14
And 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.
15
Then 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?' "
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.
17
Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
18
And 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."
19
Then 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."
20
And 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.
21
So 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.
22
Then 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."
23
But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you."
24
Then 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 gold earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.
25
So they answered, "We will gladly give them." And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder.
26
Now 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.
27
Then 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.
28
Thus 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.
29
Then Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.
30
Gideon had seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives.
31
And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.
32
Now 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.
33
So 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.
34
Thus 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;