Judges 5
1 And Deborah sings—also Barak son of Abinoam—on that day, saying,
Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
2 “For freeing leaders in Israel, For a people willingly offering themselves, Bless YHWH.
For that the leaders took the lead in Israel, for that the people offered themselves willingly, bless ye the LORD.
3 Hear, you kings; give ear, you princes, I sing to YHWH, I sing praise to YHWH, God of Israel.
Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, [even] I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.
4 YHWH, in Your going forth out of Seir, In Your stepping out of the field of Edom, The earth trembled and the heavens dropped, And thick clouds dropped water.
LORD, when thou wentest forth out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, yea, the clouds dropped water.
5 Hills flowed from the face of YHWH, This one—Sinai—From the face of YHWH, God of Israel.
The mountains flowed down at the presence of the LORD, even yon Sinai at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath—In the days of Jael—The ways have ceased, And those going in the paths go [in] crooked ways.
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 Villages ceased in Israel—they ceased, Until I arose—Deborah, That I arose, a mother in Israel.
The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
8 He chooses new gods, Then war [is] at the gates! A shield is not seen—and a spear 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] to the lawgivers of Israel, Who are offering themselves willingly among the people, Bless YHWH!
My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people: bless ye the LORD.
10 Riders on white donkeys—Sitters on a long robe—And walkers by the way—meditate!
Tell [of it], ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit on rich carpets, and ye that walk by the way.
11 By the voice of shouters Between the places of drawing water, There they give out righteous acts of YHWH, Righteous acts of His villages in Israel, Then the people of YHWH have gone down to the gates.
Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, [even] the righteous acts of his rule in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates.
12 Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, utter a song; Rise, Barak, and take your captivity captive, Son of Abinoam.
Awake, awake, Deborah; awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
13 Then him who is left of the majestic ones He caused to rule the people of YHWH, He caused me to rule among the mighty.
Then came down a remnant of the nobles [and] the people; the LORD came down for me against the mighty.
14 From Ephraim [are] those whose root [is] in Amalek, After you, Benjamin, among your peoples, From Machir lawgivers came down, And from Zebulun those drawing with the reed of a writer.
Out of Ephraim [came down] they whose root is in Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal’s staff.
15 And princes in Issachar [are] with Deborah, Indeed, Issachar [is] right with Barak, Into the valley he was sent on his feet. In the divisions of Reuben, The decrees of heart [are] great!
And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; as was Issachar, so was Barak; into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. By the watercourses of Reuben there were great resolves of heart.
16 Why have you abided between the boundaries, To hear lowings of herds? For the divisions of Reuben, The searchings of heart [are] great!
Why satest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the pipings for the flocks? At the watercourses of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead dwelt beyond the Jordan, And why does Dan sojourn [in] ships? Asher has abided at the haven of the seas, And dwells by his creeks.
Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and Dan, why did he remain in ships? Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, and abode by his creeks.
18 Zebulun [is] a people who exposed its soul to death, Naphtali also—on high places of the field.
Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death, and Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.
19 Kings came—they fought; Then kings of Canaan fought, In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They did not take gain of money!
The kings came and fought; then fought the kings of Canaan; in Taanach by the waters of Meggido: they took no gain of money.
20 They fought from the heavens: The stars fought with Sisera from their highways.
They fought from heaven, the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
21 The Brook of Kishon swept them away, The most ancient brook—the Brook of Kishon. You tread down strength, O my soul!
The river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength.
22 Then the horse-heels were broken, By gallopings—gallopings of its mighty ones.
Then did the horsehoofs stamp by reason of the pransings, the pransings of their strong ones.
23 Curse Meroz, said a messenger of YHWH, Cursing, curse its inhabitants! For they did not come to the help of YHWH, To the help of YHWH among the mighty!
Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.
24 Above women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite, She is blessed above women in the tent.
Blessed above women shall Jael be, the wife of Heber the Kenite, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
25 He asked for water—she gave milk; She brought butter near in a lordly dish.
He asked water, [and] she gave him milk; she brought him butter in a lordly dish.
26 She sends forth her hand to the pin, And her right hand to the laborers’ hammer, And she hammered Sisera—she struck his head, Indeed, she struck, and it passed through 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 through his head, yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.
27 He bowed between her feet—He fell, he lay down; He bowed between her feet, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell—destroyed.
At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
28 She has looked out through the window—Indeed, she cries out—the mother of Sisera, Through the lattice: Why is his chariot delaying to come? Why have the steps of his chariot tarried?
Through the window she looked forth, and cried, the mother of Sisera [cried] through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
29 The wise ones, her princesses, answer her, Indeed, she returns her sayings to herself:
Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
30 Do they not find? They apportion spoil, A female—two females—for every head, Spoil of finger-work for Sisera, Spoil of embroidered finger-work, Finger-work—a pair of embroidered things, For the necks of the spoil!
Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil? a damsel, two damsels to every man; to Sisera a spoil of divers colours, a spoil of divers colours of embroidery, of divers colours of embroidery on both sides, on the necks of the spoil?
31 So do all Your enemies perish, O YHWH, And those loving Him [are] As the going out of the sun in its might!” And the land rests [for] forty years.
So let all thine enemies perish, [O LORD]: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
