< Judges 4 >
1 And the children of Israel again did the evil in the eyes of the Lord, when Ehud was dead.
2 And the Lord sold them into the hand of Yabin the king of Canaan, that reigned in Chazor; and the captain of his army was Sissera, who dwelt in Charosheth-hagoyim.
3 And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and he oppressed the children of Israel with might twenty years.
4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, —she judged Israel at that time.
5 And she held her sitting under the palm-tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el on the mountain of Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
6 And she sent and called Barak the son of Abino'am out of Kedesh-naphtali; and she said unto him, Behold, the Lord the God of Israel hath commanded, Go and lead on toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun.
7 And I will draw unto thee, to the brook Kishon, Sissera, the captain of Yabin's army, and his chariots and his multitude; and I will give him up into thy hand.
8 And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then will I go; but if thou wilt not go with me, I will not go.
9 And she said, I will indeed go with thee; nevertheless it will not be for thy honor, on the way which thou goest; for into the hand of a woman will the Lord deliver Sissera; and Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh; and there went up in his train ten thousand men; also Deborah went up with him.
11 Now Cheber the Kenite had severed himself from the Kenites, from the children of Chobab the father-in-law of Moses; and he had pitched his tent as far as Elon-beza'anannim, which is near Kedesh.
12 And they told Sissera that Barak the son of Abino'am was gone up to mount Tabor.
13 And Sissera called together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Charosheth-hagoyim unto the brook Kishon.
14 And Deborah said unto Barak, Up! for this is the day on which the Lord hath given Sissera into thy hand; behold, the Lord is gone out before thee: so Barak went down from mount Tabor, with ten thousand men after him.
15 And the Lord confounded Sissera, and all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sissera alighted from his chariot, and fled away on foot.
16 And Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the army, unto Charosheth-hagoyim: and all the army of Sissera fell by the edge of the sword; there was not left even one.
17 But Sissera had fled away on foot to the tent of Ja'el the wife of Cheber the Kenite; for there was peace between Yabin the king of Chazor and the house of Cheber the Kenite.
18 And Ja'el went out to meet Sissera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in unto me, fear not: and he turned in unto her into the tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
19 And he said unto her, Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little water; for I am thirsty: and she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him to drink, and covered him up.
20 And he said unto her, Stand at the door of the tent; and it shall be, that, when any man should come and ask of thee, and say, Is there any man here? thou shalt say, No.
21 And Ja'el the wife of Cheber took thereupon the nail of the tent, and placed a hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and struck the nail into his temple, and it became fastened in the ground; but he was fast asleep and weary; so he died.
22 And, behold, Barak came in pursuit of Sissera, and Ja'el came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou art seeking: and he came to her, and behold, Sissera was lying dead, with the nail in his temple.
23 So did God humble on that day Yabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.
24 And the hand of the children of Israel became constantly heavier upon Yabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Yabin the king of Canaan.
