A reading from the book of judges.

Then the men of Ephraim said to him,

What is this that you have done to us,

not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?

And they accused him fiercely.

And they said to them,

What have I done now in comparison with you?

Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the

grape harvest of A. B. Ezer? God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Orib and Zib. What have I been

able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger against him subsided when he said this.

And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him,

exhausted yet pursuing. So he said to the men of Sucketh, please give loaves of bread to the people

who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Ziba and Zalmuna, the kings of Midian.

And the officials of Succa said, are the hands of Ziba and Zalmuna

already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army? So Gideon said, well then, when the Lord has given

Ziba and Zalmuna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briars.

And from there he went up to Pinual,

and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Pinual answered him, as the men of Sukhath

had answered. And he said to the men of Pinual, When I come again in peace, I will break down this

tower. Now Ziba and Zamuna were in Carker with their army, about 15,000 men,

all who were left of all the army of the people of the east, for there had fallen 120,000 men

who drew the sword. And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers, east of Noba and Jogbaa,

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