Judges 5
1 And Deborah singeth — also Barak son of Abinoam — on that day, saying: —
Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
2 'For freeing freemen in Israel, For a people willingly offering themselves Bless ye Jehovah.
Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
3 Hear, ye kings; give ear, ye princes, I, to Jehovah, I — I do sing, I sing praise to Jehovah, God of Israel.
Hear, 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.
4 Jehovah, in Thy going forth out of Seir, In Thy stepping out of the field of Edom, Earth trembled, also the heavens dropped, Also thick clouds dropped water.
LORD, 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.
5 Hills flowed from the face of Jehovah, This one — Sinai — From the face of Jehovah, God of Israel.
The mountains melted from before the LORD, [even] that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath — In the days of Jael — The ways have ceased, And those going in the paths go [in] crooked ways.
In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.
7 Villages ceased in Israel — they ceased, Till that I arose — Deborah, That I arose, a mother in Israel.
[The inhabitants of] the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
8 He chooseth new gods, Then war [is] at the gates! A shield is not seen — and a spear Among forty thousand in Israel.
They chose new gods; then [was] war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
9 My heart [is] to the lawgivers of Israel, Who are offering themselves willingly among the people, Bless ye Jehovah!
My heart [is] toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.
10 Riders on white asses — Sitters on a long robe — And walkers by the way — meditate!
Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.
11 By the voice of shouters Between the places of drawing water, There they give out righteous acts of Jehovah, Righteous acts of His villages in Israel, Then ruled in the gates have the people of Jehovah.
[They 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.
12 Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, utter a song; Rise, Barak, and take captive thy captivity, Son of Abinoam.
Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
13 Then him who is left of the honourable ones He caused to rule the people of Jehovah, He caused me to rule among the mighty.
Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty.
14 Out of Ephraim their root [is] against Amalek. After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples. Out of Machir came down lawgivers, And out of Zebulun those drawing with the reed of a writer.
Out 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.
15 And princes in Issachar [are] with Deborah, Yea, Issachar [is] right with Barak, Into the valley he was sent on his feet. In the divisions of Reuben, Great [are] the decrees of heart!
And 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.
16 Why hast thou abode between the boundaries, To hear lowings of herds? For the divisions of Reuben, Great [are] the searchings of heart!
Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben [there were] great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead beyond the Jordan did tabernacle, And Dan — why doth he sojourn [in] ships? Asher hath abode at the haven of the seas, And by his creeks doth tabernacle.
Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.
18 Zebulun [is] a people who exposed its soul to death, Naphtali also — on high places of the field.
Zebulun and Naphtali [were] a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.
19 Kings came — they fought; Then fought kings of Canaan, In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; Gain of money they took not!
The kings came [and] fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.
20 From the heavens they fought: The stars from their highways fought with Sisera.
They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
21 The brook Kishon swept them away, The brook most ancient — the brook Kishon. Thou dost tread down strength, O my soul!
The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.
22 Then broken were the horse-heels, By pransings — pransings of its mighty ones.
Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.
23 Curse Meroz — said a messenger of Jehovah, Cursing, curse ye its inhabitants, For they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah among the mighty!
Curse 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.
24 Blessed above women is Jael, Wife of Heber the Kenite, Above women in the tent she is blessed.
Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
25 Water he asked — milk she gave; In a lordly dish she brought near butter.
He asked water, [and] she gave [him] milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
26 Her hand to the pin she sendeth forth, And her right hand to the labourers' hammer, And she hammered Sisera — she smote his head, Yea, she smote, and it passed through his temple.
She 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.
27 Between her feet he bowed — He fell, he lay down; Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell — destroyed.
At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
28 Through the window she hath looked out — Yea, she crieth out — the mother of Sisera, Through the lattice: Wherefore is his chariot delaying to come? Wherefore tarried have the steps of his chariot?
The 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?
29 The wise ones, her princesses, answer her, Yea, she returneth her sayings to herself:
Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
30 Do they not find? — they apportion spoil, A female — two females — for every head, Spoil of finger-work for Sisera, Spoil of embroidered finger-work, Finger-work — a pair of embroidered things, For the necks of the spoil!
Have 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?
31 So do all Thine enemies perish, O Jehovah, And those loving Him [are] As the going out of the sun in its might!' and the land resteth forty years.
So 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.
