Deborah and Barak 1 UST After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did things that Yahweh had said were very wicked. BSB BSB: After Ehud died, the Israelites again did evil in the sight of the LORD.
3 UST Sisera’ s army had 900 chariots that had iron parts. He cruelly oppressed the Israelites for 20 years. Then they pleaded with Yahweh to help them. BSB BSB: Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, because Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and he had harshly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.
4 UST At that time, a woman whose name was Deborah was a leader of the people of Israel. She was a prophetess. Her husband’ s name was Lappidoth. BSB BSB: Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
5 UST She would sit under her palm tree(which people called Deborah’ s Palm Tree) at a place between Ramah and Bethel in the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived. The Israelites would come to her and ask her to help them settle their disputes. BSB BSB: And she would sit under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where the Israelites would go up to her for judgment.
6 UST One day she sent for Barak, the son of Abinoam. She called him to come to her. He was from Kedesh, in the area where the descendants of Naphtali lived. She told him,“Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, is commanding you to do something. He is telling you to gather an army of{ at least} 10, 000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. Have this army assemble at Mount Tabor. BSB BSB: She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Surely the LORD, the God of Israel, is commanding you: ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, taking with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun.
7 UST Sisera is the commander of King Jabin’ s army. Yahweh will make him come near you with his chariots and his army. He will come to the Kishon River{ a few miles away from you}. Yahweh will enable your men to defeat them.” BSB BSB: And I will draw out Sisera the commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his troops to the River Kishon, and I will deliver him into your hand.’”
8 UST Barak told her,“I will only go if you go with me. If you do not go with me, then I will not go.” BSB BSB: 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 UST She replied,“I will certainly go with you. But because you would not go without me, Yahweh will enable a woman to defeat Sisera. The result will be that no one will honor you for doing that.” So Deborah left her home and went with Barak to Kedesh. BSB BSB: “I will certainly go with you,” Deborah replied, “but the road you are taking will bring you no honor, because the LORD will be selling Sisera into the hand of a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh,
10 UST Barak called for the men of Zebulun and Naphtali to assemble at Kedesh. With Barak as their commander, 10, 000 men came there. Deborah accompanied this army. BSB BSB: where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
11 UST Now there was a man whose name was Heber who was a Kenite.(He was a descendant of Moses’ father- in- law Hobab.) He had moved away from the rest of the Kenites. He was living at this time near the big oak tree at Zaanannim, near Kedesh. BSB BSB: Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent by the great tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh.
12 UST People told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had assembled an army on Mount Tabor. BSB BSB: When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor,
13 UST When Sisera heard that, he gathered all his troops. They brought all 900 of the chariots that had iron parts, and they marched from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River{ to attack Barak and his army}. BSB BSB: he summoned all nine hundred of his iron chariots and all the men with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the River Kishon.
14 UST Then Deborah said to Barak,“It is time to attack! Today Yahweh is going to enable your army to defeat the army of Sisera. Yahweh is already fighting against Sisera for you.” So Barak led his thousands of troops down the slopes of Mount Tabor{ to fight with Sisera}. BSB BSB: Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day that the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone before you?” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
15 UST As Barak and his troops advanced, Yahweh caused Sisera and all his chariots and his army to become disorganized. The Israelites were killing so many of his soldiers that Sisera jumped down from his chariot and ran away. BSB BSB: And in front of him the LORD routed with the sword Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.
16 UST But Barak and his soldiers chased after the other chariots and enemy soldiers all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. They killed all of the soldiers in Sisera’ s army. None of them got away. BSB BSB: Then Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left.
Jael Kills Sisera 17 UST But Sisera ran away to the place where Heber the Kenite was staying. He went up to the tent where Heber’ s wife Jael lived. He did that because Heber and his family were good friends of Sisera’ s master Jabin, the king of the city of Hazor{, so he thought Jael would hide him}. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
18 UST Jael went out to greet Sisera. She said to him,“Sir, please come into my tent. You do not have to be afraid.” So he went into her tent{ and lay down}, and she covered him with a blanket{ to hide him}. BSB BSB: Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Do not be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
19 UST He said to her,“I am thirsty, so would you please give me some water?” So she opened a leather container of milk, and she gave him a drink. Then she covered him with the blanket again. BSB BSB: Sisera said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him again.
20 UST He told her,“Stand near the door of the tent{ to meet anyone who arrives}. If someone{ who is looking for me} comes and asks you,‘Is anyone else here?’ say‘No.’” BSB BSB: “Stand at the entrance to the tent,” he said, “and if anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say, ‘No.’”
21 UST Sisera was very exhausted, so he soon fell asleep. While he was sleeping, Jael picked up a hammer and a tent peg and crept quietly over to him. Suddenly she pounded the peg into his skull. She hammered it all the way through his head until it stuck into the ground. This killed Sisera. BSB BSB: But as he lay sleeping from exhaustion, Heber’s wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She drove the peg through his temple and into the ground, and he died.
22 UST Meanwhile, Barak was looking for Sisera. When he got to Jael’ s tent, she went out to greet him. She told him,“The man you are looking for is in here!” So he followed her into the tent, and there he saw Sisera lying dead with the tent peg through his head. BSB BSB: When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man you are seeking.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera dead, with a tent peg through his temple.
23 UST And that was how God enabled the Israelites that day to defeat the army of Jabin, one of the kings of the Canaanites. BSB BSB: On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites.
24 UST The Israelites had become stronger and stronger, and finally they completely defeated the army of Jabin, that Canaanite king. BSB BSB: And the hand of the Israelites grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.