1. After Abimelech died, God sent another judge to save the Israelites. His name was Tola. He was the son of Puah, who was the son of Dodo. Tola was from the tribe of Issachar and lived in the city of Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim.
2. Tola was a judge for the Israelites for 23 years. Then he died and was buried in the city of Shamir.
3. After Tola died, God sent another judge. His name was Jair, and he lived in the area of Gilead. He was a judge for the Israelites for 22 years.
4. Jair had 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys. These 30 sons controlled 30 towns in the area of Gilead. These towns are called the Towns of Jair to this very day.
5. Jair died and was buried in the city of Kamon.
6. Again the Israelites did what the Lord said was wrong. They began worshiping the false gods Baal and the Ashtoreth. They also worshiped the gods of the people of Aram, the gods of the people of Sidon, the gods of the Moabites, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. The Israelites left the Lord and stopped serving him.
7. So the Lord became angry with the Israelites and allowed the Philistines and the Ammonites to defeat them.