^25 (A)And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of ^(B)Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, ^(C)balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt.

Midianites Oppress Israel

6 Then the children of Israel did ^(A)evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of ^(B)Midian for seven years, ² and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, ^(C)the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains. ³ So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the ^(D)people of the East would come up against them.

Gideon’s Ephod

²² Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, ^(A)“Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have ^(B)delivered us from the hand of Midian.”

²⁴ Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to ^[a]make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, ^(A)because they were Ishmaelites.