1A, ka mate a Ehuru, ka mahi kino ano nga tamariki a Iharaira i te tirohanga a Ihowa. 2Na ka hokona atu ratou e Ihowa ki te ringa o Iapini kingi o Kanaana, ko te kingi hoki ia o Hatoro, ko Hihera hoki te rangatira o tana ope; i Harohete ano hoki o nga tauiwi tona nohoanga. 3Na ka tangi nga tamariki a Iharaira ki a Ihowa: e iwa rau nei hoki ana hariata rino, a e rua tekau nga tau i tukinotia rawatia ai e ia nga tamariki a Iharaira. 4A ko Tepora poropiti, wahine a Rapiroto, ko ia te kaiwhakarite o Iharaira i taua wa. 5A ko tona nohoanga kei raro i te nikau a Tepora i te takiwa o Rama, o Peteere, i te whenua pukepuke o Eparaima: na ka haere nga tamariki a Iharaira ki runga, ki a ia kia whakawakia. 6Na ka tono tangata ia hei karanga i a Paraka tama a Apionoama i Kerehe Napatari, a ka mea ki a ia, Kihai ianei a Ihowa, te Atua o Iharaira i whakahau, Haere whakatata atu ki Maunga Taporo, mauria hoki hei hoa mou kia tekau mano tangata o nga tama riki a Napatari, o nga tamariki hoki a Hepurona? 7A maku e kukume atu ki a koe ki te awa, ki Kihona a Hihera rangatira o te ope a Iapini, me ana hariata, me ona mano; ka hoatu ano hoki e ahau ki tou ringa. 8Na ka mea a Paraka ki a ia, Ki te haere tahi koe i ahau, ka haere ahau; ki te kahore ia koe e haere tahi i ahau, e kore ahau e haere. 9A ka mea ia, Ae ra, me haere tahi taua: otiia e kore koe e whai kororia i te ara ka haere nei koe; ta te mea ka hokona atu e Ihowa a Hihera ki roto ki te ringa o te wahine. Na ka whakatika a Tepora, a haere tahi ana me Paraka ki Kerehe. 10Katahi ka karangarangatia a Hepurona raua ko Napatari e Paraka ki Kerehe; a kotahi tekau mano nga tangata i haere i raro i ona waewae: i haere tahi ano hoki a Tepora i a ia. 11Na kua wehe atu a Hepere te Keni i roto i nga Keni, i nga tamariki ano a Hopapa hungawai o Mohi; a tae noa atu tana whakaturanga teneti ki te oki i Taanaimi, ki tera i Kerehe. 12A ka korerotia e ratou ki a Hihera, kua riro a Paraka tama a Apioama ki runga ki Maunga Taporo; 13Ka karangarangatia e Hihera ana hariata katoa, e iwa rau, he hariata rino, me tona nuinga katoa, i Harohete o nga tauiwi ki te awa, ki Kihona. 14Ka mea hoki a Tepora ki a Paraka, Whakatika, ko te ra hoki tenei e tukua ai e Ihowa a Hihera ki tou ringa; kahore ianei a Ihowa i haere atu i mua i a koe? Na ko te haerenga iho o Paraka i runga i Maunga Taporo, kotahi tekau mano hoki nga tangata ki te whai i a ia. 15A meinga ana e Ihowa a Hihera kia whati, me ana hariata katoa, me tana ope katoa, i te mata o te hoari i te aroaro o Paraka. Na ka marere iho a Hihera i runga i tana hariata, a rere a waewae ana. 16Na ka whaia nga hariata me te ope e Paraka a tae noa ki Harohete o nga tauiwi: a hinga ana te ope katoa a Hihera i te mata o te hoari; kihai hoki tetahi i toe. 17Ko Hihera ia rere a waewae ana ki te teneti o Taere wahine a Hepere Keni: he rongo mau hoki ta Iapini kingi o Hatoro ratou ko te whare o Hepere, o te Keni. 18Na ka puta a Taere ki te whakatau i a Hihera, ka mea ki a ia, Peka mai, e toku ariki, peka mai ki ahau; kaua e wehi. Katahi ia ka peka atu ki a ia ki te teneti, a ka hipokina e ia ki te koroka. 19Ka mea atu ia ki te wahine, Homai koa he wai inu moku, kia iti nei; e matewai ana hoki ahau. Katahi ka wetekina e ia te koki waiu, a whakainumia ana ia, hipokina atu ana hoki. 20Na ka mea tera ki a ia, E tu ki te kuwaha o te teneti, a ki te haere mai he tangata ki te ui ki a koe, ki te mea, He tangata ranei kei konei? ka mea atu koe, Kahore. 21Katahi ka tikina e Taere wahine a Hepere tetahi titi o te teneti, a ka mau tona ringa ki te hama, na ka haere toropuku atu ki a ia, heoi patua iho e ia te titi ki tona rahirahinga, a ngoto tonu atu ki te whenua: i parangia hoki ia e te moe, i ng enge. Na, ko tona hemonga, kua mate. 22Na ko te whainga a Paraka i a Hihera; a ka puta atu a Taere ki te whakatau i a ia, ka mea ki a ia, Haere mai, a maku e whakaatu ki a koe tau tangata e rapu na. A, i tona haerenga atu ki a ia, na ko Hihera e takoto ana, kua mate, me te titi i ton a rahirahinga. 23Heoi hinga ana a Iapini kingi o Kanaana i te Atua i taua ra i te aroaro o nga tamariki a Iharaira. 24Na ka kaha haere tonu te ringa o nga tamariki a Iharaira ki a Iapini kingi o Kanaana, a whakangaromia noatia e ratou a Iapini kingi o Kanaana.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 DEBORAH AND BARAK DELIVER ISRAEL FROM JABIN AND SISERA. (Jdg. 4:1-17)
The children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead--The removal of the zealous judge Ehud again left his infatuated countrymen without the restraint of religion.
2 Jabin king of Canaan--"Jabin," a royal title (see on
Josh 11:1). The second Jabin built a new capital on the ruins of the old (
Josh 11:10-
Josh 11:11). The northern Canaanites had recovered from the effect of their disastrous overthrow in the time of Joshua, and now triumphed in their turn over Israel. This was the severest oppression to which Israel had been subjected. But it fell heaviest on the tribes in the north, and it was not till after a grinding servitude of twenty years that they were awakened to view it as the punishment of their sins and to seek deliverance from God.
4 And Deborah, a prophetess--A woman of extraordinary knowledge, wisdom, and piety, instructed in divine knowledge by the Spirit and accustomed to interpret His will; who acquired an extensive influence, and was held in universal respect, insomuch that she became the animating spirit of the government and discharged all the special duties of a judge, except that of military leader.
the wife of Lapidoth--rendered by some, "a woman of splendors."
5 she dwelt under the palm tree--or, collectively, "palm-grove." It is common still in the East to administer justice in the open air, or under the canopy of an umbrageous tree.
6 she sent and called Barak--by virtue of her official authority as judge.
Kedesh-naphtali--situated on an eminence, little north of the Sea of Galilee, and so called to distinguish it from another Kedesh in Issachar.
Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded?--a Hebrew form of making an emphatic communication.
Go and draw toward mount Tabor--an isolated mountain of Galilee, northeast corner of the plain of Esdraelon. It was a convenient place of rendezvous, and the enlistment is not to be considered as limited to ten thousand, though a smaller force would have been inadequate.
8 Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go--His somewhat singular request to be accompanied by Deborah was not altogether the result of weakness. The Orientals always take what is dearest to the battlefield along with them; they think it makes them fight better. The policy of Barak, then, to have the presence of the prophetess is perfectly intelligible as it would no less stimulate the valor of the troops, than sanction, in the eyes of Israel, the uprising against an oppressor so powerful as Jabin.
9 the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman--This was a prediction which Barak could not understand at the time; but the strain of it conveyed a rebuke of his unmanly fears.
11 Now Heber the Kenite . . . pitched his tent--It is not uncommon, even in the present day, for pastoral tribes to feed their flocks on the extensive commons that lie in the heart of inhabited countries in the East (see on
Judg 1:16).
plain of Zaanaim--This is a mistranslation for "the oaks of the wanderers." The site of the encampment was under a grove of oaks, or terebinths, in the upland valley of Kedesh.
13 the river of Kishon--The plain on its bank was chosen as the battlefield by Sisera himself, who was unconsciously drawn thither for the ruin of his army.
14 Barak went down from mount Tabor--It is a striking proof of the full confidence Barak and his troops reposed in Deborah's assurance of victory, that they relinquished their advantageous position on the hill and rushed into the plain in face of the iron chariots they so much dreaded.
15 the Lord discomfited Sisera--Hebrew, "threw his army into confusion"; men, horses, and chariots being intermingled in wild confusion. The disorder was produced by a supernatural panic (see on
Judg 5:20).
so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet--His chariot being probably distinguished by its superior size and elegance, would betray the rank of its rider, and he saw therefore that his only chance of escape was on foot.
16 But Barak pursued . . . unto Harosheth--Broken and routed, the main body of Sisera's army fled northward; others were forced into the Kishon and drowned (see on
Judg 5:21).
17 Sisera fled . . . to the tent of Jael--According to the usages of nomadic people, the duty of receiving the stranger in the sheik's absence devolves on his wife, and the moment the stranger is admitted into his tent, his claim to be defended or concealed from his pursuers is established.
19 she . . . gave him drink, and covered him--Sisera reckoned on this as a pledge of his safety, especially in the tent of a friendly sheik. This pledge was the strongest that could be sought or obtained, after he had partaken of refreshments, and been introduced in the inner or women's apartment.
20 he said unto her, . . . when any man doth come and enquire of thee and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No--The privacy of the harem, even in a tent, cannot be intruded on without express permission.
21 Then Jael took a nail of the tent--most probably one of the pins with which the tent ropes are fastened to the ground. Escape was almost impossible for Sisera. But the taking of his life by the hand of Jael was murder. It was a direct violation of all the notions of honor and friendship that are usually held sacred among pastoral people, and for which it is impossible to conceive a woman in Jael's circumstances to have had any motive, except that of gaining favor with the victors. Though predicted by Deborah [
Judg 4:9], it was the result of divine foreknowledge only--not the divine appointment or sanction; and though it is praised in the song [
Judg 5:24-
Judg 5:27], the eulogy must be considered as pronounced not on the moral character of the woman and her deed, but on the public benefits which, in the overruling providence of God, would flow from it.