Judges 5
1 On that day, Deborah sang this song, along with Barak:
Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
2 “When the leaders of the Israeli people really lead them, and the people follow them, [it is time to] praise Yahweh!
For that the leaders took the lead in Israel, for that the people offered themselves willingly, bless ye the LORD.
3 Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you leaders! I will sing to Yahweh. With this song I will praise Yahweh, the God we Israelis worship.
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 O Yahweh, when you came from Seir, when you marched from that land [better known as] Edom, the earth shook, and rain poured down from the skies.
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 The mountains shook when you came, just like Sinai Mountain shook when you appeared there, because you are Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship.
The mountains flowed down at the presence of the LORD, even yon Sinai at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.
6 “When Shamgar was our leader and when Jael ruled us, [we were afraid to walk on] the main roads; instead, caravans of travelers walked on winding [less traveled] roads [to avoid being molested].
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 People left their small villages, [and moved into the walled cities] until I, Deborah, became their leader. [I became like] a mother to the Israeli people.
The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
8 When the Israeli people [abandoned Yahweh and] chose new gods, enemies attacked the gates of the cities, and then [they took away] the shields and spears from 40,000 Israeli soldiers. Not one shield or spear was left.
They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
9 I am thankful for the leaders and soldiers who volunteered [to fight]. Praise Yahweh [for them!]
My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people: bless ye the LORD.
10 “You wealthy people who ride on donkeys, sitting on nice padded saddles, and you people who just walk on the road, you all listen!
Tell [of it], ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit on rich carpets, and ye that walk by the way.
11 Listen to the voices of the singers who gather at the places where [the animals drink] water. They tell about how Yahweh acted righteously when he enabled the Israeli warriors to conquer [their enemies]. “Yahweh’s people marched down to the gates of our city.
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 The people came to my house and shouted, ‘Deborah, wake up! Wake up and start singing!’ They also shouted, ‘Barak, son of Abinoam, get up, and capture our enemies!’
Awake, awake, Deborah; awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
13 Later, some of the Israeli people came down [from Tabor Mountain] with us, their leaders. These men who belonged to Yahweh came with me to fight their strong enemies.
Then came down a remnant of the nobles [and] the people; the LORD came down for me against the mighty.
14 Some came from the tribe descended from Ephraim. They came from land that once belonged to the descendants of Amalek. And men from the tribe descended from Benjamin followed them. Troops from the group descended from Makir also came down, and officers from the tribe descended from Zebulun came down, carrying staffs.
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 Leaders from the tribes descended from Issachar joined Barak and me. They followed Barak, rushing down into the valley. But men from the tribe descended from Reuben could not decide whether or not to join us.
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 did you men stay at your sheep pens, waiting to hear the shepherds whistle for their flocks of sheep to come to the pens? Men in the tribe descended from Reuben could not decide whether they would join us to fight our enemies, or not.
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 Similarly, the men living in the Gilead area stayed at home, east of the Jordan River. And the men from the tribe descended from Dan, why did they stay home? The tribe descended from Asher sat by the seashore. They stayed in their coves.
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 But men from the tribe descended from Zebulun risked (their lives/were ready to die fighting) on the battlefield, and men descended from Naphtali were ready to do that, also.
Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death, and Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.
19 “The kings of Canaan fought us at Taanach, near the springs in Megiddo [Valley]. [But since they did not defeat us], they did not carry away any silver or other treasures from the battle.
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 [It was as though] the stars in the sky fought for us [and as though] those stars in their paths fought against Sisera.
They fought from heaven, the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
21 The Kishon River swept them away— that river that has been there for ages. I will tell myself to be brave and continue marching on.
The river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength.
22 The hooves of the horses of Sisera’s [army] pounded the ground. Those powerful horses kept galloping along.
Then did the horsehoofs stamp by reason of the pransings, the pransings of their strong ones.
23 The angel sent by Yahweh said, ‘Curse the people of Meroz [town], because they did not come to help Yahweh to defeat the mighty warriors [of Canaan].’
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 “But God is very pleased with Jael, the wife of Heber from the Ken people-group. He is more pleased with her than with all the other women who live in tents.
Blessed above women shall Jael be, the wife of Heber the Kenite, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
25 Sisera asked for some water, but Jael gave him some milk. She brought him some yogurt/curds in a bowl that was suitable for kings.
He asked water, [and] she gave him milk; she brought him butter in a lordly dish.
26 Then, [when he was asleep], she reached for a tent peg with her left hand, and she reached for a hammer with her right hand. She hit Sisera hard with it and crushed his head. She pounded the tent peg right through his head.
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 collapsed and fell dead at her feet.
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 “Sisera’s mother looked out from her window. She waited for him to return. She said, ‘Why is he taking so long to come home in his chariot? Why don’t I hear the sound of the wheels of his chariot?’
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 One wise woman replied to her, and she [kept consoling herself by] repeating those words:
Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
30 ‘Perhaps they are dividing up the things and the people they captured after the battle. Each soldier will get one or two women. Sisera will get some beautiful robes, and some beautiful embroidered robes for me.’
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 But [that is not what happened]! Yahweh, I hope that all your enemies will die as Sisera did! And I desire that all those who love you will be as strong as the sun when it rises!
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.
