Judges 5
1 Then sang Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, on that day, saying,
That day Deborah and Barak, son of Abinoam, sang this song:
2 For that leaders led in Israel, For that the people willingly offered themselves, Bless Jehovah!
“Israel's leaders took charge, and the people were totally committed. Praise the Lord!
3 Hear, ye kings; give ear, ye princes, I, [even] I, will sing to Jehovah; I will hymn to Jehovah the God of Israel.
Listen, kings! Pay attention, rulers! I, yes I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.
4 Jehovah, when thou wentest forth from Seir, When thou marchedst out of the fields of Edom, The earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, Yea, the clouds dropped water.
Lord, when you set off from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, rain fell from the skies, the clouds poured down water.
5 The mountains quaked before the face of Jehovah, That Sinai, from before Jehovah the God of Israel.
The mountains melted in the presence of the Lord, the God of Sinai, in 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 roads were unused, and the travellers on highways went by crooked paths.
In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, people didn't use the main highways and stayed on winding paths.
7 The villages ceased in Israel, Ceased until that I Deborah arose, That I arose a mother in Israel.
Village life in Israel was abandoned until I, Deborah, came on the scene as a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
When the people chose new gods, then war arrived at their gates. Not even a shield or spear could be found among forty thousand warriors in Israel.
9 My heart is toward the governors of Israel, who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless Jehovah!
My thoughts are with the Israelite commanders and those people who volunteered. Praise the Lord!
10 Ye that ride on white she-asses, ye that sit on carpets, and ye that walk by the way, consider.
You people riding white donkeys, sitting on comfortable blankets, traveling down the road, notice
11 Because of the voice of those who divide [the spoil] in the midst of the places of drawing water; There they rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah, His righteous acts toward his villages in Israel. Then the people of Jehovah went down to the gates.
what people are talking about as they gather at the watering holes. They describe the Lord's just acts and those of his warriors in Israel. Then the people of the Lord went to the town gates.
12 Awake, awake, Deborah! awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, and lead captive thy captives, thou son of Abinoam!
‘Wake up, Deborah, wake up! Wake up, wake up, sing a song! Get up, Barak! Capture your prisoners, son of Abinoam.’
13 Then come down, thou, the remnant of nobles, [as his] people; Jehovah! come down with me in the midst of the mighty ones.
The survivors went to attack the nobles, the people of the Lord went to attack the powerful.
14 Out of Ephraim [came] those whose root was in Amalek; After thee was Benjamin among thy peoples. Out of Machir came down governors, And out of Zebulun they that handled the staff of the ruler.
Some came from Ephraim, a land that used to belong to the Amalekites; the tribe of Benjamin followed you with its men. Commanders came Makir; from Zebulun came those who carry a military officer's staff.
15 And the princes in Issachar were with Deborah; And Issachar, like Barak; They were sent into the valley at his feet. In the divisions of Reuben there were great resolves of heart!
The leaders of Issachar supported Deborah and Barak; they raced into the valley following Barak. But the tribe of Reuben was very undecided.
16 Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, To hear the bleating of the flocks? In the divisions of Reuben there were great deliberations of heart!
Why did you stay at home in the sheepfolds, listening to shepherds whistling for their flocks? The tribe of Reuben really couldn't decide what to do.
17 Gilead abode beyond Jordan; And Dan, why did he remain in ships? Asher sat on the sea-shore, And abode in his creeks.
Gilead remained on the other side of Jordan. Dan stayed with his ships. Asher sat still on the seacoast, not moving from his ports.
18 Zebulun is a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto death, Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.
The people of Zebulun risked their lives; as did Naphtali on the high battlefields.
19 Kings came, — they fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan; At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They took no spoil of silver.
Kings came and fought, the Canaanite kings fought at Taanach near the waters of Megiddo, but they didn't get any silver plunder.
20 From heaven was the fight; The stars from their courses fought with Sisera.
The stars fought from heaven. The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. My soul, thou hast trodden down strength!
The Kishon River swept them away—the old river turned into a raging torrent! I bravely march on!
22 Then did the horse-hoofs clatter with the coursings, The coursings of their steeds.
Then the horses' hooves flailed loudly, his stallions stampeded.
23 Curse Meroz, saith the Angel of Jehovah; Curse, curse the inhabitants thereof; For they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah among the mighty.
‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the Lord. ‘Totally curse those who live there, for they refused to come help the Lord, to help the Lord against the powerful enemies.’
24 Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, Blessed above women in the tent!
Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite is to be praised the most among women. She deserves praise above all other women who live in tents.
25 He asked water, she gave milk; In the nobles' bowl she brought forth cream.
He asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a bowl fit for nobles she brought him buttermilk.
26 She put her hand to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen's hammer; And she smote Sisera, she struck through his head, Shattered and pierced through his temples.
With one hand she picked up the tent peg, and with her right hand she held a workman's hammer. She hit Sisera and smashed his skull; she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell, overcome.
At her feet he collapsed, he fell, he lay motionless. At her feet he collapsed, he fell; where he collapsed, there he fell, his life plundered from him.
28 Them other of Sisera looketh out at the window, And crieth through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the trampings of his chariots?
Sisera's mother looked out from the window. Through the latticed window she cried out, ‘Why is his chariot taking so long to come? Why is the sound of his chariot arriving so delayed?’
29 The wise amongst her ladies answer [her], Yea, she returneth answer to herself,
The wisest of her ladies tells her, and she repeats the same words to herself,
30 Have they not found, divided the booty, A damsel, two damsels, to each? A booty of dyed stuffs for Sisera, A booty of dyed stuffs of embroidery, Dyed stuff of double embroidery for the neck of a spoiler?
‘They're busy dividing up the plunder and assigning a girl or two for each man. There'll be colorful clothes for Sisera as plunder; beautifully embroidered colorful clothes as plunder; double-embroidered clothing reaching to the neck as plunder.’
31 So let all thine enemies perish, Jehovah! But let them that love him be as the rising of the sun in its might. And the land had rest forty years.
May all your enemies die like this, Lord, but may those who love you shine like the sun in all its brilliance!” The land was at peace for forty years.
