Judges 4:17-24

Expanded Bible

¹⁷ But Sisera himself ran away to the tent where Jael lived. She was the wife of Heber, one of the Kenite family groups [v. 11]. ·Heber’s family [^LThe house of Heber] ·was at peace [or had an alliance] with Jabin king of Hazor. ¹⁸ Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “·Come into my tent [^LTurn aside], master! Come in. Don’t be afraid.” So Sisera went into Jael’s tent, and she covered him with a ·rug [or blanket].

¹⁹ Sisera said to Jael, “I am thirsty. Please give me some water to drink.” So she opened a ·leather bag [goatskin] of milk and gave him a drink. Then she covered him up.

²⁰ He said to her, “Go stand at the entrance to the tent. If anyone comes and asks you, ‘Is anyone here?’ say, ‘No.’”

²¹ But Jael, the wife of Heber, took a tent peg and a hammer and ·quietly [secretly] went to Sisera. Since he was very tired, he was in a deep sleep. She hammered the tent peg through the side of Sisera’s ·head [temple; or mouth] and into the ground. And so Sisera died.

²² ·At that very moment [^TAnd behold] Barak came by Jael’s tent, chasing Sisera. Jael went out to meet him and said, “Come. I will show you the man you are looking for.” So Barak entered her tent, and there Sisera lay dead, with the tent peg in his ·head [temple; or mouth].

²³ On that day God ·defeated [subdued; humiliated] Jabin king of Canaan ·in the sight of [^Lbefore the sons/^Tchildren of] Israel.

²⁴ ·Israel became stronger and stronger [^LThe hand of sons/^Tchildren of Israel pressed harder and harder] against Jabin king of Canaan until finally they destroyed him.