Judges 8
1
Now a 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.
2
So 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 b Abiezer?
3
c "God 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 d anger toward him subsided when he said that.
4
When Gideon came e to the Jordan, he and f the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.
5
Then he said to the men of g 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."
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And the leaders of Succoth said, h "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that i we should give bread to your army?"
7
So Gideon said, "For this cause, when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, j then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!"
8
Then he went up from there k to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.
9
So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I l come back in peace, m I will tear down this tower!"
10
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of n all the army of the people of the East; for o one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen.
11
Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east of p Nobah and Jogbehah; and he attacked the army while the camp felt q secure.
12
When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them; and he r took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army.
13
Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres.
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 s ridiculed me, saying, 'Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men?' "
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t And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
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u Then he tore down the tower of v Penuel and killed the men of the city.
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And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men were they whom you killed at w Tabor?" So they answered, "As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king."
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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.
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So Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength." So Gideon arose and x killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels' necks.
22
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, y "Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have z delivered us from the hand of Midian."
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But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; a 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 golden earrings, b 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 c made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, d Ophrah. And all Israel e played the harlot with it there. It became f 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. g And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.
29
Then h Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.
30
Gideon had i seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives.
31
j 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 k at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, l in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33
So it was, m as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again n played the harlot with the Baals, o and made BaalBe'rith their god.
34
Thus the children of Israel p did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;
35
q nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel.
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Cross References
Judges 12:1
Then the men of Ephraim gathered together, crossed over toward Zaphon, and said to Jephthah, "Why did you cross over to fight against the people of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you with fire!
2 Samuel 19:41
Just then all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, "Why have our brethren, the men of Judah, stolen you away and brought the king, his household, and all David's men with him across the Jordan?
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Cross References
Judges 6:11
Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
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Cross References
Judges 7:24
Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan." Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.
Judges 7:25
And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
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Cross References
Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
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Cross References
Judges 7:25
And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
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Cross References
Judges 7:6
And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.
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Cross References
Genesis 33:17
And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
Psalms 60:6
God has spoken in His holiness: "I will rejoice; I will divide Shechem And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
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Cross References
1 Kings 20:11
So the king of Israel answered and said, "Tell him, 'Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.'
Judges 8:15
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?'
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Cross References
1 Samuel 25:11
"Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?"
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Cross References
Judges 8:16
And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
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Cross References
Genesis 32:30
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Genesis 32:31
Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip.
1 Kings 12:25
Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel.
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Cross References
1 Kings 22:27
"and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace." '"
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Cross References
Judges 8:17
Then he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
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Cross References
Judges 7:12
Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.
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Cross References
Judges 6:5
For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.
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Cross References
Numbers 32:35
Atroth and Shophan and Jazer and Jogbehah.
Numbers 32:42
Then Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages, and he called it Nobah, after his own name.
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Cross References
Judges 18:27
So they took the things Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire.
1 Thessalonians 5:3
For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
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Cross References
Psalms 83:11
Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna.
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Cross References
Judges 8:6
And the leaders of Succoth said, " Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?
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Cross References
Judges 8:7
So 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!
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Cross References
Judges 8:9
So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I come back in peace, I will tear down this tower!
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Cross References
1 Kings 12:25
Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel.
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Cross References
Judges 4:6
Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, 'Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun.
Psalms 89:12
The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.
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Cross References
Psalms 83:11
Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb, Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna.
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Cross References
Judges 9:8
"The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us!'
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Cross References
Judges 3:9
When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
Judges 9:17
For my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 8:7
And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.
1 Samuel 10:19
"But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, 'No, set a king over us!' Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans."
1 Samuel 12:12
And when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us,' when the LORD your God was your king.
Psalms 10:16
The LORD is King forever and ever; The nations have perished out of His land.
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Cross References
Genesis 37:25
And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt.
Genesis 37:28
Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
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Cross References
Judges 17:5
The man Micah had a shrine, and made an ephod and household idols; and he consecrated one of his sons, who became his priest.
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Cross References
Judges 6:11
Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
Judges 6:24
So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD- Is -Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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Cross References
Psalms 106:39
Thus they were defiled by their own works, And played the harlot by their own deeds.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 7:16
Also you shall destroy all the peoples whom the LORD your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you.
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Cross References
Judges 5:31
Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But let those who love Him be like the sun When it comes out in full strength." So the land had rest for forty years.
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Cross References
Judges 6:32
Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, "Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.
Judges 7:1
Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
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Cross References
Judges 9:2
"Please speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: 'Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?' Remember that I am your own flesh and bone."
Judges 9:5
Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself.
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Cross References
Judges 9:1
Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying.
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Cross References
Genesis 25:8
Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
Job 5:26
You shall come to the grave at a full age, As a sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
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Cross References
Judges 6:24
So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD- Is -Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Judges 8:27
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.
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Cross References
Judges 2:19
And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
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Cross References
Judges 2:17
Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so.
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Cross References
Judges 9:4
So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of BaalBe'rith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men; and they followed him.
Judges 9:46
Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the stronghold of the temple of the god Berith.
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 4:9
Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep...
Judges 3:7
So the children of Israel did evil in the sight...
Psalms 78:11
And forgot His works And His wonders that He ha...
Psalms 78:42
They did not remember His power: The day when H...
Psalms 106:13
They soon forgot His works; They did not wait f...
Psalms 106:21
They forgot God their Savior, Who had done grea...
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Cross References
Judges 9:16 - 18
Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him as he deserves -
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.