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 rises after Abimelech, to save Israel, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he is dwelling in Shamir, in the hill-country of Ephraim,

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

and he judges Israel [for] twenty-three years, and he dies, and is buried in Shamir.

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

And there rises Jair the Gileadite after him, and he judges Israel [for] twenty-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 has thirty sons riding on thirty donkey-colts, and they have thirty cities (they call them Havoth-Jair to this day), which [are] in the land of Gilead;

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

and Jair dies, and is 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 sons of Israel add to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, and serve the Ba‘alim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Aram, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsake YHWH, and have not served 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 YHWH burns against Israel, and He sells them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the sons 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 crush and oppress the sons of Israel in that year; [and for] eighteen years—all the sons of Israel [who] are beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorite, which [is] in Gilead.

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 sons of Ammon pass over the Jordan to also fight against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, and Israel has great distress.

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 sons of Israel cry to YHWH, saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have even forsaken our God, and serve the Ba‘alim.”

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

And YHWH says to the sons of Israel, “[Have I] not [saved you] from the Egyptians, and from the Amorite, from the sons 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 the Zidonians, and Amalek, and Maon have oppressed you, and you cry to Me, and I save you 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 you have forsaken Me, and serve other gods, therefore I do not add to save you.

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

Go and cry to the gods on which you have fixed; they save 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 sons of Israel say to YHWH, “We have sinned, do to us according to all that is good in Your eyes; only please deliver us this day.”

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 turn aside the gods of the stranger out of their midst, and serve YHWH, and His soul is grieved with the misery 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 sons of Ammon are called together, and encamp in Gilead, and the sons of Israel are gathered together, and encamp 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—heads of Gilead—say to one another, “Who [is] the man that begins to fight against the sons of Ammon? He is for head to all inhabitants of Gilead.”