Judges 5
World English Bible
5 Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,
2 “Because the leaders took the lead in Israel,
because the people offered themselves willingly,
be blessed, Yahweh!
3 “Hear, you kings!
Give ear, you princes!
I, even I, will sing to Yahweh.
I will sing praise to Yahweh, the God of Israel.
4 “Yahweh, when you went out of Seir,
when you marched out of the field of Edom,
the earth trembled, the sky also dropped.
Yes, the clouds dropped water.
5 The mountains quaked at Yahweh’s presence,
even Sinai at the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel.
6 “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied.
The travelers walked through byways.
7 The rulers ceased in Israel.
They ceased until I, Deborah, arose;
Until I arose a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new gods.
Then war was in the gates.
Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
9 My heart is toward the governors of Israel,
who offered themselves willingly among the people.
Bless Yahweh!
10 “Speak, you who ride on white donkeys,
you who sit on rich carpets,
and you who walk by the way.
11 Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water,
there they will rehearse Yahweh’s righteous acts,
the righteous acts of his rule in Israel.
“Then Yahweh’s people went down to the gates.
12 ‘Awake, awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, utter a song!
Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, you son of Abinoam.’
13 “Then a remnant of the nobles and the people came down.
Yahweh came down for me against the mighty.
14 Those whose root is in Amalek came out of Ephraim,
after you, Benjamin, among your peoples.
Governors come down out of Machir.
Those who handle the marshal’s staff came out of Zebulun.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah.
As was Issachar, so was Barak.
They rushed into the valley at his feet.
By the watercourses of Reuben,
there were great resolves of heart.
16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds?
To hear the whistling for the flocks?
At the watercourses of Reuben,
there were great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead lived beyond the Jordan.
Why did Dan remain in ships?
Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,
and lived by his creeks.
18 Zebulun was a people that jeopardized their lives to the death;
Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.
19 “The kings came and fought,
then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo.
They took no plunder of silver.
20 From the sky the stars fought.
From their courses, they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
that ancient river, the river Kishon.
My soul, march on with strength.
22 Then the horse hoofs stamped because of the prancing,
the prancing of their strong ones.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said Yahweh’s angel.
‘Curse bitterly its inhabitants,
because they didn’t come to help Yahweh,
to help Yahweh against the mighty.’
24 “Jael shall be blessed above women,
the wife of Heber the Kenite;
blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
25 He asked for water.
She gave him milk.
She brought him butter in a lordly dish.
26 She put her hand to the tent peg,
and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer.
With the hammer she struck Sisera.
She struck through his head.
Yes, 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 dead.
28 “Through the window she looked out, and cried:
Sisera’s mother looked through the lattice.
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why do the wheels of his chariots wait?’
29 Her wise ladies answered her,
Yes, she returned answer to herself,
30 ‘Have they not found, have they not divided the plunder?
A lady, two ladies to every man;
to Sisera a plunder of dyed garments,
a plunder of dyed garments embroidered,
of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the plunder?’
31 “So let all your enemies perish, Yahweh,
but let those who love him be as the sun when it rises in its strength.”
Then the land had rest forty years.
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Judges 5
International Standard Version
Deborah and Barak Celebrate in Song
5 Later that day, Deborah and Abinoam’s son Barak celebrated by singing this song:
2 “When hair grows long[a] in Israel,[b]
when the people give themselves willingly,
bless the Lord!
3 Listen, you kings!
Turn your ears to me, you rulers!
As for me, to the Lord I will sing!
I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
4 Lord, when you left Seir,
when you marched out
from the grain field of Edom,
the earth quaked
and the heavens poured out rain;[c]
indeed, the clouds poured out water.
5 Mountains tremble at the presence of the Lord —
even[d] Sinai!—at the presence of the Lord God of Israel.
6 During the lifetime of Anath’s son Shamgar
and during the lifetime of Jael
highways remained deserted,
while travelers kept to back roads.
7 Rural populations plummeted[e] in Israel;
until I, Deborah, arose;
until I—an Israeli mother—arose.
8 New gods were chosen,
then war came to the city[f] gates,
but there wasn’t a shield or spear to be seen
among 40,000 soldiers[g] of Israel.
9 My heart is for the commanders of Israel,
to those who work willingly among the people.
Bless the Lord!
10 “Speak up, you who ride white donkeys,
sitting on cloth saddles[h]
while you travel on your way!
11 From the sound of those who divide their work loads
at the watering troughs,
there they will retell the righteous deeds of the Lord,
the righteous victories for his rural people in Israel.”
Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates.
12 “Wake up! Wake up, Deborah!
Wake up! Wake up, Deborah!
Get up, Barak, and dispose of your captives,
you son of Abinoam!
13 Then the survivors approached the nobles;
the people of the Lord approached me in battle array.
14 Some came[i] from Ephraim
who had been harassed by[j] Amalek,
followed by Benjamin with your people.
Some commanders came[k] from Machir,
along with some from Zebulun
who carry a badge[l] of office.[m]
15 The officials of Issachar were with Deborah,
as was the tribe of Issachar and Barak.
They rushed out into the valley at his heels
along with divisions from Reuben’s army.
Great was their resolve of heart!
16 Why did you sit down among the sheepfolds?
To hear the bleating of the flocks?
Among the divisions of the army of Reuben
there was great searching of heart.
17 The tribe of Gilead remained
on the other side of the Jordan River.
As for the tribe of Dan,
why did they stay on board their ships?
The tribe of Asher sat by the seashore
and remained near its harbors.
18 The tribe of Zebulun did not worry about their lives
at the price of death;
neither did the tribe of Naphtali also
on high places of the field.[n]
19 “Kings came to fight,
then battled the kings of Canaan
at Taanach near the waters of Megiddo.
They took no silver
as the spoils of war.
20 The stars fought from heaven;
they fought against Sisera from their orbits.
21 The current[o] of the Kishon River swept them downstream,
that ancient current, the Kishon’s current!
March on strongly, my soul!
22 Then loud was the beat of the horses’ hooves—
from the galloping, galloping war steeds!
23 “‘Meroz is cursed!’ declared the angel of the Lord.
‘Utterly and totally cursed are its inhabitants,
because they never came to the aid of the Lord,
to the aid of the Lord against the valiant warriors!’”
24 “Blessed above all women is Jael,
wife of Heber the Kenite;
most blessed is she among women who live in tents!
25 Sisera[p] asked for water—
she gave him milk.
In a magnificent bowl she brought him yogurt![q]
26 She reached out one hand for the tent peg,
and her other[r] for the workman’s mallet.
Then she struck Sisera,
smashing his head,
shattering and piercing his temple.
27 He crumpled to the ground between her feet,
where he fell down and collapsed.
Between her feet he crumpled,
Fallen dead!
28 “Back at home,[s] out the window Sisera’s mother peered,
lamenting through the lattice.
‘Why is his chariot delayed in returning?
‘Why do the hoof beats of his chariots wait?’
29 Her wise attendants[t] find an answer for her;
in fact, she tells the same words to herself:
30 ‘They’re busy finding and dividing the war booty, aren’t they?
A girl or two for each valiant warrior,
and some dyed materials for Sisera—
perhaps dyed, embroidered war booty—
or some detailed embroidery for my neck
as the booty of war!
31 “May all of your enemies perish like this, Lord!
But may those who love him be
like the ascending sun in its strength!”
Then the land enjoyed quiet for 40 years.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 5:2 I.e. in keeping with having made a Nazirite vow
- Judges 5:2 Or When leaders carry out vengeance in Israel
- Judges 5:4 The Heb. lacks rain
- Judges 5:5 Lit. this
- Judges 5:7 Lit. ceased
- Judges 5:8 The Heb. lacks city
- Judges 5:8 The Heb. lacks soldiers
- Judges 5:10 Or wearing rich clothing
- Judges 5:14 The Heb. lacks came
- Judges 5:14 Or who routed; So LXX.
- Judges 5:14 The Heb. lacks came
- Judges 5:14 Lit. scepter
- Judges 5:14 Or who wield official authority
- Judges 5:18 I.e. as they fought within idolatrous worship centers
- Judges 5:21 Or wadi; i.e. a seasonal river, and so throughout the verse
- Judges 5:25 Lit. He
- Judges 5:25 I.e. a processed milk product
- Judges 5:26 Lit. right
- Judges 5:28 The Heb. lacks Back at home
- Judges 5:29 Or officials
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