Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna

1Then the men of Ephraim sayde vnto him, Why hast thou serued vs thus that thou calledst vs not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? and they chode with him sharply. 2To whom he said, What haue I now done in comparison of you? is not the gleaning of grapes of Ephraim better, then the vintage of Abiezer? 3God hath deliuered into your handes the princes of Midian, Oreb & Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? & when he had thus spoken, then their spirits abated toward him.

4And Gideon came to Iorden to passe ouer, hee, and the three hundreth men that were with him, weary, yet pursuing them. 5And he said vnto the men of Succoth, Giue, I pray you, morsels of bread vnto the people that followe me (for they be wearie ) that I may follow after Zebah, & Zalmunna Kings of Midia. 6And the princes of Succoth sayde, Are the handes of Zebah and Zalmunna nowe in thine hads, that we should giue bread vnto thine army? 7Gideon then sayde, Therefore when the Lorde hath deliuered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, I will teare your flesh with thornes of the wildernes and with breers. 8And he went vp thence to Penuel, and spake vnto them likewise, and the men of Penuel answered him, as the men of Succoth answered. 9And he sayd also vnto the men of Penuel, When I come againe in peace, I will breake downe this towre.

10Now Zebah & Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hostes with them, about fifteene thousande, all that were left of all the hostes of them of the East: for there was slaine an hundreth and twentie thousand men, that drew swordes. 11And Gideon went through them that dwelt in Tabernacles on the East side of Nobah and Iogbehah, and smote the hoste: for the hoste was carelesse. 12And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, hee followed after them, and tooke the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the hoste.

13So Gideon the sonne of Ioash returned from battel, the sunne being yet hie, 14And tooke a seruant of the me of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he wrote to him the princes of Succoth and the Elders thereof, euen seuentie and seuen men. 15And he came vnto the men of Succoth, & sayd, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, by whome ye vpbrayded me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah & Zalmunna already in thine hands, that we should giue bread vnto thy weary men? 16Then he tooke the Elders of the citie, and thornes of the wildernes & breers, & did teare the men of Succoth with them. 17Also he brake downe the towre of Penuel, and slew the men of the citie.

18Then saide he vnto Zebah & Zalmunna, What maner of men were they, whom ye slew at Tabor? and they answered, As thou art, so were they: euery one was like the children of a King. 19And he said, They were my brethren, euen my mothers children: as the Lorde liueth, if ye had saued their liues, I would not slay you. 20Then he sayde vnto Iether his first borne sonne, Vp, & slay them: but the boy drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet yong. 21Then Zebah & Zalmunna sayd, Rise thou, & fall vpon vs: for as the man is, sou his stregth; Gideon arose and slew Zebah & Zalmunna, and tooke away the ornamentes, that were on their camels neckes.

Gideon’s Ephod

22Then the men of Israel sayd vnto Gideon, Reigne thou ouer vs, both thou, & thy sonne, and thy sonnes sonne: for thou hast deliuered vs out of the hand of Midian. 23And Gideon sayde vnto them, I will not reigne ouer you, neither shal my childe reigne ouer you, but the Lord shal reigne ouer you. 24Againe Gideon sayd vnto them, I would desire a request of you, that you would giue mee euery man the earings of his pray (for they had golden earings because they were Ismaelites) 25And they answered, Wee will giue them; they spred a garment, and did cast therein euery man the earings of his pray. 26And the weight of the golden earings that he required, was a thousande and seuen hundreth shekels of golde, beside collers and iewels, and purple rayment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the cheynes that were about their camels neckes. 27And Gideon made an Ephod thereof, & put it in Ophrah his citie: and all Israel went a whoring there after it, which was the destruction of Gideon and his house.

Forty Years of Peace

28Thus was Midian brought lowe before the children of Israel, so that they lift vp their heads no more: and the countrey was in quietnes fourtie yeeres in the dayes of Gideon.

29Then Ierubbaal the sonne of Ioash went, and dwelt in his owne house. 30And Gideon had seuentie sonnes begotten of his body: for he had many wiues. 31And his concubine that was in Shechem, bare him a sonne also, whose name he called Abimelech.

Gideon’s Death

32So Gideon the sonne of Ioash dyed in a good age, & was buried in the sepulchre of Ioash his father in Ophrah, of the father of ye Ezrites.

33But when Gideon was dead, the children of Israel turned away and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their God. 34And the children of Israel remembred not the Lord their God, which had deliuered the out of the hands of all their enemies on euery side. 35Neither shewed they mercy on the house of Ierubbaal, or Gideon, according to al the goodnesse which he had shewed vnto Israel.