1. Tola and Jair (1-10)

Two judges are mentioned briefly: Tola of the tribe of Issachar led Israel 23 years, and Jair led Israel in Gilead for 22 years, with 30 sons who rode 30 donkeys and controlled 30 towns. But Israel again did evil, forsaking the Lord and serving many other gods. For 18 years the Ammonites and Philistines oppressed, shattered and crushed Israel. In their distress, Israel confessed their sin and cried out to the Lord.

2. The Lord heard their cry, again (11-18)

At first, God rejected their cry saying, "Didn't I save you before...I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen." Then they confessed their sin and begged God's rescue. They even got rid of the foreign gods and served the Lord. The Lord could bear their misery no longer.