8 ¹ And the men of Ephraim said to him, "What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight with Midian?" And they upbraided him violently. 8 ² And 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 Abiezer? 8 ³ God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; what have I been able to do in comparison with you?" Then their anger against him was abated, when he had said this.

8 ⁴ And Gideon came to the Jordan and passed over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, faint yet pursuing. 8 ⁵ So he said to the men of Succoth, "Pray, give loaves of bread to the people who follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian." 8 ⁶ And the officials of Succoth said, "Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?" 8 ⁷ And Gideon said, "Well then, when Yahweh has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers." 8 ⁸ And from there he went up to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 8 ⁹ And he said to the men of Penuel, "When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower."

8 ¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East; for there had fallen a hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword. 8 ¹¹ And Gideon went up by the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the army; for the army was off its guard. 8 ¹² And Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic.

8 ¹³ Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres. 8 ¹⁴ And he caught a young man of Succoth, and questioned him; and he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. 8 ¹⁵ And he came to the men of Succoth, and said, "Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, 'Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are faint?" 8 ¹⁶ And he took the elders of the city and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth. 8 ¹⁷ And he broke down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

8 ¹⁸ Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "Where are the men whom you slew at Tabor?" They answered, "As you are, so were they, every one of them; they resembled the sons of a king." 8 ¹⁹ And he said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother; as Yahweh lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not slay you." 8 ²⁰ And he said to Jether his first-born, "Rise, and slay them." But the youth did not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth. 8 ²¹ Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise yourself, and fall upon us; for as the man is, so is his strength." And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmunna; and he took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.

8 ²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also; for you have delivered us out of the hand of Midian." 8 ²³ Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; Yahweh will rule over you." 8 ²⁴ And Gideon said to them, "Let me make a request of you; give me every man of you the earrings of his spoil." (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 8 ²⁵ And they answered, "We will willingly give them." And they spread a garment, and every man cast in it the earrings of his spoil.