Judges
5 And on that day Debʹo·rah+ along with Baʹrak+ the son of A·binʹo·am+ broke out in song,+ saying:
2 “For letting the hair hang loose in Israel [for war],
For the people’s volunteering,+
BLESS Jehovah.+
4 Jehovah, at your going forth from Seʹir,+
At your marching out of the field of Eʹdom,+
Earth rocked,+ heavens also dripped,+
Clouds also dripped with water.
6 In the days of Shamʹgar+ the son of Aʹnath,
In the days of Jaʹel,+ pathways had no traffic,*
And the travelers of roadways would travel by roundabout pathways.+
7 The dwellers in open country ceased, in Israel they ceased,+
Until I, Debʹo·rah,+ rose up,
Until I rose up as a mother in Israel.+
8 They proceeded to choose new gods.+
It was then there was war* in the gates.*+
A shield could not be seen, nor a lance,
Among forty thousand in Israel.+
10 YOU riders on yellowish-red she-asses,+
YOU who sit on rich carpets,*
And YOU who walk on the road,
Consider!+
11 Some of the voices of the water distributors among the places of drawing water,+
There they began to recount the righteous acts of Jehovah,+
The righteous acts of his dwellers in open country in Israel.
It was then Jehovah’s people made their way down to the gates.
12 Awake, awake, O Debʹo·rah;+
Awake, awake, utter a song!+
Rise up, Baʹrak,+ and lead your captives* away, you son of A·binʹo·am!+
13 It was then the survivors came down to the majestic ones;
Jehovah’s people came down to me against the mighty ones.
14 Out of Eʹphra·im was their origin in the low plain,*+
With* you, O Benjamin, among your peoples.
Out of Maʹchir+ the commanders went down,
And out of Zebʹu·lun those handling the equipment of a scribe.+
15 And the princes in Isʹsa·char+ were with Debʹo·rah,
And as Isʹsa·char, so was Baʹrak.+
Into the low plain he was sent on foot.+
Among the divisions of Reuʹben great were the searchings* of the heart.+
16 Why did you sit down between the two saddlebags,
To listen to the pipings for the flocks?+
For the divisions of Reuʹben there were great searchings of the heart.+
17 Gilʹe·ad kept to his residence on the other side of the Jordan;+
And Dan, why did he continue to dwell for the time in ships?+
Ashʹer sat idle at the seashore,
And by his landing places he kept residing.+
19 Kings came, they fought;
It was then that the kings of Caʹnaan fought+
In Taʹa·nach+ by the waters of Me·gidʹdo.+
No gain of silver did they take.+
21 The torrent of Kiʹshon washed them away,+
The torrent of ancient days,* the torrent of Kiʹshon.+
You went treading down strength,+ O my soul.
23 ‘CURSE+ Meʹroz,’ said the angel of Jehovah,+
‘CURSE its inhabitants incessantly,
For they did not come to the assistance of Jehovah,
To the assistance of Jehovah with the mighty ones.’
24 Jaʹel+ the wife of Heʹber the Kenʹite+ will be most blessed among women,
Among women in the tent she will be most blessed.+
25 Water he asked, milk she gave;
In the large banquet bowl of majestic ones she presented curdled milk.+
26 Her hand to the tent pin she then thrust out,
And her right hand to the mallet of hard workers.+
And she hammered Sisʹe·ra, she pierced his head through,+
And she broke apart and cut up his temples.
27 Between her feet he collapsed, he fell, he lay down;
Between her feet he collapsed, he fell;
Where he collapsed, there he fell overcome.+
28 From the window a woman looked out and kept watching for him,*
The mother of Sisʹe·ra from the lattice,+
‘Why has his war chariot delayed in coming?+
Why must the hoofbeats of his chariots be so late?’+
29 The wise ones of her noble ladies*+ would answer her,
Yes, she too would talk back to herself with her own sayings,
30 ‘Ought they not to find, ought they not to distribute spoil,+
A womb—two wombs* to every able-bodied man,+
Spoil of dyed stuffs for Sisʹe·ra, spoil of dyed stuffs,
An embroidered garment, dyed stuff, two embroidered garments
For the necks of [men of] spoil?’*
31 Thus let all your enemies perish,+ O Jehovah,
And let your* lovers+ be as when the sun goes forth in its mightiness.”+
And the land had no further disturbance for forty years.+