²So the Lord gave them over to the power of Jabin. He was a king in Canaan. He ruled in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera. Sisera lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. ³Jabin used 900 chariots that had some iron parts. He treated the people of Israel very badly for 20 years. So they cried out to the Lord for help.

⁴Deborah was a prophet. She was the wife of Lappidoth. She was leading Israel at that time. ⁵Under The Palm Tree of Deborah she served the people as their judge. That place was between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. The people of Israel came to her there. They came to have her decide cases for them. She settled matters between them.

⁶Deborah sent for Barak. He was the son of Abinoam. Barak was from Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. Deborah said to Barak, “The Lord, the God of Israel, is giving you a command. He says, ‘Go! Take 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun with you. Then lead the way to Mount Tabor. ⁷I will draw Sisera into a trap. He is the commander of Jabin’s army. I will bring him, his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River. There I will hand him over to you.’ ”

⁸Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I’ll go. But if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

⁹“All right,” Deborah said. “I’ll go with you. But because of the way you are doing this, you won’t receive any honor. The Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.”

So Deborah went to Kedesh with Barak. ¹⁰There he sent for Zebulun and Naphtali. And 10,000 men followed him. Deborah also went with him.

¹¹Heber, the Kenite, had left the other Kenites. They came from the family line of Hobab. He was the brother-in-law of Moses. Heber set up his tent by the large tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.

¹²Sisera was told that Barak, the son of Abinoam, had gone up to Mount Tabor. ¹³So Sisera gathered together his 900 chariots that had some iron parts. He also gathered all of his men together. He brought them from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.

¹⁴Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! Today the Lord will hand Sisera over to you. Hasn’t the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor. His 10,000 men followed him.

¹⁵As Barak’s men marched out, the Lord drove Sisera away from the field of battle. He scattered all of Sisera’s chariots. Barak’s men struck down Sisera’s army with their swords. Sisera left his chariot behind. He ran away on foot.

¹⁶But Barak chased Sisera’s chariots and army. He chased them all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. All of Sisera’s men were killed with swords. Not even one was left.

¹⁷But Sisera ran away on foot. He ran to the tent of Jael. She was the wife of Heber, the Kenite. Sisera ran there because Heber’s family was friendly toward Jabin, the king of Hazor.

¹⁸Jael went out to meet Sisera. “Come in, sir,” she said. “Come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent. Then she covered him up.

¹⁹“I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” So Jael opened a bottle of milk. The bottle was made out of animal skin. She gave him a drink of milk. Then she covered him up again.

²⁰“Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “Someone might come by and ask you, ‘Is anyone here?’ If that happens, say ‘No.’ ”

²¹But Heber’s wife Jael picked up a tent stake and a hammer. She went quietly over to Sisera. He was lying there, fast asleep. He was very tired. She drove the stake through his head right into the ground. So he died.

²²Barak came by because he was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him. “Come right in,” she said. “I’ll show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her. Sisera was lying there with the stake through his head. He was dead.

²³On that day God brought Jabin under Israel’s control. He was a king in Canaan. ²⁴Israel’s power grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, a king in Canaan. They became so strong that they destroyed him.

The Song of Deborah

5On that day Deborah and Barak sang a song. Barak was the son of Abinoam. Here is what Deborah and Barak sang.

²“The princes in Israel lead the way.

The people follow them just because they want to.

Praise the Lord!

³“Kings, hear this! Rulers, listen!

I will sing to the Lord. I will sing.

I will make music to the Lord. He is the God of Israel.

⁴“Lord, you went out from Mount Seir.

You marched out from the land of Edom.

The earth shook. The heavens poured.

The clouds poured down their water.

⁵The mountains shook because of the Lord. He was at Mount Sinai.

They shook because of the Lord. He is the God of Israel.

⁶“The roads were deserted. So travelers used the winding paths.

That happened in the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath.

It happened in the days of Jael.

⁷Life in the villages of Israel stopped.

It stopped until I, Deborah, came.

I came as a mother in Israel.

⁸The people chose new gods.

Then war came to the city gates.

But no shields or spears were seen anywhere.

There weren’t any among 40,000 men in Israel.

⁹My heart is with the princes in Israel.

It’s with the people who follow them just because they want to.

Praise the Lord!

¹⁰“Some of you ride on white donkeys.

Some of you sit on your saddle blankets.

Some of you walk along the road.

Think about ¹¹the voices of the singers at the watering places.

They sing about the right things the Lord does.

They sing about the right things his warriors in Israel do.

“The people of the Lord

went down to the city gates.

¹²‘Wake up, Deborah! Wake up!’ they said.

‘Wake up! Wake up! Begin to sing!

Barak, get up!

Son of Abinoam, capture your prisoners!’

¹³“Then the people who were left came down to the nobles.

The people of the Lord

came to me against the powerful enemy.

¹⁴Some came from the part of Ephraim where some Amalekites lived.

Benjamin was with the people who followed Ephraim.

Captains came down from Makir.

Those who rule like commanders came down from Zebulun.

¹⁵The princes of Issachar were with Deborah.

The men of Issachar were with Barak.

They rushed behind him into the valley.

In the territories of Reuben,

men looked deeply into their hearts.

¹⁶Why did they stay among the campfires?

Why did they stay to hear shepherds whistling for the flocks?

In the territories of Reuben,

men looked deeply into their hearts.

¹⁷Gilead stayed east of the Jordan River.

Why did Dan stay near the ships?

The men of Asher remained on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

They stayed in their safe harbors.

¹⁸The people of Zebulun put their very lives in danger.

So did Naphtali on the hills in the open country.

¹⁹“Kings came and fought.

The kings of Canaan fought

at Taanach by the streams of Megiddo.

But they didn’t carry any silver away.

They didn’t take anything at all.

²⁰From the heavens the stars fought.

From the sky they fought against Sisera.

²¹The Kishon River swept them away.

The Kishon is a very old river.

My spirit, march on! Be strong!

²²The hoofs of the horses pounded like thunder.

The powerful horses of our enemies galloped away.

²³‘Let Meroz be cursed,’ said the angel of the Lord.

‘Let bitter curses fall on its people.

They did not come to help the Lord.

They did not come to help him against our powerful enemies.’

²⁴“May Jael be the most blessed woman of all.

May the wife of the Kenite Heber be blessed.

May she be the most blessed woman of all those who live in tents.

²⁵Sisera asked for water. She gave him milk.

In a bowl that was fit for nobles she brought him buttermilk.

²⁶Her hand reached out for a tent stake.

Her right hand reached for a hammer.

She hit Sisera. She crushed his head.

She drove the stake right through his head.

²⁷He sank down. He fell at her feet.

He was lying there.

At her feet he sank down. He fell.

He fell where he sank down.

That’s where he died.

²⁸“Sisera’s mother looked out through the window.

From behind the wooden screen she cried out.

‘Why is his chariot taking so long to get here?’ she said.

‘Why can’t I hear the noise of his chariots yet?’

²⁹Her wisest ladies answer her.

And here’s what she keeps saying to herself.

³⁰She says, ‘They must be finding riches to bring back.

They must be dividing them up.

Each man is getting a woman or two.

They are giving colorful clothes to Sisera.

The clothes are very beautiful.

He will bring some for me to wear.

The men must be finding many things to bring home.’

³¹“Lord, may all of your enemies be destroyed.

But may those who love you be like the morning sun.

May they be like the sun when it shines the brightest.”

So the land was at peace for 40 years.

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