When he says, “For they are exhausted, and I am pursuing,” the original shows him emphatically drawing a contrast between himself and his troops. He attributes the fatigue to the people, while referring to the pursuit in the singular and attributing it strictly to himself. It is all about “a sword for Gideon” here forward.
5 So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”