Open English Translation HERO (JDG) Chapter 10

10 Now after Avimelek, Tola (the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, from the tribe of Yisakar (Issachar)) came on the scene to rescue Yisrael (Israel). He settled in Shamir, in the hill country of Efrayim (Ephraim). 2 He led Yisrael for twenty-three years, then he died and was buried in Shamir.

3 After him, Yair the Giladi led Yisrael (Israel) for twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons that rode on thirty donkeys. There were thirty cities for them in the Gilead region which they call Yair’s villages to this day. 5 Then Yair died and he was buried in Kamon.

6 The Israelis continued to do what Yahweh considered evil: they worshipped the Ba’als, the Ashtarot, the gods of Aram (Syria), the gods of Tsidon (Sidon), the gods of Moav (Moab), the gods of the sons of Amon, and the gods of the Pelishtim. They forsook Yahweh and didn’t serve him. 7 Yahweh was very angry with Yisrael (Israel), so he allowed the Pelishtim and the Amonim 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 Yarden (Jordan) in the land of the Amorim, which is in the Gilead. 9 Then the Amonim also crossed over the Yarden to fight against Yehudah (Judah), against Benyamin, and against the half-tribe of Efrayim (Ephraim).

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 Mitsrim (Egyptians),” Yahweh responded, “from the Amorim, from the Amonim, from the Pelishtim, 12 the Tsidonim (Sidonians) and Amalek and Maeon, 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 Yisrael’s (Israel) suffering.

17 Now the Amonim 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 Amonim? He can become the leader over all of us who live in Gilead.”