Judges 5
1 And Deborah sings—also Barak son of Abinoam—on that day, saying,
Then sang Deborah, and Barak, son of Abinoam, —on that day, saying: —
2 “For freeing leaders in Israel, For a people willingly offering themselves, Bless YHWH.
For the leadership of leaders in Israel, For the volunteering of the people, —Bless ye Yahweh!
3 Hear, you kings; give ear, you princes, I sing to YHWH, I sing praise to YHWH, God of Israel.
Hear, ye kings! Give ear, ye princes! I, unto Yahweh, —I, will sing, Will make melody to Yahweh, 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.
O Yahweh! When thou didst come forth out of Seir, When thou didst march along out of the field of Edom, Earth, trembled, Heaven also, poured forth, —Yea, dark clouds, poured forth waters;
5 Hills flowed from the face of YHWH, This one—Sinai—From the face of YHWH, God of Israel.
From, mountains, came down streams In presence of Yahweh, —From this Sinai, In presence of Yahweh, 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 son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the roads were forsaken, —and, the frequenters of highways, betook them to roundabout paths:
7 Villages ceased in Israel—they ceased, Until I arose—Deborah, That I arose, a mother in Israel.
There was a failure of rulers, in Israel, a failure, —until I arose, a Deborah, 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 gods that were new, Then, —war at the gates! Was there, a shield, to be seen? or a spear? 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 [saith] —for the governors of Israel, for the volunteers among the people, Bless ye Yahweh!
10 Riders on white donkeys—Sitters on a long robe—And walkers by the way—meditate!
Ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit on carpets, and ye that walk upon the road, speak!
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.
In the place of the noise of bowmen among the wells, there, laud ye—the righteous acts of Yahweh, the righteous acts of his rule over Israel. Then, had come down to the gates the people of Yahweh.
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 words of song, —Arise! Barak, and bind fast thy captives, O 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 to the nobles—a people, —Yahweh, came down with 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 was in Amalek, After thee, Benjamin, among thy tribes, —Out of Machir, had come down governors, And, out of Zebulun, such as bear aloft the staff of the marshal;
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, my princes in Issachar, were with Deborah, yea, Issachar, was the support of Barak, Into the vale rushed they forth at his feet. Among the divisions of Reuben, great were the resolves of the 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!
Wherefore abodes thou among the folds? To hear the mocking of the flocks? The divisions of Reuben, had great counsellings 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, beyond the Jordan, took his rest, but, Dan, wherefore remained he with the ships? Asher, abode by the shore of the seas, and, by his creeks, must needs rest.
18 Zebulun [is] a people who exposed its soul to death, Naphtali also—on high places of the field.
Zebulun—a people that scorned their souls unto death; and, Naphtali, —upon the heights 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!
On came kings, they fought, Then, fought the kings of Canaan, In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo, —Plunder of silver, they took not away!
20 They fought from the heavens: The stars fought with Sisera from their highways.
From heaven, was the battle fought, —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 torrent of Kishon, swept them away, the torrent of olden times, the torrent of Kishon! Let my soul march along, with victorious strength!
22 Then the horse-heels were broken, By gallopings—gallopings of its mighty ones.
Then, stamped hoofs of horses, With the gallopings, gallopings of his mighty steeds.
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, saith the messenger of Yahweh, Curse ye with a curse, the inhabitants thereof, —because they came not in to the help of Yahweh, to the help of Yahweh, 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 be Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, —Above women in the tent, be blessed:
25 He asked for water—she gave milk; She brought butter near in a lordly dish.
Water, he asked, Milk, she gave, —In a bowl for nobles, presented cream:
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.
Her hand, to the tent-pin, put she forth, and, her right hand, to the toilers’ mallet, —Then smote she Sisera, She shattered his head, Yea she split open and pierced 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.
Between her feet, he bowed—he fell, he lay, —Between her feet, he bowed—he fell, Where he bowed, There, he fell—destroyed!
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, looked out and shrilly cried, The mother of Sisera, through the lattice, —Why is his chariot ashamed to come? Why delay the wheels of his chariot?
29 The wise ones, her princesses, answer her, Indeed, she returns her sayings to herself:
The wise ladies, her princesses, responded, —Nay! 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!
Is it not They keep finding—dividing spoil, One damsel, two damsels, to every several hero, Spoil, of divers coloured raiment for Sisera, Spoil, of divers coloured raiment, embroidered, Coloured raiment richly embroidered, on the necks of them who are taken as 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, perish all thine enemies, O Yahweh, But be, they who love him, as the going forth of the sun, in his might! And the land had rest forty years.
