Deborah and Barak
1 1And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD after Ehud died.
2
And the LORD
2sold them into the hand of
3Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in
4Hazor. The commander of his army was
5Sisera, who lived in
6Harosheth-hagoyim.
3
Then the people of Israel
7cried out to the LORD for help, for he had chariots of iron and he oppressed the people of Israel cruelly for twenty years.
4
Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
5
She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in
8the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment.
6
She sent and summoned
9Barak the son of Abinoam from
10Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, "Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, 'Go, gather your men at Mount
11Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun.
7
And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by
12the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops,
13and I will give him into your hand'?"
8
Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go."
9
And 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
14sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10
And Barak called out
15Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.
11
Now Heber
16the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of
17Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in
18Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.
12
When Sisera was told that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,
13
Sisera called out all his chariots, chariots of iron, and all the men who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon.
14
And Deborah said to Barak, "Up! For this is the day in which
19the LORD has given Sisera into your hand.
20Does not the LORD go out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him.
15
21And 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.
16
And 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.