Judges 8 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
Roughly the 12th century BC, during the pursuit after the night battle and the forty years of quiet that followed
Location
East of the Jordan River, through Succoth and Peniel in the Jordan valley and out to Karkor on the desert fringe, then back to Ophrah in the hills of Manasseh
Audience
Israelites of a much later period, reading how a deliverance story turns sour
Situation
Gideon soothes the offended men of Ephraim, then chases the Midianite kings Zebah and Zalmunna across the Jordan, punishing the towns of Succoth and Peniel that refused his exhausted men food. He turns down the offer of hereditary rule but takes the gold earrings from the plunder and makes an ephod that the whole nation ends up worshiping.
Key Background
The Ephraimite complaint about being called late reflects a real rivalry over prestige and a share of the spoil, since plunder was how a tribe was paid for its risk. Refusing food to a passing force was a calculated bet by Succoth and Peniel that Gideon would lose and Midian would come back for revenge, so their treatment afterward followed the harsh conventions of the time. An ephod was a priestly garment, and the one Gideon made from about forty pounds of gold apparently became an object consulted for guidance, so a man who publicly refused a crown still built a rival center of worship in his own town and fathered seventy sons by many wives, which is how kings behaved.
Then the men of said to him, "What is this you’ve done to us? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight They confronted him aggressively.
But he said to them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Isn’t Ephraim’s better than Abiezer’s entire vintage?"
"God handed and the Midianite commanders, over to you. What was I able to do compared to that?" When he said this, their anger toward him died down.
Gideon came to the and crossed over — he and his three hundred men, but
He said to the people of "Please give some loaves of bread to the men following me. They’re exhausted, and I’m chasing and the kings of Midian."
But the leaders of Succoth said, "Are the of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your grip? Why should we give bread to your army?"
Gideon said, "Fine. When hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I’ll tear your flesh with and
From there he went up to and made the same request. The people of answered him just like the people of Succoth had.
So he told the people of Penuel, "When I return victorious, I’ll tear down this
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in with their army — about fifteen thousand men, all that was left of the entire A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen.
Gideon went up by the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the army while they felt
Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but he chased them down and captured both kings of Midian. The entire army in
Then Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the
He captured a young man from Succoth and questioned him. The young man wrote down for him the names of the and of Succoth — seventy-seven men.
He came to the men of Succoth and said, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna—the ones you mocked me about, saying, ‘Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your grip? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’"
Then he took the elders of the town and the men of Succoth a using desert thorns and briers.
He also tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the town.
Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "The men you killed at — what were they They answered, "They were you. Each one a
He said, "Those were my brothers — my own As if you had let them live, I wouldn’t be killing you now."
He said to Jether, his son, "Get up and kill them." But the boy didn’t draw his sword — he was afraid, because he was still just a youth.
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Get up and do it yourself — a a So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the from their camels’ necks.
Then the Israelites said to Gideon, us — you, your son, and your grandson — because you us from Midian’s grip."
But Gideon told them, "I won’t you, and my son won’t you. will you."
Then Gideon said to them, "Let me make one request: each of you give me an earring from your plunder." (The enemy wore gold earrings because they were
They said, "We’ll gladly give them." They spread out a cloak, and each man threw in an earring from his plunder.
The weight of the gold earrings he requested came to of gold — not counting the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the worn by the Midianite kings, or the chains on their camels’ necks.
Gideon made it into a and set it up in his hometown of All Israel went there to it an and it became a for Gideon and his family.
So Midian was subdued before the Israelites and its The land had peace for during Gideon’s lifetime.
son of Joash went home and settled down.
Gideon had of his own, because he had many wives.
His in also bore him a son, and he named him
Gideon son of Joash died at a and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites turned back to the an and made their god.
The Israelites did not Yahweh their God, who had them from the grip of all their enemies on every side.
And they showed no to the family of Jerubbaal — that is, Gideon — despite all the good he had done for Israel.