Judges 8 NLT NIV Parallel

◄ Judges 8 ►

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1Then the people of Ephraim asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us this way? Why didn’t you send for us when you first went out to fight the Midianites?” And they argued heatedly with Gideon.

1Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they challenged him vigorously.

2But Gideon replied, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t even the leftover grapes of Ephraim’s harvest better than the entire crop of my little clan of Abiezer?

2But he answered them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren't the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?

3God gave you victory over Oreb and Zeeb, the commanders of the Midianite army. What have I accomplished compared to that?” When the men of Ephraim heard Gideon’s answer, their anger subsided.

3God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided.

4Gideon then crossed the Jordan River with his 300 men, and though exhausted, they continued to chase the enemy.

4Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it.

5When they reached Succoth, Gideon asked the leaders of the town, “Please give my warriors some food. They are very tired. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

5He said to the men of Sukkoth, "Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

6But the officials of Succoth replied, “Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your army.”

6But the officials of Sukkoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?"

7So Gideon said, “After the LORD gives me victory over Zebah and Zalmunna, I will return and tear your flesh with the thorns and briers from the wilderness.”

7Then Gideon replied, "Just for that, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers."

8From there Gideon went up to Peniel and again asked for food, but he got the same answer.

8From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had.

9So he said to the people of Peniel, “After I return in victory, I will tear down this tower.”

9So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower."

10By this time Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with about 15,000 warriors—all that remained of the allied armies of the east, for 120,000 had already been killed.

10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen.

11Gideon circled around by the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, taking the Midianite army by surprise.

11Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the unsuspecting army.

12Zebah and Zalmunna, the two Midianite kings, fled, but Gideon chased them down and captured all their warriors.

12Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.

13After this, Gideon returned from the battle by way of Heres Pass.

13Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.

14There he captured a young man from Succoth and demanded that he write down the names of all the seventy-seven officials and elders in the town.

14He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth, the elders of the town.

15Gideon then returned to Succoth and said to the leaders, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. When we were here before, you taunted me, saying, ‘Catch Zebah and Zalmunna first, and then we will feed your exhausted army.’”

15Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, 'Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?'"

16Then Gideon took the elders of the town and taught them a lesson, punishing them with thorns and briers from the wilderness.

16He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers.

17He also tore down the tower of Peniel and killed all the men in the town.

17He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.

18Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “The men you killed at Tabor—what were they like?” “Like you,” they replied. “They all had the look of a king’s son.”

18Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" "Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a prince."

19“They were my brothers, the sons of my own mother!” Gideon exclaimed. “As surely as the LORD lives, I wouldn’t kill you if you hadn’t killed them.”

19Gideon replied, "Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the LORD lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you."

20Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, for he was only a boy and was afraid.

20Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.

21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Be a man! Kill us yourself!” So Gideon killed them both and took the royal ornaments from the necks of their camels. Gideon’s Sacred Ephod

21Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Come, do it yourself. 'As is the man, so is his strength.'" So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels' necks.

22Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian.”

22The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us--you, your son and your grandson--because you have saved us from the hand of Midian."

23But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD will rule over you!

23But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you."

24However, I do have one request—that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies.” (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.)

24And he said, "I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder." (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

25“Gladly!” they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered from the plunder.

25They answered, "We'll be glad to give them." So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it.

26The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the royal ornaments and pendants, the purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian, or the chains around the necks of their camels.

26The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels' necks.

27Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family.

27Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.

28That is the story of how the people of Israel defeated Midian, which never recovered. Throughout the rest of Gideon’s lifetime—about forty years—there was peace in the land.

28Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon's lifetime, the land had peace forty years.

29Then Gideon son of Joash returned home.

29Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live.

30He had seventy sons born to him, for he had many wives.

30He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives.

31He also had a concubine in Shechem, who gave birth to a son, whom he named Abimelech.

31His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek.

32Gideon died when he was very old, and he was buried in the grave of his father, Joash, at Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer.

32Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god.

33No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god

34They forgot the LORD their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them.

34and did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.

35Nor did they show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon), despite all the good he had done for Israel.

35They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.

New International Version (NIV)

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