boy kill them.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.24 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Ishmaelites: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">According to Genesis 25.1,2, 12, both Ishmaelites and Midianites were descendants of Abraham. It is possible that in this passage “Ishmaelites” has the meaning “nomadic traders,” while “Midianites” (verses 22,26-29) refers to their ethnic origin.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.27-29 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">statue … statue: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Or “sacred priestly vest … vest.”</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.31 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">wife: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">This translates a Hebrew word for a woman who was legally bound to a man, but without the full privileges of a wife.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.31 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">who lived at Shechem: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Sometimes marriages were arranged so that the wife lived with her parents, and the husband visited her from time to time.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.33 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Baal Berith: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Or “Baal of the Agreement” or “the Lord of the Agreement.”</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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