Judges 5
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
At that time Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, made this song, saying:
2 “When the leaders take the lead in Israel, when the people gladly volunteer for war— we praise Yahweh!
Because of the flowing hair of the fighters in Israel, because the people gave themselves freely, give praise to the Lord.
3 Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you leaders! I, I will sing to Yahweh; I will sing praises to Yahweh, 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 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.
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 Yahweh; even Mount Sinai quaked before the face of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
The mountains were shaking before the Lord, before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 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.
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 There were few rural people in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose—arose as 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 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.
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 goes out to the commanders of Israel, along with the people who gladly volunteered— we bless Yahweh for them!
Come, you rulers of Israel, you who gave yourselves freely among the people: give praise to the Lord.
10 Think about this—you who ride on white donkeys sitting on rugs for saddles, and you who walk along the road.
Let them give thought to it, who go on white asses, and those who are walking on the road.
11 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.
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, sing a song! Get up, Barak, and capture your prisoners, you 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 the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of Yahweh came down to me with the warriors.
Then the chiefs went down to the doors; the Lord's people went down among the strong ones.
14 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.
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 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.
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 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.
Why did you keep quiet among the sheep, hearing nothing but the watchers piping to the flocks?
17 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.
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 was a tribe who would risk their lives to the point of death, and Naphtali, also, on the field of battle.
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 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.
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 the stars fought, from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.
The stars from heaven were fighting; from their highways they were fighting against Sisera.
21 The Kishon River swept them away, that old river, the Kishon River. March on my soul, be strong!
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 came the sound of horses' hooves— galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.
Then loudly the feet of the horses were sounding with the stamping, the stamping of their war-horses.
23 '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.'
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 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.
Blessings be on Jael, more than on all women! Blessings greater than on any in the tents!
25 The man asked for water, and she gave him milk; she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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?'
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 Her wisest princesses replied, and she gave herself the same answer:
Her wise women gave answer to her, yes, she made answer again to herself,
30 '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?'
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 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.
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.
