基甸擒殺米甸二王
1後來，以法蓮人對基甸說：「你攻打米甸人時為什麼不召我們去？你為什麼這樣對待我們？」他們與他激烈地爭論起來。
2基甸說：「我怎能比得上你們呢？以法蓮人摘剩的葡萄豈不比我們亞比以謝族收穫的葡萄更好嗎？ 3上帝把兩名米甸人的首領俄立和西伊伯交在了你們手中，我所做的有哪一件能與這事相比呢？我怎能比得上你們呢？」基甸這麼一說，他們的怒氣就平息了。
4基甸率領他的三百人渡過約旦河，雖然疲憊不堪，仍緊追敵人。 5基甸對疏割的人說：「我們在追趕西巴和撒慕拿兩個米甸王，十分疲憊，請給我的軍隊一些餅吃。」
6疏割的首領卻說：「你還沒有抓到西巴和撒慕拿，我們憑什麼給你的軍隊餅吃？」
7基甸說：「好吧，耶和華把西巴和撒慕拿交在我們手中後，我必回來用荒野的荊棘抽打你們。」
8基甸又去毗努伊勒提出同樣的請求，也遭到拒絕。 9基甸對那裡的人說：「我凱旋歸來時，必拆毀你們的這座城樓。」
10那時，西巴和撒慕拿率領東方各族的殘餘軍隊一萬五千人駐紮在加各，因為已經有十二萬刀兵被殺。 11基甸取道挪巴和約比哈東邊遊牧者走的路，出其不意地突襲米甸人。 12米甸二王西巴和撒慕拿逃跑，基甸追上去擒住他們，擊潰他們全軍。
13約阿施的兒子基甸從戰場返回，經過希列斯山坡時， 14抓住一個疏割的青年，問他疏割的首領和長老是誰，他就寫下疏割七十七位首領和長老的名字。 15基甸到了疏割，對那裡的人說：「你們曾經譏笑我說，『你還沒有抓到西巴和撒慕拿，我們憑什麼給你疲憊的軍隊餅吃？』看！西巴和撒慕拿在這裡！」 16說完，就捉住城中的長老，用荒野的荊棘抽打他們。 17他又去拆毀毗努伊勒的城樓，殺了城裡的人。
18基甸問西巴和撒慕拿：「你們在他泊山殺的人是什麼樣子？」他們回答說：「他們長得像你，都像王子一樣。」
19基甸說：「他們是我同母所生的兄弟，我憑永活的耶和華起誓，如果你們當初不殺他們，今天我就不殺你們了。」 20於是，基甸對長子益帖說：「你殺死他們。」但益帖年紀小，心中害怕，不敢動手。
21西巴和撒慕拿對基甸說：「你親自動手吧！這是男子漢做的事。」基甸便親手殺了他們，拿走了他們駱駝頸上的月牙飾物。
基甸造以弗得
22以色列人對基甸說：「你從米甸人手中救了我們，請你和你的子孫統治我們。」
23基甸回答說：「我和我子孫都不統治你們，統治你們的是耶和華。 24但我有一個要求，請你們把搶來的耳環都給我。」原來米甸人屬於以實瑪利族，都戴金耳環。
25他們欣然同意，便鋪開一件外衣，各自把搶來的金耳環都放在上面， 26重約二十公斤。此外，還有米甸王的月牙飾物、耳墜、紫袍以及駱駝頸上的金鏈。 27基甸用這些金子造了一件以弗得聖衣，放在自己的家鄉俄弗拉。後來，以色列人拜那件以弗得，玷污自己，使基甸及其全家陷入網羅。
28這樣，米甸人被以色列人征服了，從此一蹶不振。基甸在世之日，以色列境內安享太平四十年。
基甸去世
29約阿施的兒子耶路·巴力返回家鄉居住。 30他有許多妻子，生了七十個兒子。 31他的妾住在示劍，也給他生了一個兒子，他給孩子取名叫亞比米勒。 32約阿施的兒子基甸年高壽終，葬在亞比以謝族的俄弗拉，在他父親約阿施的墳墓裡。
33基甸剛去世，以色列人便又與眾巴力苟合，奉巴力·比利土為他們的神明， 34忘記了他們的上帝耶和華曾經從四圍的仇敵手中拯救他們， 35也沒有因耶路·巴力——基甸的功績而厚待他的家人。
Zebah and Zalmunna
1Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously.
2But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? 3God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.
4Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. 5He said to the men of Sukkoth, “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
6But the officials of Sukkoth said, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?”
7Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.”
8From there he went up to Peniel8:8 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel; also in verses 9 and 17 and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. 9So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”
10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. 11Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the unsuspecting army. 12Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.
13Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. 14He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth, the elders of the town. 15Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’ ” 16He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 17He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.
18Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?”
“Men like you,” they answered, “each one with the bearing of a prince.”
19Gideon replied, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.” 20Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.
21Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’ ” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels’ necks.
Gideon’s Ephod
22The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
23But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” 24And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)
25They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels,8:26 That is, about 43 pounds or about 20 kilograms not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. 27Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.
Gideon’s Death
28Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years.
29Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. 30He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. 31His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. 32Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god 34and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.
