4:1 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight 1 after Ehud’s death. 4:2 The Lord turned them over to 2 King Jabin of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. 3 The general of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. 4 4:3 The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, because Sisera 5 had nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels, 6 and he cruelly 7 oppressed the Israelites for twenty years.
4:4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, 8 wife of Lappidoth, was 9 leading 10 Israel at that time. 4:5 She would sit 11 under the Date Palm Tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel 12 in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites would come up to her to have their disputes settled. 13
4:6 She summoned 14 Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali. She said to him, “Is it not true that the Lord God of Israel is commanding you? Go, march to Mount Tabor! Take with you ten thousand men from Naphtali and Zebulun! 4:7 I will bring Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to you at the Kishon River, along with his chariots and huge army. 15 I will hand him over to you.” 4:8 Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go. But if you do not go with me, I will not go.” 4:9 She said, “I will indeed go with you. But you will not gain fame 16 on the expedition you are undertaking, 17 for the Lord will turn Sisera over to a woman.” 18 Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 4:10 Barak summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. Ten thousand men followed him; 19 Deborah went up with him as well. 4:11 Now Heber the Kenite had moved away 20 from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ father-in-law. He lived 21 near the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.
4:12 When Sisera heard 22 that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 4:13 he 23 ordered 24 all his chariotry – nine hundred chariots with iron-rimmed wheels – and all the troops he had with him to go from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the River Kishon. 4:14 Deborah said to Barak, “Spring into action, 25 for this is the day the Lord is handing Sisera over to you! 26 Has the Lord not taken the lead?” 27 Barak quickly went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 4:15 The Lord routed 28 Sisera, all his chariotry, and all his army with the edge of the sword. 29 Sisera jumped out of 30 his chariot and ran away on foot. 4:16 Now Barak chased the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Haggoyim. Sisera’s whole army died 31 by the edge of the sword; not even one survived! 32
4:17 Now Sisera ran away on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, for King Jabin of Hazor 33 and the family of Heber the Kenite had made a peace treaty. 34 4:18 Jael came out to welcome Sisera. She said to him, “Stop and rest, 35 my lord. Stop and rest with me. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera 36 stopped to rest in her tent, and she put a blanket over him. 4:19 He said to her, “Give me a little water to drink, because I’m thirsty.” She opened a goatskin container of milk and gave him some milk to drink. Then she covered him up again. 4:20 He said to her, “Stand watch at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes along and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say ‘No.’” 4:21 Then Jael wife of Heber took a tent peg in one hand and a hammer in the other. 37 She crept up on him, drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground 38 while he was asleep from exhaustion, 39 and he died. 4:22 Now Barak was chasing Sisera. Jael went out to welcome him. She said to him, “Come here and I will show you the man you are searching for.” He went with her into the tent, 40 and there he saw Sisera sprawled out dead 41 with the tent peg in his temple.
4:23 That day God humiliated King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. 4:24 Israel’s power continued to overwhelm 42 King Jabin of Canaan until they did away with 43 him. 44
4:1 The Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight 45 after Ehud’s death.
1:1 After Joshua died, the Israelites asked 46 the Lord, “Who should lead the invasion against the Canaanites and launch the attack?” 47 1:2 The Lord said, “The men of Judah should take the lead. 48 Be sure of this! I am handing the land over to them.” 49 1:3 The men of Judah said to their relatives, the men of Simeon, 50 “Invade our allotted land with us and help us attack the Canaanites. 51 Then we 52 will go with you into your allotted land.” So the men of Simeon went with them.
1:4 The men of Judah attacked, 53 and the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek. 1:5 They met 54 Adoni-Bezek at Bezek and fought him. They defeated the Canaanites and Perizzites. 1:6 When Adoni-Bezek ran away, they chased him and captured him. Then they cut off his thumbs and big toes. 1:7 Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings, with thumbs and big toes cut off, used to lick up 55 food scraps 56 under my table. God has repaid me for what I did to them.” 57 They brought him to Jerusalem, 58 where he died. 1:8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem and captured it. They put the sword to it and set the city on fire.
1:9 Later the men of Judah went down to attack the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev, and the lowlands. 59 1:10 The men of Judah attacked the Canaanites living in Hebron. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba.) They killed Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai. 1:11 From there they attacked the people of Debir. 60 (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) 1:12 Caleb said, “To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Acsah as a wife.” 1:13 When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, 61 captured it, Caleb 62 gave him his daughter Acsah as a wife.
1:14 One time Acsah 63 came and charmed her father 64 so she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, “What would you like?” 1:15 She answered, “Please give me a special present. 65 Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her both the upper and lower springs. 66
1:16 Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the City of Date Palm Trees to Arad in the desert of Judah, 67 located in the Negev. 68 They went and lived with the people of Judah. 69
1:17 The men of Judah went with their brothers the men of Simeon 70 and defeated the Canaanites living in Zephath. They wiped out Zephath. 71 So people now call the city Hormah. 72 1:18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron, and the territory surrounding each of these cities. 73
1:19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They conquered 74 the hill country, but they could not 75 conquer the people living in the coastal plain, because they had chariots with iron-rimmed wheels. 76 1:20 Caleb received 77 Hebron, just as Moses had promised. He drove out the three Anakites. 1:21 The men of Benjamin, however, did not conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. 78 The Jebusites live with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this very day. 79
1:22 When the men 80 of Joseph attacked 81 Bethel, 82 the Lord was with them. 1:23 When the men of Joseph spied out Bethel (it used to be called Luz), 1:24 the spies spotted 83 a man leaving the city. They said to him, “If you show us a secret entrance into the city, we will reward you.” 1:25 He showed them a secret entrance into the city, and they put the city to the sword. But they let the man and his extended family leave safely. 1:26 He 84 moved to Hittite country and built a city. He named it Luz, and it has kept that name to this very day.
1:27 The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shan, Taanach, or their surrounding towns. Nor did they conquer the people living in Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo 85 or their surrounding towns. 86 The Canaanites managed 87 to remain in those areas. 88 1:28 Whenever Israel was strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them.
1:29 The men of Ephraim did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites lived among them in Gezer.
1:30 The men of Zebulun did not conquer the people living in Kitron and Nahalol. 89 The Canaanites lived among them and were forced to do hard labor.
1:31 The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco or Sidon, 90 nor did they conquer Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob. 91 1:32 The people of Asher live among the Canaanites residing in the land because they did not conquer them.
1:33 The men of Naphtali did not conquer the people living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath. 92 They live among the Canaanites residing in the land. The Canaanites 93 living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath were forced to do hard labor for them.
1:34 The Amorites forced the people of Dan to live in the hill country. They did not allow them to live in 94 the coastal plain. 1:35 The Amorites managed 95 to remain in Har Heres, 96 Aijalon, and Shaalbim. Whenever the tribe of Joseph was strong militarily, 97 the Amorites were forced to do hard labor. 1:36 The border of Amorite territory ran from the Scorpion Ascent 98 to Sela and on up. 99
1 tn Heb “did evil in the eyes of the
2 tn Heb “the
3 tn Or “King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite ruler.”
4 tn Or “Harosheth of the Pagan Nations”; cf. KJV “Harosheth of the Gentiles.”
3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Regarding the translation “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,” see Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, 255, and the article by R. Drews, “The ‘Chariots of Iron’ of Joshua and Judges,” JSOT 45 (1989): 15-23.
5 tn Heb “with strength.”
4 tn Heb “ a woman, a prophetess.” In Hebrew idiom the generic “woman” sometimes precedes the more specific designation. See GKC 437-38 §135.b.
5 tn Heb “she was.” The pronoun refers back to the nominative absolute “Deborah.” Hebrew style sometimes employs such resumptive pronouns when lengthy qualifiers separate the subject from the verb.
6 tn Or “judging.”
5 tn That is, “consider legal disputes.”
6 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
7 tn Heb “for judgment.”
6 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
7 tn Heb “horde”; “multitude.”
8 tn Or “honor.”
9 tn Heb “on [account of (?)] the way which you are walking.” Another option is to translate, “due to the way you are going about this.” In this case direct reference is made to Barak’s hesitancy as the reason for his loss of glory.
10 tn Heb “for into the hands of a woman the
9 tn Heb “went up at his feet.”
10 tn Or “separated.”
11 tn Heb “pitched his tent.”
11 tn Heb “and they told Sisera.”
12 tn Heb “Sisera.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
13 tn Or “summoned.”
13 tn Heb “Arise!”
14 tn The verb form (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the
15 tn Heb “Has the
14 tn Or “caused to panic.”
15 tn The Hebrew text also includes the phrase “before Barak.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
16 tn Heb “got down from.”
15 tn Heb “fell.”
16 tn Heb “was left.”
16 map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-D3; Map3-A2; Map4-C1.
17 tn Heb “for there was peace between.”
17 tn Heb “Turn aside” (also a second time later in this verse).
18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Sisera) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Heb “took a tent peg and put a hammer in her hand.”
19 tn Heb “and it went into the ground.”
20 tn Heb “and exhausted.” Another option is to understand this as a reference to the result of the fatal blow. In this case, the phrase could be translated, “and he breathed his last.”
19 tn Heb “he went to her.”
20 tn Heb “fallen, dead.”
20 tn Heb “The hand of the Israelites became more and more severe against.”
21 tn Heb “cut off.”
22 tn Heb “Jabin king of Canaan.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 tn Heb “did evil in the eyes of the
22 tn The Hebrew verb translated “asked” (שָׁאַל, sha’al) refers here to consulting the
23 tn Heb “Who should first go up for us against the Canaanites to attack them?”
23 tn Heb “Judah should go up.”
24 tn The Hebrew exclamation הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally, “Behold”), translated “Be sure of this,” draws attention to the following statement. The verb form in the following statement (a Hebrew perfect, indicating completed action from the standpoint of the speaker) emphasizes the certainty of the event. Though it had not yet taken place, the
24 tn Heb “Judah said to Simeon, his brother.”
25 tn Heb “Come up with me into our allotted land and let us attack the Canaanites.”
26 tn Heb “I.” The Hebrew pronoun is singular, agreeing with the collective singular “Judah” earlier in the verse. English style requires a plural pronoun here, however.
25 tn Heb “Judah went up.”
26 tn Or “found.”
27 tn Elsewhere this verb usually carries the sense of “to gather; to pick up; to glean,” but “lick up” seems best here in light of the peculiar circumstances described by Adoni-Bezek.
28 tn The words “food scraps” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
29 tn Heb “Just as I did, so God has repaid me.” Note that the phrase “to them” has been supplied in the translation to clarify what is meant.
30 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
28 tn Or “foothills”; Heb “the Shephelah.”
29 tn Heb “they went from there against the inhabitants of Debir.” The LXX reads the verb as “they went up,” which suggests that the Hebrew text translated by the LXX read וַיַּעַל (vayya’al) rather than the MT’s וַיֵּלֶךְ (vayyelekh). It is possible that this is the text to be preferred in v. 11. Cf. Josh 15:15.
30 tn “Caleb’s younger brother” may refer to Othniel or to Kenaz (in which case Othniel was Caleb’s nephew; so CEV).
31 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Caleb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Acsah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 tn Heb “him.” The pronoun could refer to Othniel, in which case one would translate, “she incited him [Othniel] to ask her father for a field.” This is problematic, however, for Acsah, not Othniel, makes the request in v. 15. The LXX has “he [Othniel] urged her to ask her father for a field.” This appears to be an attempt to reconcile the apparent inconsistency and probably does not reflect the original text. If Caleb is understood as the referent of the pronoun, the problem disappears. For a fuller discussion of the issue, see P. G. Mosca, “Who Seduced Whom? A Note on Joshua 15:18 // Judges 1:14,” CBQ 46 (1984): 18-22. The translation takes Caleb to be the referent, specified as “her father.”
32 tn Elsewhere the Hebrew word בְרָכָה (vÿrakhah) is often translated “blessing,” but here it refers to a gift (as in Gen 33:11; 1 Sam 25:27; 30:26; and 2 Kgs 5:15).
33 tn Some translations regard the expressions “springs of water” (גֻּלֹּת מָיִם, gullot mayim) and “springs” (גֻּלֹּת) as place names here (cf. NRSV).
33 tc Part of the Greek
34 tn Heb “[to] the Desert of Judah in the Negev, Arad.”
35 tn The phrase “of Judah” is supplied here in the translation. Some ancient textual witnesses read, “They went and lived with the Amalekites.” This reading, however, is probably influenced by 1 Sam 15:6 (see also Num 24:20-21).
34 tn Heb “Judah went with Simeon, his brother.”
35 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the city of Zephath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
36 sn The name Hormah (חָרְמָה, khormah) sounds like the Hebrew verb translated “wipe out” (חָרַם, kharam).
35 tn Heb “The men of Judah captured Gaza and its surrounding territory, Ashkelon and its surrounding territory, and Ekron and its surrounding territory.”
36 tn Or “seized possession of”; or “occupied.”
37 tc Several textual witnesses support the inclusion of this verb.
38 tn Regarding the translation “chariots with iron-rimmed wheels,” see Y. Yadin, The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, 255, and the article by R. Drews, “The ‘Chariots of Iron’ of Joshua and Judges,” JSOT 45 (1989): 15-23.
37 tn Heb “they gave to Caleb.”
38 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
39 sn The statement to this very day reflects the perspective of the author, who must have written prior to David’s conquest of the Jebusites (see 2 Sam 5:6-7).
39 tn Heb “house.” This is a metonymy for the warriors from the tribe.
40 tn Heb “went up.”
41 map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.
40 tn Heb “saw.”
41 tn Heb “the man.”
42 map For location see Map1-D4; Map2-C1; Map4-C2; Map5-F2; Map7-B1.
43 tn Heb “The men of Manasseh did not conquer Beth Shan and its surrounding towns, Taanach and its surrounding towns, the people living in Dor and its surrounding towns, the people living in Ibleam and its surrounding towns, or the people living in Megiddo and its surrounding towns.”
44 tn Or “were determined.”
45 tn Heb “in this land.”
43 tn Heb “the people living in Kitron and the people living in Nahalol.”
44 map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.
45 tn Heb “The men of Asher did not conquer the people living in Acco, the people living in Sidon, Ahlab, Acco, Helbah, Aphek, or Rehob.”
45 tn Heb “the people living in Beth Shemesh or the people living in Beth Anath.”
46 tn The term “Canaanites” is supplied here both for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
46 tn Heb “come down into.”
47 tn Or “were determined.”
48 tn Or “Mount Heres”; the term הַר (har) means “mount” or “mountain” in Hebrew.
49 tn Heb “Whenever the hand of the tribe of Joseph was heavy.”
48 tn Or “the Ascent of Scorpions” (עַקְרַבִּים [’aqrabbim] means “scorpions” in Hebrew).
49 tn Or “Amorite territory started at the Pass of the Scorpions at Sela and then went on up.”