Judges 5
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 5[a]
The Song of Deborah. 1 On that day Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, sang,
2 “Israel’s leaders led bravely,
the people followed gladly,
praise the Lord.
3 Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes,
for I, myself, will sing about the Lord;
I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.
4 Lord, when you went out from Seir,
when you marched out of the fields in Edom,
the earth trembled, and the heavens poured,
the clouds poured down water.[b]
5 The mountains quaked before the Lord,
he who was on Sinai,
before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath,
in the days of Jael,
the highways were deserted,
travelers took winding paths.
7 Village life ceased in Israel,
it ceased until I, Deborah,
until I rose up as mother in Israel.[c]
8 When they chose new gods,
war showed up at the gates.
Not a shield nor a spear was to be found
among the forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart was with the leaders of Israel;
they offered themselves willingly with the people.
Bless the Lord.
10 Speak, you who ride on white donkeys,
who sit in judgment,
who walk along the ways.
11 Far from the noise of archers,
in the places where there is water,
there they shall recount the righteous deeds of the Lord,
his righteous deeds toward his villagers in Israel.
Then the people of the Lord will go down to the gates.
12 Awake, awake, Deborah.
Awake, awake, sing a song.
Arise, O Barak,
and lead your captives away,
O son of Abinoam.
13 Then the remnant of the nobles marched,
the people of the Lord came to me with the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim,
whose roots were in Amalek;
Benjamin was with your people who followed you.
From Machir[d] officers came down,
from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s staff.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah,
Issachar was with Barak;
he sent them into the valley under his command.
In the districts of Reuben
there were serious doubts.
16 Why did you stay among the sheep folds
to hear the bleating of the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
there were serious doubts.
17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.
Dan, why did he remain by the ships?
Asher remained by the seashore
and stayed in his coves.[e]
18 The people of Zebulun risked their lives,
as did Naphtali on the heights of the field.
19 Kings came and fought;
the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,
but they took no plunder, no silver.
20 From the heavens the stars fought on;[f]
they fought against Sisera in their courses.
21 The Wadi Kishon swept them away;
the ancient wadi,
the Wadi Kishon.
March on, O my soul, be strong.
22 Then the horses’ hoof beats thundered,
galloping, galloping, go the mighty steeds.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’[g] said the angel,
‘bitterly curse those who live there.
They did not come to help the Lord,
to help the Lord against the mighty.’
24 You will be blessed above other women,
O Jael, wife of Heber, the Kenite;
you are blessed above other women who live in tents.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk.
In a dish fit for royalty, she brought him cream.
26 Her hand reached for a tent peg,
her right hand for a workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera; she crushed his head,
she pierced and bored through his temple.
27 He sank down to her feet,
fell down and lay there.
At her feet he sank and fell down;
where he sank, there he fell, dead!
28 Sisera’s mother looked out through a window,
she cried from behind the lattice,
‘Why is his chariot taking so long?
Why is the clatter of chariots so late in coming?’
29 The wisest of her ladies answers her,
indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
30 ‘Are they having trouble finding and dividing the spoils?
A woman or two to each man,
colorful garments as plunder to Sisera,
the plunder of garments with colorful needlework,
colorful needlework for around the plunderer’s neck?’
31 So may all of your enemies perish, O Lord,
may those who love him come forth like the mighty sun.”
There was then peace in the land for forty years.
Footnotes
- Judges 5:1 This song, composed in the enthusiasm of victory, testifies to the wonder roused in Israel by the feats of deliverance and by the Lord’s intervention. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of ancient literature and of great historical value as well, since it gives a vivid portrayal of the varying reactions of the tribes to the undertaking.
- Judges 5:4 The point of the imagery is that God came to the aid of his people with extraordinary assistance; his “coming” is concretized by mentioning areas of southern Palestine.
- Judges 5:7 As mother in Israel: an endearment for Deborah, who judges her people with a woman’s intuition, wisdom, and compassion.
- Judges 5:14 Machir: the elder son of Manasseh; here he stands for the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan, as opposed to the eastern half in Gilead.
- Judges 5:17 After receiving a territory west of Jerusalem, Dan pushed northward to the region of the sources of the Jordan (see chs. 17–18).
- Judges 5:20 The stars fought on: God’s army battled the enemy.
- Judges 5:23 Meroz: the residents of this area were apparently expected to take part in the battle and are condemned for not helping “the Lord against the mighty.”
Judges 5
New King James Version
The Song of Deborah
5 Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam (A)sang on that day, saying:
2 “When[a] leaders (B)lead in Israel,
(C)When the people [b]willingly offer themselves,
Bless the Lord!
3 “Hear,(D) O kings! Give ear, O princes!
I, even (E)I, will sing to the Lord;
I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
4 “Lord, (F)when You went out from Seir,
When You marched from (G)the field of Edom,
The earth trembled and the heavens poured,
The clouds also poured water;
5 (H)The mountains [c]gushed before the Lord,
(I)This Sinai, before the Lord God of Israel.
6 “In the days of (J)Shamgar, son of Anath,
In the days of (K)Jael,
(L)The highways were deserted,
And the travelers walked along the byways.
7 Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel,
Until I, Deborah, arose,
Arose a mother in Israel.
8 They chose (M)new gods;
Then there was war in the gates;
Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart is with the rulers of Israel
Who offered themselves willingly with the people.
Bless the Lord!
10 “Speak, you who ride on white (N)donkeys,
Who sit in judges’ attire,
And who walk along the road.
11 Far from the noise of the archers, among the watering places,
There they shall recount the righteous acts of the Lord,
The righteous acts for His villagers in Israel;
Then the people of the Lord shall go down to the gates.
12 “Awake,(O) awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, sing a song!
Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away,
O son of Abinoam!
13 “Then the survivors came down, the people against the nobles;
The Lord came down for me against the mighty.
14 From Ephraim were those whose roots were in (P)Amalek.
After you, Benjamin, with your peoples,
From Machir rulers came down,
And from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter’s staff.
15 And [d]the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
As Issachar, so was Barak
Sent into the valley [e]under his command;
Among the divisions of Reuben
There were great resolves of heart.
16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds,
To hear the pipings for the flocks?
The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.
17 (Q)Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan,
And why did Dan remain [f]on ships?
(R)Asher continued at the seashore,
And stayed by his inlets.
18 (S)Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death,
Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
19 “The kings came and fought,
Then the kings of Canaan fought
In (T)Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;
They took no spoils of silver.
20 They fought from the heavens;
The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.
21 (U)The torrent of Kishon swept them away,
That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon.
O my soul, march on in strength!
22 Then the horses’ hooves pounded,
The galloping, galloping of his steeds.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the [g]angel of the Lord,
‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly,
Because they did not come to the help of the Lord,
To the help of the Lord against the mighty.’
24 “Most blessed among women is Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite;
(V)Blessed is she among women in tents.
25 He asked for water, she gave milk;
She brought out cream in a lordly bowl.
26 She stretched her hand to the tent peg,
Her right hand to the workmen’s hammer;
She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head,
She split and struck through his temple.
27 At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still;
At her feet he sank, he fell;
Where he sank, there he fell (W)dead.
28 “The mother of Sisera looked through the window,
And cried out through the lattice,
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?’
29 Her wisest [h]ladies answered her,
Yes, she [i]answered herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil:
To every man a girl or two;
For Sisera, plunder of dyed garments,
Plunder of garments embroidered and dyed,
Two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?’
31 “Thus let all Your enemies (X)perish, O Lord!
But let those who love Him be (Y)like the (Z)sun
When it comes out in full (AA)strength.”
So the land had rest for forty years.
Footnotes
- Judges 5:2 Or When locks are loosed
- Judges 5:2 volunteer
- Judges 5:5 flowed
- Judges 5:15 So with LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT And my princes in Issachar
- Judges 5:15 Lit. at his feet
- Judges 5:17 Or at ease
- Judges 5:23 Or Angel
- Judges 5:29 princesses
- Judges 5:29 Lit. repeats her words to herself
Judges 5
New International Reader's Version
The Song of Deborah
5 On that day Deborah and Barak sang a song. Barak was the son of Abinoam. Here is what Deborah and Barak sang.
2 “The princes in Israel lead the way.
The people follow them just because they want to.
When this happens, praise the Lord!
3 “Kings, hear this! Rulers, listen!
I will sing to the Lord.
I will praise the Lord in song. He is the God of Israel.
4 “Lord, you went out from Seir.
You marched out from the land of Edom.
The earth shook. The heavens poured.
The clouds poured down their water.
5 The mountains shook because of the Lord. He was at Mount Sinai.
They shook because of the Lord. He is the God of Israel.
6 “The main roads were deserted. So travelers used the winding paths.
That happened in the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath.
It happened in the days of Jael.
7 Those who lived in the villages of Israel would not fight.
They held back until I, Deborah, came.
I came as a mother in Israel.
8 War came to the city gates. Then God chose new leaders.
But no shields or spears were seen anywhere.
There weren’t any among 40,000 men in Israel.
9 My heart is with the princes in Israel.
It’s with the people who follow them just because they want to.
Praise the Lord!
10 “Some of you ride on white donkeys.
Some of you sit on your saddle blankets.
Some of you walk along the road.
Think about 11 the voices of the singers at the watering places.
They sing about the victories of the Lord.
They sing about the victories of his people who live in Israel’s villages.
“The people of the Lord
went down to the city gates.
12 ‘Wake up, Deborah! Wake up!’ they said.
‘Wake up! Wake up! Begin to sing!
Barak, get up!
Son of Abinoam, capture your prisoners!’
13 “The nobles who were left came down.
The people of the Lord
came down to me against the powerful enemy.
14 Some came from the part of Ephraim where some Amalekites lived.
Some from Benjamin were with the people who followed Ephraim.
Captains came down from Makir.
Those who rule like commanders came down from Zebulun.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah.
The men of Issachar were with Barak.
They went into the valley under his command.
In the territories of Reuben,
men looked deeply into their hearts.
16 Why did they stay among the sheep pens?
Why did they stay to hear shepherds whistling for the flocks?
In the territories of Reuben,
men looked deeply into their hearts.
17 Gilead stayed east of the Jordan River.
Why did Dan stay near the ships?
The men of Asher remained on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
They stayed in their safe harbors.
18 The people of Zebulun put their very lives in danger.
So did Naphtali on the hillside fields.
19 “Kings came and fought.
The kings of Canaan fought
at Taanach by the streams of Megiddo.
But they didn’t carry away any silver.
They didn’t take anything at all.
20 From the heavens the stars fought.
From the sky they fought against Sisera.
21 The Kishon River swept them away.
The Kishon is a very old river.
My spirit, march on! Be strong!
22 The hooves of the horses pounded like thunder.
The powerful horses of our enemies galloped away.
23 ‘Let Meroz be cursed,’ said the angel of the Lord.
‘Let bitter curses fall on its people.
They did not come to help the Lord.
They did not come to help him against our powerful enemies.’
24 “May Jael be the most blessed woman of all.
May the wife of Heber, the Kenite, be blessed.
May she be the most blessed woman of all those who live in tents.
25 Sisera asked for water. She gave him milk.
In a bowl fit for nobles she brought him buttermilk.
26 Her hand reached out for a tent stake.
Her right hand reached for a hammer.
She hit Sisera. She crushed his head.
She drove the stake right through his head.
27 He sank down. He fell at her feet.
He was lying there.
At her feet he sank down. He fell.
He fell where he sank down.
That’s where he died.
28 “Sisera’s mother looked out through the window.
From behind the wooden screen she cried out.
‘Why is his chariot taking so long to get here?’ she said.
‘Why can’t I hear the noise of his chariots yet?’
29 Her wisest ladies answer her.
And here’s what she keeps saying to herself.
30 She says, ‘They must be finding riches to bring back.
They must be dividing them up.
Each man is getting a woman or two.
They are giving colorful clothes to Sisera.
The clothes are very beautiful.
He will bring some for me to wear.
The men must be finding many things to bring home.’
31 “Lord, may all your enemies be destroyed.
But may all who love you be like the morning sun.
May they be like the sun when it shines the brightest.”
So the land was at peace for 40 years.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
