Judges 4
4
Deborah, the Woman Judge
1After Ehud died, the Israelites again did what the Lord said was wrong. 2So he let Jabin, a king of Canaan who ruled in the city of Hazor, defeat Israel. Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim, was the commander of Jabin’s army. 3Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and was very cruel to the people of Israel for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.
4A prophetess named Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was judge of Israel at that time. 5Deborah would sit under the Palm Tree of Deborah, which was between the cities of Ramah and Bethel, in the mountains of Ephraim. And the people of Israel would come to her to settle their arguments.
6Deborah sent a message to Barak son of 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 ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them to Mount Tabor. 7I will make Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, and his chariots, and his army meet you at the Kishon River. I will hand Sisera over to you.’ ”
8Then Barak said to Deborah, “I will go if you will go with me, but if you won’t go with me, I won’t go.”
9“Of course I will go with you,” Deborah answered, “but you will not get credit for the victory. The Lord will let a woman defeat Sisera.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. 10At Kedesh, Barak called the people of Zebulun and Naphtali together. From them, he gathered ten thousand men to follow him, and Deborah went with him also.
11Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law. Heber had put up his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim, near Kedesh.
12When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone to Mount Tabor, 13Sisera gathered his nine hundred iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.
14Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get up! Today is the day the Lord will hand over Sisera. The Lord has already cleared the way for you.” So Barak led ten thousand men down Mount Tabor. 15As Barak approached, the Lord confused Sisera and his army and chariots. The Lord defeated them with the sword, but Sisera left his chariot and ran away on foot. 16Barak and his men chased Sisera’s chariots and army to Harosheth Haggoyim. With their swords they killed all of Sisera’s men; not one of them was left alive.
17But Sisera himself ran away to the tent where Jael lived. She was the wife of Heber, one of the Kenite family groups. Heber’s family was at peace with Jabin king of Hazor. 18Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come into my tent, master! Come in. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera went into Jael’s tent, and she covered him with a rug.
19Sisera said to Jael, “I am thirsty. Please give me some water to drink.” So she opened a leather bag of milk and gave him a drink. Then she covered him up.
20He said to her, “Go stand at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’ ”
21But Jael, the wife of Heber, took a tent peg and a hammer and quietly went to Sisera. Since he was very tired, he was in a deep sleep. She hammered the tent peg through the side of Sisera’s head and into the ground. And so Sisera died.
22At that very moment Barak came by Jael’s tent, chasing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him and said, “Come. I will show you the man you are looking for.” So Barak entered her tent, and there Sisera lay dead, with the tent peg in his head.
23On that day God defeated Jabin king of Canaan in the sight of Israel.
24Israel became stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan until finally they destroyed him.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Judges 4
4
Deborah and Barak
1The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud had died. 2So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin # Jos 11:1; Ps 83:9 king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. # 1Sm 12:9 The commander of his forces was Sisera # Jdg 5:20-30; 1Sm 12:9; Ps 83:9 who lived in Harosheth of the Nations. # Or Harosheth-ha-goiim 3Then the Israelites cried out # Ex 14:10; Nm 12:13; Dt 26:7; Ps 34:17 to the Lord, because Jabin had 900 iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them 20 years.
4Deborah, a woman who was a prophetess # Ex 15:20; 2Kg 22:14; Neh 6:14; Is 8:3 and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5It was her custom to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her for judgment. # Nm 35:12; 2Ch 19:8; Ps 9:4; 76:8-9; Is 3:13-14; Ezk 44:24
6She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Hasn’t the Lord, the God of Israel, # Ex 5:1; Dt 6:4; Ps 41:13 commanded you: ‘Go, deploy the troops on Mount Tabor, # Jos 19:12,22,34; Ps 89:12 and take with you 10,000 men from the Naphtalites # Gn 30:8; 49:21 and Zebulunites? # Gn 30:20; 49:13 7Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin’s forces, his chariots, and his army at the Wadi Kishon # Jdg 5:21; 1Kg 18:40; Ps 83:9 to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.’ ” # Dt 2:30; Jdg 7:9; 2Sm 5:19; 1Ch 14:10; Is 47:6
8Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go.”
9“I will go with you,” she said, “but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the Lord will sell Sisera into a woman’s hand.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; 10,000 men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
11Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the sons of Hobab, # Nm 10:29 Moses’ father-in-law, # Ex 3:1; 4:18; 18:1-27 and pitched his tent beside the oak tree of Zaanannim, # Jos 19:33 which was near Kedesh.
12It was reported to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor. 13Sisera summoned all his 900 iron chariots and all the people who were with him from Harosheth of the Nations # Or Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. 14Then Deborah said to Barak, “Move on, for this is the day the Lord has handed Sisera over to you. Hasn’t the Lord gone before you? ” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him.
15The Lord threw Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army into confusion # Ex 14:24; 23:27; Jos 10:10; Ps 18:14; 144:6 with the sword before Barak. Sisera left his chariot and fled on foot. 16Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth of the Nations, # Or Harosheth-ha-goiim and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.
17Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. 18Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty.” She opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again. 20Then he said to her, “Stand at the entrance to the tent. If a man comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here? ’ say, ‘No.’ ” 21While he was sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She hammered the peg into his temple and drove it into the ground, and he died.
22When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her, and there was Sisera lying dead with a tent peg through his temple!
23That day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24The power of the Israelites continued to increase against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.
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