4 1 Israel sin and are given into the hands of Jabin. 4 Deborah judgeth Israel, and exhorteth Barak to deliver the people. 15 Sisera fleeth,. 17 and is killed by Jael.
1 And the children of Israel [a]began again to do wickedly in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead.
2 And the Lord sold them into the hand of [b]Jabin King of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor, whose chief captain was called Sisera, which dwelt in [c]Harosheth of the Gentiles.
3 Then the children of Israel cried unto the Lord: (for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and twenty years he had vexed the children of Israel very sore.)
4 ¶ And at that time Deborah a Prophetess the wife of Lapidoth [d]judged Israel.
5 And this Deborah dwelt under a palm tree, between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
6 Then she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh of Naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel [e]commanded, saying, Go, and draw 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 (A)[f]river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army with his chariots, and his multitude, and will deliver him into thine hand.
8 And Barak said unto her, [g]If thou wilt go with me, I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, I will not go.
9 Then she answered, I will surely go with thee, but this journey that thou takest, shall not be for thine honor: for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 ¶ And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and [h]he went up on his feet with ten thousand men, and Deborah went up with him.
11 (Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the [i]children of (B)Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, was departed from the [j]Kenites, and pitched his tent [k]until the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.)
12 Then they showed Sisera, that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.
13 And Sisera called for all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him from Harosheth of the Gentiles, unto the river Kishon.
14 Then Deborah said unto Barak, [l]Up: for this is the day that the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand. Is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.
15 And the Lord destroyed Sisera and all his chariots, and all his host with the edge of the sword before Barak, so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.
16 But (C)Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword: there was not a man left.
17 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of [m]Heber the Kenite: (for peace was between Jabin the king of Hazor, and between the house of Heber the Kenite.)
18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn into me: fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into her tent, she covered him with a [n]mantel.
19 And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink: for I am thirsty. And she opened (D)a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.
20 Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and when any man doth come and inquire of thee, saying, Is [o]any man there? thou shalt say, Nay.
21 Then Jael Heber’s wife took a [p]nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground, (for he was fast asleep and weary) and so he died.
22 And behold, as Barak pursued after Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show thee the man, whom thou seekest: and when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay [q]dead, and the nail in his temples.
23 So God brought down Jabin the king of Canaan that day before the children of Israel.
24 And the hand of the children of Israel [r]prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
Footnotes
- Judges 4:1 Hebrew, added, or continued to do evil.
- Judges 4:2 There was another Jabin, whom Joshua killed and burnt his city Hazor, Josh. 11:13.
- Judges 4:2 That is in a wood, or strong place.
- Judges 4:4 By the spirit of prophecy, resolving of controversies and declaring the will of God.
- Judges 4:6 And revealed unto me by the spirit of prophecy.
- Judges 4:7 Or, valley.
- Judges 4:8 Fearing his own weakness and his enemy’s power, he desireth the prophetess to go with him to assure him of God’s will from time to time.
- Judges 4:10 Or, he led after him 10,000 men.
- Judges 4:11 Or, posterity.
- Judges 4:11 Hebrew, from Cain.
- Judges 4:11 Meaning, that he possessed a great part of that country.
- Judges 4:14 She still encourageth him to this enterprise by assuring him of God’s favor and aid.
- Judges 4:17 Whose ancestors were strangers, but worshipped the true God, and therefore were joined with Israel.
- Judges 4:18 Or, blanket.
- Judges 4:20 To wit, Sisera.
- Judges 4:21 That is, the pin or stake, whereby it was fastened to the ground.
- Judges 4:22 So he saw that a woman had the honor, as Deborah prophesied.
- Judges 4:24 Hebrew, went and was strong.