6 The Israelis continued to do what Yahweh considered evil: they worshipped the Ba’als, the Ashtorets, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They forsook Yahweh and didn’t serve him. 7 Yahweh was very angry with Israel, so he allowed the Philistines and the Ammonites to harass them. 8 They shattered and oppressed the Israelis that year, but it went on for eighteen years for all the Israelis who were on the opposite side of the Yordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in the Gilead. 9 Then the Ammonites also crossed over the Yordan to fight against Yehudah, against Benyamin, and against the half-tribe of Efraim.

This caused incredible distress for the Israelis 10 so they cried out to Yahweh, “We have sinned against you, because we have abandoned our God and we have served the Ba’als.”

11 “Wasn’t it from the Egyptians,” Yahweh responded, “from the Amorites, from the Ammonites, from the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians and Amalek and Maon, when they oppressed you that you cried out to me, and I rescued you all from them? 13 Yet you’ve all abandoned me and served other gods. Therefore, I won’t not continue to rescue you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods that you’ve all chosen for yourselves. They should deliver you all at the time of your distress.”

15 Then the Israelis said to Yahweh, “We’ve sinned. You do to us according to all that is good in your eyes. Only please rescue us today.” 16 They removed the foreign gods from among them, and they worshipped Yahweh and so he became concerned with Israel’s suffering.

17 Now the Ammonites had assembled and were camped in Gilead. So the Israelis gathered together and they camped at Mitspah. 18 Then the princes of Gilead said to each other, “Who will lead us to fight against the Ammonites? He can become the leader over all of us who live in Gilead.”