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.
1 Bet Israēla bērni joprojām darīja to, kas Tā Kunga acīs ļauns, arī kad Ehuds bija nomiris. 2 Tad Tas Kungs viņus nodeva Jabīna, Kānaāna ķēniņa, rokā, kas valdīja Hacorā, bet viņa karaspēka virspavēlnieks bija Sisera, kas dzīvoja Harošet-Gojimā. 3 Tad Israēla bērni piesauca To Kungu, jo Jabīnam bija deviņi simti dzelzs kara ratu, un viņš bija Israēla bērnus divdesmit gadus smagi apspiedis. 4 Tai laikā Israēlā soģe bija praviete Debora, Lapidota sieva. 5 Un viņai bija sēdeklis zem Deboras palmas, starp Rāmu un starp Bēteli Efraima kalnos, un pie viņas Israēla bērni griezās pēc taisnības. 6 Un viņa nosūtīja un aicināja Baraku, Abinoāma dēlu, no Kedešas, Naftaļa ciltī, un viņam teica: "Tiešām, Tas Kungs, Israēla Dievs, tev ir pavēlējis: celies un dodies uz Tābora kalnu un ņem sev līdzi desmit tūkstošus vīru no Naftaļa bērniem un no Zebulona bērniem. 7 Tad Es tev pievedīšu Kišonas ielejā Siseru, Jabīna karaspēka virspavēlnieku, kopā ar viņa kara ratiem un viņa pulkiem, un Es viņus nodošu tavā rokā." 8 Tad Baraks viņai atbildēja: "Ja tu nāksi man līdzi, tad es iešu, bet, ja tu nenāksi līdzi, tad es neiešu." 9 Un viņa sacīja: "Es katrā ziņā iešu ar tevi, tomēr uzvaras goda balva šai gājienā, kurā tu tagad dosies, nepiederēs tev, jo Tas Kungs nodos Siseru kādas sievas rokā." Un Debora cēlās un gāja kopā ar Baraku uz Kedešu. 10 Un Baraks sasauca Zebulonu un Naftali Kedešā, un desmit tūkstoši vīru viņa vadībā devās augšup; arī Debora gāja viņam līdzi. 11 Bet kenietis Hebers bija atdalījies no Mozus svaiņa Hobaba pēcnācējiem un uzcēla savas teltis līdz pat Caānanima ozolam, kas atradās tuvu pie Kedešas. 12 Un Siseram tika teikts, ka Baraks, Abionāma dēls, ir atnācis Tābora kalnā. 13 Tad Sisera savāca vienkopus visus savus kara ratus, deviņi simti dzelzs ratu, un visus ļaudis, kas bija pie viņa no Harošet-Gojimas, pie Kišonas strauta. 14 Bet Debora sacīja Barakam: "Celies, jo šī ir tā diena, kad Tas Kungs ir nodevis Siseru tavā rokā! Vai Tas Kungs nav izgājis tavā labā karot?" Tad Baraks devās lejā no Tābora kalna, un desmit tūkstoši vīru viņam sekoja. 15 Un Tas Kungs radīja Siseras ratu vadītājos un visā viņa karaspēkā ar Baraka straujo triecienu tādu apjukumu, ka Sisera nolēca no saviem ratiem un bēga kājām. 16 Un Baraks vajāja gan ratus, gan karaspēku līdz Harošet-Gojimai, tā ka viss Sisera karaspēks krita no zobena asmens, un neviens pats nepalika pāri. 17 Un Sisera bēga kājām uz Jaēlas, kenieša Hebera sievas, telti, jo toreiz pastāvēja draudzīgas attiecības starp Jabīnu, Hacora ķēniņu, un kenieša Hebera namu. 18 Tad Jaēla iznāca Siseram pretī un viņam sacīja: "Iegriezies, mans kungs, iegriezies pie manis, nebīsties!" Un viņš pie tās iegriezās teltī, un viņa to apsedza ar segu. 19 Un viņš tai teica: "Lūdzu, dod man mazliet ūdens nodzerties, jo es esmu izslāpis!" Tad viņa attaisīja ādas trauku ar pienu un deva viņam dzert, un tad viņu atkal apsedza. 20 Un viņš tai sacīja: "Nostājies telts ieejā, bet, ja kāds nāk un tev jautā un prasa, vai še nav kāds, tad atbildi: nē, šeit nav neviena cilvēka." 21 Tad Jaēla, Hebera sieva, ņēma kādu no telts mietiņiem un veseri savā rokā, un viņa klusītiņām pie tā piegāja, jo viņš bija aiz noguruma iemidzis. Tad viņa izdzina mietiņu caur viņa deniņiem, tā ka tas iedūrās zemē, un tā viņš nomira. 22 Šinī acumirklī nāca Baraks, kas Siseru bija vajājis; tad Jaēla izgāja viņam pretim un sacīja: "Nāc, es tev parādīšu to vīru, ko tu meklē." Un, kad viņš pie tās iegāja, redzi, Sisera gulēja beigts, un telts mietiņš bija iedurts viņa deniņos. 23 Tā Dievs tanī dienā pazemoja Jabīnu, Kānaāna ķēniņu, Israēla bērnu priekšā. 24 Un Israēla bērnu roka kļuva jo dienas jo smagāka pār Jabīnu, Kānaāna ķēniņu, līdz kamēr viņi to pilnīgi iznīcināja.
