18. Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?”They answered, “They were like you. Each one resembled the children of a king.”
19. He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.”
20. He said to Jether his firstborn, “Get up, and kill them!” But the youth didn’t draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was yet a youth.
21. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise and fall on us; for as the man is, so is his strength.” Gideon arose, and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on their camels’ necks.
22. Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you, and your son, and your son’s son also; for you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.”
23. Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you. The Lord shall rule over you.”
24. Gideon said to them, “I do have a request, that you would each give me the earrings of his plunder.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)
25. They answered, “We will willingly give them.” They spread a garment, and every man threw the earrings of his plunder into it.
26. The weight of the golden earrings that he requested was one thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, in addition to the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple clothing that was on the kings of Midian, and in addition to the chains that were about their camels’ necks.
27. Gideon made an ephod out of it, and put it in Ophrah, his city. Then all Israel played the prostitute with it there; and it became a snare to Gideon, and to his house.
28. So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. The land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.
29. Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house.
30. Gideon had seventy sons conceived from his body, for he had many wives.
31. His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
32. Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33. As soon as Gideon was dead, the children of Israel turned again, and played the prostitute following the Baals, and made Baal Berith their god.
34. The children of Israel didn’t remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side;