Judges 4 - Prayer Tents

Deborah Becomes Israel’s Judge

4After Ehud's death, the Israelites again did evil in the LORD's sight.H1121H3478H3254H6213H7451H5869H3068H164H4191 2So the LORD turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim.H3068H4376H3027H2985H4428H3667H4427H2674H8269H6635H5516H3427H2800H1471 3Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help.H1121H3478H6817H3068H8672H3967H7393H1270H6242H8141H2394H3905H1121H3478 4Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time.H1683H5031H802H3941H8199H3478H6256 5She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment.H3427H8560H1683H7414H1008H2022H669H1121H3478H5927H4941 6One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor.H7971H7121H1301H1121H42H6943H559H3068H430H3478H6680H3212H4900H2022H8396H3947H6235H505H376H1121H5321H1121H2074 7And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin's army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him."H4900H5158H7028H5516H8269H2985H6635H7393H1995H5414H3027 8Barak told her, "I will go, but only if you go with me."H1301H559H3212H1980H3212H3212 9"Very well," she replied, "I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the LORD's victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman." So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.H559H1980H3212H657H1870H1980H8597H3068H4376H5516H3027H802H1683H6965H3212H1301H6943 10At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and 10,000 warriors went up with him. Deborah also went with him.H1301H2199H2074H5321H6943H5927H6235H505H376H7272H1683H5927 11Now Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses' brother-in-law Hobab, had moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the oak of Zaanannim near Kedesh.H2268H7017H1121H2246H2859H4872H6504H7017H5186H168H436H6815H6943 12When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,H5046H5516H1301H1121H42H5927H2022H8396 13he called for all 900 of his iron chariots and all of his warriors, and they marched from Harosheth-haggoyim to the Kishon River.H5516H2199H7393H8672H3967H7393H1270H5971H2800H1471H5158H7028 14Then Deborah said to Barak, "Get ready! This is the day the LORD will give you victory over Sisera, for the LORD is marching ahead of you." So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle.H1683H559H1301H6965H3117H3068H5414H5516H3027H3068H3318H6440H1301H3381H2022H8396H6235H505H376H310 15When Barak attacked, the LORD threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic. Sisera leaped down from his chariot and escaped on foot.H3068H2000H5516H7393H4264H6310H2719H6440H1301H5516H3381H4818H5127H7272 16Then Barak chased the chariots and the enemy army all the way to Harosheth-haggoyim, killing all of Sisera's warriors. Not a single one was left alive.H1301H7291H310H7393H4264H2800H1471H4264H5516H5307H6310H2719H259H7604 17Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber's family was on friendly terms with King Jabin of Hazor.H5516H5127H7272H168H3278H802H2268H7017H7965H2985H4428H2674H1004H2268H7017 18Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come into my tent, sir. Come in. Don't be afraid." So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.H3278H3318H7125H5516H559H5493H113H5493H3372H5493H168H3680H8063 19"Please give me some water," he said. "I'm thirsty." So she gave him some milk from a leather bag and covered him again.H559H4592H4325H8248H6770H6605H4997H2461H8248H3680 20"Stand at the door of the tent," he told her. "If anybody comes and asks you if there is anyone here, say no."H559H5975H6607H168H376H935H7592H559H3426H376H3426H559 21But when Sisera fell asleep from exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand. Then she drove the tent peg through his temple and into the ground, and so he died.H3278H2268H802H3947H3489H168H7760H4718H3027H935H3814H8628H3489H7541H6795H776H7290H5774H4191 22When Barak came looking for Sisera, Jael went out to meet him. She said, "Come, and I will show you the man you are looking for." So he followed her into the tent and found Sisera lying there dead, with the tent peg through his temple.H1301H7291H5516H3278H3318H7125H559H3212H7200H376H1245H935H5516H5307H4191H3489H7541 23So on that day Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king.H430H3665H3117H2985H4428H3667H6440H1121H3478 24And from that time on Israel became stronger and stronger against King Jabin until they finally destroyed him.H3027H1121H3478H3212H1980H7186H2985H4428H3667H3772H2985H4428H3667