Judges 5

¹At that time Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, made this song, saying:

²Because of the flowing hair of the fighters in Israel, because the people gave themselves freely, give praise to the Lord.

³Give 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.

⁴Lord, 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.

⁵The mountains were shaking before the Lord, before the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁶In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were not used, and travellers went by side roads.

⁷Country towns were no more in Israel, *** were no more, till you, Deborah, came up, till you came up as a mother in Israel.

⁸They 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?

⁹Come, you rulers of Israel, you who gave yourselves freely among the people: give praise to the Lord.

¹⁰Let them give thought to it, who go on white asses, and those who are walking on the road.

¹¹Give 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.

¹²Awake! awake! Deborah: awake! awake! give a song: Up! Barak, and take prisoner those who took you prisoner, O son of Abinoam.

¹³Then the chiefs went down to the doors; the Lord's people went down among the strong ones.

¹⁴Out 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.

¹⁵Your 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.

¹⁶Why did you keep quiet among the sheep, hearing nothing but the watchers piping to the flocks?

¹⁷Gilead 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.

¹⁸It was the people of Zebulun who put their lives in danger, even to death, with Naphtali on the high places of the field.

¹⁹The 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.

²⁰The stars from heaven were fighting; from their highways they were fighting against Sisera.

²¹The river Kishon took them violently away, stopping their flight, the river Kishon. Give praise, O my soul, to the strength of the Lord!

²²Then loudly the feet of the horses were sounding with the stamping, the stamping of their war-horses.

²³A 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.

²⁴Blessings be on Jael, more than on all women! Blessings greater than on any in the tents!

²⁵His request was for water, she gave him milk; she put butter before him on a fair plate.

²⁶She 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.

²⁷Bent 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.

²⁸Looking 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?

²⁹Her wise women gave answer to her, yes, she made answer again to herself,

³⁰Are 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?

³¹So 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.

Judges 5

¹Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

²"Because the leaders took the lead in Israel, because the people offered themselves willingly, be blessed, Lord!

³"Hear, you kings! Give ear, you princes! I, even I, will sing to the Lord. I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁴"Lord, when you went forth out of Seir, when you marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the sky also dropped. Yes, the clouds dropped water.

⁵The mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord, even Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁶"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied. The travelers walked through byways.

⁷The rulers ceased in Israel. They ceased until I, Deborah, arose; Until I arose a mother in Israel.

⁸They chose new gods. Then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

⁹My heart is toward the leaders of Israel, who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the Lord!

¹⁰"Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, you who sit on rich carpets, and you who walk by the way.

¹¹Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water, there they will rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous acts of his rule in Israel. "Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates.

¹²'Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, you son of Abinoam.'

¹³"Then a remnant of the nobles and the people came down. The Lord came down for me against the warriors.

¹⁴Those whose root is in Amalek came out of Ephraim, after you, Benjamin, among your peoples; out of Machir leaders came down, and out of Zebulun those that handle the staff of office.

¹⁵And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah. As was Issachar, so was Barak. They rushed into the valley at his feet. By the watercourses of Reuben, there were great resolves of heart.

¹⁶Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, to hear the whistling for the flocks? At the watercourses of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.

¹⁷Gilead lived beyond the Jordan. Why did Dan remain in ships? Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, and lived by his harbors.

¹⁸Zebulun was a people that risked their lives even to death; Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

¹⁹The kings came and fought, then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no plunder of silver.

²⁰From the sky the stars fought. From their courses, they fought against Sisera.

²¹The river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. My soul, march on with strength.

²²Then the horse hoofs stamped because of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones.

²³Curse Meroz, said the angel of the Lord. Curse bitterly its inhabitants, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty.

²⁴Jael shall be blessed above women, the wife of Heber the Kenite; blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

²⁵He asked for water. She gave him milk. She brought him butter in a princely bowl.

²⁶She put her hand to the tent peg, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer. With the hammer she struck Sisera. She struck through his head. Yes, she pierced and struck through his temple.

²⁷At her feet he collapsed, he fell, he lay. At her feet he collapsed, he fell. Where he collapsed, there he fell down dead.

²⁸Through the window she looked out, and cried: Sisera's mother looked through the lattice. Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why are the hoofbeats of his chariots delayed?

²⁹Her wise ladies answered her; indeed, she answers herself,

³⁰'Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil? A lady, two ladies to every man; to Sisera a spoil of dyed garments, A spoil of dyed garments embroidered, Of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, for the neck of the plunderer?'

³¹"So let all your enemies perish, Lord, but let those who love him be as the sun when it rises forth in its strength." And the land had rest forty years.