New International Version NIV
The Message Bible MSG
1 After the time of Abimelek, a man of Issachar named Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
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Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, was next after Abimelech. He rose to the occasion to save Israel. He was a man of Issachar. He lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.
2 He led Israel twenty-three years; then he died, and was buried in Shamir.
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He judged Israel for twenty-three years and then died and was buried at Shamir.
3 He was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty-two years.
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After him, Jair the Gileadite stepped into leadership. He judged Israel for twenty-two years.
4 He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair.
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He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys and had thirty towns in Gilead. The towns are still called Jair's Villages.
5 When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.
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Jair died and was buried in Kamon.
6 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the LORD and no longer served him,
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And then the People of Israel went back to doing evil in God's sight. They worshiped the Baal gods and Ashtoreth goddesses: gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab; gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines. They just walked off and left God, quit worshiping him.
7 he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites,
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And God exploded in hot anger at Israel and sold them off to the Philistines and Ammonites, who,
8 who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites.
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beginning that year, bullied and battered the People of Israel mercilessly. For eighteen years they had them under their thumb, all the People of Israel who lived east of the Jordan in the Amorite country of Gilead.
9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim; Israel was in great distress.
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Then the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to go to war also against Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Israel was in a bad way!
10 Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.”
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The People of Israel cried out to God for help: "We've sinned against you! We left our God and worshiped the Baal gods!"
11 The LORD replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines,
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God answered the People of Israel: "When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, Sidonians
12 the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands?
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- even Amalek and Midian! - oppressed you and you cried out to me for help, I saved you from them.
13 But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.
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And now you've gone off and betrayed me, worshiping other gods. I'm not saving you anymore.
14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”
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Go ahead! Cry out for help to the gods you've chosen - let them get you out of the mess you're in!"
15 But the Israelites said to the LORD, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.”
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The People of Israel said to God: "We've sinned. Do to us whatever you think best, but please, get us out of this!"
16 Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.
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Then they cleaned house of the foreign gods and worshiped only God. And God took Israel's troubles to heart.
17 When the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.
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The Ammonites prepared for war, setting camp in Gilead. The People of Israel set their rival camp in Mizpah.
18 The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, “Whoever will take the lead in attacking the Ammonites will be head over all who live in Gilead.”
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The leaders in Gilead said, "Who will stand up for us against the Ammonites? We'll make him head over everyone in Gilead!"
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.