| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply. | 1Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently. |
| 2So 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? | 2But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? |
| 3God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that. | 3God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided. |
| 4When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. | 4Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit. |
| 5Then he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.” | 5So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” |
| 6And the leaders of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” | 6But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?” |
| 7So Gideon said, “For this cause, when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!” | 7“Very well,” Gideon replied, “when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!” |
| 8Then he went up from there to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. | 8From there he went up to Penuel and asked the same from them, but the men of Penuel gave the same response as the men of Succoth. |
| 9So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I come back in peace, I will tear down this tower!” | 9So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!” |
| 10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East; for one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen. | 10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen. |
| 11Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah; and he attacked the army while the camp felt secure. | 11And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise. |
| 12When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army. | 12When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army. |
| 13Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres. | 13After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres. |
| 14And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. | 14There he captured a young man of Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth. |
| 15Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you ridiculed me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men?’ ” | 15And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’ ” |
| 16And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. | 16Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth. |
| 17Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city. | 17He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city. |
| 18And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?” So they answered, “As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king.” | 18Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.” |
| 19Then he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” | 19“They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” |
| 20And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth. | 20So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth. |
| 21So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks. | 21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels. |
| 22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.” | 22Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” |
| 23But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.” | 23But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.” |
| 24Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites. | 24Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) |
| 25So they answered, “We will gladly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder. | 25“We will give them gladly,” they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it. |
| 26Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their camels’ necks. | 26The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels. |
| 27Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house. | 27From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household. |
| 28Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon. | 28In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon, |
| 29Then Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. | 29and he—Jerubbaal son of Joash—returned home and settled down. |
| 30Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives. | 30Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives. |
| 31And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. | 31His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. |
| 32Now Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. | 32Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. |
| 33So it was, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-Berith their god. | 33And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god. |
| 34Thus the children of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; | 34The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. |
| 35nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel. | 35They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel. |
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