Judges 10

Tola and Jair

1After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, arose to save Israel. He lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2He judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir. 3After him Jair the Gileadite arose and judged Israel twenty-two years. 4He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty towns, called Havvoth-Jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5Jair died and was buried at Kamon.

Israel Again Serves Other Gods

6The children of Israel again did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned the LORD and did not serve him. 7The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the children of Ammon. 8They crushed and oppressed the children of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the children of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9The children of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so Israel was greatly distressed.

Israel Cries Out

10The children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against you, for we have abandoned our God and served the Baals.” 11The LORD said to the children of Israel, “Did I not save you from Egypt, from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12And when the Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites oppressed you and you cried out to me, I saved you from their hand. 13Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. Therefore I will save you no more. 14Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your distress.”

Put Away the Foreign Gods

15The children of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned. Do to us whatever is good in your eyes; only please deliver us this day.” 16So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD, and his soul became impatient over the misery of Israel. 17Then the children of Ammon were gathered together and camped in Gilead. The children of Israel gathered together and camped at Mizpah. 18The people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? He shall become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”