¹ And there arose, after Abimelech, to save Israel—Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, a man of Issachar,—and, he, used to sit in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim;

² and he judged Israel, twenty-three years,—and died, and was buried in Shamir.

³ And there arose, after him, Jair the Gileadite,—and judged Israel twenty-two years.

⁴ Now he had thirty sons, that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had, thirty cities,—they are called Havvoth-jair, until this day, which are in the land of Gilead.

⁵ And Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.

⁶ And the sons of Israel again did the thing that was wicked in the sight of Yahweh, and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines,—and forsook Yahweh, and served him not.

⁷ So the anger of Yahweh kindled upon Israel,—and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the sons of Ammon;

⁸ and they enfeebled and oppressed the sons of Israel in that year,—eighteen years, did they this unto all the sons of Israel who were beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorites, that was in Gilead.

⁹ And the sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan, to fight, even against Judah and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim,—so that Israel was sore distressed.

¹⁰ Then did the sons of Israel make outcry unto Yahweh, saying,—We have sinned against thee, because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baals.

¹¹ Then said Yahweh unto the sons of Israel,—Was it not, from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, and from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines, [that I saved you] ?

¹² The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, oppressed you,—and ye made outcry unto me, and I saved you out of their hand.

¹³ Yet have, ye, forsaken me, and served other gods,—therefore will I not again save you.

¹⁴ Go and make outcry unto the gods whom ye have chosen,—they, must save you, in the time of your tribulation.

¹⁵ And the sons of Israel said unto Yahweh—We have sinned, do, thou, with us, according to all that is fitting in thine eyes,—only rescue us, we beseech thee this day.

¹⁶ And they put away the gods of the stranger out of their midst, and served Yahweh,—and his soul was impatient of the misery of Israel.

¹⁷ Now the sons of Ammon were called out, and they encamped in Gilead,—and the sons of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah.

¹⁸ Then said the people, the princes of Gilead, one to another, Who is the man that will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? he shall become head to all the inhabitants of Gilead.