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.
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.
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.
In that same year those people destroyed the Israelites who lived on the east side of the Jordan River, in the area of Gilead. That is the land where the Amorites had lived. The Israelites suffered for 18 years.
The Ammonites then went across the Jordan River to fight against the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. The Ammonites brought many troubles to the Israelites.
The Lord answered the Israelites, "You cried to me when the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines hurt you. I saved you from these people.
The leaders of the people living in the area of Gilead said, "Whoever leads us in the attack against the Ammonites will become the head of all the people living in Gilead."