1And there rises after Abimelech, to save Israel, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he is dwelling in Shamir, in the hill-country of Ephraim, 2and he judges Israel [for] twenty-three years, and he dies, and is buried in Shamir.

3And there rises Jair the Gileadite after him, and he judges Israel [for] twenty-two years, 4and he has thirty sons riding on thirty donkey-colts, and they have thirty cities (they call them Havoth-Jair to this day), which [are] in the land of Gilead; 5and Jair dies, and is buried in Kamon.

6And the sons of Israel add to do evil in the eyes of YHWH, and serve the Ba‘alim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Aram, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsake YHWH, and have not served Him; 7and the anger of YHWH burns against Israel, and He sells them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the sons of Ammon, 8and they crush and oppress the sons of Israel in that year; [and for] eighteen years—all the sons of Israel [who] are beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorite, which [is] in Gilead. 9And the sons of Ammon pass over the Jordan to also fight against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, and Israel has great distress.

10And the sons of Israel cry to YHWH, saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have even forsaken our God, and serve the Ba‘alim.” 11And YHWH says to the sons of Israel, “[Have I] not [saved you] from the Egyptians, and from the Amorite, from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12And the Zidonians, and Amalek, and Maon have oppressed you, and you cry to Me, and I save you out of their hand; 13and you have forsaken Me, and serve other gods, therefore I do not add to save you. 14Go and cry to the gods on which you have fixed; they save you in the time of your tribulation.” 15And the sons of Israel say to YHWH, “We have sinned, do to us according to all that is good in Your eyes; only please deliver us this day.” 16And they turn aside the gods of the stranger out of their midst, and serve YHWH, and His soul is grieved with the misery of Israel.

17And the sons of Ammon are called together, and encamp in Gilead, and the sons of Israel are gathered together, and encamp in Mizpah. 18And the people—heads of Gilead—say to one another, “Who [is] the man that begins to fight against the sons of Ammon? He is for head to all inhabitants of Gilead.”