1   Then the men of Ephraim sayde vnto him, ^note Why hast thou serued vs thus that thou calledst vs not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? and they chode with him sharply.

2   To whom he said, What haue I now done in comparison of ^note you? is not the ^note gleaning of grapes of Ephraim better, then the vintage of Abiezer?

3   God hath deliuered into your handes the princes of Midian, Oreb & Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? & when he had thus spoken, then their spirits abated toward him.

4   ¶2; And Gideon came to Iorden to passe ouer, hee, and the three hundreth men that were with him, weary, yet pursuing them.

5   And he said vnto the men of Succoth, Giue, I pray you, ^note morsels of bread vnto the people ^note that followe me (for they be wearie) that I may follow after Zebah, & Zalmunna Kings of Midi&abar;.

6   And the princes of Succoth sayde, Are the ^note handes of Zebah and Zalmunna nowe in thine h&abar;ds, that we should giue bread vnto thine army?

7   Gideon then sayde, Therefore when the Lorde hath deliuered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, I will ^note teare your flesh with thornes of the wildernes and with breers.

Zebah and Zalmunna slayne.

8   ¶2; And he went vp thence to Penuel, and spake vnto them likewise, and the men of Penuel answered him, as the men of Succoth answered.

9   And he sayd also vnto the men of Penuel, When I come againe ^note in peace, I will breake downe this towre.

10   ¶2; Now Zebah & Zalmunna were ^note in Karkor, and their hostes with them, about fifteene thousande, all that were left of all the hostes of them of the East: for there was slaine an hundreth and twentie thousand men, that drew swordes.

11   ¶2; And Gideon went through them that dwelt in ^note Tabernacles on the East side of Nobah and Iogbehah, and smote the hoste: for the hoste was carelesse.

12   And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, hee followed after them, and tooke the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the hoste.

13   ¶2; So Gideon the sonne of Ioash returned from battel, ^note the sunne being yet hie,

14   And tooke a seruant of the m&ebar; of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he ^note wrote to him the princes of Succoth and the Elders thereof, euen seuentie and seuen men.

15   And he came vnto the men of Succoth, & sayd, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, by whome ye vpbrayded me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah & Zalmunna already in thine hands, that we should giue bread vnto thy weary men?

16   Then he tooke the Elders of the citie, and thornes of the wildernes & breers, & ^note did teare the men of Succoth with them.

17   Also he brake downe the towre of ^note Penuel, and slew the men of the citie.

18   ¶2; Then saide he vnto Zebah & Zalmunna, What maner of men were they, whom ye slew at Tabor? and they answered, ^note As thou art, so were they: euery one was like the children of a King.

19   And he said, They were my brethren, euen my ^note mothers children: as the Lorde liueth, if ye had saued their liues, I would not slay you.

20   Then he sayde vnto Iether his first borne sonne, Vp, & slay them: but the boy drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet yong.

21   Then Zebah & Zalmunna sayd, Rise thou, & fall vpon vs: for ^note as the man is, sou his str&ebar;gth. And Gideon arose and slew Zebah & Zalmunna, and tooke away the ^note ornamentes, that were on their camels neckes.

22   ¶2; Then the men of Israel sayd vnto Gideon, Reigne thou ouer vs, both thou, & thy sonne, and thy ^note sonnes sonne: for thou hast deliuered vs out of the hand of Midian.

23   And Gideon sayde vnto them, I will not reigne ouer you, neither shal my childe reigne ouer you, but the Lord shal reigne ouer you.

24   Againe Gideon sayd vnto them, ^note I would desire a request of you, that you would giue mee euery man the earings of his pray (for they had golden earings because they were Ismaelites)

25   And they answered, Wee will giue them. And they spred a garment, and did cast therein euery man the earings of his pray.

26   And the weight of the golden earings that he required, was a thousande and seuen hundreth shekels of golde, beside collers ^note and iewels, and purple rayment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the cheynes that were about their camels neckes. Gideon dieth. Abimelech. Iothams parable.

27   And Gideon made an ^note Ephod thereof, & put it in Ophrah his citie: and all Israel went a whoring there after it, which was the destruction of Gideon and his house.

28   Thus was Midian brought lowe before the children of Israel, so that they lift vp their heads no more: and the countrey was in quietnes fourtie yeeres in the dayes of Gideon.

29   Then Ierubbaal the sonne of Ioash went, and dwelt in his owne house.

30   And Gideon had seuentie sonnes ^note begotten of his body: for he had many wiues.

31   And his concubine that was in Shechem, bare him a sonne also, whose name he called Abimelech.

32   So Gideon the sonne of Ioash dyed in a good age, & was buried in the sepulchre of Ioash his father in Ophrah, of the ^note father of þe; Ezrites.

33   But when Gideon was dead, the children of Israel turned away and went a whoring after Baalim, and made ^note Baal-berith their God.

34   And the children of Israel remembred not the Lord their God, which had deliuered th&ebar; out of the hands of all their enemies on euery side.

35   Neither ^note shewed they mercy on the house of Ierubbaal, or Gideon, according to al the goodnesse which he had shewed vnto Israel.

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