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12 “Wake up, Deborah, wake up!
    Wake up, wake up, and sing a song!
Arise, Barak!
    Lead your captives away, son of Abinoam!

13 “Down from Tabor marched the few against the nobles.
    The people of the Lord marched down against mighty warriors.
14 They came down from Ephraim—
    a land that once belonged to the Amalekites;
    they followed you, Benjamin, with your troops.
From Makir the commanders marched down;
    from Zebulun came those who carry a commander’s staff.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah and Barak.
    They followed Barak, rushing into the valley.
But in the tribe of Reuben
    there was great indecision.[a]
16 Why did you sit at home among the sheepfolds—
    to hear the shepherds whistle for their flocks?
Yes, in the tribe of Reuben
    there was great indecision.
17 Gilead remained east of the Jordan.
    And why did Dan stay home?
Asher sat unmoved at the seashore,
    remaining in his harbors.
18 But Zebulun risked his life,
    as did Naphtali, on the heights of the battlefield.

19 “The kings of Canaan came and fought,
    at Taanach near Megiddo’s springs,
    but they carried off no silver treasures.
20 The stars fought from heaven.
    The stars in their orbits fought against Sisera.
21 The Kishon River swept them away—
    that ancient torrent, the Kishon.
March on with courage, my soul!
22 Then the horses’ hooves hammered the ground,
    the galloping, galloping of Sisera’s mighty steeds.
23 ‘Let the people of Meroz be cursed,’ said the angel of the Lord.
    ‘Let them be utterly cursed,
because they did not come to help the Lord
    to help the Lord against the mighty warriors.’

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Footnotes

  1. 5:15 As in some Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac version, which read searchings of heart; Masoretic Text reads resolve of heart.

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.’

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 5:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. Judges 5:16 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags