1 After Abimelech, Tola the son of Puah,
the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, arose to
save Israel. He lived in Shamir in the hill
country of Ephraim.
2 He judged Israel twenty-three years,
and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3 After him Jair, the Gileadite, arose. He
judged Israel twenty-two years.
4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty
donkey colts. They had thirty cities, which
are called Havvoth Jair to this day, which
are in the land of Gilead.
5 Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.
6 The children of Israel again did that
which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and
served the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of
Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab,
the gods of the children of Ammon, and the
gods of the Philistines. They abandoned
the LORD, and didn’t serve him.
7 The LORD’s anger burnt against Israel,
and he sold them into the hand of the
Philistines and into the hand of the children
of Ammon.
8 They troubled and oppressed the children
of Israel that year. For eighteen years
they oppressed all the children of Israel
that were beyond the Jordan in the land of
the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9 The children of Ammon passed over
the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and
against Benjamin, and against the house
of Ephraim, so that Israel was very distressed.
10 The children of Israel cried to the
LORD, saying, “We have sinned against
you, even because we have forsaken our
God, and have served the Baals.”
11 The LORD said to the children of Israel,
“Didn’t I save you from the Egyptians, and
from the Amorites, from the children of
Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12 The Sidonians also, and the
Amalekites, and the Maonites, oppressed
you; and you cried to me, and I saved you
out of their hand.
13 Yet you have forsaken me and served
other gods. Therefore I will save you no
more.
14 Go and cry to the gods which you have
chosen. Let them save you in the time of
your distress!”
15 The children of Israel said to the LORD,
“We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems
good to you; only deliver us, please, today.”
16 They put away the foreign gods from
amongst them and served the LORD; and
his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
17 Then the children of Ammon were
gathered together and encamped in
Gilead. The children of Israel assembled
themselves together and encamped in
Mizpah.
18 The people, the princes of Gilead, said
to one another, “Who is the man who will
begin to fight against the children of Ammon?
He shall be head over all the inhabitants
of Gilead.”
