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.^(A)

¹⁴ In his anger^(A) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands^(B) of raiders who plundered^(C) them. He sold them^(D) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.^(E)

¹⁸ They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests,^(A) the descendants^(B) of Aaron,^(C) who have been consecrated to burn incense.^(D) Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.”

²¹ That is not the case. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, from the hill country of Ephraim, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Hand over this one man, and I’ll withdraw from the city.”

The woman said to Joab, “His head^(A) will be thrown to you from the wall.”

²² Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice,^(B) and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the trumpet, and his men dispersed from the city, each returning to his home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.

³⁰ “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.^(A)’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor,^(B) but those who despise^(C) me will be disdained.^(D)

¹⁷ Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael,^(A) the wife of Heber the Kenite,^(B) because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor^(C) and the family of Heber the Kenite.

¹⁸ Jael^(D) 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,^(E) 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,^(F) Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep,^(G) exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.^(H)

²² Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael^(I) 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.^(J)

⁵⁴ Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me,^(A) so that they can’t say, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his servant ran him through, and he died.