The Book of Judges

⭑ Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 4 -

After Ehud died, the Israelites did not obey Yahweh and they did evil things, and Yahweh saw what they were doing.

So he allowed the army of Jabin, one of the kings in the region of Canaan, who ruled in the city of Hazor, to conquer the Israelites. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth (where many of those who were not Israelites lived).

Sisera’s army had nine hundred chariots made out of iron. For twenty years he cruelly oppressed the Israelites. Then they pleaded to Yahweh to help them.

Now Deborah, a woman who proclaimed the word of Yahweh (who was the wife of Lappidoth), was a leading judge in Israel at that time.

She would sit under her palm tree (they called it the “palm of Deborah”) at a place between Ramah and Bethel, in the hill country where the descendants of Ephraim lived, and people would come to her and ask her to settle their legal disputes. She would determine what was right and fair.

One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam and called him to come to her. He was from Kedesh (in the area where the descendants of Naphtali lived). She said to him, “This is what Yahweh, the God we worship, is commanding you to do: ’Take ten thousand men with you, some from Naphtali and some of Zebulun, and gather all your men together at Mount Tabor.

Yahweh will make me able to persuade Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, to come with his chariots and his army, to the river Kishon, a few miles away. I will enable your men to defeat them there.’”

Barak replied, “I will go only if you go with me. If you will not go with me, I will not go.”

She replied, “Indeed 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 no one will honor you for doing that.” 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 Mount Tabor.

At that time Heber (the Kenite) had moved away from the Kenites with his wife Jael, and set up his tent near the big oak tree at Zaanannim, near Kedesh. (Heber was a descendant of Moses’ father-in-law Hobab (Jethro).)

Someone told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up on Mount Tabor with an army.

Sisera gathered his troops with their nine hundred chariots, and they marched from Harosheth (where the non-Israelites lived) to the river Kishon.

Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get going! 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 Mount Tabor.

As they advanced, Yahweh caused Sisera and all his chariots and his army to have great difficulty maneuvering around. So Sisera jumped down from his chariot and ran away.

But Barak and his men pursued the other chariots and the enemy soldiers as far as Harosheth (where the non-Israelites lived). They killed all of the men in Sisera’s army. Not one man survived.

Jael Kills Sisera

But Sisera ran to Jael’s tent. He did that because Sisera’s master, Jabin of the city of Hazor, was a good friend of her husband Heber.

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.

He said to her, “I am 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 a blanket again.

He said to her, “Stand in the entrance of the tent. If someone comes and asks, ‘Is anyone else here?’, say ‘No’.”

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 through his skull, and she hammered the peg all the way through his head and it stuck into the ground, and he died.

When Barak came to 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 still piercing through his head.

On that day God enabled the Israelites to defeat the army of Jabin, one of the kings of the Canaanites.

The Israelites became stronger and stronger, and they destroyed Jabin and his army.

The children of Israel again did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, when Ehud was dead.

The LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

The children of Israel cried to the LORD, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and he mightily oppressed the children of Israel for twenty years.

Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, judged Israel at that time.

She lived under Deborah’s palm tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

She sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh Naphtali, and said to him, “Hasn’t the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded, ‘Go and lead the way to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

I will draw to you, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into your hand.’”

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.”

She said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the journey that you take won’t be for your honor; for the LORD will sell Sisera into a woman’s hand.” Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh. Ten thousand men followed him; and Deborah went up with him.

Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, even from the children of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, and had pitched his tent as far as the oak in Zaanannim, which is by Kedesh.

They told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor.

Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles, to the river Kishon.

Deborah said to Barak, “Go; for this is the day in which the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Hasn’t the LORD gone out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

The LORD confused Sisera, all his chariots, and all his army, with the edge of the sword before Barak. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled away on his feet.

But Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth of the Gentiles; and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword. There was not a man left.

Jael Kills Sisera

However Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; don’t be afraid.” He came in to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug.

He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.” She opened a container of milk, and gave him a drink, and covered him.

He said to her, “Stand in the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say, ‘No.’”

Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground, for he was in a deep sleep; so he fainted and died.

Behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you seek.” He came to her; and behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent peg was in his temples.

So God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel on that day.

The hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.