Judges 10

1 After the time of Abimelech [following his reign], a man of Issachar, Tola [a judge and leader] son of Puah, the son of Dodo [a descendant of Issachar], rose up [stood forth, took his position] to save [rescue, deliver] Israel [God’s chosen people]. He lived [dwelt, resided] in Shamir [a city in the hill country], in the hill country [mountainous region] of Ephraim [a tribe of Israel, meaning doubly fruitful]. word study 2 Tola [led, governed] judged [to vindicate, govern] Israel [the descendants of Jacob] twenty-three [twenty and three] years, and when he died [passed away, came to the end of his life], he was buried [laid to rest, interred] in Shamir [a place in Palestine, a city of the Levites]. word study 3 Tola was followed by Jair [a Gileadite, from the region of Gilead] the Gileadite, who [arose, stood up, rose to power] judged [to govern, vindicate, or punish] Israel [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people] twenty-two [two decades, a score of years] [a pair, dual] years. word study 4 He had thirty [a multitude of] sons who rode on thirty [young, strong] donkeys [asses, colts]. And they had thirty [many, numerous] towns [cities, villages] in the land [region, territory] of Gilead [a mountainous area, rocky region], which to this day [until now, presently] are called [named, known as] Havvoth-jair [villages of Jair, the towns of the enlightened]. word study 5 When Jair [the enlightener, a judge of Israel] died [passed away, to die a physical death], he was buried [laid to rest, interred] in Kamon [a place east of the Jordan River, Camon]. word study 6 And again the Israelites [children of Israel, descendants of Jacob] did evil [wickedness, morally bad] in the sight [presence, before the eyes] of the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God]. They served [worshiped, gave allegiance to] the Baals [false gods, idols], the Ashtoreths [goddesses of fertility], the gods of Aram [Syria, a neighboring nation], Sidon [a coastal city], and Moab [a region east of the Jordan], and the gods of the Ammonites [a neighboring tribe] and Philistines [a non-Israelite people]. Thus they forsook [abandoned, turned away from] the LORD [the one true God] and did not serve [worship, obey] Him. word study 7 So the anger [burning fury, kindled against] of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] burned [was hot, kindled] against Israel [the descendants of Jacob], and He sold [delivered, gave them up] them into the hands [power, direction] of the Philistines [immigrants from other places] and Ammonites [descendants of Lot, the son of Haran], word study 8 who that very year [in the same year, at that time] harassed [vexed, oppressed, crushed] and oppressed [troubled, afflicted] the Israelites [sons of Israel, descendants of Jacob], and did so [continued to oppress] for eighteen [eight plus ten] years to all [every single one] the Israelites [children of Israel] on the other side [beyond, across] of the Jordan [the Jordan River] in Gilead [the mountainous region, rocky region], the land [territory, region] of the Amorites [a Canaanite tribe, descendants of Canaan]. word study 9 The Ammonites [sons of Lot, a neighboring nation] also crossed [passed over, transitioned] the Jordan [a key location, a river] to fight [to battle, to war] against Judah [a tribe of Israel, the southern kingdom], Benjamin [a tribe of Israel, the youngest son of Jacob], and the house [family, tribe, or place] of Ephraim [doubly fruitful, a tribe of Israel], and Israel [God’s chosen people, Jacob’s descendants] was in [experienced, suffered] deep [great, sore] distress [trouble, a tight spot, being cramped]. word study 10 Then the Israelites [children of Israel, descendants of Jacob] cried out [with a loud voice, to announce publicly] to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], saying, “We have sinned [missed the mark, gone wrong] against You, for we have indeed [even because] forsaken [loosened, relinquished] our God [Elohim, the supreme God] and served [worked, been in bondage to] the Baals [the Phoenician deity].” word study 11 The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] replied, “When the Egyptians [the people of Egypt, a northeastern African country], Amorites [a Canaanite tribe, descendants of Canaan], Ammonites [descendants of Lot, living in Transjordan], Philistines [inhabitants of Philistia, immigrants from other places], word study 12 Sidonians [inhabitants of the city of Sidon], Amalekites [descendants of Esau], and Maonites [people from the city of Maon] oppressed [treated cruelly, exercised power over] you and you cried out [uttered a loud cry, appealed for help] to Me, did I not save [rescue, deliver] you from their hands [power, control]? word study 13 But you [ye, as individuals] have forsaken [abandoned, loosened] Me and served [worshiped, been slaves to] other [different, foreign] gods, so [thus, in this manner] I will no longer [not again, not anymore] save [deliver, rescue] you. word study 14 Go [and cry out loudly] and cry out to the gods [which you have selected, idols] you have chosen [to worship, to trust]. Let them save [deliver, rescue] you in your time [of distress, trouble] of trouble [adversity, tribulation].” word study 15 “We have sinned [committed wrongdoing, missed the mark],” the Israelites [sons of Israel, descendants of Jacob] said to the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God]. “Deal with us as You see fit [do to us whatsoever seems good to You]; but please [we pray, I implore] deliver us [rescue, snatch away from danger] today [on this day, at this time]!” word study 16 So they put away [removed, rejected] the foreign [strange, heathen] gods from among them and served [worshiped, obeyed] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], and He could no longer bear [be grieved by, be troubled with] the misery [trouble, sorrow] of Israel. word study 17 Then the Ammonites [children of Ammon, descendants of Lot] were called to arms [gathered together, assembled] and camped [pitched their tents, encamped] in Gilead [a mountainous region east of the Jordan River], and the Israelites [sons of Israel, descendants of Jacob] assembled [gathered together, came together] and camped [pitched their tents, set up their army] at Mizpah [a place of watchfulness, a city in Gilead]. word study 18 And the rulers [leaders, princes] of Gilead said to one another, “Whoever [what man, any person] will launch [begin, start] the attack [fight, battle] against the Ammonites [sons of Ammon, a people] will be the head [chief, leader] of all [every, the whole] who live [dwell, inhabit] in Gilead [a mountainous region, rocky region].” word study