Iudicum 4
1 Addideruntque filii Israël facere malum in conspectu Domini post mortem Aod,
After Ehud died, the Israelis again started doing things Yahweh said were very evil.
2 et tradidit illos Dominus in manus Jabin regis Chanaan, qui regnavit in Asor: habuitque ducem exercitus sui nomine Sisaram, ipse autem habitabat in Haroseth gentium.
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 Clamaveruntque filii Israël ad Dominum: nongentos enim habebat falcatos currus, et per viginti annos vehementer oppresserat eos.
Sisera’s [army] had 900 chariots. For 20 years he oppressed the Israelis. Then they pleaded to Yahweh to help them.
4 Erat autem Debbora prophetis uxor Lapidoth, quæ judicabat populum in illo tempore.
At that time Deborah, who was the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophetess who had become the leader in Israel.
5 Et sedebat sub palma, quæ nomine illius vocabatur, inter Rama et Bethel in monte Ephraim: ascendebantque ad eam filii Israël in omne judicium.
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 Quæ misit et vocavit Barac filium Abinoëm de Cedes Nephthali: dixitque ad eum: Præcepit tibi Dominus Deus Israël: Vade, et duc exercitum in montem Thabor, tollesque tecum decem millia pugnatorum de filiis Nephthali, et de filiis 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 ego autem adducam ad te in loco torrentis Cison, Sisaram principem exercitus Jabin, et currus ejus, atque omnem multitudinem, et tradam eos in manu tua.
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 Dixitque ad eam Barac: Si venis mecum, vadam: si nolueris venire mecum, non pergam.
Barak replied, “I will go only if you go with me.”
9 Quæ dixit ad eum: Ibo quidem tecum, sed in hac vice victoria non reputabitur tibi, quia in manu mulieris tradetur Sisara. Surrexit itaque Debbora, et perrexit cum Barac in Cedes.
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 Qui, accitis Zabulon et Nephthali, ascendit cum decem millibus pugnatorum, habens Debboram in comitatu suo.
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 Haber autem Cinæus recesserat quondam a ceteris Cinæis fratribus suis, filiis Hobab cognati Moysi: et tetenderat tabernacula usque ad vallem, quæ vocatur Sennim, et erat juxta Cedes.
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 Nuntiatumque est Sisaræ quod ascendisset Barac filius Abinoëm in montem Thabor:
Someone told Sisera that Barak had gone up on Tabor Mountain [with an army].
13 et congregavit nongentos falcatos currus, et omnem exercitum de Haroseth gentium ad torrentem Cison.
So he gathered his troops with their 900 chariots, and they marched from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the Kishon River.
14 Dixitque Debbora ad Barac: Surge, hæc est enim dies, in qua tradidit Dominus Sisaram in manus tuas: en ipse ductor est tuus. Descendit itaque Barac de monte Thabor, et decem millia pugnatorum cum eo.
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 Perterruitque Dominus Sisaram, et omnes currus ejus, universamque multitudinem in ore gladii ad conspectum Barac: in tantum, ut Sisara de curru desiliens, pedibus fugeret,
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 et Barac persequeretur fugientes currus, et exercitum usque ad Haroseth gentium, et omnis hostium multitudo usque ad internecionem caderet.
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 Sisara autem fugiens pervenit ad tentorium Jahel uxoris Haber Cinæi. Erat enim pax inter Jabin regem Asor, et domum Haber Cinæi.
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 Egressa igitur Jahel in occursum Sisaræ, dixit ad eum: Intra ad me, domine mi: intra, ne timeas. Qui ingressus tabernaculum ejus, et opertus ab ea pallio,
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 dixit ad eam: Da mihi, obsecro, paululum aquæ, quia sitio valde. Quæ aperuit utrem lactis, et dedit ei bibere, et operuit illum.
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 Dixitque Sisara ad eam: Sta ante ostium tabernaculi: et cum venerit aliquis interrogans te, et dicens: Numquid hic est aliquis? respondebis: Nullus est.
He said to her, “Stand in the entrance of the tent. If someone comes and asks ‘Is anyone else here?’, say ‘No.’”
21 Tulit itaque Jahel uxor Haber clavum tabernaculi, assumens pariter et malleum: et ingressa abscondite et cum silentio, posuit supra tempus capitis ejus clavum, percussumque malleo defixit in cerebrum usque ad terram: qui soporem morti consocians defecit, et mortuus est.
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 Et ecce Barac sequens Sisaram veniebat: egressaque Jahel in occursum ejus, dixit ei: Veni, et ostendam tibi virum quem quæris. Qui cum intrasset ad eam, vidit Sisaram jacentem mortuum, et clavum infixum in tempore ejus.
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 Humiliavit ergo Deus in die illo Jabin regem Chanaan coram filiis Israël:
On that day God enabled the Israelis to defeat [the army of] Jabin, the king of the people of Canaan.
24 qui crescebant quotidie, et forti manu opprimebant Jabin regem Chanaan, donec delerent eum.
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.
