4:1 以笏死後,以色列人又行耶和華眼中看為惡的事,
4:2 耶和華就把他們付與在夏瑣作王的迦南王耶賓手中;他的將軍是西西拉,住在外邦人的夏羅設。
4:3 耶賓王有鐵車九百輛。他大大欺壓以色列人二十年,以色列人就呼求耶和華。
4:4 有一位女先知名叫底波拉,是拉比多的妻,當時作以色列的士師。
4:5 她住在以法蓮山地拉瑪和伯特利中間,在底波拉的棕樹下。以色列人都上她那裡去聽判斷。
4:6 她打發人從拿弗他利的基低斯將亞比挪菴的兒子巴拉召了來,對他說:「耶和華─以色列的上帝吩咐你說:『你率領一萬拿弗他利和西布倫人上他泊山去。
4:7 我必使耶賓的將軍西西拉率領他的車輛和全軍往基順河,到你那裡去;我必將他交在你手中。』」
4:8 巴拉說:「你若同我去,我就去;你若不同我去,我就不去。」
4:9 底波拉說:「我必與你同去,只是你在所行的路上得不著榮耀,因為耶和華要將西西拉交在一個婦人手裡。」於是底波拉起來,與巴拉一同往基低斯去了。
4:10 巴拉就招聚西布倫人和拿弗他利人到基低斯,跟他上去的有一萬人。底波拉也同他上去。
4:11 摩西岳父(或譯:內兄)何巴的後裔,基尼人希百曾離開基尼族,到靠近基低斯、撒拿音的橡樹旁支搭帳棚。
4:12 有人告訴西西拉說:「亞比挪菴的兒子巴拉已經上他泊山了。」
4:13 西西拉就聚集所有的鐵車九百輛和跟隨他的全軍,從外邦人的夏羅設出來,到了基順河。
4:14 底波拉對巴拉說:「你起來,今日就是耶和華將西西拉交在你手的日子。耶和華豈不在你前頭行嗎?」於是巴拉下了他泊山,跟隨他有一萬人。
4:15 耶和華使西西拉和他一切車輛全軍潰亂,在巴拉面前被刀殺敗;西西拉下車步行逃跑。
4:16 巴拉追趕車輛、軍隊,直到外邦人的夏羅設。西西拉的全軍都倒在刀下,沒有留下一人。
4:17 只有西西拉步行逃跑,到了基尼人希百之妻雅億的帳棚,因為夏瑣王耶賓與基尼人希百家和好。
4:18 雅億出來迎接西西拉,對他說:「請我主進來,不要懼怕」;西西拉就進了她的帳棚。雅億用被將他遮蓋。
4:19 西西拉對雅億說:「我渴了,求你給我一點水喝。」雅億就打開皮袋,給他奶子喝,仍舊把他遮蓋。
4:20 西西拉又對雅億說:「請你站在帳棚門口,若有人來問你說:『有人在這裡沒有?』你就說:『沒有。』」
4:21 西西拉疲乏沉睡。希百的妻雅億取了帳棚的橛子,手裡拿著錘子,輕悄悄地到他旁邊,將橛子從他鬢邊釘進去,釘入地裡。西西拉就死了。
4:22 巴拉追趕西西拉的時候,雅億出來迎接他說:「來吧,我將你所尋找的人給你看。」他就進入帳棚,看見西西拉已經死了,倒在地上,橛子還在他鬢中。
4:23 這樣,上帝使迦南王耶賓被以色列人制伏了。
4:24 從此以色列人的手越發有力,勝了迦南王耶賓,直到將他滅絕了。
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, now that Ehud was dead. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.
4 Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading[a] Israel at that time. 5 She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. 6 She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. 7 I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’”
8 Barak 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. 10 There Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, Moses’ brother-in-law,[b] and pitched his tent by the great tree in Zaanannim near Kedesh.
12 When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, 13 Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron.
14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the Lord gone ahead of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. 15 At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.
16 Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left. 17 Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.
18 Jael 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, 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.’”
21 But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.
22 Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael 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.
23 On that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. 24 And the hand of the Israelites pressed harder and harder against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.
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拯救以色列人不光是男人,也有女人,正如女先知底波拉和基尼人希百之妻雅億。
照聖經記載:「有一位女先知名叫底波拉,是拉比多的妻,當時作以色列的士師。她住在以法蓮山地拉瑪和伯特利中間,在底波拉的棕樹下。以色列人都上她那裡去聽判斷。」
底波拉不僅擔任女士師,還呼召亞比挪菴的兒子巴拉,對他說:「耶和華─以色列的上帝吩咐你說:『你率領一萬拿弗他利和西布倫人上他泊山去。我必使耶賓的將軍西西拉率領他的車輛和全軍往基順河,到你那裡去;我必將他交在你手中。』」
但是這位巴拉可能信心不夠,所以要求底波拉同行。底波拉只好對他說:「我必與你同去,只是你在所行的路上得不著榮耀,因為耶和華要將西西拉交在一個婦人手裡。」
也因為這樣故事發展到基尼人希百之妻雅億將西西拉將軍殺死的事情!讓我們感受到上帝是用多麼奇妙的方法拯救以色列人,真的是超乎人的想像!
在我們現實的環境中,我們也是會遇到許多我們難以言喻的奇妙事蹟,這些都是上帝奇妙的作為!因此,我們要存敬畏上帝的心在世上生活,為上帝所行的奇事歸榮耀給上帝,勇敢向世人傳揚上帝在基督裡奇妙的拯救,這就是尊上帝為大了!
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