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v1

After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dod, a man of Issachar, rose up to deliver Israel; and he was living at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.

v2

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

v3

After him Jair the Gileadite rose up, and he judged Israel twenty-two years.

v4

And he had thirty sons who would ride on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty towns that are in the land of Gilead that they called Havvoth Jair until this day.

v5

And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

v6

And again, the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. They served the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites ^[Literally “sons/children of Ammon”] and Philistines; they abandoned Yahweh and did not serve him.

v7

And the anger of Yahweh burned ^[Literally “the nose of Yahweh became hot”] against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and the Ammonites. ^[Literally “sons/children of Ammon”]

v8

They crushed and oppressed the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] in that year; for eighteen years they crushed all the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] who were beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorites, ^[Hebrew “Amorite”] which is in Gilead.

v9

The Ammonites ^[Literally “sons/children of Ammon”] crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was very distressed.

v10

Then the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] cried out to Yahweh, saying, “We have sinned against you; we have abandoned our God and served the Baals.”

v11

And Yahweh said to the Israelites, ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, ^[Hebrew “from Egypt”] the Amorites, ^[Hebrew “Amorite”] from the Ammonites, ^[Literally “sons/children of Ammon”] and from the Philistines? ^[Hebrew “Philistine”]

v12

And when the Sidonians, the Amalekites, ^[Hebrew “Amalekite”] and the Maonites ^[Hebrew “Maonite”] oppressed you, you cried out to me, and I delivered you from their hand.

v13

Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. Therefore I will no longer deliver you.

v14

Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your trouble.”

v15

And the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] said to Yahweh, “We have sinned; do to us accordingly as you see fit; ^[Literally “do to us according to the good in your eyes”] only please deliver us this day.”

v16

So they removed the foreign gods from their midst and served Yahweh; and he could no longer bear ^[Literally “his soul was short with”] the misery of Israel.

v17

And the Ammonites ^[Literally “sons/children of Ammon”] were summoned, ^[Or “were called to arms”] and they camped in Gilead. And the Israelites ^[Literally “sons/children of Israel”] gathered and camped at Mizpah.

v18

The people, the ones commanding Gilead, said to each other, ^[Literally “said each to his neighbor”] “Who is the man that will begin to fight against the Ammonites? ^[Literally “sons/children of Ammon”] He will be as head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”