Judges 5
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
2 “When the princes take the lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, bless the LORD.
Praise ye Yhwh for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
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.
Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto Yhwh; I will sing praise to Yhwh 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.
Yhwh, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.
5 The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.
The mountains melted from before Yhwh, even that Sinai from before Yhwh 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 days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
7 Life in the villages ceased; it ended in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.
The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose 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 war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
9 My heart is with the princes of Israel, with the volunteers among the people. Bless the LORD!
My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye Yhwh.
10 You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder
Speak, ye that ride on white donkeys, ye that sit in judgment, and walk 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:
They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of Yhwh, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of Yhwh go down 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!’
Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of the LORD came down to me against the mighty.
Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: Yhwh made me have dominion over the mighty.
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.
Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out 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; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there 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 sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings 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 beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.
18 Zebulun was a people who risked their lives; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.
Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high 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 took no gain of money.
20 From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses they fought against Sisera.
They fought from heaven; the stars 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 river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.
22 Then the hooves of horses thundered— the mad galloping of his stallions.
Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.
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, said the angel of Yhwh, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of Yhwh, to the help of Yhwh against the mighty.
24 Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
He asked water, and she gave him milk; 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 nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through 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.
At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down 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 window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
29 Her wisest ladies answer; indeed she keeps telling herself,
Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
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?’
Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?
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 Yhwh: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
