Bible in Basic English
"Then he took the responsible men of the town and had them crushed on a bed of thorns and sharp stems."
— Judges 8:16, Bible in Basic English
Then Gideon, the son of Joash, went back from the fight:
And taking prisoner a young man of the people of Succoth, he got from him, in answer to his questions, a list of the chiefs of Succoth and the responsible men, seventy-seven men.
So he came to the men of Succoth and said, Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, on account of whom you made sport of me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna even now in your hand, that we are to give bread to your army who are overcome with weariness?
Then he took the responsible men of the town and had them crushed on a bed of thorns and sharp stems.
And he had the tower of Penuel broken down and the men of the town put to death.
Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, Where are the men whom you put to death at Tabor? And they gave answer, As you are, so were they; every one of them was like a king's son.
And he said, They were my brothers, my mother's sons: by the life of the Lord, if you had kept them safe, I would not put you to death.