Judges 4

Deborah and Barak

1 When Ehud was dead, a the children of Israel again did b evil in the sight of the LORD. 2 So the LORD c sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in d Hazor. The commander of his army was e Sisera, who dwelt in f Harosheth Hagoyim. 3 And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD; for Jabin had nine hundred g chariots of iron, and for twenty years h he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel.

4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 i And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 Then she sent and called for j Barak the son of Abinoam from k Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, 'Go and 1 deploy troops at Mount l Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; 7 'and against you m I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the n River Kishon; and I will 2 deliver him into your hand'?" 8 And 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 So she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the LORD will o sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 And Barak called p Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand men q under 3 his command, and Deborah went up with him.

11 Now Heber r the Kenite, of the children of s Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at Zaanaim, t which is beside Kedesh.

12 And they reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13 So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, 4 "Up! For this is the day in which the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. u Has not the LORD gone out before you?" So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 And the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was v left.

17 However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of w Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, "Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; do not fear." And when he had turned aside with her into the tent, she covered him with a 5 blanket. 19 Then he said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty." So she opened x a jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him. 20 And he said to her, "Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says, 'Is there any man here?' you shall say, 'No.' " 21 Then Jael, Heber's wife, y took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. 22 And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, "Come, I will show you the man whom you seek." And when he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.

23 So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel. 24 And the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.

  1. Cross References
    Judges 2:19
    And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.
  2. Cross References
    Judges 2:11
    Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals.
  3. Cross References
    Judges 2:14
    And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
  4. Cross References
    Joshua 11:1
    And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard these things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph.
    Joshua 11:10
    Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor was formerly the head of all those kingdoms.
  5. Cross References
    1 Samuel 12:9
    And when they forgot the LORD their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them.
    Psalms 83:9
    Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera, As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon.
  6. Cross References
    Judges 4:13
    So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon.
    Judges 4:16
    But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
  7. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 20:1
    When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
    Judges 1:19
    So the LORD was with Judah. And they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland, because they had chariots of iron.
  8. Cross References
    Psalms 106:42
    Their enemies also oppressed them, And they were brought into subjection under their hand.
  9. Cross References
    Genesis 35:8
    Now Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the terebinth tree. So the name of it was called Allon Bachuth.
  10. Cross References
    Hebrews 11:32
    And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:
  11. Cross References
    Joshua 19:37
    Kedesh, Edrei, En Hazor.
    Joshua 21:32
    And from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Hammoth Dor with its common-land, and Kartan with its common-land: three cities.
  12. Cross References
    Judges 8:18
    And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?" So they answered, "As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king.
  13. Cross References
    Exodus 14:4
    Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD." And they did so.
  14. Cross References
    Judges 5:21
    The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. O my soul, march on in strength!
    1 Kings 18:40
    And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.
    Psalms 83:9
    Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera, As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon.
    Psalms 83:10
    Who perished at En Dor, Who became as refuse on the earth.
  15. Cross References
    Judges 2:14
    And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
  16. Cross References
    Judges 5:18
    Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
  17. Cross References
    Exodus 11:8
    And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, 'Get out, and all the people who follow you!' After that I will go out." Then he went out from Pharaoh in great anger.
    1 Kings 20:10
    Then BenHadad sent to him and said, "The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me.
  18. Cross References
    Judges 1:16
    Now the children of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms with the children of Judah into the Wilderness of Judah, which lies in the South near Arad; and they went and dwelt among the people.
  19. Cross References
    Numbers 10:29
    Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, "We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, 'I will give it to you.' Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.
  20. Cross References
    Judges 4:6
    Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, 'Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun.
  21. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 9:3
    Therefore understand today that the LORD your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the LORD has said to you.
    Deuteronomy 31:3
    The LORD your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you, just as the LORD has said.
    2 Samuel 5:24
    "And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines."
    Psalms 68:7
    O God, when You went out before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah
    Isaiah 52:12
    For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
  22. Cross References
    Exodus 14:28
    Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.
    Psalms 83:9
    Deal with them as with Midian, As with Sisera, As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon.
  23. Cross References
    Judges 5:6
    In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways.
  24. Cross References
    Judges 5:24 - 27
    Most blessed among women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in tents.
  25. Cross References
    Judges 5:24 - 27
    Most blessed among women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in tents.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Previous Book Next Book