Judges 8–10

Gideon Pursues Zebah and Zalmunna

8The men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this thing you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against the Midianites?”^a And they quarreled with him severely. ²And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? ³God has given into your hand the commanders of Midian, Oreb, and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” And their anger^b against him subsided when he said that.^c

⁴Then Gideon came to the Jordan, crossing it with the three hundred men who were with him, weary and pursuing. ⁵He said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following me,^d for they are weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” ⁶The officials of Succoth said, “Is the hand^e of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand now, that we should give bread to your army?” ⁷Gideon said, “Well then, when Yahweh gives Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will trample your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness.” ⁸He went from there to Penuel, and he spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth answered. ⁹And he said also to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I return safely,^f I will tear down this tower.”

¹⁰Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand men remained from the entire army^g of the people of the east; those that fell in battle were one hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen.^{h 11}And Gideon went up the route of those who dwell in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked the armyⁱ when it was off its guard.^{j 12}And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he routed^k the entire army.^l

¹³Then Gideon son of Jehoash returned from the battle by way of^m the ascent of Heres.^{n 14}He captured a young man from Succoth^o and questioned him. The young man listed^p for him the commanders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. ¹⁵He came to the men of Succoth, and he said, “Here is Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Is the palm^q of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand now, that we should give food to your weary men?’ ” ¹⁶He took the elders of the city and the thorn bushes and briers of the wilderness, and he trampled^r the men of Succoth with them. ¹⁷He broke down the tower of Penuel, and he killed the men of the city.

¹⁸And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What type were the men whom you killed at Tabor?” And they said, “They were like you;^s each one of them had the appearance of the sons of the king.” ¹⁹He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Yahweh lives, if you had kept them alive I would not kill you.” ²⁰And he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up, kill them.” But the boy did not draw his sword, for he was afraid because he was still a boy. ²¹Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up yourself, and strike us, for as is the man, so is his power.”^t So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.

²²The men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your sons, and your sons’ son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian. ²³But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; Yahweh will rule over you.” ²⁴And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you,^u that each of you give to me an ornamental ring from his plunder.” (They had ornamental rings of gold, because they were Ishmaelites.) ²⁵They said, “We will gladly give them,” and they spread out a garment, and everyone threw there an ornamental ring of his plunder. ²⁶The weight of the ornamental rings of gold that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, apart from the crescents, pendants, and purple garments that were on the kings of Midian, and apart from the pendants that were on the necks of their camels. ²⁷Gideon made an ephod out of it, and he put it in his town in Ophrah, and all Israel prostituted themselves to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. ²⁸And Midian was subdued before the Israelites,^v and they did not again lift up their head, and the land rested for forty years in the days of Gideon.

The Death of Gideon

²⁹Jerub-Baal son of Joash lived in his own house. ³⁰Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring,^w for he had many wives. ³¹His concubine who was in Shechem also bore for him a son, and he named him^x Abimelech. ³²And Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and he was buried in the tomb of Jehoash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.^y

³³And it happened, as soon as Gideon died, the Israelites^z returned and prostituted themselves after the Baals, and they made for themselves Baal-Berith as god. ³⁴The Israelites^a did not remember Yahweh their God, who had delivered them from the hand of their enemies from all around, ³⁵nor did they show favor^b to the house of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in accordance with all the good that he did for Israel.

Abimelech Attempts to Become King

9And Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem, to the relatives of his mother, and he said to them and to the house of his mother’s father, ²“Speak to^a the lords of Shechem, ‘What is better for you, that seventy men all from the sons of Jerub-Baal rule over you, or that one man rules over you?’ Remember that I am your bone and your flesh.” ³And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words concerning him to^b all the lords of Shechem; and they supported Abimelech,^c for they said, “He is our relative.”^{d 4}And they gave to him seventy pieces of silver from the temple^e of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech hired with them^f worthless and reckless men, and they followed him.^{g 5}And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah, and he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerub-Baal survived, because he hid himself. ⁶All the lords of Shechem and Beth-Millo gathered, and they went and made Abimelech as king, near the oak^h of the pillar that is at Shechem.

⁷And they told Jotham, and he went up and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and he cried out loudⁱ and said to them, “Listen to me, lords of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.

⁸“The trees went certainly,

to anoint a king over themselves.

And they said to the olive tree,

‘Rule over us.’

⁹And the olive tree replied,

‘Should I stop producing my oil,

which by me gods and men are honored,

to go sway over the trees?’

¹⁰Then the trees said to the fig tree,

‘You, come rule over us.’

¹¹But the fig tree said to them,

‘Should I stop producing my sweetness,

and my good crop,

to go sway over the trees?’

¹²And the trees said to the vine,

‘You, come rule over us.’

¹³But the vine said to them,

‘Should I stop producing my wine

that makes the gods and men happy,

to go sway over the trees?’

¹⁴So all the trees said to the thornbush,

‘You, come rule over us.’

¹⁵And the thornbush said to the trees,

‘If in good faith^j you are anointing

me as king over you,

then come and take refuge in my shade;

if not, may fire go out from the thornbush

and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

¹⁶“So then, if you have acted in good faith^k and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerub-Baal and his house, and have dealt with him according to his accomplishments^l— ¹⁷for my father fought and risked his life^m for you and delivered you from the hand of Midian; ¹⁸but today you have risen against the house of my father and killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, a king over the lords of Shechem, because he is your relativeⁿ— ¹⁹if you have acted in good faith^o and sincerity with Jerub-Baal and his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. ²⁰But if not, let a fire come out from Abimelech and let it devour the lords of Shechem and Beth-Millo; and let a fire come out from the lords of Shechem, and from Beth-Millo, and let it devour Abimelech.” ²¹And Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer; he remained there because of Abimelech his brother.

The Downfall of Shechem and Abimelech

²²Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. ²³And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem, and the lords of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, ²⁴so that the violence done to the seventy brothers of Abimelech would be avenged and their blood be placed on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the lords of Shechem, who helped^p to kill his brothers. ²⁵And the lords of Shechem set for him ambushes on the top of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along the road; and it was reported to Abimelech.

²⁶And Gaal son of Ebel and his relatives came, and they crossed over into Shechem, and the lords of Shechem gave him confidence.^{q 27}They went out into the field and harvested their vineyards and trod them, and they held a festival.^r And they went into the temple^s of their god, and they ate and drank and cursed Abimelech. ²⁸Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul his chief officer?^t Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem. Why should we serve him?^{u 29}If only this people were in my command!^v Then I would remove Abimelech, and I would have said,^w ‘Increase your army and come out!’ ”

³⁰When Zebul the commander of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he became angry,^{x 31}and he sent messengers to Abimelech in Tormah, saying, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives are coming to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you. ³²So then, get up by night, you and the army that is with you, and lie in ambush in the field. ³³And in the morning at sunrise, get…