Study Desk

Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, both you and your son, your son's son as well, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian!"

But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; ^(C1)the LORD shall rule over you."

Yet Gideon said to them, "I would ^(F1)request of you, that each of you give me ^(F2)an earring from his plunder." (For they had gold earrings, because they were ^(C1)Ishmaelites.)

And they said, "We will certainly give them to you." So they spread out a garment, and every one of them tossed an earring there from his plunder.

The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, apart from the crescent amulets, the ear pendants, and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and apart from the neck chains that were on their camels' necks.

Gideon made it into ^(C1)an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah; but all Israel ^(F1)committed infidelity with it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they did not lift up their heads anymore. And the land was undisturbed for forty years in the days of Gideon.

Then ^(C1)Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house.

Now Gideon had ^(C1)seventy sons who ^(F1)were his direct descendants, for he had many wives.

And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he ^(F1)named him Abimelech.

And Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, ^(C1)that the sons of Israel again ^(F1)committed infidelity with the Baals, and made ^(C2)Baal-berith their god.

So the sons of Israel ^(C1)did not remember the LORD their God, who had saved them from the hands of all their enemies on every side;

^(C1)nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in accordance with all the good that he had done for Israel.