Judges 8:22-35 ▼

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son’s son, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; Yahweh shall rule over you.”

24 Yet Gideon said to them, “I would make one request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil.” (For they had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)

25 And they said, “We will surely give them.” So they spread out a garment, and every one of them threw an earring there from his spoil.

26 And the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments and the pendants and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the neck bands that were on their camels’ necks.

27 Then Gideon made it into an ephod and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

28 So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they did not lift up their heads anymore. And the land was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 Then Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house.

30 Now Gideon had seventy sons who were his direct descendants, for he had many wives.

31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

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

33 Then it happened, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel turned back and played the harlot with the Baals and made Baal-berith their god.

34 Thus the sons of Israel did not remember Yahweh their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;

35 nor did they show lovingkindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel.