Judges 10:16-18

10:16 They threw away the foreign gods they owned ¹  and worshiped ²  the Lord. Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much. ³ 

An Outcast Becomes a General

10:17 The Ammonites assembled ⁴  and camped in Gilead; the Israelites gathered together and camped in Mizpah. 10:18 The leaders ⁵  of Gilead said to one another, “Who is willing to lead the charge ⁶  against the Ammonites? He will become the leader of all who live in Gilead!”

[10:16]  ¹ tn Heb “from their midst.”

[10:16]  ² tn Or “served”; or “followed.”

[10:16]  ³ tn Heb “And his spirit grew short [i.e., impatient] with the suffering of Israel.” The Hebrew noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) also appears as the subject of the verb קָצַר (qatsar) in Num 21:4 (the Israelites grow impatient wandering in the wilderness), Judg 16:16 (Samson grows impatient with Delilah’s constant nagging), and Zech 11:8 (Zechariah grows impatient with the three negligent “shepherds”).

[10:17]  ⁴ tn Or “were summoned;” or “were mustered.”

[10:18]  ⁵ tn Heb “the people, the officers.”

[10:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “Who is the man who will begin fighting.”