Judges 5
Revised Standard Version
The Song of Deborah
5 Then sang Deb′orah and Barak the son of Abin′o-am on that day:
2 “That the leaders took the lead in Israel,
that the people offered themselves willingly,
bless[a] the Lord!
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.
19 “The kings came, they fought;
then fought the kings of Canaan,
at Ta′anach, by the waters of Megid′do;
they got no spoils of silver.
20 From heaven fought the stars,
from their courses they fought against Sis′era.
21 The torrent Kishon swept them away,
the onrushing torrent, the torrent Kishon.
March on, my soul, with might!
22 “Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs
with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.
23 “Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord,
curse bitterly its inhabitants,
because they came not to the help of the Lord,
to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
24 “Most blessed of women be Ja′el,
the wife of Heber the Ken′ite,
of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
25 He asked water and she gave him milk,
she brought him curds in a lordly bowl.
26 She put her hand to the tent peg
and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet;
she struck Sis′era a blow,
she crushed his head,
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 He sank, he fell,
he lay still at her feet;
at her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell dead.
28 “Out of the window she peered,
the mother of Sis′era gazed[g] through the lattice:
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’
29 Her wisest ladies make answer,
nay, she gives answer to herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil?—
A maiden or two for every man;
spoil of dyed stuffs for Sis′era,
spoil of dyed stuffs embroidered,
two pieces of dyed work embroidered for my neck as spoil?’
31 “So perish all thine enemies, O Lord!
But thy friends be like the sun as he rises in his might.”
And the land had rest for forty years.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 5:2 Or You who offered yourselves willingly among the people, bless
- Judges 5:10 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Judges 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Judges 5:13 Gk: Heb me
- Judges 5:14 Cn: Heb From Ephraim their root
- Judges 5:14 Gk: Heb in Amalek
- Judges 5:28 Gk Compare Tg: Heb exclaimed
Judges 5
American Standard Version
5 Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
2 For that the leaders took the lead in Israel,
For that the people offered themselves willingly,
Bless ye Jehovah.
3 Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes;
I, even I, will sing unto Jehovah;
I will sing praise to Jehovah, the God of Israel.
4 Jehovah, when thou wentest forth out of Seir,
When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,
The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped,
Yea, the clouds dropped water.
5 The mountains [a]quaked at the presence of Jehovah,
Even yon Sinai at the presence of Jehovah, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
In the days of Jael, [b]the highways were unoccupied,
And the travellers walked through [c]byways.
7 [d]The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased,
Until that I Deborah arose,
That I arose a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new gods;
Then was war in the gates:
Was there a shield or spear seen
Among forty thousand in Israel?
9 My heart is toward the governors of Israel,
[e]That offered themselves willingly among the people:
Bless ye Jehovah.
10 Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses,
Ye that sit on rich carpets,
And ye that walk by the way.
11 [f]Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water,
There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah,
Even the righteous acts [g]of his rule in Israel.
Then the people of Jehovah went down to the gates.
12 Awake, awake, Deborah;
Awake, awake, utter a song:
Arise, Barak, and lead away thy captives, thou son of Abinoam.
13 [h]Then came down a remnant of the nobles [i]and the people;
Jehovah came down for me [j]against the mighty.
14 Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in Amalek;
After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples;
Out of Machir came down [k]governors,
And out of Zebulun they that handle [l]the marshal’s staff.
15 And [m]the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
As was Issachar, so was Barak;
Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet.
By the watercourses of Reuben
There were great resolves of heart.
16 Why sattest thou among the sheepfolds,
To hear the pipings for the flocks?
At the watercourses of Reuben
There were great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead abode beyond the Jordan:
And Dan, why did he remain in ships?
Asher sat still at the [n]haven of the sea,
And abode by his creeks.
18 Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death,
And Naphtali, upon 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 From heaven fought the stars,
From their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
That ancient river, the river Kishon.
O my soul, [o]march on with strength.
22 Then did the horsehoofs stamp
By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones.
23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of Jehovah.
Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof,
Because they came not to the help of Jehovah,
To the help of Jehovah [p]against the mighty.
24 Blessed [q]above women shall Jael be,
The wife of Heber the Kenite;
Blessed shall she be [r]above women in the tent.
25 He asked water, and she gave him milk;
She brought him butter in a lordly dish.
26 She put her hand to the tent-pin,
And her right hand to the workmen’s hammer;
And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head;
Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples.
27 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay;
At her feet he bowed, he fell:
Where he bowed, there he fell down [s]dead.
28 Through the window she looked forth, and cried,
The mother of Sisera cried through the lattice,
Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the [t]wheels of his chariots?
29 Her wise ladies answered her,
[u]Yea, she returned answer to herself,
30 Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil?
A damsel, two damsels to every man;
To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments,
A spoil of dyed garments embroidered,
Of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the spoil?
31 So let all thine enemies perish, O Jehovah:
But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might.
And the land had rest forty years.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 5:5 Or, flowed down
- Judges 5:6 Or, the caravans ceased
- Judges 5:6 Hebrew crooked ways.
- Judges 5:7 Or, The villages were unoccupied
- Judges 5:9 Or, Ye that offered yourselves willingly among the people, bless etc.
- Judges 5:11 Or, Because of the voice of the archers . . . there let them rehearse
- Judges 5:11 Or, toward his villages
- Judges 5:13 Or, Then go down, O remnant, for the nobles . . . O Jehovah, go down for me against the mighty. Or, Then made he a remnant to have dominion over the nobles and the people; Jehovah made me have dominion over the mighty
- Judges 5:13 Or, as otherwise read, the people of Jehovah came down for me against (or among) the mighty
- Judges 5:13 Or, among
- Judges 5:14 Or, lawgivers
- Judges 5:14 Or, the staff of the scribe
- Judges 5:15 Or, my princes in Issachar
- Judges 5:17 Or, shore
- Judges 5:21 Or, thou hast trodden down strength
- Judges 5:23 Or, among
- Judges 5:24 Or, of
- Judges 5:24 Or, of
- Judges 5:27 Or, overpowered
- Judges 5:28 Hebrew steps.
- Judges 5:29 Or (Yet she repeateth her words unto herself)
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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