Judges 5
1 Then sang Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, on that day, saying,
At that time Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, made this song, saying:
2 For that leaders led in Israel, For that the people willingly offered themselves, Bless Jehovah!
Because of the flowing hair of the fighters in Israel, because the people gave themselves freely, give praise to the Lord.
3 Hear, ye kings; give ear, ye princes, I, [even] I, will sing to Jehovah; I will hymn to Jehovah the God of Israel.
Give attention, O kings; give ear, O rulers; I, even I, will make a song to the Lord; I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.
4 Jehovah, when thou wentest forth from Seir, When thou marchedst out of the fields of Edom, The earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, Yea, the clouds dropped water.
Lord, when you went out from Seir, moving like an army from the field of Edom, the earth was shaking and the heavens were troubled, and the clouds were dropping water.
5 The mountains quaked before the face of Jehovah, That Sinai, from before Jehovah the God of Israel.
The mountains were shaking before the Lord, before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, The roads were unused, and the travellers on highways went by crooked paths.
In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were not used, and travellers went by side roads.
7 The villages ceased in Israel, Ceased until that I Deborah arose, That I arose a mother in Israel.
Country towns were no more in Israel, were no more, till you, Deborah, came up, till you came up as a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
They had no one to make arms, there were no more armed men in the towns; was there a body-cover or a spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?
9 My heart is toward the governors of Israel, who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless Jehovah!
Come, you rulers of Israel, you who gave yourselves freely among the people: give praise to the Lord.
10 Ye that ride on white she-asses, ye that sit on carpets, and ye that walk by the way, consider.
Let them give thought to it, who go on white asses, and those who are walking on the road.
11 Because of the voice of those who divide [the spoil] in the midst of the places of drawing water; There they rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah, His righteous acts toward his villages in Israel. Then the people of Jehovah went down to the gates.
Give ear to the women laughing by the water-springs; there they will give again the story of the upright acts of the Lord, all the upright acts of his arm in Israel.
12 Awake, awake, Deborah! awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, and lead captive thy captives, thou son of Abinoam!
Awake! awake! Deborah: awake! awake! give a song: Up! Barak, and take prisoner those who took you prisoner, O son of Abinoam.
13 Then come down, thou, the remnant of nobles, [as his] people; Jehovah! come down with me in the midst of the mighty ones.
Then the chiefs went down to the doors; the Lord's people went down among the strong ones.
14 Out of Ephraim [came] those whose root was in Amalek; After thee was Benjamin among thy peoples. Out of Machir came down governors, And out of Zebulun they that handled the staff of the ruler.
Out of Ephraim they came down into the valley; after you, Benjamin, among your tribesmen; from Machir came down the captains, and from Zebulun those in whose hand is the ruler's rod.
15 And the princes in Issachar were with Deborah; And Issachar, like Barak; They were sent into the valley at his feet. In the divisions of Reuben there were great resolves of heart!
Your chiefs, Issachar, were with Deborah; and Naphtali was true to Barak; into the valley they went rushing out at his feet. In Reuben there were divisions, and great searchings of heart.
16 Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, To hear the bleating of the flocks? In the divisions of Reuben there were great deliberations of heart!
Why did you keep quiet among the sheep, hearing nothing but the watchers piping to the flocks?
17 Gilead abode beyond Jordan; And Dan, why did he remain in ships? Asher sat on the sea-shore, And abode in his creeks.
Gilead was living over Jordan; and Dan was waiting in his ships; Asher kept in his place by the sea's edge, living by his inlets.
18 Zebulun is a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto death, Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.
It was the people of Zebulun who put their lives in danger, even to death, with Naphtali on the high places of the field.
19 Kings came, — they fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan; At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They took no spoil of silver.
The kings came on to the fight, the kings of Canaan were warring; in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo: they took no profit in money.
20 From heaven was the fight; The stars from their courses fought with Sisera.
The stars from heaven were fighting; from their highways they were fighting against Sisera.
21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. My soul, thou hast trodden down strength!
The river Kishon took them violently away, stopping their flight, the river Kishon. Give praise, O my soul, to the strength of the Lord!
22 Then did the horse-hoofs clatter with the coursings, The coursings of their steeds.
Then loudly the feet of the horses were sounding with the stamping, the stamping of their war-horses.
23 Curse Meroz, saith the Angel of Jehovah; Curse, curse the inhabitants thereof; For they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah among the mighty.
A curse, a curse on Meroz! said the angel of the Lord. A bitter curse on her townspeople! Because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord among the strong ones.
24 Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, Blessed above women in the tent!
Blessings be on Jael, more than on all women! Blessings greater than on any in the tents!
25 He asked water, she gave milk; In the nobles' bowl she brought forth cream.
His request was for water, she gave him milk; she put butter before him on a fair plate.
26 She put her hand to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen's hammer; And she smote Sisera, she struck through his head, Shattered and pierced through his temples.
She put out her hand to the tent-pin, and her right hand to the workman's hammer; and she gave Sisera a blow, crushing his head, wounding and driving through his brow.
27 Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell, overcome.
Bent at her feet he went down, he was stretched out; bent at her feet he went down; where he was bent down, there he went down in death.
28 Them other of Sisera looketh out at the window, And crieth through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the trampings of his chariots?
Looking out from the window she gave a cry, the mother of Sisera was crying out through the window, Why is his carriage so long in coming? When will the noise of his wheels be sounding?
29 The wise amongst her ladies answer [her], Yea, she returneth answer to herself,
Her wise women gave answer to her, yes, she made answer again to herself,
30 Have they not found, divided the booty, A damsel, two damsels, to each? A booty of dyed stuffs for Sisera, A booty of dyed stuffs of embroidery, Dyed stuff of double embroidery for the neck of a spoiler?
Are they not getting, are they not parting the goods among them: a young girl or two to every man; and to Sisera robes of coloured needlework, worked in fair colours on this side and on that, for the neck of the queen?
31 So let all thine enemies perish, Jehovah! But let them that love him be as the rising of the sun in its might. And the land had rest forty years.
So may destruction come on all your haters, O Lord; but let your lovers be like the sun going out in his strength. And for forty years the land had peace.
