Judges 4:1-9 ▼

1 After Ehud died, the people of Israel again did what the LORD considered evil.

2 So the LORD used King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled at Hazor, to defeat them. The commander of King Jabin's army was Sisera, who lived at Harosheth Haggoyim.

3 The people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help. King Jabin had 900 chariots made of iron and had cruelly oppressed Israel for 20 years.

4 Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet. She was the judge in Israel at that time.

5 She used to sit under the Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. The people of Israel would come to her for legal decisions.

6 Deborah summoned Barak, son of Abinoam, from Kedesh in Naphtali. She told him, |The LORD God of Israel has given you this order: 'Gather troops on Mount Tabor. Take 10,000 men from Naphtali and Zebulun with you.

7 I will lead Sisera (the commander of Jabin's army), his chariots, and troops to you at the Kishon River. I will hand him over to you.'|

8 Barak said to her, |If you go with me, I'll go. But if you don't go with me, I won't go.|

9 Deborah replied, |Certainly, I'll go with you. But you won't win any honors for the way you're going about this, because the LORD will use a woman to defeat Sisera.| So Deborah started out for Kedesh with Barak.