Judges 5
1 And Delbora and Barach, sone of Abynoen, sungen in that dai, and seiden,
On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2 Ye men of Israel, that `offriden wilfuli youre lyues to perel, blesse the Lord.
“When the leaders take the lead in Israel, when the people gladly volunteer for war— we praise Yahweh!
3 Ye kingis, here, ye princes, perceyueth with eeris; Y am, Y am the womman, that schal synge to the Lord; Y schal synge to the Lord God of Israel.
Listen, you kings! Pay attention, you leaders! I, I will sing to Yahweh; I will sing praises to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
4 Lord, whanne thou yedist out fro Seir, and passidist bi the cuntrees of Edom, the erthe was moued, and heuenes and cloudis droppiden with watris; hillis flowiden fro the `face of the Lord,
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.
5 and Synai fro the face of the Lord God of Israel.
The mountains quaked before the face of Yahweh; even Mount Sinai quaked before the face of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
6 In the daies of Sangar, sone of Anach, in the daies of Jahel, paththis restiden, and thei that entriden bi tho yeden bi paththis out of the weie.
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.
7 Stronge men in Israel cessiden, and restiden, til Delbora roos, a modir in Israel.
There were few rural people in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose—arose as a mother in Israel!
8 The Lord chees newe batels, and he destriede the yatis of enemyes; scheeld and spere apperiden not in fourti thousynde of Israel.
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.
9 Myn herte loueth the princes of Israel; ye that offriden you to perel bi youre owyn wille,
My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, along with the people who gladly volunteered— we bless Yahweh for them!
10 blesse ye the Lord; speke ye, that stien on schynynge assis, and sitten aboue in doom, and goen in the wey.
Think about this—you who ride on white donkeys sitting on rugs for saddles, and you who walk along the road.
11 Where the charis weren hurtlid doun to gidere, and the oost of enemyes was straunglid, there the `riytfulnessis of the Lord be teld, and mercy among the stronge of Israel; thanne the `puple of the Lord cam doun to the yatis, and gat prinsehod.
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.
12 Rise, rise thou, Delbora, rise thou, and speke a song; rise thou, Barach, and thou, sone of Abynoen, take thi prisoneris.
Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Get up, Barak, and capture your prisoners, you son of Abinoam.
13 The relikis of the puple ben sauyd; the Lord fauyt ayens stronge men of Effraym.
Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of Yahweh came down to me with the warriors.
14 He dide awei hem in Amalech, and aftir hym of Beniamyn in to thi puplis, thou Amalech. Princes of Machir and of Zabulon yeden doun, that ledden oost to fiyte.
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.
15 The duykis of Isachar weren with Delbora, and sueden the steppis of Barach, which yaf hym silf to perel, as in to a dich, and in to helle. While Ruben was departid ayens hym silf; the strijf of greet hertyd men was foundun.
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.
16 Whi dwellist thou bitwixe `tweyne endis, that thou here the hissyngis of flockis? While Ruben was departid ayens hym silf, the strijf of greet hertid men was foundun.
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.
17 Gad restide biyendis Jordan, and Dan yaf tent to schippis. Aser dwellide in the `brenke of the see, and dwellide in hauenes.
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.
18 Forsothe Zabulon and Neptalym offriden her lyues to deeth, in the cuntre of Morema, `that is interpretid, hiy.
Zebulun was a tribe who would risk their lives to the point of death, and Naphtali, also, on the field of battle.
19 Kyngis camen, and fouyten; kyngis of Canaan fouyten in Thanath, bisidis the watris of Magedon; and netheles thei token no thing bi prey.
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.
20 Fro heuene `me fauyt ayens hem; sterris dwelliden in her ordre and cours, and fouyten ayens Sisara.
From heaven the stars fought, from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.
21 The stronde of Cyson drow `the deed bodies of hem, the stronde of Cadymyn, the stronde of Cyson. My soule, to-trede thou stronge men.
The Kishon River swept them away, that old river, the Kishon River. March on my soul, be strong!
22 The hors howis felden, while the strongeste of enemyes fledden with bire, and felden heedli.
Then came the sound of horses' hooves— galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.
23 Curse ye the lond of Meroth, seide the `aungel of the Lord, curse ye `the dwelleris of hym, for thei camen not to the help of the Lord, `in to the help of the strongeste of hym.
'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.'
24 Blessyd among wymmen be Jahel, the wijf of Aber Cyney; blessid be sche in hir tabernacle.
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.
25 To Sisara axynge watir sche yaf mylk, and in a viol of princes sche yaf botere.
The man asked for water, and she gave him milk; she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.
26 Sche puttide the left hond to a nail, and the riyt hond to the `hameris of smyythis; and sche smoot Sisara, and souyte in the heed a place of wounde, and perside strongli the temple.
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.
27 He felde bitwixe `the feet of hir, he failide, and diede; he was waltryd bifor hir feet, and he lay with out soule, and wretchidful.
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.
28 His modir bihelde bi a wyndow, and yellide; and sche spak fro the soler, Whi tarieth his chaar to come ayen? Whi tarieden the feet of his foure horsid cartis?
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?'
29 Oon wisere than `othere wyues of hym answeride these wordis to the modir of hir hosebonde,
Her wisest princesses replied, and she gave herself the same answer:
30 In hap now he departith spuylis, and the faireste of wymmen is chosun to hym; clothis of dyuerse colouris ben youun to Sisara in to prey, and dyuerse aray of houshold is gaderid to ourne neckis.
'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?'
31 Lord, alle thin enemyes perische so; sotheli, thei that louen thee, schyne so, as the sunne schyneth in his risyng. And the lond restide fourti yeer.
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.
