Judges 10 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

After Abimelech died, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo, rose up to rescue Israel. He was from the tribe of Issachar, and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.

He led Israel for twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir.

After him, Jair the Gileadite rose up and led Israel for twenty-two years.

He had thirty sons who rode thirty donkeys, and they controlled thirty towns in the land of Gilead — which are still called Havvoth-jair to this day.

Then Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

Then the Israelites again did what was evil in Yahweh's eyes. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned Yahweh completely and stopped serving him.

So Yahweh burned with anger against Israel and handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites.

That year they shattered and crushed the Israelites. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites living beyond the Jordan in the Amorite territory of Gilead.

The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was in extreme distress.

Then the Israelites cried out to Yahweh, saying, "We have failed you — we abandoned you, our God, and served the Baals."

Yahweh answered the Israelites: "Didn't I rescue you from Egypt, from the Amorites, from the Ammonites, and from the Philistines?"

"The Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites also oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I rescued you from their power."

"But you — you abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you again."

"Go cry out to the gods you chose! Let them rescue you in your time of trouble."

But the Israelites said to Yahweh, "We've failed you. Do whatever seems right to you. Just please — rescue us today."

Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served Yahweh. And he could no longer bear to see Israel suffering.

The Ammonites were called up for war and camped in Gilead. The Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.

The people and the leaders of Gilead said to each other, "Whoever steps up to lead the attack against the Ammonites — he will be the leader of everyone living in Gilead."