1And after Aḇimeleḵ there arose Tola son of Pu’ah, son of Doḏo, a man of Yissasḵar, to save Yisra’ĕl. And he dwelt in Shamur in the mountains of Ephrayim.

2And he ruled Yisra’ĕl twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamur.

3And after him arose Ya’ir, a Gil‛aḏite, and he ruled Yisra’ĕl twenty-two years.

4And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys. And they had thirty towns, which are called Hawoth Yair to this day, which are in the land of Gil‛aḏ.

5And Ya’ir died, and was buried in Qamon.

6And the children of Yisra’ĕl again did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and served the Ba‛als and the Ashtoreths, and the mighty ones of Aram, and the mighty ones of Tsiḏon, and the mighty ones of Mo’aḇ, and the mighty ones of the children of Ammon, and the mighty ones of the Philistines – and forsook יהוה and did not serve Him.

7Therefore the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl. And He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

8And they crushed and oppressed the children of Yisra’ĕl that year – for eighteen years – all the children of Yisra’ĕl who were beyond the Yardĕn in the land of the Amorites, in Gil‛aḏ.

9And the children of Ammon passed over the Yardĕn to fight against Yehuḏah, and against Binyamin, and against the house of Ephrayim, so that Yisra’ĕl had great distress.

10And the children of Yisra’ĕl cried out to יהוה, saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our Elohim and served the Ba‛als!”

11So יהוה said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, “Was it not from the Mitsrites and from the Amorites and from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines that I saved you?

12“And the Tsiḏonians and Amalĕq and Ma‛on oppressed you. And you cried out to Me, and I saved you from their hand.

13“But you, you have forsaken Me and served other mighty ones. Therefore I do not save you again.

14“Go and cry out to the mighty ones which you have chosen, let them save you in your time of distress.”

15And the children of Yisra’ĕl said to יהוה, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever is good in Your eyes, only deliver us today, please.”

16So they put away the foreign mighty ones from their midst and served יהוה. And His being was grieved with the trouble of Yisra’ĕl.

17Then the children of Ammon were called together and encamped in Gil‛aḏ. And the children of Yisra’ĕl gathered together and encamped in Mitspah.

18And the people, the heads of Gil‛aḏ, said to each other, “Let the man who is the first to fight against the children of Ammon be head over all the inhabitants of Gil‛aḏ.”