Judges 4:4 - Prayer Tents

Deborah, Israel’s Fourth Judge

4After Ehud had died, while the Lord was watching, the Israelites made the evil they had been practicing even worse,H1121H3478H3254H6213H7451H5869H3068H164H4191

2so the Lord turned them over to domination by Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commanding officer of his army, lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim.H3068H4376H3027H2985H4428H3667H4427H2674H8269H6635H5516H3427H2800H1471

3The Israelites cried out to the Lord, because of his 900 iron chariots. Jabin oppressed the Israelites forcefully for twenty years.H1121H3478H6817H3068H8672H3967H7393H1270H6242H8141H2394H3905H1121H3478

4Deborah, a woman, prophet, and wife of Lappidoth, was herself judging Israel during that time.H1683H5031H802H3941H8199H3478H6256

5She regularly took her seat under the Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountainous region of Ephraim, where the Israelites would approach her for decisions.H3427H8560H1683H7414H1008H2022H669H1121H3478H5927H4941

6She sent word to Abinoam's son Barak from Kedesh-naphtali, summoning him. She asked him, "The Lord God of Israel has commanded you, hasn't he?He told you, 'Go out, march to Mount Tabor, and take 10,000 men with you from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun.H7971H7121H1301H1121H42H6943H559H3068H430H3478H6680H3212H4900H2022H8396H3947H6235H505H376H1121H5321H1121H2074

7I will draw out Sisera, the commanding officer of Jabin's army, along with his chariots and troops, to the Kishon River, where I will drop him right into your hands.'"H4900H5158H7028H5516H8269H2985H6635H7393H1995H5414H3027

8"If you'll go with me, I'll go," Barak replied. "But if you won't go with me, then I'm not going."H1301H559H3212H1980H3212H3212

9She responded, "I will surely go with you, but the road that you're about to take will not lead to honor for you. The Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman." Then Deborah got up and went with Barak toward Kedesh.H559H1980H3212H657H1870H1980H8597H3068H4376H5516H3027H802H1683H6965H3212H1301H6943

10Barak called out the army of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali to march on Kedesh, and 10,000 men went out to war with him, along with Deborah.H1301H2199H2074H5321H6943H5927H6235H505H376H7272H1683H5927

11Meanwhile, Heber the Kenite had been separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Moses' father-in-law Hobab. He had pitched his tents far away, near the Elon-bezaanannim.H2268H7017H1121H2246H2859H4872H6504H7017H5186H168H436H6815H6943

12Furthermore, Sisera had been informed that Abinoam's son Barak had marched on Mount Tamor.H5046H5516H1301H1121H42H5927H2022H8396

13So Sisera gathered his iron chariots together from Harosheth-ha-goiim - all 900 of them, along with all the people who were assigned to them - and they assembled at the Kishon River.12H5516H2199H7393H8672H3967H7393H1270H5971H2800H1471H5158H7028

14"Get going!" Deborah said to Barak. "Because today's the day when the Lord has dropped Sisera into your hands! Look! The Lord has already gone out ahead of you!" So Barak left Mount Tabor, followed by 10,000 men,H1683H559H1301H6965H3117H3068H5414H5516H3027H3068H3318H6440H1301H3381H2022H8396H6235H505H376H310

15and the Lord threw Sisera, all the chariots, and his entire army into a panic right in front of Barak. Then Sisera abandoned his chariot and escaped on footH3068H2000H5516H7393H4264H6310H2719H6440H1301H5516H3381H4818H5127H7272

16while Barak chased the chariots and army as far as Harosheth-ha-goyiim. Sisera's entire army died in the battle - not even one soldier remained.4H1301H7291H310H7393H4264H2800H1471H4264H5516H5307H6310H2719H259H7604

Heber’s Wife Jael Kills Sisera

17Meanwhile, Sisera had escaped on foot to a tent belonging to Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, since there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the household of Heber the Kenite.H5516H5127H7272H168H3278H802H2268H7017H7965H2985H4428H2674H1004H2268H7017

18Jael went out to greet Sisera. "Turn aside, sir!" she told him. "Turn aside to me! Don't be afraid." So he turned aside to her and entered her tent, where she concealed him behind a curtain.H3278H3318H7125H5516H559H5493H113H5493H3372H5493H168H3680H8063

19He asked her, "Please give me some water to drink, because I'm thirsty." Instead, she opened a leather container of milk, gave him a drink, and then covered him up. He told her, "Stand in the doorway of the tent, and if anyone comes and asks 'Is anybody here?' say 'No'."H559H4592H4325H8248H6770H6605H4997H2461H8248H3680

21But Heber's wife Jael grabbed a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other, crept up to him quietly, and drove the tent peg right through his temple into the ground below after he had fallen sound asleep from exhaustion. That's how he died.H3278H2268H802H3947H3489H168H7760H4718H3027H935H3814H8628H3489H7541H6795H776H7290H5774H4191

22Meanwhile, as Barak continued chasing Sisera, Jael went out to meet him. "Come with me," she told him, "and I'll show you the man you're looking for!" So he went with her, and there was Sisera, lying dead with the tent peg still embedded in his temple!H1301H7291H5516H3278H3318H7125H559H3212H7200H376H1245H935H5516H5307H4191H3489H7541

23That's how God subdued Jabin, king of Canaan right in front of the Israelites that day. 24And the Israelites gained greater control over King Jabin of Canaan until they had eliminated him.H430H3665H3117H2985H4428H3667H6440H1121H3478