Judges 4:1–9

Deborah and Barak Deliver from Canaanites

1 Then athe sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died.

2 And the Lord sold them into the hand of aJabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in bHarosheth-hagoyim.

3 The sons of Israel cried to the Lord; for he had nine hundred airon chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.

4 Now Deborah, a 1prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.

5 She used to 1sit under the apalm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.

6 Now she sent and summoned aBarak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “1Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun.

7 ‘I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his 1many troops to the river Kishon, and aI will give him into your hand.’ ”

8 Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

9 She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, afor the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.