Judges 4
Deborah and Barak
Defeat Sisera |
1 |
And the children of Israel again did evil
in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was
dead.
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2 |
And the LORD sold
them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor;
the captain of whose host was Sis'era, which dwelt in
Haro'sheth of the Gentiles.
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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.
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4 |
And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of
Lap'idoth, she judged Israel at that time.
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5 |
And she dwelt under the palm tree of
Deborah, between Ramah and Beth-el in mount E'phra-im: and the
children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
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6 |
And she sent and called Barak the son of
Abin'o-am out of Kedesh-naph'tali, 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 Naph'tali and of the children of Zeb'ulun?
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7 |
And I will draw unto thee, to the river
Kishon, Sis'era the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and
his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.
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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.
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9 |
And she said, I will surely go with thee:
notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine
honor; for the LORD shall sell Sis'era into the
hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to
Kedesh.
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10 |
And Barak called Zeb'ulun and Naph'tali
to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and
Deborah went up with him.
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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
Za-ana'im, which is by Kedesh.
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12 |
And they showed Sis'era that Barak the
son of Abin'o-am was gone up to mount Tabor.
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13 |
And Sis'era gathered together all his
chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the
people that were with him, from Haro'sheth of the Gentiles
unto the river of Kishon.
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14 |
And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath
delivered Sis'era into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from
mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.
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15 |
And the LORD discomfited Sis'era, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sis'era
lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his
feet.
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16 |
But Barak pursued after the chariots, and
after the host, unto Haro'sheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of
Sis'era fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a
man left.
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17 |
Howbeit Sis'era fled away on his feet
to the tent of Ja'el the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there
was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber
the Kenite.
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18 |
And Ja'el went out to meet Sis'era, 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.
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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.
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20 |
Again he said unto her, Stand in the door
of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire of
thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say,
No.
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21 |
Then Ja'el Heber's wife took a nail of
the tent, and took a 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.
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22 |
And, behold, as Barak pursued Sis'era,
Ja'el came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will show
thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sis'era lay dead, and the nail was in
his temples.
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23 |
So God subdued on that day Jabin the
king of Canaan before the children of Israel.
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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.
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