^8:24Gideon continued,⁴³ “I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken.”⁴⁴ (The Midianites⁴⁵ had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) ^8:25They said, “We are happy to give you earrings.”⁴⁶ So they⁴⁷ spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. ^8:26The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels.⁴⁸ This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry,⁴⁹ purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels.⁵⁰^8:27Gideon used all this to make⁵¹ an ephod,⁵² which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites⁵³ prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it⁵⁴ there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.

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Footnotes

43 Heb “said to them.”
44 Heb “Give to me, each one, an earring from his plunder.”
45 Heb “they”; the referent (the Midianites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
46 Heb “We will indeed give.”
47 In the the subject of this verb is singular, referring to Gideon rather than to the Israelites.
48 Seventeen hundred gold shekels would be about 42.7 pounds (19.4 kilograms) of gold.
49 Or “pendants.”
50 Heb “the ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.”
51 Heb “made it into.”
52 In Exod 28:4–6 and several other texts an ephod is described as a priestly or cultic garment. In some cases an ephod is used to obtain a divine oracle (1 Sam 23:9; 30:7). Here the ephod is made of gold and is described as being quite heavy (70–75 lbs?). Some identify it as an idol, but it was more likely a cultic object fashioned in the form of a garment which was used for oracular purposes. For discussion of the ephod in the OT, see C. F. Burney, Judges, 236–43, and R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, 349–52.
53 Heb “Israel” (a collective singular).
54 The words “by worshiping it” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. And Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

And 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.)

They 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. The 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. Gideon 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.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Then he said to them, “Let me make a request of you: Everyone give me an earring from his plunder.” Now the enemy had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.

They said, “We agree to give them.” So they spread out a cloak, and everyone threw an earring from his plunder on it. The weight of the gold earrings he requested was forty-three pounds of gold, in addition to the crescent ornaments and ear pendants, the purple garments on the kings of Midian, and the chains on the necks of their camels. Gideon made an ephod from all this and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. Then all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

NLTNew Living Translation

However, 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.)

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

Gideon 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.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give to me an ornamental ring from his plunder.” (They had ornamental rings of gold, because they were Ishmaelites.) They said, “We will gladly give them,” and they spread out a garment, and everyone threw there an ornamental ring of his plunder. The 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. Gideon 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.

KJV 1900King James Version

And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks. And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

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