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.

After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, a man from Issachar who lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim, arose to deliver Israel.

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

He judged Israel twenty-three years. He died and was buried in Shamir.

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

He was followed by Jair the Gileadite. He judged Israel 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.

He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth 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.

Jair 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.

The people of Israel added to the evil they had done in the sight of Yahweh and worshiped the Baals, the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned Yahweh and no longer worshiped him.

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

Yahweh burned with anger toward Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites.

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,

They crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year, and for eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, 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.

Then the Ammonites crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly 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.”

Then the people of Israel called out to Yahweh, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.”

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

Yahweh said to the people of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, 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 also from the Sidonians? The Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you; you called out to me, and I delivered you from their power.

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.

Yet you abandoned me again and worshiped other gods. Therefore, I will not keep adding to the times I deliver you.

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

Go and call out to the gods that you have worshiped. Let them rescue you when you have trouble.”

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.”

The people of Israel said to Yahweh, “We have sinned. Do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please, rescue 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.

They got rid of the foreign gods among them and they worshiped Yahweh. Then Yahweh could bear Israel's misery no longer.

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.

Then Ammonites gathered together and set up camp in Gilead. The Israelites came together and set up their camp at 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.”

The leaders of the people of Gilead said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight the Ammonites? He will become the leader over all those who are living in Gilead.”