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Judges 4

Deborah

4 After Ehud died, the Israelites again did things that the Lord saw were evil. ² So the Lord put them under the power of King Jabin. He was a Canaanite king who ruled in Hazor. ^{[ a ]} The leader of Jabin's army was called Sisera. Sisera lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. ³ He had 900 iron chariots for his army. He used his power to be cruel to the Israelites for 20 years. So they called out to the Lord for help.

⁴ At that time, Lappidoth's wife Deborah was leading the Israelites. She was a prophetess. ⁵ She would sit under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel to judge people's problems. That was in the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites would come to her when they had arguments. She would decide who was right.

⁶ One day, Deborah told Abinoam's son Barak to come to her. He lived in Kedesh, a town in Naphtali. She said to Barak, ‘The Lord , Israel's God, has given you this command: “March to Mount Tabor with 10,000 men who belong to the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. ^{[ b ]} ⁷ I will deceive Sisera, the leader of King Jabin's army. He will go to the Kishon river with his great army and all their chariots. I will put them all under your power.” ’

⁸ Barak said to Deborah, ‘I will go if you will come with me. But if you do not agree to go, I will not go either.’ ⁹ Deborah said, ‘Yes, I will go with you. But you will not receive honour for the battle. Instead, the Lord will put Sisera under the power of a woman.’

So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰ Barak told the men from Zebulun and Naphtali to go with him to Kedesh. 10,000 men came to follow him. Deborah also went with him.

¹¹ A certain Kenite man called Heber, did not live with the other Kenites. They were descendants of Hobab, the father of Moses' wife. Heber was living in a tent beside the big tree in Zaanannim, near Kedesh.

¹² Sisera heard news that Abinoam's son Barak had gone up to Mount Tabor. ¹³ So he gave a command to all his soldiers. He told them to go with him from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon river. They had 900 iron chariots. ¹⁴ Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Get ready! This is the day that the Lord will put Sisera under your power! The Lord will lead you into battle!’

So Barak led his 10,000 soldiers down from Mount Tabor. ¹⁵ When they started to attack, the Lord caused Sisera and all his army with their chariots to have great trouble. The Israelites chased them with their swords. Sisera jumped off his chariot and he ran away. ¹⁶ Barak and his soldiers chased after Sisera's army and their chariots. They chased them to Harosheth Haggoyim. They killed Sisera's whole army. Not one of their soldiers was still alive!

¹⁷ Sisera himself ran to hide in the tent of Heber's wife, Jael. He did that because King Jabin of Hazor had agreed to be friends with Heber's family. ¹⁸ Jael came out of her tent to say ‘hello’ to Sisera. She said to him, ‘Please come into my tent, sir. You can rest safely here. Do not be afraid.’ So Sisera went into her tent to rest. Jael put a cloth over him. ¹⁹ Sisera said to her, ‘I am thirsty. Please give me some water to drink.’ She gave him some milk from a leather bottle. Then she covered him again with the cloth. ²⁰ Sisera said to her, ‘Stand at the door of your tent and watch. If someone comes to ask if anyone is here, say, “No.” ’

²¹ But Heber's wife Jael got a tent peg and a hammer. ^{[ c ]} Sisera was very tired and he was asleep. Jael used the hammer to hit the peg into the side of Sisera's head. The peg went through his head into the ground. Sisera died. ²² Barak had been chasing Sisera. Jael went out of her tent to say ‘hello’ to him. She said to Barak, ‘Come here! I will show you the man that you are looking for.’ Barak went with her into the tent. He saw Sisera there. He was lying on the ground and he was dead. Barak saw the peg that had gone through Sisera's head.

²³ On that day, God caused King Jabin of Canaan to be very ashamed because the Israelites had won against his army. ²⁴ From that time, the Israelite army became stronger, and King Jabin became weaker. Finally, the Israelites destroyed him.

Footnotes

4:2 Hazor was a big city in the north of Canaan. The Israelite tribes of Zebulun, Naphtali and Issachar had their land in that region.
4:6 Mount Tabor was on the border of the lands of Zebulun, Naphtali and Issachar.
4:21 The pegs which fixed the tent to the ground had sharp points.

Deborah, the Judge

4 After Ehud died, the people again did what the Lord said was wrong. ² So the Lord allowed King Jabin of Canaan to defeat the Israelites. Jabin ruled in a city named Hazor. A man named Sisera was the commander of King Jabin’s army. Sisera lived in a town called Harosheth Haggoyim. ³ Sisera had 900 iron chariots, and he was very cruel to the Israelites for 20 years. So they cried to the Lord for help.

⁴ There was a woman prophet named Deborah. She was the wife of a man named Lappidoth. She was judge of Israel at that time. ⁵ One day Deborah was sitting under the Palm Tree of Deborah, and the Israelites came up to her to ask what to do about Sisera. (The Palm Tree of Deborah is between the cities of Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim.) ⁶ Deborah sent a message to a man named Barak and asked him to come meet with her. Barak was the son of a man named Abinoam. Barak lived in the city of Kedesh, which is in the area of Naphtali. Deborah said to Barak, “The Lord , the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go and gather 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. Lead them to Mount Tabor. ⁷ I will make Sisera, the commander of King Jabin’s army, come to you. I will make Sisera, his chariots, and his army come to the Kishon River. ^{[ a ]} I will help you defeat Sisera there.’”

⁸ Then Barak said to Deborah, “I will go and do this if you will go with me. But if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

⁹ “Of course I will go with you,” Deborah answered. “But because of your attitude, you will not be honored when Sisera is defeated. The Lord will allow a woman to defeat Sisera.”

So Deborah went with Barak to the city of Kedesh. ¹⁰ At the city of Kedesh, Barak called the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali together. He gathered 10,000 men to follow him from these tribes, and Deborah also went with him.

¹¹ There was a man named Heber who was from the Kenites. The Kenites were descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, ^{[ b ]} Hobab. Heber had left the other Kenites and had made his home by the oak tree in Zaanannim, near the city of Kedesh.

¹² Someone told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam was at Mount Tabor. ¹³ So Sisera gathered his 900 iron chariots and all the men with him, and they marched from the city of Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.

¹⁴ Then Deborah said to Barak, “Today the Lord will help you defeat Sisera. Surely you know that the Lord has already cleared the way for you.” So Barak led the 10,000 men down from Mount Tabor. ¹⁵ Barak and his men attacked Sisera. During the battle, the Lord confused Sisera and his army and chariots. They did not know what to do. Barak and his men defeated Sisera’s army, but Sisera left his chariot and ran away on foot. ¹⁶ Barak continued fighting Sisera’s army. He and his men chased Sisera’s chariots and army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. They used their swords to kill all of Sisera’s men. Not one of Sisera’s men was left alive.

¹⁷ But Sisera ran away to the tent where a woman named Jael lived. Jael was the wife of Heber the Kenite. His family was at peace with King Jabin of Hazor. That is why Sisera ran to Jael’s tent. ¹⁸ Jael saw him coming, so she went out to meet him and said, “Sir, come into my tent. Come in. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera went into Jael’s tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

¹⁹ But first, Sisera asked Jael for a drink of water. Jael had some milk in a bottle made from animal skin. So she gave him a drink of the milk and then covered him up.

²⁰ Then Sisera said to Jael, “Go stand at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say, ‘No.’”

²¹ But Jael found a tent peg and a hammer. She quietly went to Sisera. Sisera was very tired, so he was sleeping. She put the tent peg to the side of Sisera’s head and hit it with a hammer. The tent peg went through the side of his head and into the ground. Sisera died.

²² Just then Barak came by Jael’s tent, looking for Sisera. Jael went out to meet Barak and said, “Come in here, and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So Barak entered the tent with Jael. There Barak found Sisera lying dead on the ground, with the tent peg through the side of his head.

²³ On that day God defeated King Jabin of Canaan for the Israelites. ²⁴ So the Israelites became stronger and stronger until they defeated King Jabin of Canaan. The Israelites finally destroyed him.

Footnotes

Judges 4:7 Kishon River A river about ten miles from Mount Tabor.
Judges 4:11 father-in-law Or possibly, “son-in-law.”

4 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord , when Ehud was dead.

² And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

³ And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord : for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

⁴ And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

⁵ And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

⁶ And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

⁷ And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.

⁸ And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.

⁹ And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

¹⁰ And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

¹¹ Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.

¹² And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.

¹³ And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon.

¹⁴ And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

¹⁵ And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.

¹⁶ But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.

¹⁷ Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

¹⁸ And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.

¹⁹ And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.

²⁰ Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.

²¹ Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

²² And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.

²³ So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.

²⁴ And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Deborah and Barak

4 Then ^{( A )} the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord , after Ehud died. ² So the Lord sold them into the hand of ^{( B )} Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in ^{( C )} Harosheth-hagoyim. ³ The sons of Israel cried out to the Lord ; for he had nine hundred ^{( D )} iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.

⁴ Now Deborah, a ^{[ a ]} prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. ⁵ She used to ^{[ b ]} sit under the ^{( E )} palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went up to her for judgment. ⁶ Now she sent word and summoned ^{( F )} Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “ ^{[ c ]} The Lord , the God of Israel, has indeed commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. ⁷ I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his ^{[ d ]} many troops to the river Kishon, and ^{( G )} I will hand him over to you.’” ⁸ Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” ⁹ She said, “I will certainly go with you; however, the fame shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, ^{( H )} for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰ Barak summoned ^{( I )} Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up ^{[ e ]} ^{( J )} with him; Deborah also went up with him.

¹¹ Now Heber ^{( K )} the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the ^{[ f ]} father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the ^{[ g ]} oak in ^{( L )} Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

¹² Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. ¹³ Sisera summoned all his chariots, ^{( M )} nine hundred iron chariots, and all the people who were with him, from ^{( N )} Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. ¹⁴ Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise! For this is the day on which the Lord has handed Sisera over to you; ^{[ h ]} behold, ^{( O )} the Lord has gone out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. ¹⁵ ^{( P )} And the Lord ^{[ i ]} routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot. ¹⁶ But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; ^{( Q )} not even one was left.

¹⁷ Now Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. ¹⁸ And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a ^{[ j ]} rug. ¹⁹ ^{( R )} And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a leather bottle of milk and gave him a drink; then she covered him. ²⁰ And he said to her, “Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be if anyone comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there anyone here?’ that you shall say, ‘No.’” ²¹ But Jael, Heber’s wife, ^{( S )} took a tent peg and ^{[ k ]} a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died. ²² And behold, while Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he entered ^{[ l ]} with her, and behold, Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple.

²³ So ^{( T )} God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan on that day before the sons of Israel. ²⁴ And the hand of the sons of Israel pressed harder and harder upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had eliminated Jabin the king of Canaan.

Footnotes

Judges 4:4 Lit woman prophetess
Judges 4:5 Or live
Judges 4:6 Lit Has the L ord not commanded ...?
Judges 4:7 Lit multitude
Judges 4:10 Lit at his feet
Judges 4:11 Another reading is brother-in-law
Judges 4:11 Or terebinth
Judges 4:14 Lit has the Lord not gone...?
Judges 4:15 Lit confused
Judges 4:18 Or blanket
Judges 4:21 Lit put a hammer
Judges 4:22 Lit to

Deborah

4 Again the Israelites did evil ^{( A )} in the eyes of the Lord , ^{( B )} now that Ehud ^{( C )} was dead. ² So the Lord sold them ^{( D )} into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. ^{( E )} Sisera, ^{( F )} the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. ³ Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron ^{( G )} and had cruelly oppressed ^{( H )} the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.

⁴ Now Deborah, ^{( I )} a prophet, ^{( J )} the wife of Lappidoth, was leading ^{[ a ]} Israel at that time. ⁵ She held court ^{( K )} under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah ^{( L )} and Bethel ^{( M )} in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. ⁶ She sent for Barak son of Abinoam ^{( N )} from Kedesh ^{( O )} in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord , the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali ^{( P )} and Zebulun ^{( Q )} and lead them up to Mount Tabor. ^{( R )} ⁷ I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s ^{( S )} army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River ^{( T )} and give him into your hands. ^{( U )} ’”

⁸ Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

⁹ “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. ^{( V )} ¹⁰ There Barak summoned ^{( W )} Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him.

¹¹ Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, ^{( X )} the descendants of Hobab, ^{( Y )} Moses’ brother-in-law, ^{[ b ]} and pitched his tent by the great tree ^{( Z )} in Zaanannim ^{( AA )} near Kedesh.

¹² When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, ^{( AB )} ¹³ Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River ^{( AC )} all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron. ^{( AD )}

¹⁴ Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. ^{( AE )} Has not the Lord gone ahead ^{( AF )} of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. ¹⁵ At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed ^{( AG )} Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.

¹⁶ Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. ^{( AH )} ¹⁷ Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, ^{( AI )} the wife of Heber the Kenite, ^{( AJ )} because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor ^{( AK )} and the family of Heber the Kenite.

¹⁸ Jael ^{( AL )} went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

¹⁹ “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk, ^{( AM )} gave him a drink, and covered him up.

²⁰ “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’”

²¹ But Jael, ^{( AN )} Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, ^{( AO )} exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died. ^{( AP )}

²² Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael ^{( AQ )} went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead. ^{( AR )}

²³ On that day God subdued ^{( AS )} Jabin ^{( AT )} king of Canaan before the Israelites. ²⁴ And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him. ^{( AU )}

Footnotes

Judges 4:4 Traditionally judging
Judges 4:11 Or father-in-law

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Judges 4

Deborah

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Deborah, the Judge

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Deborah and Barak

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Deborah

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Judges 4

Deborah

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Deborah, the Judge

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Deborah and Barak

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Deborah

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