Judges 4
1 And the children of Israel began againe to do wickedly in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead.
After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did what was evil in the Lord's sight.
2 And the Lord sold them into the hande of Iabin King of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor, whose chiefe Captaine was called Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
So the Lord sold them to Jabin, king of Canaan, who ruled from Hazor. His army commander was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim.
3 Then the children of Israel cryed vnto the Lord: (for he had nine hundreth charets of yron, and twentie yeeres he had vexed the children of Israel very sore)
The Israelites cried out to the Lord to help them, for Sisera had nine hundred iron chariots and he cruelly mistreated them for twenty years.
4 And at that time Deborah a Prophetesse the wife of Lapidoth iudged Israel.
Deborah, wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet, and she was leading Israel as a judge at that time.
5 And this Deborah dwelt vnder a palme tree, betweene Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim, and the children of Israel came vp to her for iudgement.
She would sit under Deborah's Palm between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for her decisions.
6 Then shee sent and called Barak the sonne of Abinoam out of Kadesh of Naphtali, and sayd vnto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Goe, and drawe towarde mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousande men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?
She sent for Barak, son of Abinoam, from the town of Kedesh in Naphtali and told him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, orders you: ‘Go to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun, and lead them there.
7 And I wil drawe vnto thee to the riuer Kishon Sisera, the captaine of Iabins armie with his charets, and his multitude, and wil deliuer him into thine hand.
I will bring Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River, and hand him over to you.”
8 And Barak sayd vnto her, If thou wilt go with me, I will go: but if thou wilt not goe with me, I will not go.
Barak replied, “If you come with me, I'll go; but if you don't come with me, I won't go.”
9 Then shee answered, I will surely goe with thee, but this iourney 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.
“I'll definitely go with you,” Deborah answered, “but if you're going to take that route then you won't receive any respect, because the Lord will give Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and he went vp on his feete with ten thousand men, and Deborah went vp with him.
Barak called up the armies of Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men assembled under his command. Deborah was also there with him.
11 (Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in lawe of Moses, was departed from the Kenites, and pitched his tent vntill the playne of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh)
(Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, and had set up his tent at the large tree in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.)
12 Then they shewed Sisera, that Barak the sonne of Abinoam was gone vp to mout Tabor.
Sisera heard that Barak, son of Abinoam, had gone to Mount Tabor,
13 And Sisera called for all his charets, euen nine hundreth charets of yron, and all the people that were with him from Harosheth of the Gentiles, vnto the riuer Kishon.
so he summoned all his nine hundred iron chariots and all his men to come from Harosheth-hagoyim to the Kishon River.
14 Then Deborah sayd vnto Barak, Vp: for this is the day that the Lord hath deliuered Sisera into thine hand. Is not the Lord gone out before thee? So Barak went downe from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.
Then Deborah told Barak, “Get going! Today the Lord has handed Sisera to you. Didn't the Lord march out ahead of you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, accompanied by ten thousand men.
15 And the Lord destroyed Sisera and all his charets, and al his hoste with the edge of the sword before Barak, so that Sisera lighted downe off his charet, and fled away on his feete.
When Barak attacked, the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a confused panic. Sisera jumped down from his chariot and ran away.
16 But Barak pursued after the charets, and after the hoste vnto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the hoste of Sisera fel vpon the edge of the sworde: there was not a man left.
Barak chased after the chariots and troops all the way to Harosheth-hagoyim. The whole of Sisera's army was killed—not a single man survived.
17 Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feete to the tent of Iael the wife of Heber the Kenite: (for peace was betweene Iabin the king of Hazor, and betweene the house of Heber the Kenite)
In the meantime Sisera had run away to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was a peace treaty between Jabin, king of Hazor, and the family of Heber the Kenite.
18 And Iael went out to meete Sisera, and sayd vnto him, Turne in, my lord, turne in to me: feare not. And when he had turned in vnto her into her tent, she couered him with a mantell.
Jael went to meet Sisera and told him, “Come on in, my lord, come in with me. Don't be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a thick blanket.
19 And he said vnto her, Giue me, I pray thee, a litle water to drinke: for I am thirstie. And shee opened a bottel of milke, and gaue him drinke, and couered him.
“Please give me a bit of water to drink, because I'm thirsty,” Sisera asked her. So she opened a skin of milk, let him have a drink, and then covered him up again.
20 Againe he sayde vnto her, Stande in the doore of the tent, and when any man doth come and enquire of thee, saying, Is any man there? thou shalt say, Nay.
“Stand guard at the tent door,” he told her. “If anybody comes and asks you, ‘Is there is anyone here?’ just say no.”
21 Then Iael Hebers wife tooke a nayle of the tent, and tooke an hammer in her hande, and went softly vnto him, and smote the nayle into his temples, and fastened it into the grounde, (for he was fast a sleepe and weary) and so he dyed.
But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and crept quietly over to him where he lay fast sleep and exhausted. She drove the tent peg through his temple and into the ground, and he died.
22 And behold, as Barak pursued after Sisera, Iael came out to meete him, and sayd vnto him, Come, and I wil shewe thee the man, whome thou seekest: and when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nayle in his temples.
So when Barak came past, hunting for Sisera, Jael went out to meet him, and said, “Come here, and I'll show you the man you're looking for.” He went in with her, and there lay Sisera, dead, with the tent peg through his temple.
23 So God brought downe Iabin the King of Canaan that day before the children of Israel.
That day God defeated Jabin, king of Canaan, in the presence of the Israelites.
24 And the hande of the children of Israel prospered, and preuailed against Iabin the King of Canaan, vntill they had destroyed Iabin King of Canaan.
From then on Israel grew ever more powerful until the destroyed Jabin, king of Hazor.
