Judges 5

Modern

Literal

The Song of Deborah and Barak

¹On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

¹And Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

²“When the princes take the lead in Israel,

when the people volunteer,

bless the LORD.

²“When leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves, bless YHWH.

³Listen, O kings! Give ear, O princes!

I will sing to the LORD;

I will sing praise to the LORD,

the God of Israel.

³Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; I to YHWH, I will sing. I will sing to YHWH, God of Israel.

⁴O LORD, when You went out from Seir,

when You marched from the land of Edom,

the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain,

and the clouds poured down water.

⁴O YHWH, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the field of Edom, the earth trembled and the heavens poured down; also the clouds poured down water.

⁵The mountains quaked before the LORD,

the One of Sinai,

before the LORD,

the God of Israel.

⁵The mountains flowed before YHWH, this one—Sinai—before the face of YHWH, God of Israel.

⁶In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

in the days of Jael,

the highways were deserted

and the travelers took the byways.

⁶In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted, and the travelers walked the crooked ways.

⁷Life in the villages ceased;

it ended in Israel,

until I, Deborah, arose,

a mother in Israel.

⁷Village life ceased, in Israel it ceased, until I arose—Deborah Arose—a mother in Israel.

⁸When they chose new gods,

then war came to their gates.

Not a shield or spear was found

among forty thousand in Israel.

⁸They chose new gods; then there was war in the gates. A shield was not seen, or a spear, among forty thousand in Israel.

⁹My heart is with the princes of Israel,

with the volunteers among the people.

Bless the LORD!

⁹My heart is with the rulers of Israel, who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless YHWH!

¹⁰You who ride white donkeys,

who sit on saddle blankets,

and you who travel the road,

ponder

¹⁰You who ride on white donkeys, who sit in judges’ attire, and who walk along the road, ponder

¹¹the voices of the singers^a

at the watering places.

There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD,

the righteous deeds of His villagers^b in Israel.

Then the people of the LORD

went down to the gates:

¹¹from the voice of the singers between the watering places. There they shall recount the righteous acts of YHWH, the righteous acts for His villagers in Israel. Then shall go down to the gates the people of YHWH.

¹²‘Awake, awake, O Deborah!

Awake, awake, sing a song!

Arise, O Barak,

and take hold of your captives, O son of Abinoam!’

¹²‘Awake, awake, O Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, O Barak, and lead away your captives, O son of Abinoam.’

¹³Then the survivors came down to the nobles;

the people of the LORD came down to me against the mighty.

¹³Then came down the survivors to the nobles; the people of YHWH came down for me against the mighty.

¹⁴Some came from Ephraim, with their roots in Amalek;

Benjamin came with your people after you.

The commanders came down from Machir,

the bearers of the marshal’s staff from Zebulun.

¹⁴From Ephraim their root is in Amalek, after you Benjamin, with your peoples. From Machir came down commanders, and from Zebulun those drawing with the staff of a scribe.

¹⁵The princes of Issachar were with Deborah,

and Issachar was with Barak,

rushing into the valley at his heels.

In the clans of Reuben

there was great indecision.^a

¹⁵And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah, and as Issachar, so was Barak; into the valley he was sent on his feet. Among the divisions of Reuben were great decrees of the heart.

¹⁶Why did you sit among the sheepfolds

to hear the whistling for the flocks?

In the clans of Reuben

there was great indecision.

¹⁶Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, to hear the pipings for the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben great were the searchings of heart.

¹⁷Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.

Dan, why did you linger by the ships?

Asher stayed at the coast

and remained in his harbors.

¹⁷Gilead dwelt beyond the Jordan, and Dan, why does he sojourn on ships? Asher continued at the seashore, and by his inlets he dwelt.

¹⁸Zebulun was a people who risked their lives;

Naphtali, too, on the heights of the battlefield.

¹⁸Zebulun is a people who exposed its soul to death, and Naphtali, on the heights of the field.

¹⁹Kings came and fought;

then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach

by the waters of Megiddo,

but they took no plunder of silver.

¹⁹The kings came—they fought; then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; spoils of silver they did not take.

²⁰From the heavens the stars fought;

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

²⁰From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses they fought against Sisera.

²¹The River Kishon swept them away,

the ancient river, the River Kishon.

March on, O my soul, in strength!

²¹The torrent of Kishon swept them away, the ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. March on in strength, O my soul.

²²Then the hooves of horses thundered—

the mad galloping of his stallions.

²²Then pounded the hooves of horses, from the galloping—the galloping of its mighty ones.

²³‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD.

‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants;

for they did not come to help the LORD,

to help the LORD against the mighty.’

²³‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of YHWH. ‘Bitterly curse its dwellers, because they did not come to the aid of YHWH, to the aid of YHWH against the mighty.’

²⁴Most blessed among women is Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite,

most blessed of tent-dwelling women.

²⁴Most blessed above women is Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite; above women in the tent she is blessed.

²⁵He asked for water, and she gave him milk.

In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.

²⁵Water he requested, milk she gave; in a Magnificent bowl she brought out curds.

²⁶She reached for the tent peg,

her right hand for the workman’s hammer.

She struck Sisera and crushed his skull;

she shattered and pierced his temple.

²⁶Her hand to the tent peg she stretched, and her right hand to the hammer of workmen, and she pounded Sisera, she pierced his head, and she shattered and pierced through his temple.

²⁷At her feet he collapsed, he fell,

there he lay still;

at her feet he collapsed, he fell;

where he collapsed, there he fell dead.

²⁷Between her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; between her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell dead.

²⁸Sisera’s mother looked through the window;

she peered through the lattice and lamented:

‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?

What has delayed the clatter of his chariots?’

²⁸Through the window looked and cried out the mother of Sisera, through the lattice, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why do tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’

²⁹Her wisest ladies answer;

indeed she keeps telling herself,

²⁹The wisest of her princesses answered her; indeed, she returns her words herself:

³⁰‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil—

a girl or two for each warrior,

a plunder of dyed garments for Sisera,

the spoil of embroidered garments

for the neck of the looter?’

³⁰‘Do not they find and divide the loot—a womb or two wombs for every man; loot of dyed garments for Sisera, loot of embroidered dyed garments, two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?’

³¹So may all Your enemies perish,

O LORD!

But may those who love You

shine like the sun at its brightest.”

And the land had rest for forty years.

³¹So may all Your enemies perish, O YHWH; and let those who love Him be like the sun when it rises in full strength.” And the land had rest forty years.