Zebah and Zalmunna Routed

1Then the men of Ephraim said to [a]Gideon, “What is this thing that you have done to us, not calling upon us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they quarreled with him vehemently. 2But he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim not better than the vintage of Abiezer? 3God has handed over to you the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their [b]anger toward him subsided when he said [c]that.

4Then Gideon and the three hundred men who were with him came to the Jordan and crossed over, exhausted yet still pursuing. 5And he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who are [d]following me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6But the leaders of Succoth said, “[e]Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” 7So Gideon said, “For this answer, when the LORD has handed over to me Zebah and Zalmunna, I will [f]thrash your [g]bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” 8Then he went up from there to [h]Penuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered. 9So he said also to the men of [i]Penuel, “When I return safely, I will tear down this tower.”

10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their [j]armies with them, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of the entire [k]army of the [l]people of the east; for the fallen were 120,000 [m]swordsmen. 11Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he [n]attacked the camp when the camp was unsuspecting. 12When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the entire [o]army.

13Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle [p]by the ascent of Heres. 14And he captured a youth from [q]Succoth and questioned him. Then the youth wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. 15And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘[r]Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?’” 16Then he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he [s]disciplined the men of Succoth with them. 17And he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

18Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where were the men whom you killed at Tabor?” But they said, “You and they were alike, each one [t]resembling the son of a king.” 19And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if only you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20So he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them.” But the youth did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a youth. 21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise up yourself, and attack us; for as the man, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent amulets which were on their camels’ necks.

22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, your son’s son as well, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian!” 23But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.” 24Yet Gideon said to them, “I would [u]request of you, that each of you give me [v]an earring from his plunder.” (For they had gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 25And they said, “We will certainly give them to you.” So they spread out a garment, and every one of them tossed an earring there from his plunder. 26The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, apart from the crescent amulets, the ear pendants, and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and apart from the neck chains that were on their camels’ necks. 27Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah; but all Israel [w]committed infidelity with it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

Forty Years of Peace