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1. And now it was that the Israelites, taking no warning by their
former misfortunes to amend their manners, and neither
worshipping God nor submitting to the laws, were brought under
slavery by Jabin, the king of the Canaanites, and that before
they had a short breathing time after the slavery under the
Moabites; for this Jabin out of Hazor, a city that was situate
over the Semechonitis, and had in pay three hundred footmen, and
ten thousand horsemen, with fewer than three thousand chariots.
Sisera was commander of all his army, and was the principal
person in the king's favor. He so sorely beat the Israelites when
they fought with him, that he ordered them to pay tribute.
2. So they continued to that hardship for twenty years, as not
good enough of themselves to grow wise by their misfortunes. God
was willing also hereby the more to subdue their obstinacy and
ingratitude towards himself: so when at length they were become
penitent, and were so wise as to learn that their calamities
arose from their contempt of the laws, they besought Deborah, a
certain prophetess among them, (which name in the Hebrew tongue
signifies a Bee,) to pray to God to take pity on them, and not to
overlook them, now they were ruined by the Canaanites. So God
granted them deliverance, and chose them a general, Barak, one
that was of the tribe of Naphtali. Now Barak, in the Hebrew
tongue, signifies Lightning.
3. So Deborah sent for Barak, and bade him choose out ten
thousand young men to go against the enemy, because God had said
that that number was sufficient, and promised them victory. But
when Barak said that he would not be the general unless she would
also go as a general with him, she had indignation at what he
said 'Thou, O Barak, deliverest up meanly that authority which
God hath given thee into the hand of a woman, and I do not reject
it!" So they collected ten thousand men, and pitched their camp
at Mount Tabor, where, at the king's command, Sisera met them,
and pitched his camp not far from the enemy; whereupon the
Israelites, and Barak himself, were so aftrighted at the
multitude of those enemies, that they were resolved to march off,
had not Deborah retained them, and commanded them to fight the
enemy that very day, for that they should conquer them, and God
would be their assistance.
4. So the battle began; and when they were come to a close fight,
there came down from heaven a great storm, with a vast quantity
of rain and hail, and the wind blew the rain in the face of the
Canaanites, and so darkened their eyes, that their arrows and
slings were of no advantage to them, nor would the coldness of
the air permit the soldiers to make use of their swords; while
this storm did not so much incommode the Israelites, because it
came in their backs. They also took such courage, upon the
apprehension that God was assisting them, that they fell upon the
very midst of their enemies, and slew a great number of them; so
that some of them fell by the Israelites, some fell by their own
horses, which were put into disorder, and not a few were killed
by their own chariots. At last Sisera, as soon as he saw himself
beaten, fled away, and came to a woman whose name was Jael, a
Kenite, who received him, when he desired to be concealed; and
when he asked for somewhat to drink, she gave him sour milk, of
which he drank so unmeasurably that he fell asleep; but when he
was asleep, Jael took an iron nail, and with a hammer drove it
through his temples into the floor; and when Barak came a little
afterward, she showed Sisera nailed to the ground: and thus was
this victory gained by a woman, as Deborah had foretold. Barak
also fought with Jabin at Hazor; and when he met with him, he
slew him: and when the general was fallen, Barak overthrew the
city to the foundation, and was the commander of the Israelites
for forty years.
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