1 Καὶ ἀνέστη μετὰ Ἀβιμέλεχ τοῦ σῶσαι τὸν Ἰσραὴλ Θωλὰ υἱὸς Φουὰ υἱὸς πατραδέλφου αὐτοῦ ἀνὴρ Ἰσσαχάρ, καὶ αὐτὸς κατῴκει ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ ἐν ὄρει Ἐφραίμ. 2 καὶ ἔκρινεν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἴκοσι καὶ τρία ἔτη καὶ ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἐτάφη ἐν Σαμαρείᾳ.
3 Καὶ ἀνέστη μετ᾿ αὐτὸν Ἰαῒ ὁ Γαλααδίτης καὶ ἔκρινεν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἴκοσι καὶ δύο ἔτη. 4 καὶ ἐγένοντο αὐτῷ τριάκοντα καὶ δύο υἱοὶ ἐπιβεβηκότες ἐπὶ τριάκοντα καὶ δύο πώλους· καὶ τριάκοντα καὶ δύο πόλεις αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὰς Ἐπαύλεις Ἰαῒ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης, αἵ εἰσιν ἐν τῇ γῇ Γαλαάδ. 5 καὶ ἀπέθανεν Ἰαῒ καὶ ἐτάφη ἐν Ραμμώ.
6 Καὶ προσέθεντο οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ποιῆσαι τὸ πονηρὸν ἔναντι κυρίου καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν ταῖς Βααλὶμ καὶ ταῖς Ἀσταρὼθ καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς Σιδῶνος καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς Μωὰβ καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἐγκατέλιπον τὸν κύριον καὶ οὐκ ἐδούλευσαν αὐτῷ. 7 καὶ ἐθυμώθη ὀργῇ κύριος ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἀπέδοτο αὐτοὺς ἐν χειρὶ ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἐν χειρὶ υἱῶν Ἀμμών. 8 καὶ ἐσάθρωσαν καὶ ἔθλασαν τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ ἐκείνῳ ὀκτωκαίδεκα ἔτη, πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῷ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου ἐν τῇ γῇ τοῦ Ἀμορραίου ἐν τῇ Γαλααδίτιδι. 9 καὶ διέβησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἀμμὼν τὸν Ἰορδάνην ἐκπολεμῆσαι καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰοῦδα καὶ Βενιαμὶν καὶ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ Ἐφραίμ, καὶ ἐθλίβησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ σφόδρα.
10 καὶ ἐκέκραξαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ πρὸς κύριον λέγοντες Ἡμάρτομέν σοὶ, ὅτι ἐγκατελίπομεν τὸν θεὸν ἡμῶν καὶ ἐλατρεύσαμεν ταῖς Βααλίμ. 11 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ Οὐχὶ οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι καὶ οἱ Αμορραῖοι καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἀμμὼν καὶ Μωὰβ καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι 12 καὶ Σιδώνιοι καὶ Μαδιὰμ καὶ Ἀμαλὴκ ἐξέθλιψαν ὑμᾶς; καὶ ἐκεκράξατε πρός με, καὶ ἔσωσα ὑμᾶς ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτῶν. 13 καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐγκατελίπετέ με καὶ ἐλατρεύσατε θεοῖς ἑτέροις· διὰ τοῦτο οὐ προσθήσω τοῦ σῶσαι ὑμᾶς. 14 βαδίζετε καὶ βοᾶτε πρὸς τοὺς θεούς, οὓς ἐξελέξασθε ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ αὐτοὶ σωσάτωσαν ὑμᾶς ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως ὑμῶν. 15 καὶ εἶπαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ πρὸς κύριον Ἡμάρτομεν, ποίησον σὺ ἡμῖν κατὰ πάντα, ὅσα ἂν ἀρέσκῃ ἐνώπιόν σου, πλήν, κύριε, ἐξελοῦ ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ. 16 καὶ μετέστησαν τοὺς θεοὺς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῷ κυρίῳ· καὶ οὐκ εὐηρέστησεν ἐν τῷ λαῷ, καὶ ὠλιγοψύχησεν ἐν τῷ κόπῳ Ἰσραήλ.
17 Καὶ ἀνέβησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ἀμμὼν καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν Γαλαάδ, καὶ ἐξῆλθον οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν τῇ Μασσηφά. 18 καὶ εἶπον οἱ ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ Γαλαὰδ ἀνὴρ πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ Τίς ἀνήρ, ὃς ἄρξεται πολεμῆσαι ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἀμμών; καὶ ἔσται εἰς κεφαλὴν πᾶσιν τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Γαλαάδ.