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But Jehoash said to all who stood against him, "Will you contend for Baal? Will you rescue him? Whoever contends for him will be put to death by the morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself because his altar has been pulled down."

And Yahweh said to Gideon, "The troops that are with you are too many for me to give Midian into their hands; Israel will boast, saying, ‘My hand has delivered me.'

And Yahweh said to Gideon, "There are still too many troops; bring them down to the water, and I will sift through them for you there. For whomever I say to you, ‘This one will go with you,' he will go with you; and for all whom I say to you, ‘This one will not go with you,' he will not go."

And that night Yahweh said to him, "Get up; go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand.

When Gideon heard the recounting of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and returned to the camp of Israel; and he said, "Get up, for Yahweh has given the camp of Midian into your hand."

When three companies blew on the trumpets and broke the jars, they held in their left hand the torches and in their right hand the trumpets for blowing, and they cried, "A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon!"

He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who are following me, for they are weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

He captured a young man from Succoth and questioned him. The young man listed for him the commanders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.

And he said to Jether, his firstborn, "Get up, kill them." But the boy did not draw his sword, for he was afraid because he was still a boy.

Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Get up yourself, and strike us, for as is the man, so is his power." So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.

The men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, both you and your sons, and your sons' son, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.

And Midian was subdued before the Israelites, and they did not again lift up their head, and the land rested for forty years in the days of Gideon.

Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives.

His concubine who was in Shechem also bore for him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

And it happened, as soon as Gideon died, the Israelites returned and prostituted themselves after the Baals, and they made for themselves Baal-Berith as god.

nor did they show favor to the house of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in accordance with all the good that he did for Israel.

"Speak to the lords of Shechem, ‘What is better for you, that seventy men all from the sons of Jerub-Baal rule over you, or that one man rules over you?' Remember that I am your bone and your flesh."

And his mother's relatives spoke all these words concerning him to all the lords of Shechem; and they supported Abimelech, for they said, "He is our relative."

for my father fought and risked his life for you and delivered you from the hand of Midian;

And the lords of Shechem set for him ambushes on the top of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along the road; and it was reported to Abimelech.