8 And the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why did you do that to us— not calling us when you went to fight the Midianites?” And they rebuked him severely. 2But he answered them, “After all, what have I accomplished compared to you? Why, Ephraim’s gleanings are better than Abiezer’s vintage! 3God has delivered the Midianite generals Oreb and Zeeb into your hands, and what was I able to do compared to you?” And when he spoke in this fashion, their anger against him abated.
4Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed it. The three hundred men with him were famished, but still in pursuit. 5He said to the people of Succoth, “Please give some loaves of bread to the men who are following me, for they are famished, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6But the officials of Succoth replied, a-“Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands,-a that we should give bread to your troops?” 7“I swear,” declared Gideon, “when the LORD delivers Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I’ll threshb your bodies upon desert thorns and briers!” 8From there he went up to Penuel and made the same request of them; but the people of Penuel gave him the same reply as the people of Succoth. 9So he also threatened the people of Penuel: “When I come back safe, I’ll tear down this tower!”
10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor with their army of about 15,000; these were all that remained of the entire host of the Kedemites, for the slain numbered 120,000 fighting men.c 11Gideon marched up the road of the tent dwellers, up to east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and routed the camp, which was off guard. 12Zebah and Zalmunna took to flight, with Gideond in pursuit. He captured Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, and threw the whole army into panic.
13On his way back from the battle at the Ascent of Heres, Gideon son of Joash 14captured a boy from among the people of Succoth and interrogated him. The latter drew up for him a list of the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven in number. 15Then he came to the people of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you mocked me, saying, a-‘Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands,-a that we should give your famished men bread?”’ 16And he took the elders of the city and, [bringing] desert thorns and briers, he punishede the people of Succoth with them. 17As for Penuel, he tore down its tower and killed the townspeople.
18Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “Those men you killed at Tabor, f-what were they like?”-f “They looked just like you,” they replied, “like sons of a king.” 19“They were my brothers,” he declared, “the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had spared them, I would not kill you.” 20And he commanded his oldest son Jether, “Go kill them!” But the boy did not draw his sword, for he was timid, being still a boy. 21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, you slay us; for strength comes with manhood.” So Gideon went over and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.
22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson as well; for you have saved us from the Midianites.” 23But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you myself, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD alone shall rule over you.” 24And Gideon said to them, “I have a request to make of you: Each of you give me the earring he received as booty.” (Theyg had golden earrings, for they were Ishmaelites.) 25“Certainly!” they replied. And they spread out a cloth, and everyone threw onto it the carring he had received as booty. 26The weight of the golden earrings that he had requested came to 1,700 shekels of gold; this was in addition to the crescents and the pendants and the purple robes worn by the kings of Midian and in addition to the collars on the necks of their camels. 27Gideon made an ephod of h-this gold-h and set it up in his own town of Ophrah. There all Israel went astray after it, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
28Thus Midian submitted to the Israelites and did not raise its head again; and the land was tranquil for forty years in Gideon’s time.
29So Jerubbaal son of Joash retired to his own house. 30Gideon had seventy sons of his own issue, for he had many wives. 31A son was also born to him by his concubine in Shechem, and he named him Abimelech. 32Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age, and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33After Gideon died, the Israelites again went astray after the Baalim, and they adopted Baal-berith as a god. 34The Israelites gave no thought to the LORD their God, who saved them from all the enemies around them. 35Nor did they show loyalty to the house of Jerubbaal-Gideon in return for all the good that he had done for Israel.
9 Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem and spoke to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family. He said, 2“Put this question to all the citizens of Shechem: Which is better for you, to be ruled by seventy men—by all the sons of Jerubbaal—or to be ruled by one man? And remember, I am your own a-flesh and blood.”-a 3His mother’s brothers said all this in his behalf to all the citizens of Shechem, and they were won over to Abimelech; for they thought, “He is our kinsman.” 4They gave him seventy shekels from the temple of Baalberith; and with this Abimelech hired some worthless and reckless fellows, and they followed him. 5Then he went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men on one stone. Only Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he went into hiding.
6All the citizens of Shechem and all Beth-millo convened, and they proclaimed Abimelech king at the terebinth of the pillarb at Shechem. 7When Jotham was informed, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and called out to them in a loud voice. “Citizens of Shechem!” he cried, “listen to me, that God may listen to you.
8“Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ 9But the olive tree replied, ‘Have I, through whom God and men are honored, stopped yielding my rich oil, that I should go and wave above the trees?’ 10So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 11But the fig tree replied, ‘Have I stopped yielding my sweetness, my delicious fruit, that I should go and wave above the trees?’ 12So the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 13But the vine replied, ‘Have I stopped yielding my new wine, which gladdens God and men, that I should go and wave above the trees?’ 14Then all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and reign over us.’ 15And the thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you are acting honorably in anointing me king over you, come and take shelter in my shade; but if not, may fire issue from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
16“Now then, if you acted honorably and loyally in making Abimelech king, if you have done right by Jerubbaal and his house and have requited him according to his deserts—17considering that my father fought for you and saved you from the Midianites at the risk of his life, 18and now you have turned on my father’s household, killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and set up Abimelech, the son of his handmaid, as king over the citizens of Shechem just because he is your kinsman—19if, I say, you have this day acted honorably and loyally toward Jerubbaal and his house, have joy in Abimelech and may he likewise have joy in you. 20But if not, may fire issue from Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire issue from the citizens of Shechem and Bethmillo and consume Abimelech!”
21With that, Jotham fled. He ran to Beer and stayed there, because of his brother Abimelech.
22Abimelech held sway over Israel for three years. 23Then God sent a spirit of discord between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem broke faith with Abimelech—24to the end that the crime committed against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be avenged, and their blood recoil upon their brother Abimelech, who had slain them, and upon the citizens of Shechem, who had abetted him in the slaying of his brothers. 25The citizens of Shechem planted ambuscades against him on the hilltops; and they robbed whoever passed by them on the road. Word of this reached Abimelech.
26Then Gaal son of Ebed and his companions came passing through Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem gave him their confidence. 27They went out into the fields, gathered and trod out the vintage of their vineyards, and made a festival. They entered the temple of their
