Oppression by Philistines and Ammonites

1Now after Abimelech died, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, rose up to save Israel; and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2He judged Israel for twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir.

3After him, Jair the Gileadite rose up and judged Israel for twenty-two years. 4And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities [a]in the land of Gilead that are called [b]Havvoth-jair to this day. 5And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

6Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, 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; so they abandoned the LORD and did not serve Him. 7And the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the sons of Ammon. 8And they [c]afflicted and oppressed the sons of Israel [d]that year; for eighteen years they oppressed all the sons of Israel who were beyond the Jordan, [e]in Gilead in the land of the Amorites. 9And the sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was in great difficulty.

10Then the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, for indeed, we have abandoned our God and served the Baals.” 11And the LORD said to the sons of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines? 12And when the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you, you cried out to Me, and I saved you from their hands. 13Yet you abandoned Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer save you. 14Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” 15Then the sons of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned, do to us whatever [f]seems good to You; only please save us this day.” 16So they removed the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD; and [g]He could no longer endure the misery of Israel.

17Then the sons of Ammon were summoned, and they camped in Gilead. And the sons of Israel gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 18And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? He shall become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”