Judges 8:5–21

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.