Judges 4

1 And the sons of Israel continue to do evil in the eyes of YHWH when Ehud is dead, 2 and YHWH sells them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who has reigned in Hazor, and Sisera is the head of his host, and he is dwelling in Harosheth of the nations; 3 and the sons of Israel cry to YHWH, for he has nine hundred chariots of iron, and he has oppressed the sons of Israel mightily for twenty years. 4 And Deborah, a woman, a prophetess, wife of Lapidoth, she is judging Israel at that time, 5 and she is dwelling under the palm-tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Beth-El, in the hill-country of Ephraim, and the sons of Israel go up to her for judgment. 6 And she sends and calls for Barak son of Abinoam, out of Kedesh-Naphtali, and says to him, “Has YHWH, God of Israel, not commanded? Go, and you have drawn toward Mount Tabor, and have taken with you ten thousand men, out of the sons of Naphtali, and out of the sons of Zebulun, 7 and I have drawn to you, to the Brook of Kishon, Sisera, head of the host of Jabin, and his chariot, and his multitude, and have given him into your hand.” 8 And Barak says to her, “If you go with me, then I have gone; and if you do not go with me, I do not go”; 9 and she says, “I certainly go with you; only, surely your glory is not on the way which you are going, for YHWH sells Sisera into the hand of a woman”; and Deborah rises and goes with Barak to Kedesh. 10 And Barak calls Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and he goes up—ten thousand men are at his feet—and Deborah goes up with him. 11 And Heber the Kenite has been separated from the Kenite, from the sons of Hobab father-in-law of Moses, and he stretches out his tent to the oak in Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. 12 And they declare to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam has gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 and Sisera calls all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who are with him, from Harosheth of the nations, to the Brook of Kishon. 14 And Deborah says to Barak, “Rise, for this is the day in which YHWH has given Sisera into your hand; has YHWH not gone out before you?” And Barak goes down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. 15 And YHWH destroys Sisera, and all the chariots, and all the camp, by the mouth of the sword, before Barak, and Sisera comes down from off the chariot, and flees on his feet. 16 And Barak has pursued after the chariots and after the camp, to Harosheth of the nations, and all the camp of Sisera falls by the mouth of the sword—there has not been left even one. 17 And Sisera has fled on his feet to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite, for there is peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite; 18 and Jael goes out to meet Sisera and says to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me, do not fear”; and he turns aside to her, into the tent, and she covers him with a mantle. 19 And he says to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty”; and she opens the bottle of milk, and gives him to drink, and covers him. 20 And he says to her, “Stand at the opening of the tent, and it has been, if any comes in, and has asked you and said, Is there a man here? That you have said, There is not.” 21 And Jael wife of Heber takes the pin of the tent, and takes the hammer in her hand, and goes to him gently, and strikes the pin into his temples, and it fastens in the earth—and he has been fast asleep, and is weary—and he dies. 22 And behold, Barak is pursuing Sisera, and Jael comes out to meet him, and says to him, “Come, and I show you the man whom you are seeking”; and he comes to her, and behold, Sisera is fallen—dead, and the pin is in his temples. 23 And God humbles Jabin king of Canaan before the sons of Israel on that day, 24 and the hand of the sons of Israel goes, going on and becoming hard on Jabin king of Canaan, until they have cut off Jabin king of Canaan.


Next: Chapter 5

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