Judges

After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, of Issachar,aof Issachar Or “Issachar’s man in charge”; cf. 7.14. arose to deliver Israel. He lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.

He led Israel for twenty-three years; then he died and was buried at Shamir.

After him arose Jair the Gileadite, and he led Israel for twenty-two years.

(He had thirty sons, who rode on thirty burros and owned thirty boroughsbburros…boroughs Imitating the pun in the Heb., which employs ʻayarim first in the sense of “donkeys” and then in the sense of “towns.” in the region of Gilead; these are called Havvoth-jaircHavvoth-jair I.e., “the villages of Jair”; cf. Num. 32.41. to this day.)

Then Jair died and was buried at Kamon.

The Israelites again did what was offensive to GOD. They served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth,dAshtaroth See note at 2.13. and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines; they forsook and did not serve GOD.

And GOD, incensed with Israel, surrendered them to the Philistines and to the Ammonites.

That year they battered and shattered the Israelites—forefor Meaning of Heb. uncertain; perhaps “enough for” or “continuing for.” eighteen years—all the Israelites beyond the Jordan, in [what had been] the land of the Amorites in Gilead.

The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to make war on Judah, Benjamin, and the House of Ephraim. Israel was in great distress.

Then the Israelites cried out to GOD, “We stand guilty before You, for we have forsaken our God and served the Baalim.”

But GOD said to the Israelites, “[I have rescued you] from the Egyptians, from the Amorites, from the Ammonites, and from the Philistines.

The Sidonians, Amalek, and MaonfMaon Septuagint reads “Midian.” also oppressed you; and when you cried out to Me, I saved you from them.

Yet you have forsaken Me and have served other gods. No, I will not deliver you again.

Go cry to the gods you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress!”

But the Israelites implored GOD: “We stand guilty. Do to us as You see fit; only save us this day!”

They removed the alien gods from among them and served GOD; and [God] could not bear the miseries of Israel.

The Ammonites mustered and they encamped in Gilead; and the Israelites massed and they encamped at Mizpah.

The troops—the officers of Gilead—said to one another, “Let whoever is the first to fight the Ammonites be chieftain over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”