Judges 10

1 Now after Abimelech, Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, became the saviour of Israel; he was living in Shamir in the hill-country of Ephraim.

After Abimelech's time, Tola, son of Puah, son of Dodo, from the tribe of Issachar, came on the scene to save Israel. He lived in the town of Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.

2 He was judge over Israel for twenty-three years; and at his death his body was put to rest in the earth in Shamir.

He led Israel as a judge for twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir.

3 And after him came Jair the Gileadite, who was judge over Israel for twenty-two years.

After Tola came Jair from Gilead, who led Israel as a judge for twenty-two years.

4 And he had thirty sons, who went on thirty young asses; and they had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which are named Havvoth-Jair to this day.

He had thirty sons who rode thirty donkeys. They had thirty towns in the land of Gilead, which to this day are called the Towns of Jair.

5 And at the death of Jair his body was put to rest in the earth in Kamon.

Jair died and he was buried in Kamon.

6 And again the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord, worshipping the Baals and Astartes, and the gods of Aram and the gods of Zidon and the gods of Moab and the gods of the children of Ammon and the gods of the Philistines; they gave up the Lord and were servants to him no longer.

Once again the Israelites did what was evil in the Lord's sight. They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, as well as the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and Philistines. They rejected the Lord and did not worship him.

7 And the wrath of the Lord was burning against Israel, and he gave them up into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

So the Lord became angry with Israel, and he sold them to the Philistines and the Ammonites.

8 And that year the children of Israel were crushed under their yoke; for eighteen years all the children of Israel on the other side of Jordan, in the land of the Amorites which is in Gilead, were cruelly crushed down.

That year and for eighteen more years they harassed and oppressed the Israelites, all the Israelites that lived on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites.

9 And the children of Ammon went over Jordan, to make war against Judah and Benjamin and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was in great trouble.

The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to attack Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim, causing terrible trouble for Israel.

10 Then the children of Israel, crying out to the Lord, said, Great is our sin against you, for we have given up our God and have been servants to the Baals.

The Israelites cried out to the Lord for help, saying, “We have sinned against you, rejecting our God and worshiping the Baals.”

11 And the Lord said to the children of Israel, Were not the Egyptians and the Amorites and the children of Ammon and the Philistines

The Lord replied to the Israelites, “Didn't I save you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,

12 And the Zidonians and Amalek and Midian crushing you down, and in answer to your cry did I not give you salvation from their hands?

the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites? When they attacked you, and you cried out to me for help, didn't I save you from them?

13 But, for all this, you have given me up and have been servants to other gods: so I will be your saviour no longer.

But you have rejected me and worshiped other gods, so I won't save you again.

14 Go, send up your cry for help to the gods of your selection; let them be your saviours in the time of your trouble.

Go and cry out for help to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”

15 And the children of Israel said to the Lord, We are sinners; do to us whatever seems good to you: only give us salvation this day.

The Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned! Treat us in whatever way you think you should, only please save us now!”

16 So they put away the strange gods from among them, and became the Lord's servants; and his soul was angry because of the sorrows of Israel.

So they got rid of the foreign gods they had and worshiped the Lord. And the Lord couldn't stand Israel's misery any longer.

17 Then the children of Ammon came together and put their army in position in Gilead. And the children of Israel came together and put their army in position in Mizpah.

The Ammonite armies had been called up and were camped in Gilead. The Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.

18 And the people of Israel said to one another, Who will be the first to make an attack on the children of Ammon? We will make him head over all Gilead.

The commanders of the people of Gilead agreed among themselves, “Whoever leads the attack on the Ammonites will become ruler over everyone who lives in Gilead.”