Judges 5
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
Then sang Deborah with Barak the son of Abino'am on that day, saying,
2 “When the princes take the lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, bless the LORD.
When depravity had broken out in Israel, then did the people offer themselves willingly; [therefore] praise ye the Lord.
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 kings; give ear, O princes; I—unto the Lord will I sing; I will sing praise to the Lord, the 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, at thy going forth out of Seir, at thy marching along out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, also the heavens dropped, also the clouds dropped water.
5 The mountains quaked before the LORD, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.
The mountains melted away because of the presence of the Lord, yonder Sinai, because of the presence of the Lord, the 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 Ja'el, the highways were unoccupied, and those who travelled on roads walked through crooked by-paths.
7 Life in the villages ceased; it ended in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.
Desolate were the open towns in Israel, they were desolate, until that I arose, Deborah, 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 there war in the gates: was there a shield seen or a spear 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 [belongeth] to the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly 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
Ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and ye who walk on the way, utter praise!
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:
[Urged on] by the voice of those who divide [the flocks] between the watering wells, there shall they rehearse the benefits of the Lord, the benefits toward his open towns in Israel; [for] now go down [again] to the gates the people of the Lord.
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! up, Barak, and lead away thy captives, son of Abino'am.
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of the LORD came down to me against the mighty.
Then obtained dominion a few that had escaped for the nobles among the people—the Lord gave me 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.
They whose root is out of Ephraim were against 'Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, with thy armies; out of Machir came down lawgivers, 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; yea Issachar, the support of Barak; into the valley he hastened down in his train; [but] at the streams 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 didst thou sit among the sheepfolds to hear the bleatings of the flocks? At the streams 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.
Gil'ad abode beyond the Jordan; and Dan—why would he tarry in ships? Asher remained on the seashore, and abode near his bays.
18 Zebulun was a people who risked their lives; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.
Zebulun is a people that jeoparded its life unto death, and Naphtali—on the high places of the [battle] 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.
There came kings, [and] fought, then fought the kings of Canaan, in Ta'anach by the waters of Megiddo: gain of money they took not away.
20 From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses they fought against Sisera.
From heaven they fought—the stars in their courses fought against Sissera.
21 The River Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the River Kishon. March on, O my soul, in strength!
The stream of Kishon swept them away, that ancient stream, the stream of Kishon: step along, O my soul, in victorious strength.
22 Then the hooves of horses thundered— the mad galloping of his stallions.
Then were crushed the hoofs of the horses, through the prancings, the prancings 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, saith the messenger of the Lord, yea, curse ye bitterly its inhabitants; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord among the mighty.
24 Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
Blessed above [other] women shall be Ja'el the wife of Cheber the Kenite, above [other] women [dwelling] in the tent may she be blessed.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
Water he asked, milk she gave [him]: in a lordly dish she brought him cream.
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.
Her hand she put forth to the nail, and her right hand to the laborious workmen's hammer; and she hammered Sissera, she struck his head, and crushed and smote through his temple.
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.
Between her feet he bent, he fell, he lay; between her feet he bent, he fell: where he had bent, there he fell down, bereft of life.
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?’
Out of the window looked and moaned the mother of Sissera, through the lattice, Why tarrieth his chariot so long in coming? why lag the wheels of his chariot?
29 Her wisest ladies answer; indeed she keeps telling herself,
The wise among her ladies answered her, she also returned a reply 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?’
Will they not find, —divide booty? one maiden, two maidens for every man, a booty of colored garments for Sissera, a booty of colored embroidered garments, colored, double-worked garments round the necks of the captives!
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.
Thus may perish all thy enemies, O Lord; but may those that love him be as the rising of the sun in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
