Judges 4:1-9 ▼

1 After Ehud died, while the LORD was watching, the Israelis made the evil they had been practicing even worse,

2 so the LORD turned them over to domination by Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commanding officer of his army, lived in Harosheth-haggoyim.

3 The Israelis cried out to the LORD, because of his 900 iron chariots. Jabin oppressed the Israelis forcefully for twenty years.

4 Deborah, a woman, prophet, and wife of Lappidoth, was herself judging Israel during that time.

5 She regularly took her seat under the Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountainous region of Ephraim, where the Israelis would approach her for decisions.

6 She sent word to Abinoam's son Barak from Kedesh-naphtali, summoning him. She asked him, |The LORD God of Israel has commanded you, hasn't he? He told you, 'Go out, march to Mount Tabor, and take 10,000 men with you from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun.

7 I will draw out Sisera, the commanding officer of Jabin's army, along with his chariots and troops, to the Kishon River, where I will drop him right into your hands.'|

8 |If you'll go with me, I'll go,| Barak replied. |But if you won't go with me, then I'm not going.|

9 She responded, |I will surely go with you, but the road that you're about to take will not lead to honor for you. The LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.| Then Deborah got up and went with Barak toward Kedesh.