Judges 10
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
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. 2 Tola judged Israel for twenty-three years and when he died, was buried in Shamir.
3 After him came Jair the Gileadite,(A) who judged Israel for twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. They had thirty towns[a] in Gilead, which are still called Jair’s Villages[b] today. 5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.
Israel’s Rebellion and Repentance
6 Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.(B) They worshipped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines.(C) They abandoned the Lord and did not worship him.(D) 7 So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them to the Philistines and the Ammonites.(E) 8 They shattered and crushed the Israelites that year, and for eighteen years they did the same to all the Israelites who were on the other side of the Jordan(F) in the land of the Amorites(G) in Gilead. 9 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.(H) We have abandoned our God and worshipped the Baals.’
11 The Lord said to the Israelites, ‘When the Egyptians,(I) Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, 12 Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites[c](J) oppressed you, and you cried out to me, did I not deliver you from them? 13 But you have abandoned me and worshipped other gods. Therefore, I will not deliver you again. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen.(K) Let them deliver you whenever you are oppressed.’
15 But the Israelites said, ‘We have sinned. Deal with us as you see fit; only rescue us(L) today! ’ 16 So they got rid of the foreign gods(M) among them and worshipped the Lord,(N) and he became weary(O) of Israel’s misery.
17 The Ammonites were called together, and they camped in Gilead. So the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.(P) 18 The rulers[d] of Gilead said to one another, ‘Which man will begin the fight against the Ammonites? He will be the leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.’
Judges 10
New English Translation
Stability Restored
10 After Abimelech’s death,[a] Tola son of Puah, grandson[b] of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar,[c] rose up to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the Ephraimite hill country. 2 He led[d] Israel for twenty-three years, then died and was buried in Shamir.
3 Jair the Gileadite rose up after him; he led Israel for twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and possessed thirty cities. To this day these towns are called Havvoth Jair[e]—they are in the land of Gilead.[f] 5 Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
The Lord’s Patience Runs Short
6 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight.[g] They worshiped[h] the Baals and the Ashtoreths,[i] as well as the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines.[j] They abandoned the Lord and did not worship[k] him. 7 The Lord was furious with Israel[l] and turned them over to[m] the Philistines and Ammonites. 8 They ruthlessly oppressed[n] the Israelites that eighteenth year[o]—that is, all the Israelites living east of the Jordan in Amorite country in Gilead. 9 The Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight with Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim.[p] Israel suffered greatly.[q]
10 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped[r] the Baals.” 11 The Lord said to the Israelites, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians, Amalek, and Midian[s] when they oppressed you?[t] You cried out for help to me, and I delivered you from their power.[u] 13 But since you abandoned me and worshiped[v] other gods, I will not deliver you again. 14 Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!”[w] 15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. You do to us as you see fit,[x] but deliver us today!”[y] 16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned[z] and worshiped[aa] the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much.[ab]
An Outcast Becomes a General
17 The Ammonites assembled[ac] and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 18 The leaders[ad] of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge[ae] against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”
Footnotes
- Judges 10:1 tn The word “death” has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 10:1 tn Heb “son.”
- Judges 10:1 tn Heb “a man of Issachar.”
- Judges 10:2 tn Traditionally, “judged.”
- Judges 10:4 sn The name Habboth Jair means “tent villages of Jair” in Hebrew.
- Judges 10:4 tn Heb “they call them Havvoth Jair to this day—which are in the land of Gilead.”
- Judges 10:6 tn Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.”
- Judges 10:6 tn Or “served;” or “followed.”
- Judges 10:6 sn The Ashtoreths were local manifestations of the goddess Astarte.
- Judges 10:6 tn Heb “the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines.”
- Judges 10:6 tn Or “serve”; or “follow.”
- Judges 10:7 tn Or “the Lord’s anger burned [or “raged”] against Israel.”
- Judges 10:7 tn Heb “sold them into the hands of.”
- Judges 10:8 tn Heb “shattered and crushed.” The repetition of similar sounding synonyms (רָעַץ [raʿats] and רָצַץ [ratsats]) is for emphasis; רָצַץ appears in the Polel, adding further emphasis to the affirmation.
- Judges 10:8 tn The phrase שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה (shemoneh ʿesreh shanah) could be translated “eighteen years,” but this would be difficult after the reference to “that year.” It is possible that v. 8b is parenthetical, referring to an eighteen year long period of oppression east of the Jordan which culminated in hostilities against all Israel (including Judah, see v. 9) in the eighteenth year. It is simpler to translate the phrase as an ordinal number, though the context does not provide the point of reference. (See Gen 14:4-5 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 191-92.) In this case, the following statement specifies which “Israelites” are in view.
- Judges 10:9 tn Heb “the house of Ephraim.”
- Judges 10:9 tn Or “Israel experienced great distress.” Perhaps here the verb has the nuance “hemmed in.”
- Judges 10:10 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
- Judges 10:12 tc The translation follows the LXX which reads “Midian”; the Hebrew text has “Maon.”
- Judges 10:12 tn The words “Did I not deliver you” are interpretive. The Hebrew text simply reads, “Is it not from Egypt…when they oppressed you?” Perhaps the incomplete sentence reflects the Lord’s frustration.
- Judges 10:12 tn Heb “hand.”
- Judges 10:13 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
- Judges 10:14 tn Heb “in your time of trouble.”
- Judges 10:15 tn Heb “according to all whatever is good in your eyes.”
- Judges 10:15 sn You do to us as you see fit, but deliver us today. The request seems contradictory, but it can be explained in one of two ways. They may be asking for relief from their enemies and direct discipline from God’s hand. Or they may mean, “In the future you can do whatever you like to us, but give us relief from what we’re suffering right now.”
- Judges 10:16 tn Heb “from their midst.”
- Judges 10:16 tn Or “served”; or “followed.”
- Judges 10:16 tn Heb “And his spirit grew short [i.e., impatient] with the suffering of Israel.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) also appears as the subject of the verb קָצַר (qatsar) in Num 21:4 (the Israelites grow impatient wandering in the wilderness), Judg 16:16 (Samson grows impatient with Delilah’s constant nagging), and Zech 11:8 (Zechariah grows impatient with the three negligent “shepherds”).
- Judges 10:17 tn Or “were summoned;” or “were mustered.”
- Judges 10:18 tn Heb “the people, the officers.”
- Judges 10:18 tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”
Judges 10
King James Version
10 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.
2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.
4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.
6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him.
7 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.
10 And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
11 And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.
13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.
14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
15 And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.
16 And they put away the strange gods from among 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. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.
18 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.
Juges 10
La Bible du Semeur
Tola et Yaïr
10 Après la mort d’Abimélek, ce fut Tola, fils de Poua et petit-fils de Dodo, de la tribu d’Issacar, qui entreprit de délivrer Israël. Il habitait à Shamir dans la région montagneuse d’Ephraïm. 2 Il fut chef en Israël pendant vingt-trois ans, puis il mourut et fut enterré à Shamir.
3 Son successeur fut Yaïr de Galaad qui fut chef en Israël pendant vingt-deux ans. 4 Ses trente fils montaient trente ânons et possédaient, dans le pays de Galaad, trente villages que l’on appelle encore aujourd’hui « les bourgs de Yaïr ». 5 Yaïr mourut et fut enterré à Qamôn.
Israël infidèle est opprimé par les Ammonites
6 Les Israélites recommencèrent à faire ce que l’Eternel considère comme mal : ils rendirent un culte aux Baals et aux Astartés, aux dieux de la Syrie, de Sidon, de Moab et à ceux des Ammonites et des Philistins. Ils abandonnèrent l’Eternel et ne lui rendirent plus de culte. 7 Alors l’Eternel se mit en colère contre les Israélites et il les livra au pouvoir des Philistins et des Ammonites. 8 A partir de cette année-là, ceux-ci opprimèrent et maltraitèrent les Israélites. Pour les Israélites qui habitaient à l’est du Jourdain dans le pays des Amoréens, en Galaad, l’oppression dura dix-huit ans. 9 Les Ammonites traversèrent même le Jourdain pour attaquer les tribus de Juda, de Benjamin et d’Ephraïm. Israël fut dans une extrême détresse. 10 Alors les Israélites implorèrent l’Eternel de les aider en confessant : Nous avons péché contre toi, car nous avons abandonné notre Dieu et nous avons rendu un culte aux Baals.
11 L’Eternel leur répondit : Ne vous ai-je pas délivrés des Egyptiens, des Amoréens, des Ammonites et des Philistins ? 12 Et lorsque les Sidoniens, les Amalécites et les Maônites[a] vous ont opprimés, et que vous avez imploré mon aide, ne vous ai-je pas délivrés d’eux ? 13 Mais vous, vous m’avez abandonné et vous avez adoré d’autres dieux. C’est pourquoi je ne viendrai plus à votre secours. 14 Allez implorer les dieux que vous vous êtes choisis. Qu’ils vous délivrent maintenant que vous êtes en détresse !
15 Mais les Israélites plaidèrent avec l’Eternel : Nous avons péché. Traite-nous comme tu le trouveras bon, mais de grâce, délivre-nous encore cette fois !
16 Ils firent disparaître du milieu d’eux les dieux étrangers et rendirent de nouveau un culte à l’Eternel. Alors l’Eternel ne put pas supporter plus longtemps les souffrances d’Israël.
17 Les Ammonites mobilisèrent leurs troupes et prirent position dans la région de Galaad. De leur côté, les Israélites rassemblèrent leurs forces et dressèrent leur camp à Mitspa[b]. 18 Alors les hommes et les chefs installés en Galaad se demandèrent les uns aux autres : Qui va lancer l’attaque contre les Ammonites ? Celui qui le fera deviendra le chef de tous les habitants de Galaad.
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