Deborah, the Woman Judge

4 After Ehud died, the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] again did ·what the Lord said was wrong [^Levil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. ² So he ·let them be defeated by [^Lsold them into the hands of] Jabin, a king of Canaan who ruled in the city of Hazor. Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim, was the commander of Jabin’s army. ³ Because he had nine hundred ·iron [iron-clad; iron-fitted; 1:19] chariots and ·was very cruel to [harshly oppressed] the ·people [^Lsons; ^Tchildren] of Israel for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.

⁴ A prophetess named Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was ·judging [leading; 2:16] Israel at that time. ⁵ Deborah would sit under the Palm Tree of Deborah, which was between the cities of Ramah and Bethel, in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim. And the ·people [^Lsons; ^Tchildren] of Israel would come to her ·to settle their arguments [^Lfor judgment].

⁶ Deborah ·sent a message to [or sent for; summoned] Barak son of Abinoam. Barak lived in ·the city of Kedesh, which is in the area of Naphtali [^LKedesh-Naphtali]. Deborah said to Barak, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go and gather ten thousand ·men [^Lsons] of Naphtali and Zebulun [^Ctwo tribes covering most of Israel’s area north of the Jezreel Valley] and lead them to Mount Tabor [^Ca cone-shaped mountain in Jezreel Valley southwest of Lake Galilee]. ⁷ I will ·make [^Ldraw/pull out] 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 [^Lgive him into your hand].’”

⁸ Then 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 [Certainly; ^LGoing] I will go with you,” Deborah answered, “but you will not get ·credit [honor; glory; fame] ·for the victory [^Lin the road/way/venture you are taking]. The Lord will ·let a woman defeat Sisera [^Lsell Sisera into the hand of a woman].” So Deborah [^Larose and] went with Barak to Kedesh. ¹⁰ At Kedesh, Barak ·called [summoned] the people of Zebulun and Naphtali together. ·From them, he gathered ten thousand men to follow him [^LTen thousand men went up at his feet], and Deborah went with him also.

¹¹ Now Heber the Kenite had ·left [separated/moved away from] the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ ·brother-in-law [or father-in-law]. Heber had put up his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim, near Kedesh [^Cthis verse introduces the family of Jael, the woman alluded to by Deborah in v. 9; see v. 17].

¹² When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone to Mount Tabor, ¹³ Sisera gathered his nine hundred ·iron [iron-clad; iron-fitted; v. 3] chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.

¹⁴ Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get up! Today is the day the Lord ·will hand over Sisera [^Lhas given Sisera into your hand]. The Lord has ·already cleared the way for [^Lgone out before] you.” So Barak led ten thousand men down Mount Tabor. ¹⁵ As Barak approached, the Lord ·confused [caused to panic; or routed] Sisera and his army and chariots. The Lord defeated them with the [^Ledge of the] sword, but Sisera ·left [jumped out of] his chariot and ran away on foot. ¹⁶ Barak and his men chased Sisera’s chariots and army to Harosheth Haggoyim. ·With their swords [^LBy the edge of the sword] they killed all of Sisera’s men; not one of them was left alive.

¹⁷ But Sisera himself ran away to the tent where Jael lived. She was the wife of Heber, one of the Kenite family groups [v. 11]. ·Heber’s family [^LThe house of Heber] ·was at peace [or had an alliance] with Jabin king of Hazor. ¹⁸ Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “·Come into my tent [^LTurn aside], master! Come in. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera went into Jael’s tent, and she covered him with a ·rug [or blanket].

¹⁹ Sisera said to Jael, “I am thirsty. Please give me some water to drink.” So she opened a ·leather bag [goatskin] of milk and gave him a drink. Then she covered him up.

²⁰ He said to her, “Go stand at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’”

²¹ But Jael, the wife of Heber, took a tent peg and a hammer and ·quietly [secretly] 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 [temple; or mouth] and into the ground. And so Sisera died.

²² ·At that very moment [^TAnd behold] 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 [temple; or mouth].

²³ On that day God ·defeated [subdued; humiliated] Jabin king of Canaan ·in the sight of [^Lbefore the sons/^Tchildren of] Israel.

²⁴ ·Israel became stronger and stronger [^LThe hand of sons/^Tchildren of Israel pressed harder and harder] against Jabin king of Canaan until finally they destroyed him.