0 SAB Judges 8

Judges

CHAPTER 8

Gideon tortures the men of Succoth
8:1-16

1 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.

The men of Ephraim said to Gideon,
Why didn't you ask us to help fight the Midianites?

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

3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

Gideon answered them, saying,
What did I do compared to you?

Aren't your grapes better than the vintage of Abiezer?

God delivered Oreb and Zeeb into your hands. [1]

And they calmed down after hearing Gideon say that.

5 And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

Gideon said to the men of Succoth,
Give us some bread, for we are weak after chasing the kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna.

6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?

The princes of Succoth said to him,
Did you capture Zebah and Zalmunna? Is that why we should give you bread?

7And Gideon said,Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.

Gideon said,
When God delivers Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with thorns and briers. [2]

8 And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.

9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

Then Gideon went to Penuel and asked them for food. When they refused to give him any, he said,
When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower. [3]

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

Zebah and Zalmaunna were in Karkor with an army of about 15,000, which was all that was left of "the children of the east."

The remaining 120,000 were previously killed by God and Gideon. [4]

11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure.

12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

Gideon captured Zebah and Zalmunna and killed their army.

And he did it all before the sun came up.

14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

Gideon caught a young man and asked him how many princes there were in Succoth. The young man told Gideon that there were 77.

15 And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?

Gideon returned to Succoth and said,

Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, whom you criticized me for not capturing, saying,
Did you capture Zebah and Zalmunna?

If not, we won't give you bread.

16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

And he took the 77 elders of the city and tortured them with thorns and briers.
He destroys the tower and kills the men in Penuel
8:17-19

17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

Then Gideon went to Penuel and beat down its tower and killed the men in the city.

18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.

Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna,
What were the men like who you killed at Tabor? [5]

Zebah and Zalmunna said,

They were a lot like you. They looked like the children of a king.

19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

Gideon said to them,
They were my brothers. If you hadn't killed them, I wouldn't kill you.
And kills Zebah and Zalmunna
(After his son refused to do it)
8:20-21

20And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

Gideon said to his oldest son, Jether,
Get up and kill them.

But Jether was afraid to do it.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

Zebath and Zalmunna said,
Get up and kill us, for as a man is, so is his strength.

So Gideon got up and killed them.

And he took the ornaments on their camels' necks.

Gideon's golden ephod
(that all of Israel went a whoring after)
8:22-27

22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

Then the men of Israel came to Gideon and said to him,
Rule over us, you and your son and your son's son.

Because you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.

23And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.

Gideon said to them,
I won't be your king and neither will my son.

God will be your king.

24 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.)

I would like something from you, though.

Give me all the earrings of the dead Midianites.

(The Midianite soldiers wore gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)

25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.

The Israelites said to Gideon,
Sure, we're glad to give them to you.

And they collected all the gold earrings from the dead Midianites and spread them on a garment.

26And 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.

The weight of the gold earrings was 1700 shekels [6] (beside the ornaments, collars, purple clothes, and chains around their camels' necks).

27 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.

Gideon made an ephod from the gold earrings and put it in the city of Ophrah.

And all of Israel went a whoring after it.

Gideon dies (leaving many wives and 70 sons)
8:28-35

28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

All was quiet for forty years during the time of Gideon.

29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

And Jerubbaal (aka Gideon) lived in his own house.

30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

Gideon had seventy sons because he had many wives.[7]

31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

He also had a concubine in Shechem who bore him a son named Abimelech.

32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Gideon died in old age and was buried in the sepulchre of his father, Joash.

33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.

As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites went a whoring after Baalim and made Baalberith their god.

34 And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:

And they forgot their God, who had delivered them from all of their enemies.

35 Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.

The Israelites weren't kind to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon), even though he'd been so kind to them.
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