Judges 5
English Standard Version
The Song of Deborah and Barak
5 (A)Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day:
2 “That the leaders took the lead in Israel,
that (B)the people offered themselves willingly,
bless 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, (C)when you went out from Seir,
when you marched from the region of Edom,
(D)the earth trembled
and the heavens dropped,
yes, the clouds dropped water.
5 The mountains (E)quaked before the Lord,
(F)even Sinai before the Lord,[a] the God of Israel.
6 “In the days of (G)Shamgar, son of Anath,
in the days of (H)Jael, (I)the highways were abandoned,
and travelers kept to the byways.
7 The villagers ceased in Israel;
they ceased to be until I arose;
I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.
8 (J)When new gods were chosen,
then war was in the gates.
(K)Was shield or spear to be seen
among forty thousand in Israel?
9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel
who (L)offered themselves willingly among the people.
Bless the Lord.
10 “Tell of it, (M)you who ride on white donkeys,
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 righteous triumphs of the Lord,
the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel.
“Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord.
12 (N)“Awake, awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, break out in a song!
Arise, Barak, (O)lead away your captives,
O son of Abinoam.
13 Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
the people of the Lord marched down for me against the mighty.
14 From (P)Ephraim their root (Q)they marched down into the valley,[d]
following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen;
from (R)Machir marched down the commanders,
and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant's[e] staff;
15 the princes of Issachar came with Deborah,
and Issachar faithful to (S)Barak;
into the valley they rushed at his heels.
Among the clans of Reuben
there were great searchings of heart.
16 Why did you sit still (T)among the sheepfolds,
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben
there were great searchings of heart.
17 (U)Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;
(V)and Dan, why did he stay with the ships?
(W)Asher sat still (X)at the coast of the sea,
staying by his landings.
18 (Y)Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death;
(Z)Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field.
19 “The kings came, they fought;
then fought the kings of Canaan,
at (AA)Taanach, by the waters of (AB)Megiddo;
(AC)they got no spoils of silver.
20 (AD)From heaven the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 (AE)The torrent Kishon swept them away,
the ancient 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 its inhabitants thoroughly,
(AF)because they did not come to the help of the Lord,
to the help of the Lord against the mighty.
24 “Most blessed of women be (AG)Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
25 (AH)He asked for water and she gave him milk;
she brought him curds in a noble's bowl.
26 (AI)She sent her hand to the tent peg
and her right hand to the workmen's mallet;
she struck Sisera;
she crushed his head;
she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 Between her feet
he sank, he fell, he lay still;
between her feet
he sank, he fell;
where he sank,
there he fell—dead.
28 (AJ)“Out of the window she peered,
the mother of Sisera wailed through (AK)the lattice:
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’
29 Her wisest princesses answer,
indeed, she answers herself,
30 ‘Have they not found and (AL)divided the spoil?—
A womb or two for every man;
spoil of dyed materials for Sisera,
spoil of dyed materials embroidered,
two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?’
31 (AM)“So may all your enemies perish, O Lord!
But your friends be (AN)like the sun (AO)as he rises in his might.”
(AP)And the land had rest for forty years.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 5:5 Or before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord
- Judges 5:10 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; it may connote saddle blankets
- Judges 5:11 Or archers; the meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Judges 5:14 Septuagint; Hebrew in Amalek
- Judges 5:14 Hebrew commander's
Judges 5
New Living Translation
The Song of Deborah
5 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2 “Israel’s leaders took charge,
and the people gladly followed.
Praise the Lord!
3 “Listen, you kings!
Pay attention, you mighty rulers!
For I will sing to the Lord.
I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel.
4 “Lord, when you set out from Seir
and marched across the fields of Edom,
the earth trembled,
and the cloudy skies poured down rain.
5 The mountains quaked in the presence of the Lord,
the God of Mount Sinai—
in the presence of the Lord,
the God of Israel.
6 “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
and in the days of Jael,
people avoided the main roads,
and travelers stayed on winding pathways.
7 There were few people left in the villages of Israel[a]—
until Deborah arose as a mother for Israel.
8 When Israel chose new gods,
war erupted at the city gates.
Yet not a shield or spear could be seen
among forty thousand warriors in Israel!
9 My heart is with the commanders of Israel,
with those who volunteered for war.
Praise the Lord!
10 “Consider this, you who ride on fine donkeys,
you who sit on fancy saddle blankets,
and you who walk along the road.
11 Listen to the village musicians[b]
gathered at the watering holes.
They recount the righteous victories of the Lord
and the victories of his villagers in Israel.
Then the people of the Lord
marched down to the city gates.
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.[c]
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.’
24 “Most blessed among women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite.
May she be blessed above all women who live in tents.
25 Sisera asked for water,
and she gave him milk.
In a bowl fit for nobles,
she brought him yogurt.
26 Then with her left hand she reached for a tent peg,
and with her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera with the hammer, crushing his head.
With a shattering blow, she pierced his temples.
27 He sank, he fell,
he lay still at her feet.
And where he sank,
there he died.
28 “From the window Sisera’s mother looked out.
Through the window she watched for his return, saying,
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why don’t we hear the sound of chariot wheels?’
29 “Her wise women answer,
and she repeats these words to herself:
30 ‘They must be dividing the captured plunder—
with a woman or two for every man.
There will be colorful robes for Sisera,
and colorful, embroidered robes for me.
Yes, the plunder will include
colorful robes embroidered on both sides.’
31 “Lord, may all your enemies die like Sisera!
But may those who love you rise like the sun in all its power!”
Then there was peace in the land for forty years.
Read full chapterThe Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
