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Deborah and Barak

After the death of Ehud, the Israelites again started disobeying the Lord. So the Lord let the Canaanite King Jabin of Hazor conquer Israel. Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, lived in Harosheth-Ha-Goiim. Jabin's army had 900 iron chariots, and for 20 years he made life miserable for the Israelites, until finally they begged the Lord for help.

Deborah the wife of Lappidoth was a prophet and a leader[a] of Israel during those days. She would sit under Deborah's Palm Tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where Israelites would come and ask her to settle their legal cases.

One day, Barak the son of Abinoam was in Kedesh in Naphtali, and Deborah sent word for him to come and talk with her. When he arrived, she said:

I have a message for you from the Lord God of Israel! You are to get together an army of 10,000 men from the Naphtali and Zebulun tribes and lead them to Mount Tabor. The Lord will trick Sisera into coming out to fight you at the Kishon River. Sisera will be leading King Jabin's army as usual, and they will have their chariots, but the Lord has promised to help you defeat them.

“I'm not going unless you go!” Barak told her.

“All right, I'll go!” she replied. “But I'm warning you that the Lord is going to let a woman defeat Sisera, and no one will honor you for winning the battle.”

Deborah and Barak left for Kedesh, 10 where Barak called together the troops from Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand soldiers gathered there, and Barak led them out from Kedesh. Deborah went too.

11 At this time, Heber of the Kenite clan was living near the village of Oak in Zaanannim,[b] not far from Kedesh. The Kenites were descendants of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, but Heber had moved and had set up his tents away from the rest of the clan.

12 When Sisera learned that Barak had led an army to Mount Tabor, 13 he called his troops together and got all 900 iron chariots ready. Then he led his army away from Harosheth-Ha-Goiim to the Kishon River.

14 Deborah shouted, “Barak, it's time to attack Sisera! Because today the Lord is going to help you defeat him. In fact, the Lord has already gone on ahead to fight for you.”

Barak led his 10,000 troops down from Mount Tabor. 15 And during the battle, the Lord confused Sisera, his chariot drivers, and his whole army. Everyone was so afraid of Barak and his army, that even Sisera jumped down from his chariot and tried to escape. 16 Barak's forces went after Sisera's chariots and army as far as Harosheth-Ha-Goiim.

Sisera's entire army was wiped out. 17 Only Sisera escaped. He ran to Heber's camp, because Heber and his family had a peace treaty with the king of Hazor. Sisera went to the tent that belonged to Jael, Heber's wife. 18 She came out to greet him and said, “Come in, sir! Please come on in. Don't be afraid.”

After they had gone inside, Sisera lay down, and Jael covered him with a blanket. 19 “Could I have a little water?” he asked. “I'm thirsty.”

Jael opened a leather bottle and poured him some milk, then she covered him back up.

20 “Stand at the entrance to the tent,” Sisera told her. “If someone comes by and asks if anyone is inside, tell them ‘No.’ ”

21 Sisera was exhausted and soon fell fast asleep. Jael took a hammer and drove a tent-peg through his head into the ground, and he died.

22 Meanwhile, Barak had been following Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “The man you're looking for is inside,” she said. “Come in and I'll show him to you.”

They went inside, and there was Sisera—dead and stretched out with a tent-peg through his skull.

23 That same day God defeated the Canaanite King Jabin while the Israelites looked on, and his army was no longer powerful enough to attack the Israelites. 24 Jabin grew weaker while the Israelites kept growing stronger, until at last the Israelites destroyed him.

Footnotes

  1. 4.4 leader: See 2.16 and the note there.
  2. 4.11 the village … Zaanannim: Or “the oak tree in the town of Zaanannim.”

Débora

Después de la muerte de Aod, los israelitas volvieron a hacer lo que ofende al Señor. Así que el Señor los vendió a Jabín, un rey cananeo que reinaba en Jazor. El jefe de su ejército era Sísara, que vivía en Jaroset Goyim. Los israelitas clamaron al Señor porque Jabín tenía novecientos carros de hierro y, durante veinte años, había oprimido cruelmente a los israelitas.

En aquel tiempo gobernaba a Israel una profetisa llamada Débora, que era esposa de Lapidot. Ella tenía su tribunal bajo la Palmera de Débora, entre Ramá y Betel, en la región montañosa de Efraín, y los israelitas acudían a ella para resolver sus disputas. Débora mandó llamar a Barac hijo de Abinoán, que vivía en Cedes de Neftalí, y le dijo:

―El Señor, el Dios de Israel, ordena: “Ve y reúne en el monte Tabor a diez mil hombres de la tribu de Neftalí y de la tribu de Zabulón. Yo atraeré a Sísara, jefe del ejército de Jabín, con sus carros y sus tropas, hasta el arroyo Quisón. Allí lo entregaré en tus manos”.

Barac le dijo:

―Solo iré si tú me acompañas; de lo contrario, no iré.

―¡Está bien, iré contigo! —dijo Débora—. Pero, por la manera en que vas a encarar este asunto, la gloria no será tuya, ya que el Señor entregará a Sísara en manos de una mujer.

Así que Débora fue con Barac hasta Cedes, 10 donde él convocó a las tribus de Zabulón y Neftalí. Diez mil hombres se pusieron a sus órdenes, y también Débora lo acompañó.

11 Héber el quenita se había separado de los otros quenitas que descendían de Hobab, el suegro de Moisés, y armó su campamento junto a la encina que está en Zanayin, cerca de Cedes.

12 Cuando informaron a Sísara de que Barac hijo de Abinoán había subido al monte Tabor, 13 Sísara reunió sus novecientos carros de hierro, y a todos sus soldados, desde Jaroset Goyim hasta el arroyo Quisón.

14 Entonces Débora le dijo a Barac:

―¡Adelante! Este es el día en que el Señor entregará a Sísara en tus manos. ¿Acaso no marcha el Señor al frente de tu ejército?

Barac descendió del monte Tabor, seguido por los diez mil hombres. 15 Ante el avance de Barac, el Señor desbarató a Sísara a filo de espada, con todos sus carros y su ejército, hasta tal punto que Sísara saltó de su carro y huyó a pie. 16 Barac persiguió a los carros y al ejército hasta Jaroset Goyim. Todo el ejército de Sísara cayó a filo de espada; no quedó nadie con vida.

17 Mientras tanto, Sísara había huido a pie hasta la tienda de Jael, la esposa de Héber el quenita, pues había buenas relaciones entre Jabín, rey de Jazor, y el clan de Héber el quenita.

18 Jael salió al encuentro de Sísara, y le dijo:

―¡Adelante, mi señor! Entra por aquí. No tengas miedo.

Sísara entró en la tienda, y ella lo cubrió con una manta.

19 ―Tengo sed —dijo él—. ¿Podrías darme un poco de agua?

Ella destapó un odre de leche, le dio de beber, y volvió a cubrirlo.

20 ―Quédate a la entrada de la tienda —le dijo él—. Si alguien viene y te pregunta: “¿Hay alguien aquí?”, contéstale que no.

21 Pero Jael, esposa de Héber, tomó una estaca de la tienda y un martillo, y con todo sigilo se acercó a Sísara, quien agotado por el cansancio dormía profundamente. Entonces le clavó la estaca en la sien y se la atravesó, hasta clavarla en la tierra. Así murió Sísara.

22 Barac pasó por allí persiguiendo a Sísara, y Jael salió a su encuentro. «Ven —le dijo ella—, y te mostraré al hombre que buscas». Barac entró con ella, y allí estaba tendido Sísara, muerto y con la estaca atravesándole la sien.

23 Aquel día Dios humilló en presencia de los israelitas a Jabín, el rey cananeo. 24 Y el poder de los israelitas contra Jabín se consolidaba cada vez más, hasta que lo destruyeron.

Deborah

Again the Israelites did evil(A) in the eyes of the Lord,(B) now that Ehud(C) was dead. So the Lord sold them(D) into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor.(E) Sisera,(F) the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron(G) and had cruelly oppressed(H) the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.

Now Deborah,(I) a prophet,(J) the wife of Lappidoth, was leading[a] Israel at that time. She held court(K) under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah(L) and Bethel(M) in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. She sent for Barak son of Abinoam(N) from Kedesh(O) in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali(P) and Zebulun(Q) and lead them up to Mount Tabor.(R) I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s(S) army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River(T) and give him into your hands.(U)’”

Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

“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.(V) 10 There Barak summoned(W) 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,(X) the descendants of Hobab,(Y) Moses’ brother-in-law,[b] and pitched his tent by the great tree(Z) in Zaanannim(AA) near Kedesh.

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

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

18 Jael(AL) 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,(AM) 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,(AN) Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep,(AO) exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.(AP)

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

23 On that day God subdued(AS) Jabin(AT) 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.(AU)

Footnotes

  1. Judges 4:4 Traditionally judging
  2. Judges 4:11 Or father-in-law