Judges 5
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
Then sang Deborah, and Barak the sonne of Abinoam the same day, saying,
2 “When the princes take the lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, bless the LORD.
Praise ye the Lord for the auenging of Israel, and for the people that offred themselues willingly.
3 Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.
Heare, ye Kings, hearken ye princes: I, euen I will sing vnto the Lord: I will sing praise vnto the Lord God of Israel.
4 O LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water.
Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou departedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heauens rained, the cloudes also dropped water.
5 The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.
The mountaines melted before the Lord, as did that Sinai before the Lord God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted and the travelers took the byways.
In the dayes of Shamgar the sonne of Anath, in the dayes of Iael the hie wayes were vnoccupied, and the trauelers walked through by wayes.
7 Life in the villages ceased; it ended in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.
The townes were not inhabited: they decayed, I say, in Israel, vntill I Deborah came vp, which rose vp a mother in Israel.
8 When they chose new gods, then war came to their gates. Not a shield or spear was found among forty thousand in Israel.
They chose new gods: then was warre in the gates. Was there a shielde or speare seene among fourtie thousand of Israel?
9 My heart is with the princes of Israel, with the volunteers among the people. Bless the LORD!
Mine heart is set on the gouernours of Israel, and on them that are willing among the people: praise ye the Lord.
10 You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder
Speake ye that ride on white asses, yee that dwel by Middin, and that walke by the way.
11 the voices of the singers at the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, the righteous deeds of His villagers in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates:
For the noyse of the archers appaised among the drawers of water: there shall they rehearse the righteousnesse of the Lord, his righteousnesse of his townes in Israel: then did the people of the Lord goe downe to the gates.
12 ‘Awake, awake, O Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, O Barak, and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’
Vp Deborah, vp, arise, and sing a song: arise Barak, and leade thy captiuitie captiue, thou sonne of Abinoam.
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of the LORD came down to me against the mighty.
For they that remaine, haue dominio ouer the mightie of the people: the Lord hath giuen me dominion ouer the strong.
14 Some came from Ephraim, with their roots in Amalek; Benjamin came with your people after you. The commanders came down from Machir, the bearers of the marshal’s staff from Zebulun.
Of Ephraim their roote arose against Amalek: and after thee, Beniamin shall fight against thy people, O Amalek: of Machir came rulers, and of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah, and Issachar was with Barak, rushing into the valley at his heels. In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.
And the Princes of Issachar were with Deborah, and Issachar, and also Barak: he was set on his feete in the valley: for the diuisions of Reuben were great thoughts of heart.
16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision.
Why abodest thou among the sheepefolds, to heare the bleatings of the flockes? for the diuisions of Reuben were great thoughts of heart.
17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. Dan, why did you linger by the ships? Asher stayed at the coast and remained in his harbors.
Gilead abode beyonde Iorden: and why doeth Dan remayne in shippes? Asher sate on the sea shoare, and taryed in his decayed places.
18 Zebulun was a people who risked their lives; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.
But the people of Zebulun and Naphtali haue ieopard their liues vnto the death in the hie places of the field.
19 Kings came and fought; then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they took no plunder of silver.
The Kings came and fought: then fought the Kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo: they receiued no gaine of money.
20 From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses they fought against Sisera.
They fought from heauen, euen the starres in their courses fought against Sisera.
21 The River Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the River Kishon. March on, O my soul, in strength!
The Riuer Kishon swepe them away, that ancient riuer the riuer Kishon. O my soule, thou hast marched valiantly.
22 Then the hooves of horses thundered— the mad galloping of his stallions.
Then were the horsehooues broken with the oft beating together of their mightie men.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’
Curse ye Meroz: (sayd the Angel of the Lord) curse the inhabitantes thereof, because they came not to helpe the Lord, to helpe the Lord against the mighty.
24 Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
Iael the wife of Heber the Kenite shall be blessed aboue other women: blessed shall she be aboue women dwelling in tentes.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
He asked water, and shee gaue him milke: she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
26 She reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera and crushed his skull; she shattered and pierced his temple.
She put her hand to the naile, and her right hand to the workemans hammer: with the hammer smote she Sisera: she smote off his head, after she had wounded, and pearsed his temples.
27 At her feet he collapsed, he fell, there he lay still; at her feet he collapsed, he fell; where he collapsed, there he fell dead.
He bowed him downe at her feete, he fell downe, and lay still: at her feete hee bowed him downe, and fell: and when he had sunke downe, he lay there dead.
28 Sisera’s mother looked through the window; she peered through the lattice and lamented: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? What has delayed the clatter of his chariots?’
The mother of Sisera looked out at a windowe, and cryed thorowe the lattesse, Why is his charet so long a comming? why tary the wheeles of his charets?
29 Her wisest ladies answer; indeed she keeps telling herself,
Her wise ladies answered her, Yea. Shee answered her selfe with her owne wordes,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil— a girl or two for each warrior, a plunder of dyed garments for Sisera, the spoil of embroidered garments for the neck of the looter?’
Haue they not gotten, and they deuide the spoyle? euery man hath a mayde or two. Sisera hath a praye of diuers coloured garmentes, a pray of sundry colours made of needle worke: of diuers colours of needle worke on both sides, for the chiefe of the spoyle.
31 So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may those who love You shine like the sun at its brightest.” And the land had rest for forty years.
So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but they that loue him, shall be as the Sunne when he riseth in his might, and the lande had rest fourtie yeres.
