Study Desk

His friend replied: "This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hands."

Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire Midianite army fled, crying out as they ran.

Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit.

So he said to Jether, his firstborn, "Get up and kill them." But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength." So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.

Then he added, "Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder." (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)

"We will give them gladly," they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it.

From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.

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

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

Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother's brothers at Shechem and said to them and to all the clan of his mother,

And when his mother's brothers spoke all these words about him in the presence of all the leaders of Shechem, their hearts were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother."

He went to his father's house in Ophrah, and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself.

When this was reported to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried out: "Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem, and may God listen to you.

Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have done to him as he deserves-

for my father fought for you and risked his life to deliver you from the hand of Midian,

but you have risen up against my father's house this day and killed his seventy sons on a single stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the leaders of Shechem because he is your brother-

if you have acted faithfully and honestly toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, then may you rejoice in Abimelech, and he in you.

Then Jotham ran away, escaping to Beer, and he lived there for fear of his brother Abimelech.