Judg 8:5-21 | ESV | STEP | So he said to the men of Succoth , Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted , and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna , the kings of Midian .

Judges 8:5-21

5 So he said to the men of ^aSuccoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6 And the officials of Succoth said, ^b“Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, ^cthat we should give bread to your army?” 7 So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, ^dI will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” 8 And from there he went up to ^ePenuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 And he said to the men of Penuel, ^f“When I come again in peace, ^gI will break down this tower.”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of ^hthe people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men ⁱwho drew the sword. 11 And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of ^jNobah and Jogbehah and attacked the army, for the army felt ^ksecure. 12 And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them ^land captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic.

13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres. 14 And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. 15 And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ^m‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’” 16 And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson. 17 ⁿAnd he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

18 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where are the men whom you killed at ^oTabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king.” 19 And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. ^pAs the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.” 20 So he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise and kill them!” But the young man did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a young man. 21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength.” And Gideon arose and ^qkilled Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took ^rthe crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.