1And there arose after Abimelech to deliver Israel Tola' the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountain of Ephraim.

2And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and then died, and was buried in Shamir.

3And after him arose Yair, the Gil'adite, and judged Israel twenty and two years;

4And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass-colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Chavvoth-yair unto this day, which are in the land of Gil'ad.

5And Yair died, and was buried in Kamon.

6And the children of Israel repeated to do the evil in the eyes of the Lord, and they served the Be'alim, and 'Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of 'Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and they forsook the Lord, and served not him.

7And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of 'Ammon.

8And they afflicted and oppressed the children of Israel that year; [and] for eighteen years all the children of Israel that were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Emorites, which is in Gil'ad.

9And the children of 'Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sorely distressed.

10And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Be'alim.

11And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Behold [I delivered you] from the Egyptians, and from the Emorites, from the children of 'Ammon, and from the Philistines.

12And when the Zidonians, and the 'Amalekites, and the Ma'onites did oppress you, and ye cried to me, I delivered you also out of their hand.

13And yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods; wherefore I will deliver you no more.

14Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let these deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

15And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us entirely as it seemeth good in thy eyes; only deliver us, we pray thee, this time.

16And they put away the strange gods from their midst, and served the Lord; and his soul was grieved for the trouble of Israel.

17And the children of 'Ammon were called together, and they encamped in Gil'ad. And the children of Israel also assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpah.

18And the people, the princes of Gil'ad, said one to another, Whatever man it be that will begin to fight against the children of 'Ammon, shall become the head over all the inhabitants of Gil'ad.