Judges 10

1 After Abimelech, a leader rose up in Israel, Tola, the son of Puah, the paternal uncle of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, who lived in Shamir on mount Ephraim.

And there arose after Abimelech to deliver Israel Tola' the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountain of Ephraim.

2 And he judged Israel for twenty-three years, and he died and was buried at Shamir.

And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and then died, and was buried in Shamir.

3 After him succeeded Jair, a Gileadite, who judged Israel for twenty-two years,

And after him arose Yair, the Gil'adite, and judged Israel twenty and two years;

4 having thirty sons sitting upon thirty young donkeys, and who were leaders of thirty cities, which from his name were called Havvoth Jair, that is, the towns of Jair, even to the present day, in the land of Gilead.

And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass-colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Chavvoth-yair unto this day, which are in the land of Gil'ad.

5 And Jair died, and he was buried in the place which is called Kamon.

And Yair died, and was buried in Kamon.

6 But the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, joining new sins to old, and they served idols, the Baals and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria and Sidon, and of Moab and the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines. And they abandoned the Lord, and they did not worship him.

And the children of Israel repeated to do the evil in the eyes of the Lord, and they served the Be'alim, 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 they forsook the Lord, and served not him.

7 And the Lord, becoming angry against them, delivered them into the hands of the Philistines and the sons of Ammon.

And 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 children of 'Ammon.

8 And they were afflicted and vehemently oppressed for eighteen years, all who were living beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorite, which is in Gilead,

And they afflicted and oppressed the children of Israel that year; [and] for eighteen years all the children of Israel that were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Emorites, which is in Gil'ad.

9 to such a great extent that the sons of Ammon, crossing over the Jordan, laid waste to Judah and Benjamin and Ephraim. And Israel was exceedingly afflicted.

And the children of 'Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sorely distressed.

10 And crying out to the Lord, they said: “We have sinned against you. For we have forsaken the Lord our God, and we have served the Baals.”

And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Be'alim.

11 And the Lord said to them: “Did not the Egyptians, and the Amorites, and the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines,

And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Behold [I delivered you] from the Egyptians, and from the Emorites, from the children of 'Ammon, and from the Philistines.

12 and also the Sidonians, and Amalek, and Canaan, oppress you, and so you cried out to me, and I rescued you from their hand?

And when the Zidonians, and the 'Amalekites, and the Ma'onites did oppress you, and ye cried to me, I delivered you also out of their hand.

13 And yet you have forsaken me, and you have worshipped foreign gods. For this reason, I will not continue to free you any more.

And yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods; wherefore I will deliver you no more.

14 Go, and call upon the gods whom you have chosen. Let them free you in the time of anguish.”

Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let these deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

15 And the sons of Israel said to the Lord: “We have sinned. You may repay us in whatever way pleases you. Yet free us now.”

And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us entirely as it seemeth good in thy eyes; only deliver us, we pray thee, this time.

16 And saying these things, they cast out all the idols of the foreign gods from their regions, and they served the Lord God. And he was touched by their miseries.

And they put away the strange gods from their midst, and served the Lord; and his soul was grieved for the trouble of Israel.

17 And then the sons of Ammon, shouting out together, pitched their tents in Gilead. And the sons of Israel gathered together against them, and they made camp at Mizpah.

And the children of 'Ammon were called together, and they encamped in Gil'ad. And the children of Israel also assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah.

18 And the leaders of Gilead said to one another, “Whoever among us will be the first to begin to contend against the sons of Ammon, he shall be the leader of the people of Gilead.”

And the people, the princes of Gil'ad, said one to another, Whatever man it be that will begin to fight against the children of 'Ammon, shall become the head over all the inhabitants of Gil'ad.