Judges

5 Then sang Deborah, and Barak, son of Abinoam,—on that day, saying:—

2 For the leadership of leaders in Israel, For the volunteering of the people,—Bless ye Yahweh!

3 Hear, ye kings! Give ear, ye princes! I unto Yahweh—I will sing, Will make melody to Yahweh, God of Israel.

4 O Yahweh! When thou didst come forth out of Seir, When thou didst march along out of the field of Edom, Earth trembled, Heaven also poured forth,—Yea, dark clouds poured forth waters;

5 From mountains came down streams In presence of Yahweh,—From this Sinai, In presence of Yahweh, God of Israel.

6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The roads were forsaken,—And the frequenters of highways betook them to roundabout paths:

7 There was a failure of rulers, In Israel a failure,—Until I arose, a Deborah, Arose a mother in Israel:—

8 They chose gods that were new, Then—war at the gates! Was there a shield to be seen? Or a spear? Among forty thousand in Israel?

9 My heart [saith]—For the governors of Israel, For the volunteers among the people, Bless ye Yahweh!

10 Ye that ride on white asses, Ye that sit on carpets, And ye that walk upon the road, speak!

11 In the place of the noise of bowmen among the wells, There laud ye—The righteous acts of Yahweh, The righteous acts of his rule over Israel. Then had come down to the gates the people of Yahweh.

12 Awake! awake! Deborah, Awake! awake! utter words of song,—Arise! Barak, And bind fast thy captives, O son of Abinoam!

13 Then came down a remnant to the nobles—a people,—Yahweh came down with me against the mighty.

14 Out of Ephraim [came down] they whose root was in Amalek, After thee, Benjamin, among thy tribes,—Out of Machir had come down governors, And out of Zebulun such as bear aloft the staff of the marshal;

15 And my princes in Issachar were with Deborah, Yea, Issachar was the support of Barak, Into the vale rushed they forth at his feet. Among the divisions of Reuben great were the resolves of the heart:

16 Wherefore abodest thou among the folds? To hear the mocking of the flocks? The divisions of Reuben had great counsellings of heart.

17 Gilead beyond the Jordan took his rest, But Dan wherefore remained he with the ships? Asher abode by the shore of the seas, And by his creeks must needs rest.

18 Zebulun—a people that scorned their souls unto death; And Naphtali—upon the heights of the field.

19 On came kings, they fought, Then fought the kings of Canaan, In Taanach, By the waters of Megiddo,—Plunder of silver they took not away!

20 From heaven was the battle fought,—The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away, The torrent of olden times, the torrent of Kishon! Let my soul march along with victorious strength!

22 Then stamped hoofs of horses, With the gallopings, gallopings of his mighty steeds.

23 Curse ye Meroz, saith the messenger of Yahweh, Curse ye with a curse the inhabitants thereof,—Because they came not in to the help of Yahweh, To the help of Yahweh, against the mighty.

24 Blessed above women shall be Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite,—Above women in the tent be blessed:

25 Water he asked, Milk she gave,—In a bowl for nobles presented cream:

26 Her hand to the tent-pin put she forth, And her right hand to the toilers’ mallet,—Then smote she Sisera, She shattered his head, Yea she split open and pierced through his temples:

27 Between her feet he bowed—he fell, he lay,—Between her feet he bowed—he fell, Where he bowed, There he fell—destroyed!

28 Through the window looked out and shrilly cried, The mother of Sisera, through the lattice,—Why is his chariot ashamed to come? Why delay the wheels of his chariot?

29 The wise ladies, her princesses, responded,—Nay! she returned answer to herself:—

30 Is it not They keep finding—dividing spoil, One damsel, two damsels, to every several hero, Spoil of divers coloured raiment for Sisera, Spoil of divers coloured raiment embroidered, Coloured raiment richly embroidered, On the necks of them who are taken as spoil?

31 So perish all thine enemies, O Yahweh, But be they who love him as the going forth of the sun in his might! And the land had rest forty years.