Thematic Bible




Thematic Bible



When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming on the Atharim road, he fought against Israel and captured some prisoners. Then Israel made a vow to the Lord, "If You will deliver this people into our hands, we will completely destroy their cities." The Lord listened to Israel's request, the Canaanites were defeated, and Israel completely destroyed them and their cities. So they named the place Hormah.

When Jabin king of Hazor heard [this news], he sent [a message] to: Jobab king of Madon, the kings of Shimron and Achshaph, and the kings of the north in the hill country, the plain south of Chinnereth, the Judean foothills, and the Slopes of Dor to the west, the Canaanites in the east and west, the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah. read more.
They went out with all their armies-a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore-along with a vast number of horses and chariots. All these kings joined forces; they came together and camped at the waters of Merom to attack Israel. The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, for at this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over dead to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots." So Joshua and his whole military force surprised them at the waters of Merom and attacked them. The Lord handed them over to Israel, and they struck them down, pursuing them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and to the east as far as the valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors. Joshua treated them as the Lord had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots. At that time Joshua turned back, captured Hazor, and struck down its king with the sword, because Hazor had formerly been the leader of all these kingdoms. They struck down everyone in it with the sword, completely destroying them; he left no one alive. Then he burned down Hazor. Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and struck them down with the sword. He completely destroyed them, as Moses the Lord's servant had commanded. However, Israel did not burn any of the cities that stood on their mounds except Hazor, which Joshua burned. The Israelites plundered all the spoils and cattle of these cities for themselves. But they struck down every person with the sword until they had annihilated them, leaving no one alive. Just as the Lord had commanded His servant Moses, Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. So Joshua took all this land-the hill country, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the Judean foothills, the plain, and the hill country of Israel with its Judean foothills-

Deborah, a woman who was a prophet and the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. It was her custom to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her for judgment. She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, "Hasn't the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded [you]: 'Go, deploy [the troops] on Mount Tabor, and take with you 10,000 men from the Naphtalites and Zebulunites? read more.
Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin's forces, his chariots, and his army at the Wadi Kishon [to fight] against you, and I will hand him over to you.' " Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go." "I will go with you," she said, "but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the Lord will sell Sisera into a woman's hand." So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; 10,000 men followed him, and Deborah also went with him. Now Heber the Kenite had moved away from the Kenites, the sons of Hobab, Moses' father-in-law, and pitched his tent beside the oak tree of Zaanannim, which was near Kedesh. It was reported to Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up Mount Tabor. Sisera summoned all his 900 iron chariots and all the people who were with him from Harosheth of the Nations to the Wadi Kishon. Then Deborah said to Barak, "Move on, for this is the day the Lord has handed Sisera over to you. Hasn't the Lord gone before you?" So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with 10,000 men following him. The Lord threw Sisera, all his charioteers, and all his army into confusion with the sword before Barak. Sisera left his chariot and fled on foot. Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth of the Nations, and the whole army of Sisera fell by the sword; not a single man was left. Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite. Jael went out to greet Sisera and said to him, "Come in, my lord. Come in with me. Don't be afraid." So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a rug. He said to her, "Please give me a little water to drink for I am thirsty." She opened a container of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him [again]. Then he said to her, "Stand at the entrance to the tent. If a man comes and asks you, 'Is there a man here?' say, 'No.' " While he was sleeping from exhaustion, Heber's wife Jael took a tent peg, grabbed a hammer, and went silently to Sisera. She hammered the peg into his temple and drove it into the ground, and he died. When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael went out to greet him and said to him, "Come and I will show you the man you are looking for." So he went in with her, and there was Sisera lying dead with a tent peg through his temple! That day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. The power of the Israelites continued to increase against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.


Deal with them as You did with Midian,
as You did with Sisera
and Jabin at the Kishon River.

So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his forces was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the Nations.

Meanwhile, Sisera had fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the family of Heber the Kenite.

When Jabin king of Hazor heard [this news], he sent [a message] to: Jobab king of Madon, the kings of Shimron and Achshaph, and the kings of the north in the hill country, the plain south of Chinnereth, the Judean foothills, and the Slopes of Dor to the west, the Canaanites in the east and west, the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites at the foot of Hermon in the land of Mizpah. read more.
They went out with all their armies-a multitude as numerous as the sand on the seashore-along with a vast number of horses and chariots. All these kings joined forces; they came together and camped at the waters of Merom to attack Israel. The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, for at this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over dead to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots." So Joshua and his whole military force surprised them at the waters of Merom and attacked them. The Lord handed them over to Israel, and they struck them down, pursuing them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and to the east as far as the valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors. Joshua treated them as the Lord had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots. At that time Joshua turned back, captured Hazor, and struck down its king with the sword, because Hazor had formerly been the leader of all these kingdoms. They struck down everyone in it with the sword, completely destroying them; he left no one alive. Then he burned down Hazor. Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and struck them down with the sword. He completely destroyed them, as Moses the Lord's servant had commanded. However, Israel did not burn any of the cities that stood on their mounds except Hazor, which Joshua burned. The Israelites plundered all the spoils and cattle of these cities for themselves. But they struck down every person with the sword until they had annihilated them, leaving no one alive.

Then I will lure Sisera commander of Jabin’s forces, his chariots, and his army at the Wadi Kishon to fight against you, and I will hand him over to you.’”

That day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. The power of the Israelites continued to increase against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.


Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, because Jabin had 900 iron chariots, and he harshly oppressed them 20 years.

That day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the Israelites. The power of the Israelites continued to increase against Jabin king of Canaan until they destroyed him.

But they forgot the Lord their God, so He handed them over to Sisera commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab. [These enemies] fought against them. Then they cried out to the Lord and said, 'We have sinned, for we abandoned the Lord and worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the power of our enemies, and we will serve You.' So the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel. He rescued you from the power of the enemies around you, and you lived securely.