Giudici 4
1 Morto che fu Ehud, i figliuoli d’Israele continuarono a fare ciò ch’è male agli occhi dell’Eterno.
After Ehud died, the Israelis again started doing things Yahweh said were very evil.
2 E l’Eterno li diede nelle mani di Iabin re di Canaan, che regnava a Hatsor. Il capo del suo esercito era Sisera che abitava a Harosceth-Goim.
So he allowed the army of Jabin, one of the kings of Canaan land, who ruled in Hazor [city], to conquer the Israelis. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-Haggoyim.
3 E i figliuoli d’Israele gridarono all’Eterno, perché Iabin avea novecento carri di ferro, e già da venti anni opprimeva con violenza i figliuoli d’Israele.
Sisera’s [army] had 900 chariots. For 20 years he oppressed the Israelis. Then they pleaded to Yahweh to help them.
4 Or in quel tempo era giudice d’Israele una profetessa, Debora, moglie di Lappidoth.
At that time Deborah, who was the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophetess who had become the leader in Israel.
5 Essa sedeva sotto la palma di Debora, fra Rama e Bethel, nella contrada montuosa di Efraim, e figliuoli d’Israele salivano a lei per farsi rendere giustizia.
She would sit under her palm tree at a place between Ramah and Bethel, in the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived, and people would come to her and ask her to settle disputes between them.
6 Or ella mandò a chiamare Barak, figliuolo di Abinoam, da Kades di Neftali, e gli disse: “L’Eterno, l’Iddio d’Israele, non t’ha egli dato quest’ordine: Va’, raduna sul monte Tabor e prendi teco diecimila uomini de’ figliuoli di Neftali e de’ figliuoli di Zabulon.
One day she summoned Barak, the son of Abinoam, when he was in Kedesh, in the area where the descendants of Naphtali lived. She said to him, “This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship, is commanding you to do: ‘Take with you 1,000 men, some from the descendants of Naphtali and some from the descendants of Zebulun, and lead them to Tabor Mountain.
7 E io attirerò verso te, al torrente Kison, Sisera, capo dell’esercito di Iabin, coi suoi carri e la sua numerosa gente, e io lo darò nelle tue mani”.
Yahweh will lure Sisera, the commander of King Jabin’s army, to come with his chariots and his army, to the Kishon River, [a few miles away]. I will enable your men to defeat them there.’”
8 Barak le rispose: “Se vieni meco andrò; ma se non vieni meco, non andrò”.
Barak replied, “I will go only if you go with me.”
9 Ed ella disse: “Certamente, verrò con te; soltanto, la via per cui ti metti non ridonderà ad onor tuo; poiché l’Eterno darà Sisera in man d’una donna”. E Debora si levò e andò con Barak a Kades.
She replied, “Okay, I will go with you. But because that is what you have decided to do, Yahweh will enable a woman to defeat Sisera, and the result will be that (you will not be honored/people will not honor you) [for doing that].”
10 E Barak convocò Zabulon e Neftali a Kades; diecimila uomini si misero al suo séguito, e Debora salì con lui.
So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. There he summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men came to him, and then they went together with Deborah [to Tabor Mountain].
11 Or Heber, il Keneo, s’era separato dai Kenei, discendenti di Hobab, suocero di Mosè, e avea piantate le sue tende fino al querceto di Tsaannaim, ch’è presso a Kades.
At that time Heber, one of the descendants of the Ken people-group, had moved [with his wife Jael] from the area where that group lived, and set up his tent near the big oak tree at Zaanannim, near Kedesh. Heber was a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab.
12 Fu riferito a Sisera che Barak, figliuolo di Abinoam, era salito sul monte Tabor.
Someone told Sisera that Barak had gone up on Tabor Mountain [with an army].
13 E Sisera adunò tutti i suoi carri, novecento carri di ferro, e tutta la gente ch’era seco, da Harosceth-Goim fino al torrente Kison.
So he gathered his troops with their 900 chariots, and they marched from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the Kishon River.
14 E Debora disse a Barak: “Lèvati, perché questo è il giorno in cui l’Eterno ha dato Sisera nelle tue mani. L’Eterno non va egli dinanzi a te?” Allora Barak scese dal monte Tabor, seguito da diecimila uomini.
Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day that Yahweh will enable your [army] to defeat the army of Sisera. Yahweh is going ahead of you!” So Barak led his men as they descended from Tabor Mountain.
15 E l’Eterno mise in rotta, davanti a Barak, Sisera con tutti i suoi carri e con tutto il suo esercito, che fu passato a fil di spada; e Sisera, sceso dal carro, si diè alla fuga a piedi.
As they advanced, Yahweh caused Sisera and all his chariots and his army to have great difficulty maneuvering/moving around. So Sisera jumped down from his chariot and ran away.
16 Ma Barak inseguì i carri e l’esercito fino ad Harosceth-Goim; e tutto l’esercito di Sisera cadde sotto i colpi della spada, e non ne scampò un uomo.
But Barak and his men pursued the other chariots and the enemy soldiers as far as Harosheth-Haggoyim. They killed all of the men in Sisera’s army. Not one man survived.
17 Sisera fuggì a piedi verso la tenda di Jael, moglie di Heber, il Keneo, perché v’era pace fra Iabin, re di Hatsor, e la casa di Heber il Keneo.
But Sisera ran to Jael’s tent. He did that because [his boss], King Jabin of Hazor [city], was a good friend of [Jael’s husband] Heber.
18 E Jael uscì incontro a Sisera e gli disse: “Entra, signor mio, entra da me: non temere”. Ed egli entrò da lei nella sua tenda, ed essa lo coprì con una coperta.
Jael went out to greet Sisera. She said to him, “Sir, come into my tent! Do not be afraid!” So he went into the tent [and lay down], and she covered him with a blanket.
19 Ed egli le disse: “Deh, dammi un po’ d’acqua da bere perché ho sete”. E quella, aperto l’otre del latte, gli diè da bere, e lo coprì.
He said to her, “I’m thirsty; can you give me some water?” So she opened a leather container of milk, and gave him a drink. Then she covered him with the blanket again.
20 Ed egli le disse: “Stattene all’ingresso della tenda; e se qualcuno viene a interrogarti dicendo: C’è qualcuno qui dentro? di’ di no”.
He said to her, “Stand in the entrance of the tent. If someone comes and asks ‘Is anyone else here?’, say ‘No.’”
21 Allora Jael, moglie di Heber, prese un piuolo della tenda; e, dato di piglio al martello, venne pian piano a lui, e gli piantò il piuolo nella tempia sì ch’esso penetrò in terra. Egli era profondamente addormentato e sfinito; e morì.
Sisera was very exhausted, so he soon was asleep. While he was sleeping, Jael crept quietly to him, holding a hammer and a tent peg. She pounded the peg into his skull, and all the way through his head into the ground, and he died.
22 Ed ecco che, come Barak inseguiva Sisera, Jael uscì ad incontrarlo, e gli disse: “Vieni, e ti mostrerò l’uomo che cerchi”. Ed egli entrò da lei; ed ecco, Sisera era steso morto, col piuolo nella tempia.
When Barak passed by Jael’s tent to look for Sisera, she went out to greet him. She said, “Come in, and I will show you the man you are searching for!” So he followed her into the tent, and he saw Sisera lying there, dead, with the tent peg through his head.
23 Così Dio umiliò quel giorno Iabin, re di Canaan, dinanzi ai figliuoli d’Israele.
On that day God enabled the Israelis to defeat [the army of] Jabin, the king of the people of Canaan.
24 E la mano de’ figliuoli d’Israele s’andò sempre più aggravando su Iabin, re di Canaan, finché ebbero sterminato Iabin, re di Canaan.
From that time, the Israeli people continued to become stronger, and [the army of] King Jabin continued to become weaker. Finally the Israelis were able to completely subdue the people ruled by the king of Canaan.
