Ovapangure Tola na Jair
1 Kombunda yonḓiro ya Abimelek, Tola, omuzandu wa Pua, nu ngwa ri omuatje womuatje wa Dodo, wa sekama okukutura Ovaisrael. Eye wa ri owomuhoko wa Isakar, nu wa turire mOsamir mehi rozondundu ra Efraim. 2 Tola wa ri omunane wOvaisrael oure wozombura omirongo vivari nandatu. Tjazumba eye wa koka na pakwa mOsamir.
3 Kombunda ye pe ya Jair, ngwa zira kOgilead. Eye wa ri omunane wOvaisrael oure wozombura omirongo vivari na mbari. 4 Jair wa ri novazandu omirongo vitatu mbaa ve kavire kousino outwiyona omirongo vitatu. Owo va ri novihuro omirongo vitatu mehi ra Gilead mbya rukwa kutja: “Ovihuro vyozondanda za Jair,” nga ku ndinondi. 5 Jair wa koka na pakwa mOkamon.
Ovaamoni mave ṋiṋikiza Ovaisrael
6 Ovaisrael va tjita ourunde rukwao komurungu wa Muhona. Owo va karera ooBaal nooAstarte, noomukuru vovisenginina vOvasirie novOvasidon novOvaamoni novOvafilisti. Owo va isa Muhona nave he mu karere. 7 Muhona opa pindikira nOvaisrael ne ve yandja mouvara wOvafilisti nowOvaamoni. 8 Okuza mombura ndjo owo va ṋiṋikiza nave tatumisa Ovaisrael oure wozombura omurongo na hambondatu, okutja Ovaisrael avehe mba mba turire komuhuka wa Jordan mOgilead mu mwa turire Ovaamori. 9 Ovaamoni va konda onḓonḓu Jordan okukarwisa omuhoko wa Juda nowa Benjamin, nowa Efraim wina. Ovaisrael otji va ri mouzeu ounene tjinene.
10 Ovaisrael va ura ku Muhona ave tja: “Eṱe twa tjita ourunde komurungu woye, tjinga atwa isa ove, Ndjambi wetu, natu karere ooBaal.”
11 Muhona arire tja ziri a tja: “Ovaengipte nOvaamori nOvaamoni nOvafilisti, 12 nOvasidon nOvaamalek nOvamidian tji ve mu ṋiṋikizire, neṋe tji mwa kwire ombatero ku ami, indu hi mu kuturire momake wawo are? 13 Nungwari eṋe mwe ndji esa namu karere nokurikotamena kovisenginina; ami opu mbi hi nakumuyama rukwao. 14 Twendeye mu kakwe ombatero koomukuru vovisenginina mbu mwe ritoororera. Owo nga rire mbe mu yama tji mu ri mouzeu.”
15 Nungwari Ovaisrael va tja ku Muhona: “Eṱe twa tura ondjo; tjita ku eṱe otja tji movanga, nu, arikana, tu yama ndinondi.” 16 Owo arire tji va isa oomukuru vawo vovisenginina nave karere Muhona; neye we rikendera omauzeu wOvaisrael tjinene.
17 Notjimbumba tjOvaamoni tjovita tja worongana natji tono ozondanda mOgilead. NOvaisrael wina va worongana nave tono ozondanda mOmispa. 18 Ovanane va Gilead otji verihungirira oveni ave tja: “Owaṋi ngu ma hongorere ovita okukarwisa Ovaamoni? Ngamwa auhe ngu ma tjiti nai, ongu ma rire omunane omunene wovature avehe mOgilead.”
Tola
1 Tola was the next person to rescue Israel. He belonged to the Issachar tribe, but he lived in Shamir, a town in the hill country of Ephraim. His father was Puah, and his grandfather was Dodo. 2 Tola was a leader of Israel for 23 years, then he died and was buried in Shamir.
Jair
3 The next leader of Israel was Jair, who lived in Gilead. He was a leader for 22 years. 4 He had 30 sons, and each son had his own mule and was in charge of one town in Gilead. Those 30 towns are still called The Settlements of Jair. 5 When he died, he was buried in the town of Kamon.
Israel Is Unfaithful to God
6 Before long, the Israelites began disobeying the Lord by worshiping Baal, Astarte, and gods from Syria, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and Philistia.
7 The Lord was angry with Israel and decided to let Philistia and Ammon conquer them. 8 So the same year that Jair died, Israel's army was crushed by these two nations. For 18 years, Ammon was cruel to the Israelites who lived in Gilead, the region east of the Jordan River that had once belonged to the Amorites. 9 Then the Ammonites began crossing the Jordan and attacking the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. Life was miserable for the Israelites. 10 They begged the Lord for help and confessed, “We were unfaithful to you, our Lord. We stopped worshiping you and started worshiping idols of Baal.”
11-12 The Lord answered:
In the past when you came crying to me for help, I rescued you. At one time or another I've rescued you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites. 13-14 But I'm not going to rescue you any more! You've left me and gone off to worship other gods. If you're in such big trouble, go and cry to them for help!
15 “We have been unfaithful to you,” the Israelites admitted. “If we must be punished, do it yourself, but please rescue us from the Ammonites.”
16 Then the Israelites got rid of the idols of the foreign gods, and they began worshiping only the Lord. Finally, there came a time when the Lord could no longer stand to see them suffer.
The Ammonites Invade Gilead
17 The rulers of Ammon called their soldiers together and led them to Gilead, where they set up camp.
The Israelites gathered at Mizpah and set up camp there. 18 The leaders of Gilead asked each other, “Who can lead an attack on the Ammonites?” Then they agreed, “If we find someone who can lead the attack, we'll make him the ruler of Gilead.”
