10 And Barak called (A)Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand men (B)under[a] his command, and Deborah went up with him.

11 Now Heber (C)the Kenite, of the children of (D)Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at Zaanaim, (E)which is beside Kedesh.

12 And they reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13 So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon.

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, [b]“Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera into your hand. (F)Has not the Lord gone out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away 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; not a man was (G)left.

17 However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of (H)Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin 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 lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.” And when he had turned aside with her into the tent, she covered him with a [c]blanket.

19 Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened (I)a jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say, ‘No.’ ”

21 Then Jael, Heber’s wife, (J)took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. 22 And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.

23 So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel. 24 And the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Judges 4:10 Lit. at his feet
  2. Judges 4:14 Arise!
  3. Judges 4:18 rug

10 There Barak summoned(A) 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,(B) the descendants of Hobab,(C) Moses’ brother-in-law,[a] and pitched his tent by the great tree(D) in Zaanannim(E) near Kedesh.

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

14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands.(I) Has not the Lord gone ahead(J) of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. 15 At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed(K) 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.(L) 17 Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael,(M) the wife of Heber the Kenite,(N) because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor(O) and the family of Heber the Kenite.

18 Jael(P) 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,(Q) 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,(R) Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep,(S) exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.(T)

22 Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael(U) 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.(V)

23 On that day God subdued(W) Jabin(X) 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.(Y)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Judges 4:11 Or father-in-law