Judges 5:15-31

New International Version

¹⁵ The princes of Issachar^(A) were with Deborah;^(B)
    yes, Issachar was with Barak,^(C)
    sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
¹⁶ Why did you stay among the sheep pens^[a](D)
    to hear the whistling for the flocks?^(E)
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
¹⁷ Gilead^(F) stayed beyond the Jordan.
    And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher^(G) remained on the coast^(H)
    and stayed in his coves.
¹⁸ The people of Zebulun^(I) risked their very lives;
    so did Naphtali^(J) on the terraced fields.^(K)

¹⁹ “Kings came^(L), they fought,
    the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,^(M)
    they took no plunder of silver.^(N)
20 From the heavens^(O) the stars fought,
    from their courses they fought against Sisera.
²¹ The river Kishon^(P) swept them away,
    the age-old river, the river Kishon.
    March on, my soul; be strong!^(Q)
22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
    galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.^(R)
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord.
    ‘Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the Lord,
    to help the Lord against the mighty.’

²⁴ “Most blessed of women^(S) be Jael,^(T)
    the wife of Heber the Kenite,^(U)
    most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
²⁵ He asked for water, and she gave him milk;^(V)
    in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
²⁶ Her hand reached for the tent peg,
    her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
    she shattered and pierced his temple.^(W)
27 At her feet he sank,
    he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
    where he sank, there he fell—dead^(X).

²⁸ “Through the window^(Y) peered Sisera’s mother;
    behind the lattice she cried out,^(Z)
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
    Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
²⁹ The wisest of her ladies answer her;
    indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
³⁰ ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:^(AA)
    a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
    colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments^(AB) for my neck—
    all this as plunder?^(AC)’

³¹ “So may all your enemies perish,^(AD) Lord!
    But may all who love you be like the sun^(AE)
    when it rises in its strength.”^(AF)