Deborah and Barak
1 After the death of Ehud, the Israelites again started disobeying the Lord. 2 So the Lord let the Canaanite King Jabin of Hazor conquer Israel. Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, lived in Harosheth-Ha-Goiim. 3 Jabin's army had 900 iron chariots, and for 20 years he made life miserable for the Israelites, until finally they begged the Lord for help.
4 Deborah the wife of Lappidoth was a prophet and a leader of Israel during those days. 5 She would sit under Deborah's Palm Tree between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, where Israelites would come and ask her to settle their legal cases.
6 One day, Barak the son of Abinoam was in Kedesh in Naphtali, and Deborah sent word for him to come and talk with her. When he arrived, she said:
I have a message for you from the Lord God of Israel! You are to get together an army of 10,000 men from the Naphtali and Zebulun tribes and lead them to Mount Tabor. 7 The Lord will trick Sisera into coming out to fight you at the Kishon River. Sisera will be leading King Jabin's army as usual, and they will have their chariots, but the Lord has promised to help you defeat them.
8 “I'm not going unless you go!” Barak told her.
9 “All right, I'll go!” she replied. “But I'm warning you that the Lord is going to let a woman defeat Sisera, and no one will honor you for winning the battle.”
Deborah and Barak left for Kedesh, 10 where Barak called together the troops from Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand soldiers gathered there, and Barak led them out from Kedesh. Deborah went too.
11 At this time, Heber of the Kenite clan was living near the village of Oak in Zaanannim, not far from Kedesh. The Kenites were descendants of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses, but Heber had moved and had set up his tents away from the rest of the clan.
12 When Sisera learned that Barak had led an army to Mount Tabor, 13 he called his troops together and got all 900 iron chariots ready. Then he led his army away from Harosheth-Ha-Goiim to the Kishon River.
14 Deborah shouted, “Barak, it's time to attack Sisera! Because today the Lord is going to help you defeat him. In fact, the Lord has already gone on ahead to fight for you.”
Barak led his 10,000 troops down from Mount Tabor. 15 And during the battle, the Lord confused Sisera, his chariot drivers, and his whole army. Everyone was so afraid of Barak and his army, that even Sisera jumped down from his chariot and tried to escape. 16 Barak's forces went after Sisera's chariots and army as far as Harosheth-Ha-Goiim.
Sisera's entire army was wiped out. 17 Only Sisera escaped. He ran to Heber's camp, because Heber and his family had a peace treaty with the king of Hazor. Sisera went to the tent that belonged to Jael, Heber's wife. 18 She came out to greet him and said, “Come in, sir! Please come on in. Don't be afraid.”
After they had gone inside, Sisera lay down, and Jael covered him with a blanket. 19 “Could I have a little water?” he asked. “I'm thirsty.”
Jael opened a leather bottle and poured him some milk, then she covered him back up.
20 “Stand at the entrance to the tent,” Sisera told her. “If someone comes by and asks if anyone is inside, tell them ‘No.’ ”
21 Sisera was exhausted and soon fell fast asleep. Jael took a hammer and drove a tent-peg through his head into the ground, and he died.
22 Meanwhile, Barak had been following Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. “The man you're looking for is inside,” she said. “Come in and I'll show him to you.”
They went inside, and there was Sisera—dead and stretched out with a tent-peg through his skull.
23 That same day God defeated the Canaanite King Jabin while the Israelites looked on, and his army was no longer powerful enough to attack the Israelites. 24 Jabin grew weaker while the Israelites kept growing stronger, until at last the Israelites destroyed him.
Debora un Bārāks
1 Tomēr Israēla dēli turpināja darīt to, kas ļauns Kunga acīs, kad Ēhūds bija miris. 2 Tad Kungs viņus pārdeva kanaāniešu ķēniņam Jābīnam, kurš valdīja Hācorā. Viņa karaspēka virspavēlnieks bija Sīsra – Harošet-Gojīmas iemītnieks. 3 Un Israēla dēli brēca uz Kungu, jo Sīsram bija deviņi simti dzelzs kararatu un viņš nežēlīgi apspieda Israēlu divdesmit gadus.
4 Tolaik praviete Debora, Lapīdota sieva, bija soģe Israēlā. 5 Viņa sēdēja zem Deboras palmas starp Rāmu un Bēteli Efraima kalnos, un Israēla dēli nāca pie viņas, lai viņa spriestu tiesu. 6 Viņa sūtīja pēc Bārāka, Abīnoama dēla, no Kedešas Naftālī novadā un sacīja viņam: “Tā ir pavēlējis Kungs, Israēla Dievs: ej, dodies uz Tābora kalnu un ņem sev līdzi desmit tūkstošus vīru no Naftālī dēliem un Zebulūna dēliem. 7 Pie Kīšonas straumes es izdošu tev Sīsru, Jābīna karaspēka virspavēlnieku, viņa kararatus un viņa lielo pulku – es nodošu viņu tev.” 8 Bet Bārāks viņai atbildēja: “Ja tu nāksi ar mani, es iešu, bet, ja tu nenāksi ar mani, es neiešu.” 9 Tad viņa sacīja: “Es noteikti iešu ar tevi, tomēr ne tev tiks slava uz tā ceļa, kuru tu ej, jo sievas rokā Kungs pārdos Sīsru!” Un Debora cēlās un gāja kopā ar Bārāku uz Kedešu. 10 Bārāks sapulcināja Zebulūnu un Naftālī Kedešā, desmit tūkstoši vīru sanāca kājām, un arī Debora nāca kopā ar viņu. 11 Kēnietis Hebers bija nošķīries no kēniešiem, Mozus sievastēva Hobāba dēliem. Viņš bija uzslējis savu telti pie ozola Caanannīmā, kas pie Kedešas. 12 Sīsram tika paziņots, ka Bārāks, Abīnoama dēls, ir uzkāpis Tābora kalnā.
13 Sīsra sapulcināja pie Kīšonas straumes visus savus kararatus – deviņi simti dzelzs kararatu – un visus savus ļaudis no Harošet-Gojīmas. 14 Tad Debora teica Bārākam: “Celies! Šī ir tā diena, kad Kungs nodevis Sīsru tavā rokā. Vai gan pats Kungs nav izgājis tavā priekšā?!” Un Bārāks nāca lejā no Tābora kalna, un desmit tūkstoši vīru sekoja viņam. 15 Kungs radīja apjukumu Sīsram un sajukumu kararatu pulkā un visā viņa karaspēkā – Bārāka zobena asmens priekšā. Sīsra nolēca no saviem kararatiem un bēga kājām. 16 Bārāks vajāja kararatus un karaspēku līdz Harošet-Gojīmai, un viss Sīsras karaspēks krita no zobena asmens, netika saudzēts neviens. 17 Sīsra kājām aizbēga līdz kēnieša sievas Jaēlas teltij, jo starp Hācoras ķēniņu Jābīnu un kēnieša Hebera namu bija miers. 18 Jaēla iznāca Sīsram pretī un teica: “Iegriezies, mans kungs, iegriezies pie manis, nebīsties!” Viņš ienāca pie tās teltī, un viņa to apklāja ar paklāju. 19 Tad viņš tai sacīja: “Jel iedod man padzerties mazliet ūdens, jo man slāpst!” Un viņa attaisīja piena trauku, iedeva tam padzerties un apklāja viņu. 20 Viņš tai sacīja: “Nostājies telts durvīs un, ja kāds nāk un jautā, vai te kāds ir, atbildi: nav!” 21 Tad Hebera sieva Jaēla ņēma telts mietiņu, satvēra rokā āmuru, klusi pienāca pie viņa un iedzina mietiņu viņa deniņos, tā ka tas iedūrās zemē. Cieši aizmidzis bez samaņas viņš nomira. 22 Un, redzi, Bārāks dzinās pakaļ Sīsram. Bet Jaēla iznāca viņam pretī un sacīja: “Nāc, es tev parādīšu to vīru, ko tu meklē!” Viņš ienāca pie tās, un redzi, Sīsra gulēja beigts, un mietiņš tam deniņos. 23 Tā Dievs todien Israēla dēlu priekšā pazemoja kanaāniešu ķēniņu Jābīnu. 24 Israēla dēli jo varen cīkstējās pret kanaāniešu ķēniņu Jābīnu, līdz tie kanaāniešu ķēniņu Jābīnu iznīdēja pavisam.
