10:1 After Abimelech’s death, 1 Tola son of Puah, grandson 2 of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, 3 rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country. 10:2 He led 4 Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.
10:3 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years. 10:4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair 5 – they are in the land of Gilead. 6 10:5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
10:6 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. 7 They worshiped 8 the Baals and the Ashtars, 9 as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, 10 Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. 11 They abandoned the Lord and did not worship 12 him. 10:7 The Lord was furious with Israel 13 and turned them over to 14 the Philistines and Ammonites. 10:8 They ruthlessly oppressed 15 the Israelites that eighteenth year 16 – that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead. 10:9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. 17 Israel suffered greatly. 18
10:10 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped 19 the Baals.” 10:11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 10:12 the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian 20 when they oppressed you? 21 You cried out for help to me, and I delivered you from their power. 22 10:13 But since you abandoned me and worshiped 23 other gods, I will not deliver you again. 10:14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!” 24 10:15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit, 25 but deliver us today!” 26 10:16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned 27 and worshiped 28 the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much. 29
10:17 The Ammonites assembled 30 and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah.