1 Bet Efraima vīri sacīja viņam: "Kādēļ tu esi mums tā darījis, kāpēc tu mūs neaicināji tad, kad tu gāji karot pret Midiānu?" Un tie ar viņu stipri bārās. 2 Tad viņš tiem sacīja: "Ko tad es esmu tagad tādu veicis, salīdzinot ar jums? Vai Efraima beidzamais salasījums nav labāks kā Abiēzera pirmās ražas? 3 Dievs ir jūsu rokā nodevis Midiāna vadoņus Orebu un Seēbu, un kā gan es būtu spējis tā rīkoties kā jūs?" Un, viņam šādus vārdus runājot, beidzot viņu dusmas pret viņu aprima. 4 Kad Gideons nāca pie Jordānas un bija jau pārgājis pāri ar tiem trīs simti vīriem, kas bija pie viņa un kas bija piekusuši no vajāšanas, 5 tad viņš lūdza Sukotas vīrus: "Dodiet tiem ļaudīm, kas man seko, dažus klaipus maizes, jo viņi ir piekusuši - es vajāju Zebu un Calmunnu, Midiāna ķēniņus." 6 Bet Sukotas vadoņi atbildēja: "Vai tad Zeba un Calmunnas dūres ir jau tavā rokā, ka mums būs dot tavam karapulkam maizi?" 7 Tad Gideons atbildēja: "Lai paliek tā! Ja Tas Kungs Zebu un Calmunnu nodos manā rokā, tad es jūsu miesas kulšu ar tuksneša ērkšķiem un dadžiem." 8 Un no turienes viņš devās augšā uz Penuēlu un runāja ar tiem tāpat, bet Penuēlas vīri tam atbildēja gluži tāpat, kā Sukotas vīri bija atbildējuši. 9 Un viņš sacīja arī Penuēlas vīriem: "Kad es sveiks atgriezīšos, tad es šo nocietinājumu noārdīšu." 10 Bet Zeba un Calmunna atradās Karkorā, un kopā ar viņiem bija to karaspēks ap piecpadsmit tūkstoši vīru, visi, kas bija palikuši pāri no austrumu vīru nometnes, jo simts divdesmit tūkstoši vīru, zobena nesēji, bija krituši. 11 Un Gideons devās pa tuksneša sirotāju ceļu austrumos no Nobas un Jogbehas, uzbruka un sakāva viņu karaspēku nometnē tai brīdī, kad tiem šķita, ka tā ir droša. 12 Un Zeba un Calmunna bēga, bet viņš tos vajāja un sagūstīja abus Midiāna ķēniņus - Zebu un Calmunnu; un visu karaspēku viņš izkliedēja. 13 Tad Gideons, Joasa dēls, griezās atpakaļ pa augšējo ceļu pāri kalniem. 14 Un tur viņš notvēra kādu zēnu no Sukotas vīru pulka, un viņš to izjautāja, un tas viņam uzrakstīja gan Sukotas vadoņus, gan viņas vecajus, septiņdesmit septiņus vīrus. 15 Un tad viņš nonāca pie Sukotas vīriem un sacīja: "Te nu tagad ir Zeba un Calmunna, kuru dēļ jūs mani nievājāt, sacīdami: vai Zebas un Calmunnas dūres ir jau tavā rokā, ka mums jau tagad taviem piekusušiem vīriem ir jādod maize?" 16 Tad viņš lika satvert pilsētas vecajus, ņēma tuksneša ērkšķus un dadžus, un viņš lika iepazīt tos Sukotas vīriem. 17 Bet Penuēlas nocietinājumu viņš nojauca, un pilsētas vīrus viņš nokāva. 18 Tad viņš teica Zebam un Calmunnam: "Kā izskatījās tie vīri, ko jūs esat Tāborā nokāvuši?" Tie atbildēja: "Tie visi bija gluži tādi kā tu, ikviens savā izskatā kā ķēniņa dēls." 19 Tad viņš sacīja: "Tie bija mani brāļi, manas mātes dēli. Tik tiešām, ka Tas Kungs dzīvo, ja jūs būtu saudzējuši viņu dzīvības, es jūs nenokautu!" 20 Un viņš sacīja Jeteram, savam pirmdzimtajam dēlam: "Celies, nokauj tos!" Bet zēns neizvilka savu zobenu, jo viņš baidījās, tāpēc ka viņš bija vēl jauns. 21 Tad Zeba un Calmunna sacīja: "Celies tu pats un nodur mūs, jo, kāds vīrs, tāds ir viņa spēks!" Tad Gideons cēlās un nokāva Zebu un Calmunnu, un viņš noņēma mēnestiņus, kas bija ap viņu kamieļu kakliem. 22 Un Israēla vīri sacīja Gideonam: "Esi tu mums ķēniņš, tu un tavs dēls, un tava dēla dēls, jo tu mūs esi izpestījis no Midiāna rokas." 23 Bet Gideons tiem atbildēja: "Es negribu būt jūsu ķēniņš, un arī mans dēls nevaldīs pār jums; Tas Kungs ir jūsu ķēniņš." 24 Un Gideons tiem sacīja: "Es tomēr kaut ko lūgšu no jums: dodiet man ikviens savu gredzenu no sava laupījuma." Jo tie valkāja zelta gredzenus, tāpēc ka bija ismaēlieši. 25 Un viņi atbildēja: "Labprāt, mēs dosim." Un tie izklāja kādu tērpu un uz tā meta katrs vienu gredzenu no sava laupījuma. 26 Šo pieprasīto zelta gredzenu svars bija tūkstoš septiņi simti zelta seķeļu, neieskaitot mazos mēnešus un auskarus, un purpura tērpus, ko bija valkājuši Midiāna ķēniņi, neieskaitot arī kaklu ķēdes, kas bija ap kakliem viņu kamieļiem. 27 Un Gideons no tā darināja dārgu efodu, un viņš to novietoja Ofrā, savā pilsētā; un viss Israēls ar to piekopa tur elka kalpību, un tas Gideonam un viņa namam kļuva par slazda valgu. 28 Bet midiānieši tomēr bija pazemoti Israēla bērnu priekšā, un tie nespēja vairs savu galvu pacelt; zemei bija miers četrdesmit gadus, kamēr Gideons dzīvoja. 29 Un Jerubbaals, Joasa dēls, nogāja un dzīvoja savā namā. 30 Gideonam bija septiņdesmit dēlu, kas bija no viņa gurniem nākuši, jo viņam bija daudz sievu. 31 Arī viņa blakussieva, kas tam bija Sihemā, dzemdēja viņam dēlu, un viņš nosauca to vārdā Abimelehs. 32 Un Gideons, Joasa dēls, nomira sirmā vecumā un tika apglabāts sava tēva Joasa kapa vietā - abiēzeriešu Ofrā. 33 Bet, kad Gideons bija nomiris, tad Israēla bērni noklīda uz neceļiem un netikli kalpoja baaliem un izveidoja Baal-Berītu sev par dievu. 34 Un Israēla bērni nepieminēja To Kungu, savu Dievu, kas patiešām viņus bija izglābis no visu viņu apkārtējo ienaidnieku rokas. 35 Viņi arī neapgājās labi ar Jerubbaala, tas ir, Gideona, namu, neievērodami to labo, ko viņš bija Israēlam darījis.
The Final Defeat of the Midianites
1 Then the people of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why didn't you call us when you went to fight the Midianites? Why did you treat us like this?” They complained bitterly about it.
2 But he told them, “What I was able to do is nothing compared with what you have done. Even the little that you people of Ephraim did is worth more than what my whole clan has done. 3 After all, through the power of God you killed the two Midianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I done to compare with that?” When he said this, they were no longer so angry.
4 By this time Gideon and his three hundred men had come to the Jordan River and had crossed it. They were exhausted, but were still pursuing the enemy. 5 When they arrived at Sukkoth, he said to the men of the town, “Please give my men some loaves of bread. They are exhausted, and I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings.”
6 But the leaders of Sukkoth said, “Why should we give your army any food? You haven't captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet.”
7 So Gideon said, “All right! When the Lord has handed Zebah and Zalmunna over to me, I will beat you with thorns and briers from the desert!” 8 Gideon went on to Penuel and made the same request of the people there, but the men of Penuel gave the same answer as the men of Sukkoth. 9 So he said to them, “I am going to come back safe and sound, and when I do, I will tear this tower down!”
10 Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor with their army. Of the whole army of desert tribesmen, only about 15,000 were left; 120,000 soldiers had been killed. 11 Gideon went on the road along the edge of the desert, east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the army by surprise. 12 The two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, ran away, but he pursued them and captured them, and caused their whole army to panic.
13 When Gideon was returning from the battle by way of Heres Pass, 14 he captured a young man from Sukkoth and questioned him. The young man wrote down for Gideon the names of the seventy-seven leading men of Sukkoth. 15 Then Gideon went to the men of Sukkoth and said, “Remember when you refused to help me? You said that you couldn't give any food to my exhausted army because I hadn't captured Zebah and Zalmunna yet. Well, here they are!” 16 He then took thorns and briers from the desert and used them to punish the leaders of Sukkoth. 17 He also tore down the tower at Penuel and killed the men of that city.
18 Then Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What about the men you killed at Tabor?”
They answered, “They looked like you—every one of them like the son of a king.”
19 Gideon said, “They were my brothers, my own mother's sons. I solemnly swear that if you had not killed them, I would not kill you.” 20 Then he said to Jether, his oldest son, “Go ahead, kill them!” But the boy did not draw his sword. He hesitated, because he was still only a boy.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on, kill us yourself. It takes a man to do a man's job.” So Gideon killed them and took the ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
22 After that, the Israelites said to Gideon, “Be our ruler—you and your descendants after you. You have saved us from the Midianites.”
23 Gideon answered, “I will not be your ruler, nor will my son. The Lord will be your ruler.” 24 But he went on to say, “Let me ask one thing of you. Every one of you give me the earrings you took.” (The Midianites, like other desert people, wore gold earrings.)
25 The people answered, “We'll be glad to give them to you.” They spread out a cloth, and everyone put on it the earrings that he had taken. 26 The gold earrings that Gideon got weighed over forty pounds, and this did not include the ornaments, necklaces, and purple clothes that the kings of Midian wore, nor the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 27 Gideon made an idol from the gold and put it in his hometown, Ophrah. All the Israelites abandoned God and went there to worship the idol. It was a trap for Gideon and his family.
28 So Midian was defeated by the Israelites and was no longer a threat. The land was at peace for forty years, until Gideon died.
The Death of Gideon
29 Gideon went back to his own home and lived there. 30 He had seventy sons, because he had many wives. 31 He also had a concubine in Shechem; she bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, at Ophrah, the town of the clan of Abiezer.
33 After Gideon's death the people of Israel were unfaithful to God again and worshiped the Baals. They made Baal-of-the-Covenant their god, 34 and no longer served the Lord their God, who had saved them from all their enemies around them. 35 They were not grateful to the family of Gideon for all the good that he had done for Israel.
