And they answered is literally “And they said,” but the Revised Standard Version rendering is more natural in English and perhaps in other languages as well.

We will willingly give them is literally “Giving we will give.” In Hebrew the verb for “give” is repeated to underline how willing the Israelites are to give their golden spoil. Revised Standard Version adds the adverb willingly to express this emphasis. New International Version says “We’ll be glad to give them,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has simply “Certainly!” The people seem to know Gideon is planning to make an idol. This incident has a strong link back to the time when Aaron asked the people to donate their gold earrings to make the golden calf (Exo 32.1-4).

And they spread a garment: The pronoun they could refer specifically to the Israelite warriors, or it may be an impersonal “they,” in which case a passive expression would be possible, for example, “Then a garment was spread out.” The Septuagint has a singular verb here, so New Jerusalem Bible sees Gideon as the main actor: “So he [Gideon] spread out his cloak.” In some languages the verb spread may require a locative phrase, such as “on the ground” (Contemporary English Version). A garment (literally “the garment”) renders a Hebrew noun that probably refers to a wide piece of material that served as an outer garment or robe.

And every man cast in it the earrings of his spoil is literally “and they threw there [each] man an earring of his spoil.” The pronoun “they” refers to the soldiers who had been to war with Gideon. Cast may be rendered “threw” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible) or “tossed” (Contemporary English Version). In it (literally “there”) may be translated “on it [the garment].” For the earrings of his spoil, see verse 8.24.

Translation models for this verse are:

• They said, “We will gladly give them to you.” Then they took a cloth and spread it on the ground, and each man threw down there the earrings he had gathered as spoil.

• The men replied, “Of course!” And spreading a cloth on the ground, they tossed the earrings they had taken from their enemies down on it.

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .