Judges 4:1-24

4  And the sons of Israel did more of what displeased Jehovah, Ehud being dead, 2  and Jehovah sold them into the hands of Jabin, the king of the Canaanites, who reigned at Hasor; his general was Sisera, whose residence was Harosheth-haggoyim; 3  and the sons of Israel cried out to Jehovah, because he had nine hundred iron chariots; and for twenty years he oppressed the sons of Israel by main force. 4  And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, judged Israel at that time: 5  she sat under Deborah’s Palms between Ramah and Bethel, in the highland of Ephraim, and the sons of Israel went up to her for justice. 6  And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoʽam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him “The order has come from Israel’s God Jehovah, ‘Go march on Mount Tabor, taking with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; 7  and I will draw to you, to Kishon Arroyo, Jabin’s general Sisera and his chariots and his host, and I will give them into your hands.’” 8  And Barak said to her “If you go with me I will go, but if you do not I will not.” 9  And she said “Go with you I will; there will be no glory for you, though, in the campaign on which you go, because Jehovah will sell Sisera into a woman’s hands.” And Deborah rose and went with Barak to Kedesh; 10  and Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand men went up at his back, and Deborah went up with him. 11  And Heber the Cainite had separated from the Cainites, the sons of Moses’s father-in-law Hobab, and pitched his tent up to the Besaʽanim Oak near Kedesh. 12  And they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoʽam had gone up to Mount Tabor; 13  and Sisera called out all the chariots he had, nine hundred iron chariots, and all the men he had with him, from Harosheth-haggoyim to Kishon Arroyo. 14  And Deborah said to Barak “Up, for this is the day Jehovah has given Sisera into your hands—Jehovah has gone out before you!” And down went Barak from Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men behind him; 15 * and Jehovah routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army unsparingly before Barak, and Sisera dismounted from his chariot and fled on foot, 16  while Barak pursued the chariots and the army clear to Harosheth-haggoyim, and all Sisera’s army fell without quarter: not one was left. 17  And Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jaʽel the wife of Heber the Cainite, because King Jabin of Hasor and the family of Heber the Cainite were at peace. 18  And Jaʽel went out to meet Sisera and said to him “In here, sir, in here with me; do not be afraid”; and Sisera went in with her into the tent, and she covered him with the rug; 19  and he said to her “Let me have a drink of water, I am thirsty,” and she opened the bag of milk and let him drink and covered him up. 20  And he said to her “Stand at the door of the tent, and if anyone comes and asks you ‘Is there anyone here?’ say ‘No.’” 21  And Jaʽel the wife of Heber the Cainite got her tent-peg, and took the hammer in her hand, and went in quietly where he was and drove the peg into his temples, and through into the ground, while he was fast asleep and exhausted, and killed him. 22  And up came Barak pursuing Sisera, and Jaʽel went out to meet him and said to him “Come, and I will show you the man you are looking for”; and he went into her tent and found Sisera lying dead with the peg in his temple. 23  And Jehovah humbled King Jabin of the Canaanites that day before the sons of Israel; 24  and the hands of the sons of Israel pressed harder and harder on King Jabin of the Canaanites till they had wiped out King Jabin of the Canaanites.

Footnotes

4:15 Conj. Jehovah threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into confusion before Barak