Judges 4:1-15 ▼

1 And the sons of Israel again did evil in the eyes of YHWH, and Ehud was dead.

2 And YHWH sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. And the commander of his army was Sisera, and he dwelt in Harosheth-hagoyim.

3 And the sons of Israel cried out to YHWH, for nine hundred chariots of iron were unto him, and he oppressed the sons of Israel harshly twenty years.

4 And Deborah, a woman, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she was judging Israel at that time.

5 And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and between Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. And the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.

6 And she sent and called for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh of Naphtali, and said to him, “Has not YHWH, God of Israel, commanded, ‘Go and draw out at Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun,

7 and I will draw out against you at the River Kishon Sisera, commander of the army of Jabin, and his chariots and his multitude, and I will deliver him into your hand’?”

8 And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

9 And she said, “I will surely go with you; only that there will not be glory for you in the journey that you are taking, for into the hand of a woman YHWH will sell Sisera.” And Deborah went and arose with Barak to Kedesh.

10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet, and Deborah went up with him.

11 And Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites of the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and he pitched his tent near a great tree in Zaanannim, which is beside Kedesh.

12 And they reported to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor.

13 And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him from Harosheth-hagoyim to the River Kishon.

14 And Deborah said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day that YHWH has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not YHWH gone out before you?” And Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men following him.

15 And YHWH routed Sisera, and all the chariots, and all the army, with the mouth of the sword before the face of Barak; and Sisera came down from the chariot and fled on foot.