1   And the men of Ephraim said to him: What is this that thou didst meane to doe, that thou wouldest not cal vs when thou didst goe to fight against Madian? chyding bitterly and almost offering violence.

2   To whom he answered: ^note What could I haue done like to that, which you haue done. Is not the cluster of Ephraim better then the vintages of Abiezer?

3   Into your handes hath our Lord deliuered the princes of Madian, Oreb and Zeb, what could I haue done the like as you haue done? Which when he had spoken, their spirit rested, wherwith they did swel against him.

4   And when Gedeon was come to Iordan, he passed ouer it with the three hundred men, that were with him: and for wearines, they could not pursew them that fled.

5   And he said to the men of Soccoth: Geue, I beseech you, bread to the people, that is with me, because they are verie faint: that we may pursew Zebee, and Salmana the kinges of Madian.

6   The princes of Soccoth answered: Peraduenture the palmes of the handes of Zebee and Salmana are in thy hand, & therfore thou requirest that we geue bread to thy armie.

7   To whom he said: When our Lord therfore shal haue deliuered Zebee and Salmana into my handes, I wil teare your flesh with the thornes, and briers of the desert.

8   And going vp from thence, he came into Phanuel: and he spake to the men of that place the like thinges. To whom they also answered, as the men of Soccoth had answered.

9   He said therfore to them also: When I shal be returned conquerour in peace, I wil destroy this towre.

10   But Zebee and Salmana rested with al their armie. For fiftene thousand men were remayning of al the troupes of the East peoples, an hundred and twentie thousand fighting men and those that drew sword, being slayne.

11   And Gedeon going vp by the way of them,

Gedeon. that dwelt in tabernacles, on the East side of Nobe, and Iegbaa, stroke the campe of the enemies, which were secure, and suspected no mischance.

12   And Zebee and Salmana fled, whom Gedeon pursewing apprehended, al their hoste being put out of aray.

13   And returning from the battel before sunne rysing,

14   he tooke a boy of the men of Soccoth: and he asked him the names of the princes and ancientes of Soccoth, and he described seuentie seuen men.

15   And he came to Soccoth, and said to them: Behold Zebee, and Salmana concerning whom you vpbraided me, saying: Peraduenture the handes of Zebee and Salmana are in thy handes, and therfore thou desirest that we geue bread to the men that bewearie, and are fainte.

16   He tooke therfore the ancientes of the citie, and thornes and briers of the desert, and tore them with the same, and cut the men of Soccoth into pieces.

17   The tower also of Phanuel he ouerthrew, killing the inhabitantes of the citie.

18   And he said to Zebee and Salmana: What manner of men were they, whom you slew in Thabor? Who answared: Like vnto thee, and one of them as it were the sonne of a king.

19   To whom he answered: They were my brethren, the sonnes of my mother. Our Lord liueth, that if you had saued them, ^note I would not kil you.

20   And he said to Iether his eldest sonne: Arise, and kil them. Who drew not out his sword: for he was afraid, because he was yet a boy.

21   And Zebee and Salmana said: Doe thou rise, and runne vpon vs: because according to his age is the strength of a man. Gedeon rose vp, and slew Zebee and Salmana: and he tooke the ornamentes and bosses, wherwith the neckes of kinges camels are wont to be adorned.

22   And al the men of Israel said to Gedeon: ^note Rule thou ouer vs, and thy sonne, and thy sonnes sonne: because thou hast deliuered vs from the hand of Madian.

23   To whom he said: I wil not rule ouer you, neither shal my sonne rule ouer you, but our Lord shal rule ouer you.

24   And he said to them: One petition I request of you: Geue me the earlettes of your praye. For the Ismalites were accustomed to haue golden earlettes.

25   Who answered: we wil geue them most willingly. And spreading a mantel on the ground, they cast on it the earlettes of the praye:

26   and the weight of the earlettes that he desired, was a thousand fiue hundred sicles of gold, besides the ornamentes, and iewels, and purple vesture, which the kinges of Madian were

Abimelech an vsurper. wont to vse, and besides the golden chaines of the camels,

27   And Gedeon made therof an Ephod, and put it in his citie Ephra. And al Israel did fornicate in it, and it became a ruine to Gedeon and to al his house.

28   But Madian was humbled before the children of Israel, neither could they any more lift vp their neckes: but the land rested for fourtie yeares, wherein Gedeon ruled.

29   Ierobaal therfore the sonne of Ioas went, and dwelt in his owne house:

30   and he had seuentie sonnes, which came out of his thigh, because he had manie wiues.

31   And his ^note concubine, which he had in Sichem, bare him a sonne named Abimelec.

32   And Gedeon the sonne of Ioas died in a good old age, & was buried in the sepulchre of his father in Ephra of the familie of Ezri.

33   But after that Gedeon was dead, the children of Israel were auerted, and did fornicate with Baalim. And they made a couenant with Baal, that he should be their God:

34   neither did they remember our Lord their God, which deliuered them out of the handes of al their enemies round about:

35   neither did they mercie with the house of Ierobaal Gedeon, according to al the benefites that he had done to Israel.

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