Judges 5
1 Then sang Deborah, and Barak the sonne of Abinoam the same day, saying,
On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2 Praise ye the Lord for the auenging of Israel, and for the people that offred themselues willingly.
“When the leaders take the lead in Israel, when the people gladly volunteer for war— we praise Yahweh!
3 Heare, ye Kings, hearken ye princes: I, euen I will sing vnto the Lord: I will sing praise vnto the Lord God of Israel.
Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you leaders! I, I will sing to Yahweh; I will sing praises to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
4 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.
Yahweh, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from Edom, the earth shook, and the skies also trembled; also the clouds poured down water.
5 The mountaines melted before the Lord, as did that Sinai before the Lord God of Israel.
The mountains quaked before the face of Yahweh; even Mount Sinai quaked before the face of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
6 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.
In the days of Shamgar (son of Anath), in the days of Jael, the main roads were abandoned, and those who walked only used the winding paths.
7 The townes were not inhabited: they decayed, I say, in Israel, vntill I Deborah came vp, which rose vp a mother in Israel.
There were few rural people in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose—arose as a mother in Israel!
8 They chose new gods: then was warre in the gates. Was there a shielde or speare seene among fourtie thousand of Israel?
When they chose new gods, there was fighting at the city gates and yet there were no shields or spears seen among forty thousand in Israel.
9 Mine heart is set on the gouernours of Israel, and on them that are willing among the people: praise ye the Lord.
My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, along with the people who gladly volunteered— we bless Yahweh for them!
10 Speake ye that ride on white asses, yee that dwel by Middin, and that walke by the way.
Think about this—you who ride on white donkeys sitting on rugs for saddles, and you who walk along the road.
11 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.
Hear the voices of those who sing at the watering places. There they tell again of Yahweh's righteous deeds, and the righteous actions of his warriors in Israel. Then the people of Yahweh went down to the city gates.
12 Vp Deborah, vp, arise, and sing a song: arise Barak, and leade thy captiuitie captiue, thou sonne of Abinoam.
Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Get up, Barak, and capture your prisoners, you son of Abinoam.
13 For they that remaine, haue dominio ouer the mightie of the people: the Lord hath giuen me dominion ouer the strong.
Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of Yahweh came down to me with the warriors.
14 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.
They came from Ephraim, whose root is in Amalek; the people of Benjamin followed you. From Machir commanders came down, and from Zebulun those who carry an officer's staff.
15 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.
My princes in Issachar were with Deborah; and Issachar was with Barak rushing after him into the valley under his command. Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
16 Why abodest thou among the sheepefolds, to heare the bleatings of the flockes? for the diuisions of Reuben were great thoughts of heart.
Why did you sit between the fireplaces, listening to the shepherds playing their pipes for their flocks? As for the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead abode beyonde Iorden: and why doeth Dan remayne in shippes? Asher sate on the sea shoare, and taryed in his decayed places.
Gilead stayed on the other side of the Jordan; and Dan, why did he wander about on ships? Asher remained on the coast and lived close to his harbors.
18 But the people of Zebulun and Naphtali haue ieopard their liues vnto the death in the hie places of the field.
Zebulun was a tribe who would risk their lives to the point of death, and Naphtali, also, on the field of battle.
19 The Kings came and fought: then fought the Kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo: they receiued no gaine of money.
The kings came, they fought; the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. But they took away no silver as plunder.
20 They fought from heauen, euen the starres in their courses fought against Sisera.
From heaven the stars fought, from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.
21 The Riuer Kishon swepe them away, that ancient riuer the riuer Kishon. O my soule, thou hast marched valiantly.
The Kishon River swept them away, that old river, the Kishon River. March on my soul, be strong!
22 Then were the horsehooues broken with the oft beating together of their mightie men.
Then came the sound of horses' hooves— galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.
23 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.
'Curse Meroz!' says the angel of Yahweh. 'Surely curse its inhabitants!— because they did not come to help Yahweh— to help Yahweh in the battle against the mighty warriors.'
24 Iael the wife of Heber the Kenite shall be blessed aboue other women: blessed shall she be aboue women dwelling in tentes.
Jael is blessed more than all other women, Jael (the wife of Heber the Kenite), she is more blessed than all the women who live in tents.
25 He asked water, and shee gaue him milke: she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
The man asked for water, and she gave him milk; she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.
26 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.
She put her hand to the tent peg, and her right hand to the workman's hammer; with the hammer she struck Sisera, she crushed his head. She smashed his skull into pieces when she pierced him through the side of his head.
27 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.
He collapsed between her feet, he fell and he lay there. Between her feet he fell limp. The place he collapsed is where he was violently killed.
28 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?
Out of a window she looked— the mother of Sisera looked through the lattice and she called out in sadness, 'Why has it taken his chariot so long to come? Why have the hoofbeats of the horses that pull his chariots been delayed?'
29 Her wise ladies answered her, Yea. Shee answered her selfe with her owne wordes,
Her wisest princesses replied, and she gave herself the same answer:
30 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.
'Have they not found and divided up the plunder? —A womb, two wombs for every man; the plunder of dyed fabric for Sisera, the plunder of dyed fabric embroidered, two pieces of dyed fabric embroidered for the necks of those who plunder?'
31 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.
So may all your enemies perish, Yahweh! But your friends be like the sun when it rises in its might.” Then the land had peace for forty years.
