Judges 5
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
And Deborah singeth — 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 freemen in Israel, For a people willingly offering themselves Bless ye Jehovah.
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, ye kings; give ear, ye princes, I, to Jehovah, I — I do sing, I sing praise to Jehovah, 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.
Jehovah, in Thy going forth out of Seir, In Thy stepping out of the field of Edom, Earth trembled, also the heavens dropped, Also 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 Jehovah, This one — Sinai — From the face of Jehovah, 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, Till that 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 chooseth 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 ye Jehovah!
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 asses — 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 Jehovah, Righteous acts of His villages in Israel, Then ruled in the gates have the people of Jehovah.
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 captive thy captivity, 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 honourable ones He caused to rule the people of Jehovah, 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.
Out of Ephraim their root [is] against Amalek. After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples. Out of Machir came down lawgivers, And out of 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, Yea, Issachar [is] right with Barak, Into the valley he was sent on his feet. In the divisions of Reuben, Great [are] the decrees 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 hast thou abode between the boundaries, To hear lowings of herds? For the divisions of Reuben, Great [are] the searchings of heart!
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 beyond the Jordan did tabernacle, And Dan — why doth he sojourn [in] ships? Asher hath abode at the haven of the seas, And by his creeks doth tabernacle.
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 fought kings of Canaan, In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; Gain of money they took not!
20 From heaven the stars fought, from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.
From the heavens they fought: The stars from their highways fought with Sisera.
21 The Kishon River swept them away, that old river, the Kishon River. March on my soul, be strong!
The brook Kishon swept them away, The brook most ancient — the brook Kishon. Thou dost tread down strength, O my soul!
22 Then came the sound of horses' hooves— galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.
Then broken were the horse-heels, By pransings — pransings 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 Jehovah, Cursing, curse ye its inhabitants, For they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah 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.
Blessed above women is Jael, Wife of Heber the Kenite, Above women in the tent she is blessed.
25 The man asked for water, and she gave him milk; she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.
Water he asked — milk she gave; In a lordly dish she brought near butter.
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.
Her hand to the pin she sendeth forth, And her right hand to the labourers' hammer, And she hammered Sisera — she smote his head, Yea, she smote, 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.
Between her feet he bowed — He fell, he lay down; Between her feet he bowed, 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?'
Through the window she hath looked out — Yea, she crieth out — the mother of Sisera, Through the lattice: Wherefore is his chariot delaying to come? Wherefore tarried have the steps of his chariot?
29 Her wisest princesses replied, and she gave herself the same answer:
The wise ones, her princesses, answer her, Yea, she returneth 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 Thine enemies perish, O Jehovah, And those loving Him [are] As the going out of the sun in its might!' and the land resteth forty years.
