וַיָּקָם אַחֲרֵי אֲבִימֶלֶךְ לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל תּוֹלָע בֶּן פּוּאָה בֶּן דּוֹדוֹ אִישׁ יִשָּׂשכָר וְהוּא יֹשֵׁב בְּשָׁמִיר בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם

After Avimelekh, Tola son of Pua, son of Dodo; alternatively, ben dodo means son of his uncle, and accordingly, Pua was Avimelekh’s cousin; a man of Issachar, arose to save Israel; he lived in Shamir, whose location is unknown, in the highlands of Ephraim.

וַיִּשְׁפֹּט אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עֶשְׂרִים וְשָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנָה וַיָּמָת וַיִּקָּבֵר בְּשָׁמִיר

He judged Israel twenty-three years; he died and was buried in Shamir.

וַיָּקָם אַחֲרָיו יָאִיר הַגִּלְעָדִי וַיִּשְׁפֹּט אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עֶשְׂרִים וּשְׁתַּיִם שָׁנָה

Ya’ir the Giladite arose after him, and he judged Israel twenty-two years.

וַיְהִי לוֹ שְׁלֹשִׁים בָּנִים רֹכְבִים עַל שְׁלֹשִׁים עֲיָרִים וּשְׁלֹשִׁים עֲיָרִים לָהֶם לָהֶם יִקְרְאוּ חַוֹּת יָאִיר עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ הַגִּלְעָד

He had thirty sons riding on thirty young donkeys [ayarim], and they had thirty cities [ayarim], to this day they call them collectively Havot Ya’ir, which is in the land of Gilad. The verse employs a lyrical style in noting this unique fact about Ya’ir, as the term used for young donkeys and cities is identical.

וַיָּמָת יָאִיר וַיִּקָּבֵר בְּקָמוֹן

Ya’ir died, and he was buried in Kamon.

וַיֹּסִפוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה' וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֶת הַבְּעָלִים וְאֶת הָעַשְׁתָּרוֹת וְאֶת אֱלֹהֵי אֲרָם וְאֶת אֱלֹהֵי צִידוֹן וְאֵת אֱלֹהֵי מוֹאָב וְאֵת אֱלֹהֵי בְנֵי עַמּוֹן וְאֵת אֱלֹהֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיַּעַזְבוּ אֶת ה' וְלֹא עֲבָדוּהוּ

The children of Israel continued to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, and, under the influence of their neighbors, they served the Be’alim, and the Ashtarot, and the gods of Aram, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moav, and the gods of the children of Amon, and the gods of the Philistines; they forsook the Lord, and they did not serve Him. They did not even worship God along with all those idols.

וַיִּחַר אַף ה' בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּמְכְּרֵם בְּיַד פְּלִשְׁתִּים וּבְיַד בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן

The wrath of the Lord was enflamed against Israel, and He sold them, delivered them, into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the children of Amon.

וַיִּרְעֲצוּ וַיְרֹצְצוּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּשָּׁנָה הַהִיא שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה אֶת כָּל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן בְּאֶרֶץ הָאֱמֹרִי אֲשֶׁר בַּגִּלְעָד

They battered and crushed the children of Israel in that year, for eighteen years, all the children of Israel who were across, east of, the Jordan, in the land of the Emorites, which is in Gilad. Unlike the tribes of Israel, Amon was a small but organized kingdom. Therefore, they were able to defeat Israel and conquer the adjacent land of Gilad.

וַיַּעַבְרוּ בְנֵי עַמּוֹן אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן לְהִלָּחֵם גַּם בִּיהוּדָה וּבְבִנְיָמִין וּבְבֵית אֶפְרָיִם וַתֵּצֶר לְיִשְׂרָאֵל מְאֹד

As they grew more powerful, the children of Amon crossed the Jordan to wage war against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, who lived in more fertile regions, with greater potential, as well. Israel was greatly distressed by these wars.

וַיִּזְעֲקוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל ה' לֵאמֹר חָטָאנוּ לָךְ וְכִי עָזַבְנוּ אֶת אֱלֹהֵינוּ וַנַּעֲבֹד אֶת הַבְּעָלִים

The children of Israel called to the Lord, saying: We have sinned against You, as we have forsaken our God and have served the Be’alim.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲלֹא מִמִּצְרַיִם וּמִן הָאֱמֹרִי וּמִן בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וּמִן פְּלִשְׁתִּים

The Lord said to the children of Israel, apparently by means of a prophet: Wasn’t it by the Egyptians, by the Emorites, by the children of Amon, and by the Philistines,

וְצִידוֹנִים וַעֲמָלֵק וּמָעוֹן לָחֲצוּ אֶתְכֶם וַתִּצְעֲקוּ אֵלַי וָאוֹשִׁיעָה אֶתְכֶם מִיָּדָם

the Sidonians, Amalek, and the tribe of Maon,that you were oppressed, and then you called to Me, and I saved you from their hand?

וְאַתֶּם עֲזַבְתֶּם אוֹתִי וַתַּעַבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים לָכֵן לֹא אוֹסִיף לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם

But despite all that, you have forsaken Me, and you served other gods; therefore, I will not continue to save you.

לְכוּ וְזַעֲקוּ אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר בְּחַרְתֶּם בָּם הֵמָּה יוֹשִׁיעוּ לָכֶם בְּעֵת צָרַתְכֶם

Go and call to the gods that you have chosen; they will save you in your time of distress.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל ה' חָטָאנוּ עֲשֵׂה אַתָּה לָנוּ כְּכָל הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֶיךָ אַךְ הַצִּילֵנוּ נָא הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

The children of Israel said to the Lord: We have sinned; do to us anything that is good in Your eyes, but please deliver us this day.

וַיָּסִירוּ אֶת אֱלֹהֵי הַנֵּכָר מִקִּרְבָּם וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֶת ה'וַתִּקְצַר נַפְשׁוֹ בַּעֲמַל יִשְׂרָאֵל

They removed the strange gods from their midst, and they served the Lord, but they continued to suffer. And His soul grew restive over the misery of Israel. God could no longer tolerate Israel’s suffering, as it were; He did not want their suffering to continue.

וַיִּצָּעֲקוּ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּגִּלְעָד וַיֵּאָסְפוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּמִּצְפָּה

The children of Amon mobilized in response to a clarion call, and they encamped in Gilad. For their part, the children of Israel gathered and they encamped in the Mitzpa, a sacred and symbolic place since the days of Joshua.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָעָם שָׂרֵי גִלְעָד אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ מִי הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יָחֵל לְהִלָּחֵם בִּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן יִהְיֶה לְרֹאשׁ לְכֹל יֹשְׁבֵי גִלְעָד

The people, the princes of Gilad, said one to another: Who is the man who will begin to wage war against the children of Amon? He will be the head of all the inhabitants of Gilad. They had no aspirations to conquer and subjugate the Amonites; rather, they wanted to repel their attacks and crush their might. In order to do so, they required a leader.