The Father Raises Tola to Save Israel
10 1 After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, rose to save Israel; he lived in Shamir in Ephraim's hills. 2 He led Israel as judge for twenty-three years; then he died and was buried in Shamir.
Jair Leads Israel
3 After him rose Jair the Gileadite, who led Israel as judge for twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons riding thirty donkeys, with thirty towns in Gilead, called Havvoth-jair to this day. a a v4 Havvoth-jair means "the settlements of Jair" — the towns took their name from him. 5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.
Israel Forsakes the Father Again
6 Again the Israelites did evil in our Father's eyes, serving the Baals, the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. They abandoned our Father and no longer served him. 7 So our Father's anger burned against Israel, and he sold them to the Philistines and the Ammonites. 8 That year they shattered and crushed the Israelites — for eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites beyond the Jordan in the Amorites' land, in Gilead. 9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim's house, so Israel was in deep distress. 10 Then the Israelites cried to our Father: "We have sinned against you, abandoning our Father to serve the Baals."
11 And our Father said to the Israelites, "Did I not save you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites oppressed you; you cried to me, and I saved you from their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. 14 Go cry out to the gods you chose; let them save you when you're in trouble.
15 The Israelites said to our Father, "We have sinned. Do to us whatever you think best; only please rescue us today." 16 They put away the foreign gods and served our Father, and his soul grew weary of Israel's misery.
17 The Ammonites mustered and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered and camped at Mizpah. 18 The people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, "Whoever begins fighting the Ammonites will be head over all Gilead's people."
