Judges 8:24
And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)
Gideon asked every man to hand over the gold earrings taken from his share of the spoil captured from the Midianites, who wore such ornaments as Ishmaelites. The men gave willingly, adding other costly spoil as well, because they ascribed the victory to him. The appeal belonged to the period after the triumph, when he no longer waited for divine direction but began to form plans of his own. From the wealth thus gathered he fashioned an ephod and a breastplate, meaning to provide worship closer to the eastern tribes so they would be spared the journey to Shiloh. That project had no authorization from God and drew Israel into idol worship.