Judges 8:22-35 - Gideon's Legacy

²² The men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us -- you, your son, and your grandson. For you have delivered us from Midian's power."

²³ Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you." ²⁴ Gideon continued, "I would like to make one request. Each of you give me an earring from the plunder you have taken." (The Midianites had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)

²⁵ They said, "We are happy to give you earrings." So they spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it. ²⁶ The total weight of the gold earrings he requested came to seventeen hundred gold shekels. This was in addition to the crescent-shaped ornaments, jewelry, purple clothing worn by the Midianite kings, and the necklaces on the camels. ²⁷ Gideon used all this to make an ephod, which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. All the Israelites prostituted themselves to it by worshiping it there. It became a snare to Gideon and his family.

²⁸ The Israelites humiliated Midian; the Midianites' fighting spirit was broken. The land had rest for forty years during Gideon's time. ²⁹ Then Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and settled down.

³⁰ Gideon fathered seventy sons through his many wives. ³¹ His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also gave him a son, whom he named Abimelech. ³² Gideon son of Joash died at a very old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash located in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

³³ After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god. ³⁴ The Israelites did not remain true to the Lord their God, who had delivered them from all the enemies who lived around them. ³⁵ They did not treat the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.