Judges 4
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Deborah and Barak
4 The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud had died. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin(A) king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor.(B) The commander of his forces was Sisera(C) who lived in Harosheth of the Nations.[a] 3 Then the Israelites cried out(D) to the Lord, because Jabin had 900 iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them 20 years.
4 Deborah, a woman who was a prophetess(E) and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 It was her custom to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her for judgment.(F)
6 She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Hasn’t the Lord, the God of Israel,(G) commanded you: ‘Go, deploy the troops on Mount Tabor,(H) and take with you 10,000 men from the Naphtalites(I) and Zebulunites?(J) 7 Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin’s forces, his chariots, and his army at the Wadi Kishon(K) to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.’”(L)
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 “I will go with you,” she said, “but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the Lord will sell Sisera into a woman’s hand.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; 10,000 men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the sons of Hobab,(M) Moses’ father-in-law,(N) and pitched his tent beside the oak tree of Zaanannim,(O) which was near Kedesh.
12 It was reported to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor. 13 Sisera summoned all his 900 iron chariots and all the people who were with him from Harosheth of the Nations[b] to the Wadi Kishon. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Move on, for this is the day the Lord has handed Sisera over to you. Hasn’t the Lord gone before you?” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him.
15 The Lord threw Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army into confusion(P) with the sword before Barak. Sisera left his chariot and fled on foot. 16 Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth of the Nations,[c] and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.
17 Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty.” She opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again. 20 Then he said to her, “Stand at the entrance to the tent. If a man comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No.’” 21 While he was sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She hammered the peg into his temple and drove it into the ground, and he died.
22 When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her, and there was Sisera lying dead with a tent peg through his temple!
23 That day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 The power of the Israelites continued to increase against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.
Footnotes
- Judges 4:2 Or Harosheth-ha-goiim
- Judges 4:13 Or Harosheth-ha-goiim
- Judges 4:16 Or Harosheth-ha-goiim
Shofetim 4
Orthodox Jewish Bible
4 And the Bnei Yisroel again did rah in the sight of Hashem, when Ehud was dead.
2 And Hashem sold them into the yad Yavin Melech Kena’an, that reigned in Chatzor; the sar whose tze’va (army) was Sisra, which dwelt in Charoshet HaGoyim.
3 And the Bnei Yisroel cried unto Hashem; for he had nine hundred chariots of barzel (iron); and twenty shanah he oppressed chazakah the Bnei Yisroel.
4 And isha Devorah, a neviah, the eshet Lapidot, judged Yisroel at that time.
5 And she held court under the Tomer Devorah between Ramah and Beit-El in har Ephrayim; Bnei Yisroel came up to her for mishpat.
6 And she sent and called Barak ben Avinoam out of Kedesh Naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not Hashem Elohei Yisroel commanded, saying, Go and take position at Har Tavor, and take with thee ten thousand ish of the Bnei Naphtali and of the Bnei Zevulun?
7 And I will lure unto thee to the river Kishon the sar Tze’va Yavin, Sisra, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine yad.
8 And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go; but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.
9 And she said, I will surely go with thee; notwithstanding the derech of thee shall not take thee to thy teferet (honor); for Hashem shall sell Sisra into the yad of an isha. And Devorah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 And Barak summoned Zevulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand ish at his feet; and Devorah went up with him.
11 Now Chever the Keni, which was of the Bnei Chovav the khoten Moshe, had separated from the Kayin [other Keni], and encamped his ohel unto the oak at Tzaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
12 And they told Sisra that Barak ben Avinoam was gone up to Har Tavor.
13 And Sisra gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of barzel (iron), and kol haAm that were with him, from Charoshet HaGoyim unto the river Kishon.
14 And Devorah said unto Barak, Go! For this is the day in which Hashem hath delivered Sisra into thine yad. Is not Hashem gone out before thee? So Barak went down from Har Tavor, and ten thousand ish after him.
15 And Hashem routed Sisra, and all his chariots, and kol hamachaneh, with the edge of the cherev before Barak; so that Sisra got down from his merkavah (chariot), and fled away on foot.
16 But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the machaneh, as far as Charoshet HaGoyim; and kol machaneh Sisra fell by the edge of the cherev; and there was not a man left.
17 Howbeit Sisra fled away on foot to the ohel Yael the isha of Chever the Keni; for there was shalom between Yavin Melech Chatzor and the Bais Chever Keni.
18 And Yael went out to meet Sisra, and said unto him, Turn in, adoni, stay with me; fear not. And when he had entered with her into the ohel, she covered him with a covering.
19 And he said unto her, Give me, now, a little mayim to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a skin of cholov, and gave him drink, and covered him.
20 Again he said unto her, Stand at the petach haohel, and it shall be, when any ish doth come and inquire of thee, and say, Is there any ish here?‖thou shalt say, No.
21 Then Yael eshet Chever took a yetad haohel (tent peg), and took a makevet (hammer) in her yad, and went softly unto him, and drove the yetad into his temple, and stuck it into the ground; for he was fast asleep exhausted. So he died.
22 And, hinei, as Barak pursued Sisra, Yael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show thee the ish whom thou seekest. And when he came into her ohel, hinei, Sisra lay dead, and the yetad was in his temple.
23 So Elohim subdued on that day Yavin Melech Kena’an before the Bnei Yisroel.
24 And the yad Bnei Yisroel prospered, and prevailed against Yavin Melech Kena’an, until they had destroyed Yavin Melech Kena’an.
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