士師記10:1-18

10:1 亞比米勒以後，有以薩迦人朵多的孫子、普瓦的兒子陀拉興起，拯救以色列人。他住在以法蓮山地的沙密。
10:2 陀拉作以色列的士師二十三年，就死了，葬在沙密。
10:3 在他以後有基列人睚珥興起，作以色列的士師二十二年。
10:4 他有三十個兒子，騎著三十匹驢駒。他們有三十座城邑，叫作哈倭特‧睚珥，直到如今，都是在基列地。
10:5 睚珥死了，就葬在加們。
10:6 以色列人又行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，去事奉諸巴力和亞斯她錄，並亞蘭的神、西頓的神、摩押的神、亞捫人的神、非利士人的神，離棄耶和華，不事奉他。
10:7 耶和華的怒氣向以色列人發作，就把他們交在非利士人和亞捫人的手中。
10:8 從那年起，他們擾害欺壓約旦河那邊、住亞摩利人之基列地的以色列人，共有十八年。
10:9 亞捫人又渡過約旦河去攻打猶大和便雅憫，並以法蓮族。以色列人就甚覺窘迫。
10:10 以色列人哀求耶和華說：「我們得罪了你；因為離棄了我們上帝，去事奉諸巴力。」
10:11 耶和華對以色列人說：「我豈沒有救過你們脫離埃及人、亞摩利人、亞捫人，和非利士人嗎？
10:12 西頓人、亞瑪力人、馬雲人也都欺壓你們；你們哀求我，我也拯救你們脫離他們的手。
10:13 你們竟離棄我，事奉別神！所以我不再救你們了。
10:14 你們去哀求所選擇的神；你們遭遇急難的時候，讓他救你們吧！」
10:15 以色列人對耶和華說：「我們犯罪了，任憑你隨意待我們吧！只求你今日拯救我們。」
10:16 以色列人就除掉他們中間的外邦神，事奉耶和華。耶和華因以色列人受的苦難，就心中擔憂。
10:17 當時亞捫人聚集，安營在基列。以色列人也聚集，安營在米斯巴。
10:18 基列的民和眾首領彼此商議說：「誰能先去攻打亞捫人，誰必作基列一切居民的領袖。」

After the time of Abimelek, a man of Issachar named Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim. ² He led^[a] Israel twenty-three years; then he died, and was buried in Shamir.

Jair

³ He was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty-two years. ⁴ He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair.^{[b] 5} When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

Jephthah

⁶ Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, ⁷ he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, ⁸ who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites. ⁹ The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim; Israel was in great distress. ¹⁰ Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.”

¹¹ The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, ¹² the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites^[c] oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? ¹³ But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. ¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”

¹⁵ But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” ¹⁶ Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.

¹⁷ When the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. ¹⁸ The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, “Whoever will take the lead in attacking the Ammonites will be head over all who live in Gilead.”

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    亞比米勒的事件過後上帝又立兩位士師，陀拉和睚珥，他們分別擔任23年和22年。可能沒有什麼重大事件，也沒有什麼敘述他們的作為。可是他們的逝世之後以色列又陷入拜偶像的罪惡之中。正如聖經所說：「以色列人又行耶和華眼中看為惡的事，去事奉諸巴力和亞斯她錄，並亞蘭的神、西頓的神、摩押的神、亞捫人的神、非利士人的神，離棄耶和華，不事奉他。」

    當然這樣的情性必定遭受上帝的憤怒，正如經文所說：「耶和華的怒氣向以色列人發作，就把他們交在非利士人和亞捫人的手中。從那年起，他們擾害欺壓約旦河那邊、住亞摩利人之基列地的以色列人，共有十八年。亞捫人又渡過約旦河去攻打猶大和便雅憫，並以法蓮族。以色列人就甚覺窘迫。」

    然而這一次更慘的是當以色列人求告上帝的幫助，上帝厭煩了以色列人這樣一次再一次的犯罪循環，竟然回答他們：「我豈沒有救過你們脫離埃及人、亞摩利人、亞捫人，和非利士人嗎？西頓人、亞瑪力人、馬雲人也都欺壓你們；你們哀求我，我也拯救你們脫離他們的手。你們竟離棄我，事奉別神！所以我不再救你們了。你們去哀求所選擇的神；你們遭遇急難的時候，讓他救你們吧！」

    以色列人當然清楚上帝是深愛祂的子民，絕對不會放著不拯救他們，依然相信上帝必定會拯救他們！他們就做他們該做的事，如經文的描述：「以色列人就除掉他們中間的外邦神，事奉耶和華。耶和華因以色列人受的苦難，就心中擔憂。」

    這也提醒我們，要勇敢向上帝求幫助！雖然我們的惡行讓上帝不喜悅，但是我們願意靠耶穌基督來悔改，上帝依然要拯救與幫助，因為上帝在基督理的應許，永遠是"是”！