Judges 4:1-17

Deborah and Barak

1 aAnd the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died. 2And the Lord bsold them into the hand of cJabin king of Canaan, who reigned in dHazor. The commander of his army was eSisera, who lived in fHarosheth-hagoyim. 3Then the people of Israel gcried out to the Lord for help, for he had h900 chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.

4Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in ithe hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6She sent and summoned jBarak the son of Abinoam from kKedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount lTabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by mthe river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, nand I will give him into your hand’?” 8Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will osell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10And Barak called out pZebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.

11Now Heber qthe Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of rHobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in sZaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

12When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13Sisera called out all his chariots, t900 chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14And Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which uthe Lord has given Sisera into your hand. vDoes not the Lord go out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. 15 wAnd the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword. And Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16And Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.

17But Sisera fled away on foot 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.
Copyright information for ESV