< Judges 5 >

1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
UDebora loBaraki indodana kaAbinowama basebehlabela ngalolosuku besithi:
2 “When the leaders take the lead in Israel, when the people gladly volunteer for war— we praise Yahweh!
Ngenxa yokuphindisela kwezimpindiselo koIsrayeli, nxa abantu bezinikela ngokuzithandela, busisani iNkosi!
3 Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you leaders! I, I will sing to Yahweh; I will sing praises to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
Zwanini makhosi, libeke indlebe ziphathamandla, mina, mina ngizahlabela eNkosini, ngihubele iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.
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.
Nkosi, ekuphumeni kwakho eSeyiri, ekunyatheleni kwakho usuka ensimini yeEdoma, umhlaba wazamazama, lamazulu athonta, lamayezi athontisa amanzi.
5 The mountains quaked before the face of Yahweh; even Mount Sinai quaked before the face of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
Izintaba zageleza phambi kweNkosi, iSinayi le phambi kweNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli.
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.
Ensukwini zikaShamigari indodana kaAnathi, ensukwini zikaJayeli, izindlela zaphela, lababehamba ezindledlaneni bahamba ngezindlela ezimazombazombe.
7 There were few rural people in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose—arose as a mother in Israel!
Izakhamizi zemakhaya zaphela koIsrayeli, zaphela, ngaze ngasukuma mina Debora, ngasukuma, unina koIsrayeli.
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.
Wakhetha onkulunkulu abatsha, khona kwaba lempi emasangweni. Sabonwa yini isihlangu lomkhonto phakathi kwabazinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amane koIsrayeli?
9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, along with the people who gladly volunteered— we bless Yahweh for them!
Inhliziyo yami ikubanikimithetho bakoIsrayeli, abazinikela ngokuzithandela phakathi kwabantu. Busisani iNkosi!
10 Think about this—you who ride on white donkeys sitting on rugs for saddles, and you who walk along the road.
Bagadi babobabhemi abamhlophe, bahlali besigcabha, labahambi endleleni, khulumani.
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.
Elizwini labatshoki, phakathi kwezindawo zokukha amanzi, lapho bayalandisa ngemisebenzi elungileyo yeNkosi, imisebenzi elungileyo yezakhamizi zemakhaya zakoIsrayeli. Ngalesosikhathi abantu beNkosi behlela emasangweni.
12 Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Get up, Barak, and capture your prisoners, you son of Abinoam.
Vuka, vuka, Debora! Vuka, vuka, khuluma ingoma! Sukuma Baraki, uthumbe abathunjiweyo bakho, ndodana kaAbinowama.
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of Yahweh came down to me with the warriors.
Khona yayenza insali yabusa phezu kwezinduna ebantwini; iNkosi yangenza ngabusa phezu kwabalamandla.
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.
Kuvela koEfrayimi impande yabo yayimelene loAmaleki; emva kwakho, Bhenjamini, phakathi kwabantu bakho; kuvela kuMakiri kwehla abanikumthetho, lakoZebuluni abadonsa ngentonga yombhali.
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.
Leziphathamandla zakoIsakari zaziloDebora; lanjengoIsakari, waba njalo uBaraki; wathunjwa esigodini ngenyawo zakhe. Ekwehlukaneni kukaRubeni izinqumo zenhliziyo zazizinkulu.
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.
Wahlalelani phakathi kwezibaya ukuzwa umhlanga wokukhaliselwa izimvu? Izifunda zakoRubeni zaba lokuhlolwa okukhulu kwenhliziyo.
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.
UGileyadi wahlala ngaphetsheya kweJordani. LoDani wahlalelani emikhunjini? UAsheri wahlala ekhunjini lolwandle, wahlala ethekwini.
18 Zebulun was a tribe who would risk their lives to the point of death, and Naphtali, also, on the field of battle.
UZebuluni uyisizwe esadela umphefumulo waso kwaze kwaba sekufeni, loNafithali, emiqolweni yensimu.
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.
Amakhosi afika alwa; khona amakhosi eKhanani alwa eThahanakhi ngasemanzini eMegido; kawathathanga impango yesiliva.
20 From heaven the stars fought, from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.
Zisemazulwini zalwa, inkanyezi zisendleleni zazo zalwa loSisera.
21 The Kishon River swept them away, that old river, the Kishon River. March on my soul, be strong!
Isifula iKishoni sabakhukhula, isifula sendulo, isifula iKishoni. Mphefumulo wami, unyathela ngamandla!
22 Then came the sound of horses' hooves— galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.
Khona atshaya phansi amasondo amabhiza, ngokumatha, ukumatha kwabalamandla bakhe.
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.'
Qalekisani iMerozi, kutsho ingilosi yeNkosi, qalekisani ngokuqalekisa abakhileyo kuyo, ngoba kabezanga kuncedo lweNkosi, kuncedo lweNkosi, lamaqhawe.
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.
Uzabusiswa phezu kwabesifazana uJayeli umkaHeberi umKeni; ubusisiwe phezu kwabesifazana ethenteni.
25 The man asked for water, and she gave him milk; she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.
Wacela amanzi, wamnika uchago, waletha amasi ngomganu wobukhosi.
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.
Welulela isandla sakhe esikhonkwaneni, lesandla sakhe sokunene esandweni sezisebenzi, wamtshaya uSisera, wachoboza ikhanda lakhe, wahlaba wabhoboza inhlafuno yakhe.
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.
Phakathi laphakathi kwenyawo zakhe wakhothama wawa walala; phakathi laphakathi kwenyawo zakhe wakhothama wawa, lapho akhothamela khona, wawa lapho efile echithekile.
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?'
Unina kaSisera walunguza ngewindi, wanqolonga ngeminxibo yewindi wathi: Kungani inqola yakhe iphuza ukuza? Kungani ephuzile amavili ezinqola zakhe?
29 Her wisest princesses replied, and she gave herself the same answer:
Izihlakaniphi zamakhosazana akhe zaphendula, yebo yena wazibuyisela impendulo yakhe wathi:
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?'
Kabatholanga yini bayaba impango, intombazana, amantombazana amabili kuleyo laleyondoda, impango yamalembu aconjiweyo kaSisera, impango yamalembu aconjiweyo afekethisiweyo ngenalithi, amalembu amabili aconjiweyo afekethisiweyo ngenalithi, awentamo zomphangi?
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.
Ngokunjalo kazibhubhe zonke izitha zakho, Nkosi. Kodwa abayithandayo kababe njengokuphuma kwelanga ngamandla alo. Lelizwe lathula iminyaka engamatshumi amane.

< Judges 5 >