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Judges 5:12-31
King James Version
Judges 5:12-31
King James Version
12 Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
13 Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty.
14 Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.
15 And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart.
16 Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.
18 Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.
19 The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.
20 They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
21 The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.
22 Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.
23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
24 Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
25 He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
26 She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.
27 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
28 The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
29 Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
30 Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?
31 So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.
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Judges 5:12-31
New International Version
Judges 5:12-31
New International Version
12 ‘Wake up,(A) wake up, Deborah!(B)
Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!(C)
Take captive your captives,(D) son of Abinoam.’
13 “The remnant of the nobles came down;
the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim,(E) whose roots were in Amalek;(F)
Benjamin(G) was with the people who followed you.
From Makir(H) captains came down,
from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s[a] staff.
15 The princes of Issachar(I) were with Deborah;(J)
yes, Issachar was with Barak,(K)
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[b](L)
to hear the whistling for the flocks?(M)
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
17 Gilead(N) stayed beyond the Jordan.
And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher(O) remained on the coast(P)
and stayed in his coves.
18 The people of Zebulun(Q) risked their very lives;
so did Naphtali(R) on the terraced fields.(S)
19 “Kings came(T), they fought,
the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,(U)
they took no plunder of silver.(V)
20 From the heavens(W) the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon(X) swept them away,
the age-old river, the river Kishon.
March on, my soul; be strong!(Y)
22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.(Z)
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(AA) be Jael,(AB)
the wife of Heber the Kenite,(AC)
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk;(AD)
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.(AE)
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(AF).
28 “Through the window(AG) peered Sisera’s mother;
behind the lattice she cried out,(AH)
‘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:(AI)
a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments(AJ) for my neck—
all this as plunder?(AK)’
31 “So may all your enemies perish,(AL) Lord!
But may all who love you be like the sun(AM)
when it rises in its strength.”(AN)
Then the land had peace(AO) forty years.
Footnotes
- Judges 5:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- Judges 5:16 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
New International Version (NIV) 
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