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Judges 4
New English Translation

Deborah Summons Barak

4 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight[a] after Ehud’s death. 2 The Lord turned them over to[b] King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor.[c] The general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim.[d] 3 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, because Sisera[e] had 900 chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,[f] and he cruelly[g] oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.

4 Now Deborah, a prophetess,[h] wife of Lappidoth, was[i] leading[j] Israel at that time. 5 She would sit[k] under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled.[l]

6 She summoned[m] Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to him, “Is it not true that the Lord God of Israel is commanding you? Go, march to Mount Tabor! Take with you 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun. 7 I will bring Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to you at the Kishon River, along with his chariots and huge army.[n] I will hand him over to you.” 8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go. But if you do not go with me, I will not go.” 9 She said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame[o] on the expedition you are undertaking,[p] for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman.”[q] Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and 10,000 men followed him;[r] Deborah went up with him as well. 11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away[s] from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law. He lived[t] near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

12 When Sisera heard[u] that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 he[v] ordered[w] all his chariotry—900 chariots with iron-rimmed wheels—and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River. 14 Deborah said to Barak, “Spring into action,[x] for this is the day the Lord is handing Sisera over to you![y] Has the Lord not taken the lead?”[z] So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 The Lord routed[aa] Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword.[ab] Sisera jumped out of[ac] his chariot and ran away on foot. 16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army died[ad] by the edge of the sword; not even one survived![ae]

17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty.[af] 18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest,[ag] my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera[ah] stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him. 19 He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink, because I’m thirsty.” She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then she covered him up again. 20 He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No.’” 21 Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other.[ai] She crept up on him, drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground[aj] while he was asleep from exhaustion,[ak] and he died. 22 Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, “Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went with her into the tent,[al] and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead[am] with the tent peg through his temple.

23 That day God humiliated King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 Israel’s power continued to overwhelm[an] King Jabin of Canaan until they did away with[ao] him.[ap]

Footnotes

  1. Judges 4:1 tn Heb “did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
  2. Judges 4:2 tn Heb “the Lord sold them into the hands of.”
  3. Judges 4:2 tn Or “King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite ruler.”
  4. Judges 4:2 tn Or “Harosheth of the Pagan Nations”; cf. KJV “Harosheth of the Gentiles.” “Haroshet” may mean “Forest [area]” or be a reference to some sort of carving.
  5. Judges 4:3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. Judges 4:3 tn Regarding the translation “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,” see Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, 255, and the article by R. Drews, “The ‘Chariots of Iron’ of Joshua and Judges,” JSOT 45 (1989): 15-23.
  7. Judges 4:3 tn Heb “with strength.”
  8. Judges 4:4 tn Heb “ a woman, a prophetess.” In Hebrew idiom the generic “woman” sometimes precedes the more specific designation. See GKC 437-38 §135.b.
  9. Judges 4:4 tn Heb “she was.” The pronoun refers back to the nominative absolute “Deborah.” Hebrew style sometimes employs such resumptive pronouns when lengthy qualifiers separate the subject from the verb.
  10. Judges 4:4 tn Or “judging.”
  11. Judges 4:5 tn That is, “consider legal disputes.”
  12. Judges 4:5 tn Heb “for judgment.”
  13. Judges 4:6 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
  14. Judges 4:7 tn Heb “horde”; “multitude.”
  15. Judges 4:9 tn Or “honor.”
  16. Judges 4:9 tn Heb “on [account of (?)] the way which you are walking.” Another option is to translate, “due to the way you are going about this.” In this case direct reference is made to Barak’s hesitancy as the reason for his loss of glory.
  17. Judges 4:9 tn Heb “for into the hands of a woman the Lord will sell Sisera.”
  18. Judges 4:10 tn Heb “went up at his feet.”
  19. Judges 4:11 tn Or “separated.”
  20. Judges 4:11 tn Heb “pitched his tent.”
  21. Judges 4:12 tn Heb “and they told Sisera.”
  22. Judges 4:13 tn Heb “Sisera.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  23. Judges 4:13 tn Or “summoned.”
  24. Judges 4:14 tn Heb “Arise!”
  25. Judges 4:14 tn The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the Lord speaks of it as a “done deal.”
  26. Judges 4:14 tn Heb “Has the Lord not gone out before you?”
  27. Judges 4:15 tn Or “caused to panic.”
  28. Judges 4:15 tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “before Barak.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  29. Judges 4:15 tn Heb “got down from.”
  30. Judges 4:16 tn Heb “fell.”
  31. Judges 4:16 tn Heb “was left.”
  32. Judges 4:17 tn Heb “for there was peace between.”
  33. Judges 4:18 tn Heb “Turn aside” (also a second time later in this verse).
  34. Judges 4:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  35. Judges 4:21 tn Heb “took a tent peg and put a hammer in her hand.”
  36. Judges 4:21 tn Heb “and it went into the ground.”
  37. Judges 4:21 tn Heb “and exhausted.” Another option is to understand this as a reference to the result of the fatal blow. In this case, the phrase could be translated, “and he breathed his last.”
  38. Judges 4:22 tn Heb “he went to her.”
  39. Judges 4:22 tn Heb “fallen, dead.”
  40. Judges 4:24 tn Heb “The hand of the Israelites became more and more severe against.”
  41. Judges 4:24 tn Heb “cut off.”
  42. Judges 4:24 tn Heb “Jabin king of Canaan.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Close NRSVUE

Judges 4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Deborah and Barak

4 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died.(A) 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim.(B) 3 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years.(C)

4 At that time Deborah, a prophet, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Position yourself at Mount Tabor, taking ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun.(D) 7 I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand.’ ”(E) 8 Barak 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 And she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.(F) 10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and ten thousand warriors went up behind him, and Deborah went up with him.(G)

11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites,[a] that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh.(H)

12 When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon.(I) 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand warriors following him.(J) 15 And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into a panic[b] before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot,(K) 16 while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; not one was left.(L)

17 Now Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite, for there was peace between King Jabin of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink and covered him.(M) 20 He said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anybody comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’ ” 21 But Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, until it went down into the ground—he was lying fast asleep from weariness—and he died.(N) 22 Then, as Barak came in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he went into her tent, and there was Sisera lying dead, with the tent peg in his temple.

23 So on that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 Then the hand of the Israelites bore harder and harder on King Jabin of Canaan, until they destroyed King Jabin of Canaan.

Footnotes

  1. 4.11 Heb from the Kain
  2. 4.15 Heb adds to the sword
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New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

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