1After Ehud died, the people of Israel once again did what Yahweh considered evil.
2So Yahweh let Jabin, the king of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor, defeat them. The commander of Jabin's army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth of the Gentiles.
3The people of Israel cried out to Yahweh, because Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed them for twenty years.
4At that time, Deborah, a prophetess and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.
5She would sit under Deborah’s Palm Tree, located between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel would come to her for her decisions.
6Deborah sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, has commanded you: ‘Go and gather ten thousand men from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them to Mount Tabor.'
7I will draw Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and many troops, to meet you at the Kishon River, and I will hand him over to you.”
8Barak replied, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you do not go with me, I will not go.”
9She said, “I will certainly go with you. However, you will receive no honor in this mission, because Yahweh will hand Sisera over to a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10Barak called the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and ten thousand men followed him. Deborah also went with him.
11Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law, and had pitched his tent near the Oak of Zaanannim, which is by Kedesh.
12Someone told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor.
13So Sisera gathered all his chariots, all nine hundred of his iron chariots, and all his troops from Harosheth Hagoyim, and led them to the Kishon River.
14Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day Yahweh has handed Sisera over to you. Hasn’t Yahweh gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.
15Yahweh threw Sisera, all his chariots, and his entire army into panic before Barak and his sword. Sisera abandoned his chariot and fled on foot.
16Barak pursued the chariots and the army all the way to Harosheth Hagoyim. All of Sisera’s army was killed by the sword; not a single person was left.
17Meanwhile, Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was a peace treaty between King Jabin of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.
18Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come in, my lord, come in here. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.
19He said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” She opened a wineskin of milk, gave him a drink, and then covered him up again.
20Then he said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the tent, and if anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is there a man here?’ say ‘No.’”
21But Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and a hammer in her hand, and quietly went to him and drove the tent peg through his temple into the ground while he was in a deep sleep from exhaustion. So he died.
22Just then, Barak arrived, pursuing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him and said, “Come, and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So Barak went into her tent, and there was Sisera, lying dead with the tent peg in his temple.
23So God defeated Jabin, the king of Canaan, before the people of Israel that day.
24The people of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin, the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed him.