Judges 4-5

New International Version

Deborah

4 Again the Israelites did evil^(A) in the eyes of the Lord,^(B) now that Ehud^(C) was dead. ²So the Lord sold them^(D) into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor.^(E) Sisera,^(F) the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. ³Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron^(G) and had cruelly oppressed^(H) the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.

⁴Now Deborah,^(I) a prophet,^(J) the wife of Lappidoth, was leading^[a] Israel at that time. ⁵She held court^(K) under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah^(L) and Bethel^(M) in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. ⁶She sent for Barak son of Abinoam^(N) from Kedesh^(O) in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali^(P) and Zebulun^(Q) and lead them up to Mount Tabor.^(R) ⁷I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s^(S) army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River^(T) and give him into your hands.^(U)’”

⁸Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

⁹“Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.^(V) ¹⁰There Barak summoned^(W) Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him.

¹¹Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites,^(X) the descendants of Hobab,^(Y) Moses’ brother-in-law,^[b] and pitched his tent by the great tree^(Z) in Zaanannim^(AA) near Kedesh.

¹²When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,^(AB) ¹³Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River^(AC) all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron.^(AD)

¹⁴Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands.^(AE) Has not the Lord gone ahead^(AF) of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. ¹⁵At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed^(AG) Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.

¹⁶Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left.^(AH) ¹⁷Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael,^(AI) the wife of Heber the Kenite,^(AJ) because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor^(AK) and the family of Heber the Kenite.

¹⁸Jael^(AL) went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

¹⁹“I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk,^(AM) gave him a drink, and covered him up.

²⁰“Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’”

²¹But Jael,^(AN) Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep,^(AO) exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.^(AP)

²²Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael^(AQ) went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead.^(AR)

²³On that day God subdued^(AS) Jabin^(AT) king of Canaan before the Israelites. ²⁴And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.^(AU)

The Song of Deborah

5 On that day Deborah^(AV) and Barak son of Abinoam^(AW) sang this song:^(AX)

²“When the princes in Israel take the lead,
when the people willingly offer^(AY) themselves—
praise the Lord!^(AZ)

³“Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
I, even I, will sing to^[c] the Lord;^(BA)
I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.^(BB)

⁴“When you, Lord, went out^(BC) from Seir,^(BD)
    when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook,^(BE) the heavens poured,
    the clouds poured down water.^(BF)
⁵The mountains quaked^(BG) before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
    before the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁶“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,^(BH)
    in the days of Jael,^(BI) the highways^(BJ) were abandoned;
    travelers took to winding paths.^(BK)
⁷Villagers in Israel would not fight;
    they held back until I, Deborah,^(BL) arose,
    until I arose, a mother in Israel.
⁸God chose new leaders^(BM)
    when war came to the city gates,^(BN)
but not a shield or spear^(BO) was seen
    among forty thousand in Israel.
⁹My heart is with Israel’s princes,
    with the willing volunteers^(BP) among the people.
    Praise the Lord!

¹⁰“You who ride on white donkeys,^(BQ)
    sitting on your saddle blankets,
    and you who walk along the road,
consider ¹¹the voice of the singers^[d] at the watering places.
    They recite the victories^(BR) of the Lord,
    the victories of his villagers in Israel.

“Then the people of the Lord
    went down to the city gates.^(BS)
¹²‘Wake up,^(BT) wake up, Deborah!^(BU)
    Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!^(BV)
    Take captive your captives,^(BW) son of Abinoam.’

¹³“The remnant of the nobles came down;
    the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
¹⁴Some came from Ephraim,^(BX) whose roots were in Amalek;^(BY)
    Benjamin^(BZ) was with the people who followed you.
From Makir^(CA) captains came down,
    from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s^[e] staff.
¹⁵The princes of Issachar^(CB) were with Deborah;^(CC)
    yes, Issachar was with Barak,^(CD)
    sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
¹⁶Why did you stay among the sheep pens^[f]^(CE)
    to hear the whistling for the flocks?^(CF)
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
¹⁷Gilead^(CG) stayed beyond the Jordan.
    And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher^(CH) remained on the coast^(CI)
    and stayed in his coves.
¹⁸The people of Zebulun^(CJ) risked their very lives;
    so did Naphtali^(CK) on the terraced fields.^(CL)

¹⁹“Kings came^(CM), they fought,
    the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,^(CN)
    they took no plunder of silver.^(CO)
²⁰From the heavens^(CP) the stars fought,
    from their courses they fought against Sisera.
²¹The river Kishon^(CQ) swept them away,
    the age-old river, the river Kishon.
    March on, my soul; be strong!^(CR)
²²Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
    galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.^(CS)
²³‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord.
    ‘Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the Lord,
    to help the Lord against the mighty.’

²⁴“Most blessed of women^(CT) be Jael,^(CU)
    the wife of Heber the Kenite,^(CV)
    most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
²⁵He asked for water, and she gave him milk;^(CW)
    in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
²⁶Her hand reached for the tent peg,
    her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
    she shattered and pierced his temple.^(CX)
²⁷At her feet he sank,
    he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
    where he sank, there he fell—dead^(CY).

²⁸“Through the window^(CZ) peered Sisera’s mother;
    behind the lattice she cried out,^(DA)
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
    Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
²⁹The wisest of her ladies answer her;
    indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
³⁰‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:^(DB)
    a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
    colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments^(DC) for my neck—
    all this as plunder?^(DD)’

³¹“So may all your enemies perish,^(DE) Lord!
But may all who love you be like the sun^(DF)
when it rises in its strength.”^(DG)

Then the land had peace^(DH) forty years.

Footnotes

Judges 4:4 Traditionally judging
Judges 4:11 Or father-in-law
Judges 5:3 Or of
Judges 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Judges 5:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Judges 5:16 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags

Proverbs 15

New International Version

15 A gentle answer^(A) turns away wrath,^(B)
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

²The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,^(C)
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.^(D)

³The eyes^(E) of the Lord are everywhere,^(F)
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.^(G)

⁴The soothing tongue^(H) is a tree of life,^(I)
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.^(J)

⁵A fool spurns a parent’s discipline,
but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.^(K)

⁶The house of the righteous contains great treasure,^(L)
but the income of the wicked brings ruin.^(M)

⁷The lips of the wise spread knowledge,^(N)
but the hearts of fools are not upright.

⁸The Lord detests the sacrifice^(O) of the wicked,^(P)
but the prayer of the upright pleases him.^(Q)

⁹The Lord detests the way of the wicked,^(R)
but he loves those who pursue righteousness.^(S)

¹⁰Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path;
the one who hates correction will die.^(T)

¹¹Death and Destruction^[a] lie open before the Lord^(U)—
how much more do human hearts!^(V)

¹²Mockers resent correction,^(W)
so they avoid the wise.

¹³A happy heart makes the face cheerful,^(X)
but heartache crushes the spirit.^(Y)

¹⁴The discerning heart seeks knowledge,^(Z)
but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

¹⁵All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.^(AA)

¹⁶Better a little with the fear of the Lord
than great wealth with turmoil.^(AB)

¹⁷Better a small serving of vegetables with love
than a fattened calf with hatred.^(AC)

¹⁸A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict,^(AD)
but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.^(AE)

¹⁹The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,^(AF)
but the path of the upright is a highway.

²⁰A wise son brings joy to his father,^(AG)
but a foolish man despises his mother.

²¹Folly brings joy to one who has no sense,^(AH)
but whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.

²²Plans fail for lack of counsel,^(AI)
but with many advisers^(AJ) they succeed.^(AK)

²³A person finds joy in giving an apt reply^(AL)—
and how good is a timely word!^(AM)

²⁴The path of life leads upward for the prudent
to keep them from going down to the realm of the dead.

²⁵The Lord tears down the house of the proud,^(AN)
but he sets the widow’s boundary stones in place.^(AO)

²⁶The Lord detests the thoughts^(AP) of the wicked,^(AQ)
but gracious words are pure^(AR) in his sight.

²⁷The greedy bring ruin to their households,
but the one who hates bribes will live.^(AS)

²⁸The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,^(AT)
but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.^(AU)

²⁹The Lord is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.^(AV)

³⁰Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart,
and good news gives health to the bones.^(AW)

³¹Whoever heeds life-giving correction
will be at home among the wise.^(AX)

³²Those who disregard discipline despise themselves,^(AY)
but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.^(AZ)

³³Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord,^(BA)
and humility comes before honor.^(BB)

Footnotes

Proverbs 15:11 Hebrew Abaddon

Revelation 6

New International Version

The Seals

6 I watched as the Lamb^(A) opened the first of the seven seals.^(B) Then I heard one of the four living creatures^(C) say in a voice like thunder,^(D) “Come!” ²I looked, and there before me was a white horse!^(E) Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown,^(F) and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.^(G)

³When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature^(H) say, “Come!” ⁴Then another horse came out, a fiery red one.^(I) Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth^(J) and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

⁵When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature^(K) say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse!^(L) Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures,^(M) saying, “Two pounds^[a] of wheat for a day’s wages,^[b] and six pounds^[c] of barley for a day’s wages,^[d]^(N) and do not damage^(O) the oil and the wine!”

⁷When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature^(P) say, “Come!” ⁸I looked, and there before me was a pale horse!^(Q) Its rider was named Death, and Hades^(R) was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.^(S)

⁹When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under^(T) the altar^(U) the souls of those who had been slain^(V) because of the word of God^(W) and the testimony they had maintained. ¹⁰They called out in a loud voice, “How long,^(X) Sovereign Lord,^(Y) holy and true,^(Z) until you judge the inhabitants of the earth^(AA) and avenge our blood?”^(AB) ¹¹Then each of them was given a white robe,^(AC) and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters,^[e] were killed just as they had been.^(AD)

¹²I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake.^(AE) The sun turned black^(AF) like sackcloth^(AG) made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, ¹³and the stars in the sky fell to earth,^(AH) as figs drop from a fig tree^(AI) when shaken by a strong wind. ¹⁴The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up,^(AJ) and every mountain and island was removed from its place.^(AK)

¹⁵Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free,^(AL) hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.^(AM) ¹⁶They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us^(AN) and hide us^[f] from the face of him who sits on the throne^(AO) and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷For the great day^(AP) of their^[g] wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”^(AQ)

Footnotes

Revelation 6:6 Or about 1 kilogram
Revelation 6:6 Greek a denarius
Revelation 6:6 Or about 3 kilograms
Revelation 6:6 Greek a denarius
Revelation 6:11 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 12:10; 19:10.
Revelation 6:16 See Hosea 10:8.
Revelation 6:17 Some manuscripts his