Judges 4:1-24, NLT
Judges 4
Deborah Becomes Israel’s Judge
1After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight.
4Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time.
8Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.”
9“Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.
11Now Heber the Kenite, a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law*4:11 Or father-in-law. Hobab, had moved away from the other members of his tribe and pitched his tent by the oak of Zaanannim near Kedesh.
12When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,
14Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle.
17Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber’s family was on friendly terms with King Jabin of Hazor.
19“Please give me some water,” he said. “I’m thirsty.” So she gave him some milk from a leather bag and covered him again.
20“Stand at the door of the tent,” he told her. “If anybody comes and asks you if there is anyone here, say no.”
21But when Sisera fell asleep from exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand. Then she drove the tent peg through his temple and into the ground, and so he died.
22When Barak came looking for Sisera, Jael went out to meet him. She said, “Come, and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he followed her into the tent and found Sisera lying there dead, with the tent peg through his temple.
23So on that day Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king.