Sisera

1And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.

After Ehud died, the people of Israel did evil again. The LORD saw what they did.

2And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles.

So the LORD handed them over to Jabin, a king in Canaan. He ruled in the city of Hazor. The leader of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth.

3And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

The people of Israel cried out to the LORD for help. Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, which are strong war carts. For twenty years he treated Israel very harshly.

4And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

Deborah was a prophetess, someone who told people what God said. She was the wife of Lapidoth. At that time she led Israel and settled their arguments.

5And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.

She sat under a palm tree called the Palm of Deborah. It stood between Ramah and Bethel, in the hills of Ephraim. The people of Israel came there to have her settle their problems.

6And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun?

Deborah sent for Barak, the son of Abinoam, from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said, "The LORD, the God of Israel, has given you an order. Go and march to Mount Tabor. Take ten thousand men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun.

7And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.

"God says, 'I will bring Sisera to you at the Kishon River. He is the leader of Jabin's army. I will bring his chariots and all his soldiers there too. And I will hand him over to you.'"

8And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.

Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go. If you will not go with me, I will not go."

9And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.

Deborah said, "I will surely go with you. But you will get no honor from this trip. The LORD will hand Sisera over to a woman." Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

10And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.

At Kedesh, Barak called for the men of Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah went with him.

12And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.

Someone told Sisera that Barak, the son of Abinoam, had gone up Mount Tabor.

13And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon.

So Sisera called out all nine hundred of his iron chariots. He also called all the men who were with him. They came from Harosheth to the Kishon River.

14And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.

Deborah said to Barak, "Get up! Today the LORD is handing Sisera over to you. The LORD has already gone out ahead of you." So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men behind him.

15And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.

The LORD threw Sisera and his chariots and his whole army into panic. They fell before Barak and his swords. Sisera jumped down from his chariot and ran away on foot.

16But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.

Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth. Sisera's whole army was killed by the sword. Not one man was left.

17Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.

But Sisera ran on foot to the tent of Jael. She was the wife of Heber the Kenite. King Jabin of Hazor and Heber's family were at peace with each other.

18And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle.

Jael went out to meet Sisera. She said, "Come in, sir. Come in here with me. Do not be afraid." So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

19And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him.

He said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink. I am thirsty." She opened a leather bag of milk and gave him a drink. Then she covered him again.

20Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.

He said to her, "Stand at the door of the tent. If anyone comes and asks you, 'Is there a man here?' say no."

21Then Jael Heber’s wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.

Sisera was worn out and fell fast asleep. Then Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer. She walked to him quietly. She drove the peg through the side of his head and into the ground. So he died.

22And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.

Barak came by, still chasing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him. She said, "Come, and I will show you the man you are looking for." He went into her tent. There lay Sisera, dead, with the tent peg through his head.

19The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.

Kings came and fought. The kings of Canaan fought at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo. But they carried away no silver.

20They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

The stars fought from the sky. From their paths they fought against Sisera.

21The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.

The Kishon River swept the enemy away. That old, old river, the Kishon. March on, my soul! Be strong.

22Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.

Then the horses' hooves pounded the ground. The strong horses galloped wildly.

23Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

"Curse Meroz," said the angel of the LORD. "Curse the people who live there. They did not come to help the LORD fight the strong enemy."

24Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

May Jael be blessed more than other women. She is the wife of Heber the Kenite. Bless her above all the women who live in tents.

25He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.

Sisera asked for water, and she gave him milk. She brought him thick, soured milk in a fine bowl.

26She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.

She reached out her hand for a tent peg. Her right hand took the workman's hammer. She struck Sisera and crushed his head. She drove the peg through the side of his head.

27At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

He sank down at her feet. He fell and lay still. He sank down at her feet and fell. Where he sank down, there he fell dead.

28The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?

Sisera's mother looked out of her window. She called through the wooden screen, "Why is his chariot so late? Why do I not hear his wheels?"

29Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,

Her wisest women answered her. And she kept saying the same thing to herself:

30Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?

"They must be sharing out what they took. A girl or two for each soldier. Fine dyed cloth for Sisera. Beautiful cloth with sewn designs, for the neck of the winner."

31So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.

May all your enemies end like this, LORD. But may those who love you shine like the sun at its brightest. Then the land was at peace for forty years.