Judges 10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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) 2 He judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir.
3 After him came Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 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) 5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
Oppression by the Ammonites
6 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) 7 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) 8 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. 9 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
- 10.11 Heb lacks Did I not deliver you
Judges 10
International Standard Version
Tola, Israel’s Sixth Judge
10 A man from the tribe of Issachar, Puah’s son Tola, grandson of Dodo, arose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the mountainous region[a] of Ephraim. 2 He governed Israel for 23 years and then died. He was buried in Shamir.
Jair, Israel’s Seventh Judge
3 After him, Jair the Gileadite arose and governed Israel for 22 years. 4 His 30 sons rode on 30 donkeys, controlling 30 cities in the territory of Gilead named Havvoth-jair[b] to this day. 5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
Israel Descends into Apostasy
6 Later on, the Israelis again practiced what the Lord considered to be evil by serving the Baals, the stars, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the descendants of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. In doing so, they ignored[c] the Lord and wouldn’t serve him. 7 In his burning anger against Israel, he sold them into domination by the Philistines and the Ammonites, 8 who trampled and troubled the Israelis during that year—eighteen years for the Israelis who lived east of the Jordan River in Gilead, the land occupied by[d] the Amorites. 9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan River to fight against the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim. As a result, Israel was deeply distressed. 10 Then the Israelis cried out to the Lord and told him,[e] “We have sinned against you because we have abandoned our God to serve the Baals.”
11 The Lord replied to the Israelis, “Aren’t you away from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines? 12 And when the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites harassed you, you cried out to me, and I delivered you from under their domination. 13 But you have abandoned me and served other gods. Therefore I will no longer be delivering you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods that you have chosen for yourselves. Let them deliver you in your time of trouble.”
15 The Israelis replied to the Lord, “We have sinned, so do to us anything that’s right to do in your opinion, just please deliver us right now.” 16 When they put away their foreign gods and served the Lord, he brought Israel’s misery to an end. 17 The Ammonites were summoned and they encamped in Gilead. The Israelis assembled together and encamped in Mizpah. 18 The people and Gilead’s officials inquired among themselves, “Who will begin our attack against the Ammonites? He’ll become head over everyone who lives in Gilead.”
Footnotes
- Judges 10:1 Or the hill country
- Judges 10:4 The Heb. name Havvoth-jair means Jair’s Villages
- Judges 10:6 Or forgot
- Judges 10:8 Lit. land of
- Judges 10:10 The Heb. lacks him
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