Judges 5:1-18

Revised Standard Version

³ “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes;
    to the Lord I will sing,
    I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁴ “Lord, when thou didst go forth from Se′ir,
    when thou didst march from the region of Edom,
the earth trembled,
    and the heavens dropped,
    yea, the clouds dropped water.
⁵ The mountains quaked before the Lord,
    yon Sinai before the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁶ “In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath,
    in the days of Ja′el, caravans ceased
    and travelers kept to the byways.
⁷ The peasantry ceased in Israel, they ceased
    until you arose, Deb′orah,
    arose as a mother in Israel.
⁸ When new gods were chosen,
    then war was in the gates.
Was shield or spear to be seen
    among forty thousand in Israel?
⁹ My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel
    who offered themselves willingly among the people.
    Bless the Lord.

¹⁰ “Tell of it, you who ride on tawny asses,
    you who sit on rich carpets^[b]
    and you who walk by the way.
¹¹ To the sound of musicians^[c] at the watering places,
    there they repeat the triumphs of the Lord,
    the triumphs of his peasantry in Israel.

“Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord.

¹² “Awake, awake, Deb′orah!
    Awake, awake, utter a song!
Arise, Barak, lead away your captives,
    O son of Abin′o-am.
¹³ Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
    the people of the Lord marched down for him^[d] against the mighty.
¹⁴ From E′phraim they set out thither^[e] into the valley,^[f]
    following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen;
from Machir marched down the commanders,
    and from Zeb′ulun those who bear the marshal’s staff;
¹⁵ the princes of Is′sachar came with Deb′orah,
    and Is′sachar faithful to Barak;
    into the valley they rushed forth at his heels.
Among the clans of Reuben
    there were great searchings of heart.
¹⁶ Why did you tarry among the sheepfolds,
    to hear the piping for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben
    there were great searchings of heart.
¹⁷ Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;
    and Dan, why did he abide with the ships?
Asher sat still at the coast of the sea,
    settling down by his landings.
¹⁸ Zeb′ulun is a people that jeoparded their lives to the death;
    Naph′tali too, on the heights of the field.