< Judges 4 >

1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the eyes of the Lord when Ehud was dead.
And the children of Israel continued to do evil against the Lord; and Aod was dead.
2 And the Lord gave them up into the hands of Jabin, king of Canaan, who was ruling in Hazor; the captain of his army was Sisera, who was living in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
And the Lord sold the children of Israel into the hand of Jabin king of Chanaan, who ruled in Asor; and the chief of his host was Sisara, and he lived in Arisoth of the Gentiles.
3 Then the children of Israel made prayer to the Lord; for he had nine hundred iron war-carriages, and for twenty years he was very cruel to the children of Israel.
And the children of Israel cried to the Lord, because he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and he mightily oppressed Israel twenty years.
4 Now Deborah, a woman prophet, the wife of Lapidoth, was judge of Israel at that time.
And Debbora, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, —she judged Israel at that time.
5 (And she had her seat under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill-country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her to be judged.)
And she sat under the palm tree of Debbora between Rama and Baethel in mount Ephraim; and the children of Israel went up to her for judgment.
6 And she sent for Barak, the son of Abinoam, from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, given orders saying, Go and get your force into line in Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
And Debbora sent and called Barac the son of Abineem out of Cades Nephthali, and she said to him, Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded you? and you shall depart to mount Thabor, and shall take with yourself ten thousand men of the sons of Nephthali and of the sons of Zabulon.
7 And I will make Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his war-carriages and his forces, come against you at the river Kishon, where I will give him into your hands.
And I will bring to you to the torrent of Kison Sisara the captain of the host of Jabin, and his chariots, and his multitude, and I will deliver them into your hands.
8 And Barak said to her, If you will go with me then I will go; but if you will not go with me I will not go.
And Barac said to her, If you will go with me, I will go; and if you will not go, I will not go; for I know not the day on which the Lord prospers his messenger with me.
9 And she said, I will certainly go with you: though you will get no honour in your undertaking, for the Lord will give Sisera into the hands of a woman. So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.
And she said, I will surely go with you; but know that your honor shall not attend on the expedition on which you go, for the Lord shall sell Sisara into the hands of a women: and Debbora arose, and went with Barac out of Cades.
10 Then Barak sent for Zebulun and Naphtali to come to Kedesh; and ten thousand men went up after him, and Deborah went up with him.
And Barac called Zabulon and Nephthali out of Cades, and there went up at his feet ten thousand men, and Debbora went up with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite, separating himself from the rest of the Kenites, from the children of Hobab, the brother-in-law of Moses, had put up his tent as far away as the oak-tree in Zaanannim, by Kedesh.
And Chaber the Kenite had removed from Caina, from the sons of Jobab the father-in-law of Moses, and pitched his tent by the oak of the covetous ones, which is near Kedes.
12 And word was given to Sisera that Barak, the son of Abinoam, had gone up to Mount Tabor.
And it was told Sisara that Barac the son of Abineem was gone up to mount Thabor.
13 So Sisera got together all his war-carriages, nine hundred war-carriages of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles as far as the river Kishon.
And Sisara summoned all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron and all the people with him, from Arisoth of the Gentiles to the brook of Kison.
14 Then Deborah said to Barak, Up! for today the Lord has given Sisera into your hands: has not the Lord gone out before you? So Barak went down from Mount Tabor and ten thousand men after him.
And Debbora said to Barac, Rise up, for this [is] the day on which the Lord has delivered Sisara into your hand, for the Lord shall go forth before you: and Barac went down from mount Thabor, and ten thousand men after him.
15 And the Lord sent fear on Sisera and all his war-carriages and all his army before Barak; and Sisera got down from his war-carriage and went in flight on foot.
And the Lord discomfited Sisara, and all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barac: and Sisara descended from off his chariot, and fled on his feet.
16 But Barak went after the war-carriages and the army as far as Harosheth of the Gentiles; and all Sisera's army was put to the sword; not a man got away.
And Barac pursued after the chariots and after the army, into Arisoth of the Gentiles; and the whole army of Sisara fell by the edge of the sword, there was not one left.
17 But Sisera went in flight on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin, king of Hazor, and the family of Heber the Kenite.
And Sisara fled on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Chaber the Kenite his friend: for there was peace between Jabin king of Asor and the house of Chaber the Kenite.
18 And Jael went out to Sisera, and said to him, Come in, my lord, come in to me without fear. So he went into her tent, and she put a cover over him.
And Jael went, out to meet Sisara, and said to him, Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me, fear not: and he turned aside to her into the tent; and she covered him with a mantle.
19 Then he said to her, Give me now a little water, for I have need of a drink. And opening a skin of milk, she gave him drink, and put the cover over him again.
And Sisara said to her, Give me, I pray you, a little water to drink, for I am thirsty: and she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him to drink, and covered him.
20 And he said to her, Take your place at the door of the tent, and if anyone comes and says to you, Is there any man here, say, No.
And Sisara said to her, Stand now by the door of the tent, and it shall come to pass if any man come to you, and ask of you, and say, Is there [any] man here? then you shall say, There is not.
21 Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent-pin and a hammer and went up to him quietly, driving the pin into his head, and it went through his head into the earth, for he was in a deep sleep from weariness; and so he came to his end.
And Jael the wife of Chaber took a pin of the tent, and took a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him, and fastened the pin in his temple, and it went through to the earth, and he fainted away, and darkness fell upon him and he died.
22 Then Jael went out, and meeting Barak going after Sisera, said to him, Come, and I will let you see the man you are searching for. So he came into her tent and saw, and there was Sisera stretched out dead with the tent-pin in his head.
And, behold, Barac [was] pursuing Sisara: and Jael went out to meet him, and he said to him, Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek: and he went in to her; and, behold, Sisara was fallen dead, and the pin [was] in his temple.
23 So that day God overcame Jabin, king of Canaan, before the children of Israel.
So God routed Jabin king of Chanaan in that day before the children of Israel.
24 And the power of the children of Israel went on increasing against Jabin, king of Canaan, till he was cut off.
And the hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin king of Chanaan, until they utterly destroyed Jabin king of Chanaan.

< Judges 4 >