Judges, 4

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

1. After Ehud died, the Israelites again treated Yahweh badly,

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.

2. so he left them in the power of Yabin, king of Canaan. Yabin reigned in Hazor, and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoiim.

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.

3. Then the Israelites cried to Yahweh, for Yabin had nine hundred chariots of war, and had kept the Israelites oppressed for twenty years.

4. And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

4. At that time, Deborah, a prophetess and wife of Lappidoth, became judge.

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.

5. She used to sit under what was called the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel, in the land of Ephraim. There she resolved the complaints that the Israelites presented to her.

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?

6. And she sent and called for Barak, the son of Abinoam, who was from the town of Kedesh of Naphtali. She said to him, "This is the order of Yahweh: Go, gather the people on Mount Tabor and take with you ten thousand men from the tribes of Naphtali and 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.

7. for I am going to bring Sisera to you at the river Kishon with his chariots and men, and I will give him into your hands."

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.

8. Barak answered her, "If you will go, then I shall go, too; but if you do not go, I shall not 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.

9. Deborah answered, "I will go with you, but if you do it that way the honor of the victory will not be yours, for Sisera will be killed by a woman." In this way Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.

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.

10. Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali and ten thousand followed him. Deborah also went up with him.

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.

11. At that moment, Heber the Kenite was encamped by the oak of Zaan-nannim, near Kedesh, after separating from the other Kenite descendants of Hobab, Moses' father-in-law.

12. And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.

12. When Sisera came to know that Barak had climbed Mount Tabor,

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.

13. he gathered all his chariots - nine hundred chariots of war in all - and all his men, and they set out from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the river Kishon.

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.

14. Then Deborah said to Barak, "Rise, for this is the day in which Yahweh shall give Sisera into your hands. Today, Yahweh goes before you." So, Barak went down from Mount Tabor with his ten thousand men.

15. And 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.

15. Yahweh made him win over Sisera and his chariots and all his army. Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled,

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.

16. while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All of Sisera's army perished. Nobody was spared.

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.

17. There Sisera took refuge, and came running to the tent of Yael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Peace reigned between the Kenite tribe and the Canaanites of Yabin, king of Hazor.

18. And 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.

18. Yael came out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come this way, my lord, have no fear." Sisera entered and Yael hid him under 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.

19. He asked her for a little water to quench his thirst. The woman opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again with the blanket.

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.

20. And he said to her, "Stand at the entrance; and if anyone comes and asks you, tell him there is no one with you."

21. Then 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 asleep and weary. So he died.

21. Sisera was very tired, so he slept. Then the woman took a hammer and a tent peg, went quietly to him and drove the peg into his temple till it was fixed into the ground.

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.

22. When Barak arrived, Yael came out to meet him and said, "Come in, and I will show you the man you are looking for." He entered and saw Sisera dead with a tent peg through his temple.

23. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel.

23. On that day Yahweh humbled Yabin before the Israelites.

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.

24. The Israelites did not rest until they destroyed all the Canaanites.