Tola, the Judge

10 ·After Abimelech died [^LAfter Abimelech], another ·judge [leader; 2:16] ·came [arose] to save Israel. He was Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo. Tola was from the people of Issachar and lived in the city of Shamir in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim. ² Tola ·judged [led; 2:16] Israel for twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir.

Jair, the Judge

³ After ·Tola died [^Lhim], Jair ·from the region of Gilead [^Lthe Gileadite] ·judged [led; 2:16] Israel for twenty-two years. ⁴ Jair had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys [12:14]. These thirty sons controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which are called the ·Towns [^LHavvoth; ^CHebrew for “towns” or “tent-villages”] of Jair to this day. ⁵ Jair died and was buried in the city of Kamon.

The Ammonites Trouble Israel

⁶ Again the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] did ·what the Lord said was wrong [^Levil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. They ·worshiped [served] ·Baal and Ashtoreth [^Lthe Baals and Ashtoreths; 2:11–13; ^Creferring to the idols of these gods found throughout Israel], the gods of Aram [^Cthese included Hadad, Mot, Anath, and Rimon], Sidon [^CBaal and Ashtoreth], Moab [^CChemosh; Num. 21:29], and Ammon [^CMolech; 1 Kin. 11:7], and the gods of the Philistines [^CDagon; 16:23]. The Israelites ·left [abandoned; forsook] the Lord and stopped serving him. ⁷ So the Lord ·was angry with [^Lburned with anger against] them and ·handed them over to [^Lgave them into the hand of] the Philistines and the Ammonites. ⁸ In the same year those people ·destroyed [^Lshattered and crushed; ^Cfrom two Hebrew words that sound similar] the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] who lived east of the Jordan River in the region of Gilead, where the Amorites lived. So the Israelites suffered for eighteen years. ⁹ The Ammonites then crossed the Jordan River to fight the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim, causing much ·trouble [distress] to the people of Israel. ¹⁰ So the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you. We ·left [abandoned; forsook] our God and ·worshiped [served] the ·Baal idols [^LBaals].”

¹¹ The Lord answered the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel], “When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, ¹² Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites ·were cruel to [oppressed] you, you cried out to me, and ·I saved [^Ldid I not save/rescue/^Tdeliver…?] you [^Lfrom their hand]. ¹³ But now you have ·left [abandoned; forsaken] me again and have ·worshiped [served] other gods. So I ·refuse to [will no longer] save you again. ¹⁴ You have chosen those gods. So go ·call [cry out] to them for help. Let them ·save [rescue; ^Tdeliver] you when you are in ·trouble [distress].”

¹⁵ But the ·people [^Lsons; ^Tchildren] of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do to us whatever ·you want [you see fit; ^Lis good in your eyes], but please ·save [rescue; ^Tdeliver] us today!” ¹⁶ Then the Israelites threw away the foreign gods among them, and they worshiped the Lord again. So ·he felt sorry for them [or he could no longer bear it; or he grew impatient; ^Lhis spirit grew short] when he saw their suffering.

¹⁷ The ·Ammonites [^Lsons/descendants of Ammon] ·gathered for war [were called to arms] and camped in Gilead. The Israelites gathered and camped at Mizpah. ¹⁸ The leaders of the people of Gilead said, “Who will lead us to attack the ·Ammonites [^Lsons/descendants of Ammon]? He will become the head of all those who live in Gilead.”