Judges 5
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
And Deborah sings—also Barak son of Abinoam—on that day, saying,
2 “When the leaders take the lead in Israel, when the people gladly volunteer for war— we praise Yahweh!
“For freeing leaders in Israel, For a people willingly offering themselves, Bless YHWH.
3 Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you leaders! I, I will sing to Yahweh; I will sing praises to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
Hear, you kings; give ear, you princes, I sing to YHWH, I sing praise to YHWH, 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.
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.
5 The mountains quaked before the face of Yahweh; even Mount Sinai quaked before the face of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
Hills flowed from the face of YHWH, This one—Sinai—From the face of YHWH, 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 son of Anath—In the days of Jael—The ways have ceased, And those going in the paths go [in] crooked ways.
7 There were few rural people in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose—arose as a mother in Israel!
Villages ceased in Israel—they ceased, Until I arose—Deborah, That I arose, 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.
He chooses new gods, Then war [is] at the gates! A shield is not seen—and a spear 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!
My heart [is] to the lawgivers of Israel, Who are offering themselves willingly among the people, Bless YHWH!
10 Think about this—you who ride on white donkeys sitting on rugs for saddles, and you who walk along the road.
Riders on white donkeys—Sitters on a long robe—And walkers by the way—meditate!
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.
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.
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, utter a song; Rise, Barak, and take your captivity captive, Son of Abinoam.
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of Yahweh came down to me with the warriors.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 have you abided between the boundaries, To hear lowings of herds? For the divisions of Reuben, The searchings of heart [are] great!
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 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.
18 Zebulun was a tribe who would risk their lives to the point of death, and Naphtali, also, on the field of battle.
Zebulun [is] a people who exposed its soul to death, Naphtali also—on 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.
Kings came—they fought; Then kings of Canaan fought, In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They did not take gain of money!
20 From heaven the stars fought, from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.
They fought from the heavens: The stars fought with Sisera from their highways.
21 The Kishon River swept them away, that old river, the Kishon River. March on my soul, be strong!
The Brook of Kishon swept them away, The most ancient brook—the Brook of Kishon. You tread down strength, O my soul!
22 Then came the sound of horses' hooves— galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.
Then the horse-heels were broken, By gallopings—gallopings of its mighty ones.
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.'
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!
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.
Above women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite, She is blessed above women in the tent.
25 The man asked for water, and she gave him milk; she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.
He asked for water—she gave milk; She brought butter near in a lordly dish.
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 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.
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.
He bowed between her feet—He fell, he lay down; He bowed between her feet, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell—destroyed.
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?'
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?
29 Her wisest princesses replied, and she gave herself the same answer:
The wise ones, her princesses, answer her, Indeed, she returns her sayings 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?'
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!
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 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.
