¹ Men da Ehud var død, blev Israelitterne ved at gøre, hvad der var ondt i HE ENs Øjne.

² Derfor gav han dem til Pris, for Kana'anæerkongen Jabin, som herskede i Hazor; hans Hærfører var Sisera, som boede i Harosjet-Haggojim.

³ Da råbte Israelitterne til HE EN. Thi Jabin havde 900 Jernvogne, og han trængte Israelitterne hårdt i tyve År.

⁴ Profetinden Debora, Lappidots Hustru, var på den Tid Dommer i Israel;

⁵ hun sad under Deborapalmen imellem ama og Betel i Efraims Bjerge, og Israelitterne drog op til hende med deres etstrætter.

⁶ Hun sendte nu Bud efter Barak, Abinoams Søn fra Kedesj i Naftali, og sagde til ham: "Har ikke HE EN, Israels Gud, budt: Bryd op, drag hen på Tabors Bjerg og tag 10000 Mand af Naftali og Zebulon med dig,;

⁷ så skal jeg drage Jabins Hærfører Sisera med hans Vogne og Hærstyrke hen til dig ved Kisjonbækken og give ham i din Hånd!"

⁸ Barak svarede hende: "Hvis du vil gå med, vil jeg gå; men hvis du ikke går med, går jeg ikke!"

⁹ Da sagde hun: "Vel, jeg går med, men så får du ikke Æren af den Færd, du begiver dig ud på, thi HE EN vil overgive Sisera i en Kvindes Hånd!" Så brød Debora op og drog af Sted til Kedesj med Barak.

¹⁰ Barak stævnede nu Zebulon og Naftali sammen i Kedesj, og 10000 Mand fulgte med ham derop; også Debora gik med.

¹¹ Men Keniten Heber havde skilt sig fra Keniterne, Moses's Svigerfader Hobabs Sønner, og slået Telt i Egnen hen imod Elon-Beza'anannim ved Kedesj.

¹² Da Sisera fik Melding om, at Barak, Abinoams Søn, var draget op på Tabors Bjerg,

¹³ stævnede han alle sine Stridsvogne, 900 jernbeslagne Vogne, og hele sin Krigsstyrke fra Harosjet Haggojim til Kisjonbækken.

¹⁴ Da sagde Debora til Barak: "Bryd nu op! Thi det er i Dag. HE EN vil give Sisera i din Hånd. Er HE EN ikke draget foran dig?" Barak steg da ned fra Tabors Bjerg, fulgt af de 10000 Mand.

¹⁵ Og foran Barak bragte HE EN Uorden iblandt alle Siseras Stridsvogne og i hele hans Hær. Sisera sprang af sin Vogn og flygtede til Fods;

¹⁶ men Barak satte efter Vognene og Hæren lige til Harosjet Haggojim, og hele Siseras Hær faldt for Sværdet, ikke een blev tilbage.

¹⁷ Sisera var imidlertid flygtet til Fods til Keniten Hebers Hustru Jaels Telt, thi der var Fred imellem Kong Jabin af Hazor og Keniten Hebers Slægt.

¹⁸ Da gik Jael Sisera i Møde og sagde til ham: "Tag dog ind hos mig, Herre, du bar intet at frygte!" Han tog da ind i Teltet hos hende, og hun dækkede ham til med et Tæppe.

¹⁹ Og han sagde til hende: "Giv mig lidt Vand at drikke, thi jeg er tørstig!" Da åbnede hun Mælkesækken og gav ham at drikke og dækkede ham atter til.

²⁰ Så sagde han til hende: "Stil dig hen i Teltdøren, og hvis der kommer en og spørger, om der er nogen herinde, så sig nej!"

²¹ Men Jael, Hebers Hustru, greb en Teltpæl og tog en Hammer i Hånden, listede sig ind til ham og slog Pælen igennem hans Tinding, så den trængte ned i Jorden; thi han var faldet i dyb Søvn, træt som han var; således døde han.

²² Og se, Barak, søm forfulgte Sisera, kom forbi. Da gik Jael ham i Møde og sagde til ham: "kom, jeg skal vise dig den Mand, du søger efter!" Så kom han ind til hende. Og se, der lå Sisera død med Teltpælen gennem Tindingen.

²³ Således lod Gud på den Dag Kana'anæerkongen Jabin bukke under for Israelitterne;

²⁴ og Israelitternes Hånd faldt hårdere og hårdere på Kana'anæerkongen Jabin, til de fik ham tilintetgjort.

¹ Now it happened when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;

² that they were very afraid, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

³ Therefore Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, to Piram king of Jarmuth, to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying,

⁴ "Come up to me, and help me, and let us strike Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel."

⁵ Therefore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all their armies, and encamped against Gibeon, and made war against it.

⁶ The men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, "Don't abandon your servants! Come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill country have gathered together against us."

⁷ So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.

⁸ Yahweh said to Joshua, "Don't fear them, for I have delivered them into your hands. Not a man of them will stand before you."

⁹ Joshua therefore came on them suddenly. He went up from Gilgal all night.

¹⁰ Yahweh confused them before Israel, and he killed them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth Horon, and struck them to Azekah and to Makkedah.

¹¹ It happened, as they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth Horon, that Yahweh cast down great stones from the sky on them to Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than who the children of Israel killed with the sword.

¹² Then Joshua spoke to Yahweh in the day when Yahweh delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still on Gibeon! You, moon, stop in the valley of Aijalon!"

¹³ The sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Isn't this written in the book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the midst of the sky, and didn't hurry to go down about a whole day.

¹⁴ There was no day like that before it or after it, that Yahweh listened to the voice of a man; for Yahweh fought for Israel.

¹⁵ Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp to Gilgal.

¹⁶ These five kings fled, and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.

¹⁷ Joshua was told, saying, "The five kings are found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah."

¹⁸ Joshua said, "Roll large stones to the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them;

¹⁹ but don't stay. Pursue your enemies, and them from the rear. Don't allow them to enter into their cities; for Yahweh your God has delivered them into your hand."

²⁰ It happened, when Joshua and the children of Israel had finished killing them with a very great slaughter until they were consumed, and the remnant which remained of them had entered into the fortified cities,

²¹ that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. None moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel.

²² Then Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings out of the cave to me."

²³ They did so, and brought those five kings out of the cave to him: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

²⁴ It happened, when they brought those kings out to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who went with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." They came near, and put their feet on their necks.

²⁵ Joshua said to them, "Don't be afraid, nor be dismayed. Be strong and courageous, for Yahweh will do this to all your enemies against whom you fight."

²⁶ Afterward Joshua struck them, put them to death, and hanged them on five trees. They were hanging on the trees until the evening.

²⁷ It happened at the time of the going down of the sun, that Joshua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and cast them into the cave in which they had hidden themselves, and laid great stones on the mouth of the cave, which remain to this very day.

²⁸ Joshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king. He utterly destroyed them and all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining. He did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.

²⁹ Joshua passed from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah, and fought against Libnah.

³⁰ Yahweh delivered it also, with its king, into the hand of Israel. He struck it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining in it. He did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.

³¹ Joshua passed from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish, and encamped against it, and fought against it.

³² Yahweh delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel. He took it on the second day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with all the souls who were in it, according to all that he had done to Libnah.

³³ Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish; and Joshua struck him and his people, until he had left him none remaining.

³⁴ Joshua passed from Lachish, and all Israel with him, to Eglon; and they encamped against it fought against it.

³⁵ They took it on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.

³⁶ Joshua went up from Eglon, and all Israel with him, to Hebron; and they fought against it.

³⁷ They took it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, with its king and all its cities, and all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining, according to all that he had done to Eglon; but he utterly destroyed it, and all the souls who were in it.

³⁸ Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to Debir, and fought against it.

³⁹ He took it, with its king and all its cities. They struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed all the souls who were in it. He left none remaining. As he had done to Hebron, so he did to Debir, and to its king; as he had done also to Libnah, and to its king.

⁴⁰ So Joshua struck all the land, the hill country, and the South, and the lowland, and the slopes, and all their kings. He left none remaining, but he utterly destroyed all that breathed, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, commanded.

⁴¹ Joshua struck them from Kadesh Barnea even to Gaza, and all the country of Goshen, even to Gibeon.

⁴² Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

⁴³ Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp to Gilgal.