1And
the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was
dead. 2 And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that
reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth
of the Gentiles. 3 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had
nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the
children of Israel.
4 And
Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. 5
And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount
Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 And she sent
and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him,
Hath not the LORD God of Israel 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 river Kishon Sisera,
the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will
deliver him into thine hand.
8 And Barak
said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go
with me, then I will not go.
9 And she
said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest
shall not be for thine honour; 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 he went up with ten thousand men at his
feet: and Deborah went up with him.
11 Now Heber the
Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had
severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim,
which is by Kedesh.
12 And they
shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. 13 And
Sisera gathered together 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 of Kishon.
14 And
Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which 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
discomfited 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 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; and there was not a man left.
17
Howbeit 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. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn
in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into
the tent, she covered him with a mantle. 19 And he said unto her, Give me, I
pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened 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 it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of
thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. 21 Then Jael
Heber's wife took a 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. So he died. 22 And, behold, as Barak
pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will
shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold,
Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.
23 So
God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.
24 And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin
the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.