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Tola and Jair

10 After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, who lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim, rose to deliver Israel.(A) He judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir.

After him came Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty towns, which are in the land of Gilead and are called Havvoth-jair to this day.(B) Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

Oppression by the Ammonites

The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, serving the Baals and the Astartes, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. Thus they abandoned the Lord and did not worship him.(C) So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites,(D) and they crushed and oppressed the Israelites that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly distressed.

10 So the Israelites cried to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have abandoned our God and have served the Baals.”(E) 11 And the Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you[a] from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines?(F) 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.(G) 13 Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods; therefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry to the gods whom you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress.”(H) 15 And the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you, but deliver us this day!”(I) 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he could no longer bear to see Israel suffer.(J)

17 Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead, and the Israelites came together, and they encamped at Mizpah.(K) 18 The commanders of the people of Gilead said to one another, “Who will begin the fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”(L)

Footnotes

  1. 10.11 Heb lacks Did I not deliver you

Tola and Jair

10 After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo became judge and began to deliver Israel. He was from Issachar and lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. Tola judged Israel 23 years and when he died, was buried in Shamir.

After him came Jair the Gileadite,(A) who judged Israel 22 years. He had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys. They had 30 towns[a] in Gilead, which are called Jair’s Villages[b] to this day. When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

Israel’s Rebellion and Repentance

Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.(B) They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines.(C) They abandoned Yahweh and did not worship Him.(D) So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He sold them to[c] the Philistines and the Ammonites. They shattered and crushed the Israelites that year, and for 18 years they did the same to all the Israelites who were on the other side of the Jordan(E) in the land of the Amorites(F) in Gilead. The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim. Israel was greatly oppressed, 10 so they cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against You.(G) We have abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.”

11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “When the Egyptians,(H) Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, 12 Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites[d](I) oppressed you, and you cried out to Me, did I not deliver you from their power? 13 But you have abandoned Me and worshiped other gods. Therefore, I will not deliver you again. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen.(J) Let them deliver you in the time of your oppression.”

15 But the Israelites said, “We have sinned. Deal with us as You see fit;[e] only deliver us(K) today!” 16 So they got rid of the foreign gods(L) among them and worshiped the Lord,(M) and He became weary(N) of Israel’s misery.

17 The Ammonites were called together, and they camped in Gilead. So the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.(O) 18 The rulers[f] of Gilead said to one another, “Which man will lead the fight against the Ammonites? He will be the leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Footnotes

  1. Judges 10:4 LXX; MT reads donkeys
  2. Judges 10:4 Or called Havvoth-jair
  3. Judges 10:7 Lit into the hand of
  4. Judges 10:12 LXX reads Midianites
  5. Judges 10:15 Lit Do to us what is good in Your eyes
  6. Judges 10:18 Lit The people, rulers