Judges 8:1–21

Zebah and Zalmunna Routed

¹Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “^aWhat is this thing you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him vigorously.

²But he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

³“God has given the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb into your hands; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their ¹anger toward him subsided when he said ²that.

⁴Then Gideon and the 300 men who were with him came ^ato the Jordan and crossed over, weary yet pursuing.

⁵He said to the men of ^aSuccoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following me, for they are weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

⁶The leaders of Succoth said, “^1aAre the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands, that we should give bread to your army?”

⁷Gideon said, “¹All right, ^awhen the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will ²thrash your ³bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.”

⁸He went up from there to ^1aPenuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered.

⁹So he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I return safely, ^aI will tear down this tower.”

¹⁰Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their ¹armies with them, about 15,000 men, all who were left of the entire ²army of the sons of the east; ^afor the fallen were 120,000 ³swordsmen.

¹¹Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and ¹attacked the camp when the camp was ²unsuspecting.

¹²When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole ¹army.

¹³Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle ¹by the ascent of Heres.

¹⁴And he captured a youth ¹from Succoth and questioned him. Then the youth wrote down for him the princes of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.

¹⁵He came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, ‘^1aAre the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?’ ”

¹⁶He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he ¹disciplined the men of Succoth with them.

^17aHe tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

¹⁸Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?” And they said, “They were like you, each one ¹resembling the son of a king.”

¹⁹He 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 fall on us; for as the man, so is his strength.” ^aSo Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and ^btook the crescent ornaments which were on their camels’ necks.