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1 The Ephraimites said to him, |Why have you done such a thing to us? You did not summon us when you went to fight the Midianites!| They argued vehemently with him. 2 He said to them, |Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Even Ephraim's leftover grapes are better quality than Abiezer's harvest! 3 It was to you that God handed over the Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb! What did I accomplish to rival that?| When he said this, they calmed down. 4 Now Gideon and his three hundred men had crossed over the Jordan River, and even though they were exhausted, they were still chasing the Midianites. 5 He said to the men of Succoth, |Give some loaves of bread to the men who are following me, because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.| 6 The officials of Succoth said, |You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your army?| 7 Gideon said, |Since you will not help, after the LORD hands Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will thresh your skin with desert thorns and briers.| 8 He went up from there to Penuel and made the same request. The men of Penuel responded the same way the men of Succoth had. Judges 8:1-8, New English Translation. Copyright © 1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press.
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