1Sesudah Abimelek meninggal, Tola anak Pua, cucu Dodo, tampil untuk menyelamatkan bangsa Israel. Dia berasal dari suku Isakar. Tempat tinggalnya di kota Samir, di perbukitan Efraim.2Tola memimpin bangsa Israel selama dua puluh tiga tahun sampai dia meninggal. Lalu dia dimakamkan di Samir.
Bagian: Yair menjadi pembela Israel
3Sesudah Tola, tampillah Yair orang Gilead. Yair memimpin bangsa Israel selama dua puluh dua tahun.4Yair memiliki tiga puluh anak laki-laki. Mereka masing-masing memiliki keledai tunggangan sendiri-sendiri. Setiap anak lelaki Yair juga memimpin sebuah kota di Gilead. Sampai saat kitab ini ditulis ketigapuluh kota itu disebut Permukiman Kaum Yair.5Kemudian Yair meninggal dan dimakamkan di Kamon.
Bagian: Bangsa Israel kembali meninggalkan TUHAN
6Bangsa Israel kembali berbuat jahat di mata TUHAN. Mereka menyembah berbagai macam dewa Baal, dewi Astoret, serta dewa-dewa bangsa Aram, Sidon, Moab, Amon, dan Filistin. Mereka meninggalkan TUHAN dan sama sekali tidak mengabdi kepada-Nya lagi.7Maka TUHAN menjadi murka terhadap bangsa Israel lalu menyerahkan mereka kepada bangsa Filistin dan Amon.8Selama delapan belas tahun, kedua bangsa itu dengan kejam menindas orang Israel yang tinggal di sebelah timur sungai Yordan, yaitu di daerah Gilead, yang dulu dikuasai oleh raja-raja bangsa Amori.9Bangsa Amon juga menyeberangi sungai Yordan untuk menyerang suku Yehuda, Benyamin, dan Efraim, sehingga orang Israel sangat menderita.10Maka rakyat Israel berseru meminta tolong kepada TUHAN, “Ya Allah, kami sudah berdosa terhadap Engkau karena kami meninggalkan-Mu dan menyembah berbagai macam Baal.”11Jawab TUHAN, “Berkali-kali waktu kalian ditindas, Aku selalu menyelamatkan kalian, baik dari bangsa Mesir, Amori, Amon, Filistin, Sidon, Amalek, maupun Maon. Saat kalian berseru kepada-Ku, Aku melepaskan kalian dari tangan mereka.13Tetapi karena kalian sudah meninggalkan Aku dan menyembah dewa-dewa lain, Aku tidak akan menyelamatkan kalian lagi.14Pergi dan berserulah kepada dewa-dewa yang sudah kalian pilih itu! Biarlah mereka yang menyelamatkan kalian di saat tertindas!”15Bangsa Israel berkata lagi, “Kami sudah berdosa. Lakukanlah terhadap kami apa saja yang Engkau pandang baik, tetapi tolong selamatkan kami kali ini!”16Kemudian mereka membuang patung-patung dewa asing dari antara mereka dan menyembah TUHAN. TUHAN pun berbelas kasihan melihat kesengsaraan bangsa Israel.17Pada waktu itu, pasukan Amon sedang berkumpul untuk berperang melawan bangsa Israel. Mereka berkemah di Gilead, sedangkan bangsa Israel berkumpul dan berkemah di Mispa.18Para pemimpin Israel dari daerah Gilead bersepakat, “Orang yang memimpin perang melawan bangsa Amon akan menjadi penguasa atas semua penduduk Gilead!”
World English Bible (dengan Deuterokanonika)
1After Abimelech, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, arose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.2He judged Israel twenty-three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.3After him Jair, the Gileadite, arose. He judged Israel twenty-two years.4He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkey colts. They had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth Jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.5Jair died, and was buried in Kamon.6The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and served the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned Yahweh, and didn’t serve him.7Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the children of Ammon.8They troubled and oppressed the children of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.9The 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 very distressed.10The children of Israel cried to Yahweh, saying, “We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baals.”11Yahweh said to the children of Israel, “Didn’t I save you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?12The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, oppressed you; and you cried to me, and I saved you out of their hand.13Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods. Therefore I will save you no more.14Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your distress!”15The children of Israel said to Yahweh, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems good to you; only deliver us, please, today.”16They put away the foreign gods from among them and served Yahweh; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.17Then the children of Ammon were gathered together and encamped in Gilead. The children of Israel assembled themselves together and encamped in Mizpah.18The people, the princes of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”