Judges 5
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
And Debbora and Barac son of Abineem sang in that day, saying,
2 “When the leaders take the lead in Israel, when the people gladly volunteer for war— we praise Yahweh!
A revelation was made in Israel when the people were made willing: Praise ye the Lord.
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, and hearken, rulers: I will sing, it is I [who will sing] to the Lord, it is I, I will sing a psalm to the Lord the 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.
O Lord, in thy going forth on Seir, when thou wentest forth out of the land of Edom, the earth quaked and the heaven dropped dews, and the 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.
The mountains were shaken before the face of the Lord Eloi, this Sina before the face of the Lord 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 Samegar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, they deserted the ways, and went in by-ways; they went in crooked paths.
7 There were few rural people in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose—arose as a mother in Israel!
The mighty men in Israel failed, they failed until Debbora arose, until she 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.
They chose new gods; then the cities of rulers fought; there was not a shield or spear seen 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 [inclines] to the orders given in Israel; ye that are willing among the people, bless the Lord.
10 Think about this—you who ride on white donkeys sitting on rugs for saddles, and you who walk along the road.
Ye that mount a she-ass at noon-day, ye that sit on the judgment-seat, and walk by the roads of them that sit in judgment by the way; declare
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.
[ye that are delivered] from the noise of disturbers among the drawers of water; there shall they relate righteous acts: O Lord, increase righteous acts in Israel: then the people of the Lord went down to the cities.
12 Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Get up, Barak, and capture your prisoners, you son of Abinoam.
Awake, awake, Debbora; awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barac, and lead thy captivity captive, son of Abineem.
13 Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of Yahweh came down to me with the warriors.
Then went down the remnant to the strong, the people of the Lord went down for him among the mighty ones from me.
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.
Ephraim rooted them out in Amalec, behind thee was Benjamin among thy people: the inhabitants of Machir came down with me searching out the enemy, and from Zabulon came they that draw with the scribe's pen of record.
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 princess in Issachar were with Debbora and Barac, thus she sent Barac on his feet in the valleys into the portions of Ruben; great [pangs] reached to the 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 did they sit between the sheep-folds to hear the bleating of flocks for the divisions of Ruben? [there were] great 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.
Galaad [is] on the other side of Jordan where he pitched his tents; and why does Dan remain in ships? Aser sat down on the sea-coasts, and he will tabernacle at his ports.
18 Zebulun was a tribe who would risk their lives to the point of death, and Naphtali, also, on the field of battle.
The people Zabulon exposed their soul to death, and Nephthali came to the high places of their land.
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 set themselves in array, then the kings of Chanaan fought in Thanaach at the water of Mageddo; they took no gift of money.
20 From heaven the stars fought, from their paths across the heavens they fought against Sisera.
The stars from heaven set themselves in array, they set themselves [to fight] with Sisara out of their paths.
21 The Kishon River swept them away, that old river, the Kishon River. March on my soul, be strong!
The brook of Kison swept them away, the ancient brook, the brook Kison: my mighty soul will trample him down.
22 Then came the sound of horses' hooves— galloping, the galloping of his mighty ones.
When the hoofs of the horse were entangled, his mighty ones earnestly hasted
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.'
to curse Meroz: Curse ye [it], said the angel of the Lord; cursed [is] every one that dwells in it, because they came not to the help of the Lord, to his help 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 among women be Jael wife of Chaber the Kenite; let her be blessed above women in tents.
25 The man asked for water, and she gave him milk; she brought him butter in a dish fit for princes.
He asked for water, she gave him milk in a dish; she brought butter of princes.
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.
She stretched forth her left hand to the nail, and her right to the hand workman's hammer, and she smote Sisara with it, she nailed through his head and smote him; she nailed through his temples.
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.
He rolled down between her feet; he fell and lay between her feet; he bowed and fell: where he bowed, there he fell dead.
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?'
The mother of Sisara looked down through the window out of the loophole, [saying], Why was his chariot ashamed? why did the wheels of his chariots tarry?
29 Her wisest princesses replied, and she gave herself the same answer:
Her wise ladies answered her, and she returned answers to herself, [saying],
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?'
Will they not find him dividing the spoil? he will surely be gracious to every man: [there are] spoils of dyed garments for Sisara, spoils of various dyed garments, dyed embroidered garments, they [are] the spoils for his neck.
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.
Thus let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: and they that love him shall be as the going forth of the sun in his strength. And the land had rest forty years.
