Arad Destroyed

21 When the Canaanite king of Arad,^(A) who lived in the Negev,^(B) heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. ² Then Israel made this vow^(C) to the Lord: “If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy^[a](D) their cities.” ³ The Lord listened to Israel’s plea and gave the Canaanites^(E) over to them. They completely destroyed them^(F) and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.^[b](G)

Northern Kings Defeated

11 When Jabin^(A) king of Hazor^(B) heard of this, he sent word to Jobab king of Madon, to the kings of Shimron^(C) and Akshaph,^{(D) 2} and to the northern kings who were in the mountains, in the Arabah^(E) south of Kinnereth,^(F) in the western foothills and in Naphoth Dor^(G) on the west; ³ to the Canaanites in the east and west; to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites^(H) and Jebusites in the hill country;^(I) and to the Hivites^(J) below Hermon^(K) in the region of Mizpah.^{(L) 4} They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.^{(M) 5} All these kings joined forces^(N) and made camp together at the Waters of Merom^(O) to fight against Israel.

⁶ The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand^(P) all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring^(Q) their horses and burn their chariots.”^(R)

⁷ So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, ⁸ and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon,^(S) to Misrephoth Maim,^(T) and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left. ⁹ Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots.

¹⁰ At that time Joshua turned back and captured Hazor and put its king to the sword.^(U) (Hazor had been the head of all these kingdoms.) ¹¹ Everyone in it they put to the sword. They totally destroyed^[a] them,^(V) not sparing anyone that breathed,^(W) and he burned^(X) Hazor itself.

¹² Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings and put them to the sword. He totally destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded.^{(Y) 13} Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—except Hazor, which Joshua burned. ¹⁴ The Israelites carried off for themselves all the plunder and livestock of these cities, but all the people they put to the sword until they completely destroyed them, not sparing anyone that breathed.^{(Z) 15} As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses.^(AA)

¹⁶ So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country,^(AB) all the Negev,^(AC) the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills,^(AD) the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills,

⁴ Now Deborah,^(A) a prophet,^(B) the wife of Lappidoth, was leading^[a] Israel at that time. ⁵ She held court^(C) under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah^(D) and Bethel^(E) in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. ⁶ She sent for Barak son of Abinoam^(F) from Kedesh^(G) in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali^(H) and Zebulun^(I) and lead them up to Mount Tabor.^{(J) 7} I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s^(K) army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River^(L) and give him into your hands.^(M)’”

⁸ Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

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.^{(N) 10} There Barak summoned^(O) 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,^(P) the descendants of Hobab,^(Q) Moses’ brother-in-law,^[b] and pitched his tent by the great tree^(R) in Zaanannim^(S) near Kedesh.

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

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

¹⁸ Jael^(AD) 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,^(AE) 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,^(AF) Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep,^(AG) exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.^(AH)

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

²³ On that day God subdued^(AK) Jabin^(AL) 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.^(AM)