Judges 5

¹And Delbora and Barach, sone of Abynoen, sungen in that dai, and seiden,

²Ye men of Israel, that `offriden wilfuli youre lyues to perel, blesse the Lord.

³Ye 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.

⁴Lord, 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,

⁵and Synai fro the face of the Lord God of Israel.

⁶In 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.

⁷Stronge men in Israel cessiden, and restiden, til Delbora roos, a modir in Israel.

⁸The Lord chees newe batels, and he destriede the yatis of enemyes; scheeld and spere apperiden not in fourti thousynde of Israel.

⁹Myn herte loueth the princes of Israel; ye that offriden you to perel bi youre owyn wille,

¹⁰blesse ye the Lord; speke ye, that stien on schynynge assis, and sitten aboue in doom, and goen in the wey.

¹¹Where 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.

¹²Rise, rise thou, Delbora, rise thou, and speke a song; rise thou, Barach, and thou, sone of Abynoen, take thi prisoneris.

¹³The relikis of the puple ben sauyd; the Lord fauyt ayens stronge men of Effraym.

¹⁴He 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.

¹⁵The 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.

¹⁶Whi 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.

¹⁷Gad restide biyendis Jordan, and Dan yaf tent to schippis. Aser dwellide in the `brenke of the see, and dwellide in hauenes.

¹⁸Forsothe Zabulon and Neptalym offriden her lyues to deeth, in the cuntre of Morema, `that is interpretid, hiy.

¹⁹Kyngis camen, and fouyten; kyngis of Canaan fouyten in Thanath, bisidis the watris of Magedon; and netheles thei token no thing bi prey.

²⁰Fro heuene `me fauyt ayens hem; sterris dwelliden in her ordre and cours, and fouyten ayens Sisara.

²¹The stronde of Cyson drow `the deed bodies of hem, the stronde of Cadymyn, the stronde of Cyson. My soule, to-trede thou stronge men.

²²The hors howis felden, while the strongeste of enemyes fledden with bire, and felden heedli.

²³Curse 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.

²⁴Blessyd among wymmen be Jahel, the wijf of Aber Cyney; blessid be sche in hir tabernacle.

²⁵To Sisara axynge watir sche yaf mylk, and in a viol of princes sche yaf botere.

²⁶Sche 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.

²⁷He felde bitwixe `the feet of hir, he failide, and diede; he was waltryd bifor hir feet, and he lay with out soule, and wretchidful.

²⁸His 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?

²⁹Oon wisere than `othere wyues of hym answeride these wordis to the modir of hir hosebonde,

³⁰In 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.

³¹Lord, alle thin enemyes perische so; sotheli, thei that louen thee, schyne so, as the sunne schyneth in his risyng.

³²And the lond restide fourti yeer.

Judges 5

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

²Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.

³Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.

⁴Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.

⁵The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.

⁶In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.

⁷The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.

⁸They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

⁹My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord.

¹⁰Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.

¹¹They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates.

¹²Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.

¹³Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty.

¹⁴Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.

¹⁵And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart.

¹⁶Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.

¹⁷Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.

¹⁸Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.

¹⁹The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.

²⁰They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

²¹The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.

²²Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.

²³Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.

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

²⁵He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.

²⁶She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.

²⁷At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

²⁸The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?

²⁹Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,

³⁰Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?

³¹So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.