0 SAB Judges 4

Judges

CHAPTER 4

Deborah, a prophetess and judge
   4:1-5

1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.

After Ehud died, the people did evil in the sight of the Lord (again).

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.

And God sold them to Jabin, the king of Canaan. [1]

3And 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.

The Israelites cried out to God (because Jabin had 900 chariots and had oppressed the Israelites for 20 years).

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.

A woman named Deborah became the leader of the Israelites. She is called a prophetess and judge.

She sat under a palm tree and everyone came to her for judgment.

The Lord discomfited Sisera (and killed all his men)
4:6-16

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.

Deborah summoned Barak and said to him,

Didn't God say to you,
Take 10,000 soldiers to fight Sisera.

I will deliver him into your 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.

Barak said,

If you'll go with me, I'll go.

But if you won't go with me, I won't 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.

Deborah said,

I'll go with you.

God will deliver Sisera into the hand of a woman.

And Deborah went with Barak.

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.

So Barak, Deborah, and 10,000 men went to fight Sisera.

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.

Heber, the son of Hobab, Moses's father in law [2], pitched his tent on the plain of Zaanaim, which is near Kedesh.

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.

Sisera gathered all 900 of his iron chariots. [3]

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.

Deborah said to Barak,
God has delivered Sisera into your hand.

Hasn't God gone out before you?

So Barak went down mount Tabor with 10,000 men.

15And 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.

And God "discomfited" Sisera and all his chariots with the edge of the sword. [4]

But Sisera escaped.

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.

Barak pursued Sisera's army, all of which killed themselves (or each other) with their swords.

Not a single man among them survived.

Jael pounds a tent stake through a sleeping man's skull
4:17-24

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.

Sisera fled to the tent of Jael, Heber's wife.

18And 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.

Jael went out to meet Sisera, saying,
Sleep here and don't be afraid.

When Sisera laid down in the tent, Jael covered him with a blanket.

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.

Sisera said to her,
Could I please have a drink of water?

Jael gave him a glass of milk and tucked him in.

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.

Sisera said,
Stand in the door of the tent. If anyone asks if any man is here, say, "No."

21Then 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 asleepclass="v"> and weary. So he died.

Then Jael took a tent stake and a hammer, and crept up to Sisera, who was fast asleep. [5]

And she hammered the stake through his temples, fastening his head to the ground. [6]

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.

When Barak, who was pursuing Sisera, came by Jael's tent, Jael showed him Sisera with the tent stake through is temples.

23So 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.

So God subdued Jabin, the king of Canaan, and the Israelites destroyed him. [7]

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