Deborah
1After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 2So the Lord handed them over to the power of Jabin. He was a king in Canaan. He ruled in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera. He lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3Jabin used 900 chariots that had some iron parts. He treated the Israelites very badly for 20 years. So they cried out to the Lord for help.
4Deborah was a prophet. She was the wife of Lappidoth. She was leading Israel at that time. 5Under the Palm Tree of Deborah she served the people as their judge. That place was between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites went up to her there. They came to have her decide cases for them. She settled matters between them. 6Deborah sent for Barak. He was the son of Abinoam. Barak was from Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. Deborah said to Barak, “The Lord, the God of Israel, is giving you a command. He says, ‘Go! Take 10,000 men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun with you. Then lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7I will lead Sisera into a trap. He is the commander of Jabin’s army. I will bring him, his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River. There I will hand him over to you.’ ”
8Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I’ll go. But if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”
9“All right,” Deborah said. “I’ll go with you. But because of the way you are doing this, you won’t receive any honor. Instead, the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman.” So Deborah went to Kedesh with Barak. 10There he sent for men from Zebulun and Naphtali. And 10,000 men followed him into battle. Deborah also went with him.
11Heber, the Kenite, had left the other Kenites. They came from the family line of Hobab. He was the brother-in-law of Moses. Heber set up his tent by the large tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.
12Sisera was told that Barak, the son of Abinoam, had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13So Sisera gathered together his 900 chariots that had some iron parts. He also gathered together all his men. He brought them from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River.
14Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! Today the Lord will hand Sisera over to you. Hasn’t the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor. His 10,000 men followed him. 15As Barak’s men marched out, the Lord drove Sisera away from the field of battle. The Lord scattered all of Sisera’s chariots. Barak’s men struck down Sisera’s army with their swords. Sisera got down from his chariot. He ran away on foot.
16Barak chased Sisera’s chariots and army. Barak chased them all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. All of Sisera’s troops were killed by swords. Not even one was left. 17But Sisera ran away on foot. He ran to the tent of Jael. She was the wife of Heber, the Kenite. Sisera ran there because there was a treaty between Heber’s family and Jabin, the king of Hazor.
18Jael went out to meet Sisera. “Come in, sir,” she said. “Come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent. Then she covered him with a blanket.
19“I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” So Jael opened a bottle of milk. The bottle was made out of animal skin. She gave him a drink of milk. Then she covered him up again.
20“Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “Someone might come by and ask you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ If that happens, say ‘No.’ ”
21But Heber’s wife Jael picked up a tent stake and a hammer. She went quietly over to Sisera. He was lying there, fast asleep. He was very tired. She drove the stake through his head right into the ground. So he died.
22Just then Barak came by because he was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him. “Come right in,” she said. “I’ll show you the man you are looking for.” So he went in with her. Sisera was lying there with the stake through his head. He was dead.
23On that day God brought Jabin under Israel’s control. He was a king in Canaan. 24Israel’s power grew stronger and stronger against King Jabin. The Israelites became so strong that they destroyed him.
士師底波拉
1以笏死後，以色列人又做耶和華視為惡的事。 2耶和華把他們交在統治夏瑣的迦南王耶賓手中。耶賓王的將軍叫西西拉，住在夏羅設。 3耶賓王擁有九百輛鐵戰車，他殘暴地壓迫以色列人二十年。以色列人向耶和華呼求。
4當時做士師的是一位名叫底波拉的女先知，她是拉比多的妻子， 5經常坐在以法蓮山區拉瑪和伯特利之間的底波拉棕樹下，審理以色列人的事情。 6她派人去拿弗他利的基低斯召來亞比挪庵的兒子巴拉，對他說：「以色列的上帝耶和華命你率領一萬拿弗他利人和西布倫人上他泊山。 7祂必使耶賓的將軍西西拉率領全軍和戰車到基順河與你交戰，祂必把西西拉交在你手中。」 8巴拉回答說：「你跟我去，我就去；你不跟我去，我就不去。」 9底波拉說：「好，我一定與你同去。不過，你這次出征一定得不到榮耀，因為耶和華要把西西拉交在一名婦人手上。」於是，他們一同前往基低斯。 10巴拉招聚了一萬名拿弗他利人和西布倫人，底波拉與他一起出征。
11摩西的岳父何巴的後人基尼人希百離開自己的族人，在基低斯附近撒拿音的橡樹旁搭帳篷居住。
12西西拉得知亞比挪庵的兒子巴拉已經上了他泊山， 13便召集全軍和九百輛鐵戰車離開夏羅設，向基順河進軍。 14底波拉對巴拉說：「出擊吧！今天耶和華要把西西拉交在你手中。看啊，耶和華已經率先出戰了！」於是，巴拉率領一萬人下了他泊山， 15進攻西西拉。耶和華使西西拉的戰車和軍隊驚慌失措，敗在巴拉刀下。西西拉棄車徒步逃跑， 16巴拉追擊他的戰車和軍隊，直到夏羅設。西西拉全軍都死於刀下，無一倖免。
17只有西西拉一人徒步逃到基尼人希百的妻子雅億的帳篷，因為耶賓王和希百家向來友好。 18雅億出來迎接西西拉，對他說：「我主，請進，不用怕！」西西拉便走進帳篷，雅億為他蓋上毯子。 19西西拉說：「我口渴，請給我一點水吧。」雅億打開皮袋給他奶喝，然後又給他蓋上毯子。 20西西拉又說：「請你守著門口，倘若有人查問，你就說沒人來過這裡。」 21西西拉因疲勞過度，沉沉入睡。雅億乘機拿起錘子和一根帳篷的橛子，悄悄地走到他身旁，把橛子釘進他的太陽穴，直插到地裡。西西拉就這樣死了。 22巴拉追來了，雅億出來迎接他，對他說：「你找的人在這裡，進來看看吧。」巴拉和她進了帳篷，見西西拉死在那裡，太陽穴上還插著橛子。
23那天，上帝使以色列人戰勝了迦南王耶賓。 24以色列人越戰越勇，最終消滅了耶賓王。
