Beginning

3 These be the folks which the Lord left alive, that in them he should teach Israel, and all men that knew not the battles of Canaanites; (These be the nations which the Lord left alive, so that through them he would teach the Israelites, all those who had not been part of the battles for Canaan;)

² and that afterward the sons of them should learn to fight with enemies, and to have custom of battle. (and so that through them their sons would learn to fight with their enemies, and know the ways of battle.)

³ He left (alive the) five princes of the Philistines, and all Canaanites, and the people of Sidon, and Hivites that dwelled in the hill Lebanon, from the hill Baalhermon till to the entering of Hamath. (He left alive the five rulers of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the people of Sidon, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baalhermon unto Hamath Pass.)

⁴ And he left them, that in them he should assay Israel, (to see) whether they would hear the behests of the Lord, which he commanded to their fathers by the hand of Moses, either nay. (Yea, he left them alive, so that through them he could test Israel, to see whether they would listen to the Lord’s commands, which he commanded to their fathers through Moses, or not.)

⁵ And so the sons of Israel dwelled in the midst of Canaanites, of Hittites, and of Amorites, and of Perizzites, and of Hivites, and of Jebusites, (And so the Israelites lived in the midst of the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites,)

⁶ and they wedded wives, the daughters of them; and the sons of Israel gave their daughters to their sons, and they served to their gods (and they served their gods).

⁷ And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat their Lord God, and served Baalim, and Asheroth. (And the Israelites did evil before the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baalim, and the Asheroth.)

⁸ And the Lord was wroth against Israel, and he betook them into the hands of Chushanrishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and they served him eight years.

⁹ And they cried to the Lord, and he raised to them a saviour, and (he) delivered them, that is, Othniel, the son of Kenaz, and the younger brother of Caleb. (And they cried to the Lord, and he raised up a saviour for them, and he delivered them; that was Othniel, the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.)

¹⁰ And the spirit of the Lord was in him, and he deemed Israel. And he went out to battle, and the Lord betook into his hand Chushanrishathaim, king of Syria (the king of Mesopotamia); and Othniel oppressed him.

¹¹ And the land rested forty years; and (then) Othniel, the son of Kenaz, died.

¹² Forsooth the sons of Israel added to do evil in the sight of the Lord (And the Israelites did more evil before the Lord); and he strengthened against them Eglon, the king of Moab, for they did evil in the sight of the Lord.

¹³ And the Lord coupled to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went, and smote Israel (and he went, and struck Israel), and had in possession the city of Palms.

¹⁴ And the sons of Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, eighteen years. (And the Israelites served Eglon, the king of Moab, for eighteen years.)

¹⁵ And afterward they cried to the Lord; and he raised to them a saviour, Ehud by name, the son of Gera, son of Benjamin, the which Ehud used ever either hand for the right hand. And the sons of Israel sent by him gifts, that is, (the) tribute, to Eglon, king of Moab; (And they cried to the Lord; and he raised up a saviour for them, named Ehud, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, and he used either hand for the right hand. And the Israelites sent him to take the tribute, that is, the taxes, to Eglon, the king of Moab;)

¹⁶ [the] which Ehud made to him(self) a sword carving on ever either side, of the length of the palm of an hand; and he was girded therewith under the say, that is, a knight’s mantle, in the right hip. (and Ehud made for himself a sword sharp on both sides, the length of the palm of a hand; and he was girded with it under his say, that is, under his knight’s mantle, on the right hip.)

¹⁷ And he brought gifts to Eglon, king of Moab; and Eglon was full fat. (And he brought the tribute, or the taxes, to Eglon, the king of Moab; and Eglon was very fat.)

¹⁸ And when he had given gifts to the king, he followed forth after his fellows that came with him; (And when he had given the tribute to the king, he went away with his fellows who had come with him;)

¹⁹ and he turned again from Gilgal, where (the graven) idols were, and he said to the king, O king, I have a privy word to thee (but he turned back at Gilgal, where the carved stones were, and when he had come before the king, he said, O king, I have a private word for thee). And the king commanded silence. And when all men were gone out, that were about him,

²⁰ Ehud entered (un)to him; and the king sat alone in a summer parlour. And Ehud said, I have the word of God to thee (And Ehud said, I have a word from God for thee). The which rose at once from his throne.

²¹ And Ehud held forth his left hand, and took his sword from his right hip; and he put it into the king’s womb so strongly,

²² that the pommel, either hilt, followed the iron in(to) the wound, and was holden strait in the thickest fatness within; and Ehud drew not out the sword, but so as he had smitten Eglon (but as he had so struck Eglon), he left it in his body; and at once by the privates of (man)kind, the turds of the womb burst out.

²³ Forsooth when the doors of the parlour were closed most diligently, and fastened with lock, (And when he had quietly closed the parlour doors, and fastened them with a lock,)

²⁴ Ehud went out by a porch (Ehud went out by the porch). And (soon after) the king’s servants entered, not into the parlour, but into the porch, and they saw the doors of the parlour closed, and they said, In hap he purgeth the womb in the summer parlour.

²⁵ And they abode so long, till they were ashamed; and they saw that no man opened the door, and they took the key, and they opened (it), and they found their lord lying dead on the earth. (And they waited so long for him, that they were embarrassed; and when they saw that no one opened the door, they took the key, and they opened it, and they found their lord lying dead on the floor.)

²⁶ And while they were troubled, Ehud fled out, and passed the place of (the graven) idols, from whence he turned again (and passed the place of the carved stones, where he had turned back); and he came into Seirath.

²⁷ And anon he sounded with a clarion in the hill of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came down with him, and he went in the front. (And at once he sounded with a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came down with him, and he went at the front.)

²⁸ Which said to them, Follow ye me, for the Lord hath betaken our enemies, (the) Moabites, into our hands. And they came down after him, and occupied the fords of (the) Jordan (River), that led over into Moab. And they suffered not any man to pass [over],

²⁹ but they smote in that time about ten thousand Moabites, all mighty men and strong; no man of them might escape. (but they struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all of them strong and mighty men; yea, not one of them could escape.)

³⁰ And Moab was made low in that day under the hand of Israel, and the land rested eighty years. (And Moab was made low on that day under the hand of Israel, and then the land rested for eighty years.)

³¹ After him was Shamgar, the son of Anath, that smote of Philistines six hundred men with a goad of (an) ox (who struck down six hundred Philistines with an ox’s goad); and he also defended Israel.

4 And the sons of Israel added to do evil in the sight of the Lord, after the death of Ehud. (And the Israelites did more evil before the Lord, after the death of Ehud.)

² And the Lord betook them into the hands of Jabin, king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; and he had a duke of his host, Sisera by name; and he dwelled in Harosheth of heathen men. (And the Lord delivered them into the hands of Jabin, the king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and he had a leader of his army, who was named Sisera; and he lived in Harosheth of the heathen.)

³ And the sons of Israel cried to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, full of weapons, sharp as scythes, and twenty years he oppressed Israel greatly. (And the Israelites cried to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots, full of weapons, sharp as scythes, and for twenty years he greatly oppressed Israel.)

⁴ And Deborah was a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, the which Deborah deemed the people of Israel in that time;

⁵ and she sat under a palm tree, that was called by her name, betwixt Ramah and Bethel, in the hill of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went up to her at each doom. (and she sat under a palm tree, that was named after her, between Ramah and Bethel, in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites went up to her for judgements.)

⁶ And she sent, and called Barak, the son of Abinoam, of Kedesh of Naphtali, and she said to him, The Lord God of Israel commanded to thee, (and said,) Go thou, and lead an host into the hill of Tabor, and thou shalt take with thee ten thousand of fighters of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun. (And she sent, and called for Barak, the son of Abinoam, of Kedesh of Naphtali, and she said to him, The Lord God of Israel commanded to thee, and said, Go thou, and lead an army to Mount Tabor, and thou shalt take with thee ten thousand fighting men of the Naphtalites and of the Zebulunites.)

⁷ And I shall bring to thee, in the place of the strand of Kishon, Sisera, the prince of Jabin’s host, and his chariots, and all the multitude; and I shall betake them in thine hand. (And I shall bring to thee, at the Kishon River, Sisera, the leader of Jabin’s army, and his chariots, and all the multitude; and I shall deliver them into thy hands.)

⁸ And Barak said to her, If thou comest with me, I shall go; if thou wilt not come with me, I shall not go.

⁹ And she said to him, Soothly I shall go with thee; but in this time the victory shall not be areckoned to thee; for Sisera shall be betaken into the hand of a woman (for Sisera shall be delivered into the hand of a woman). And so Deborah rose, and went with Barak into Kedesh.

¹⁰ And when Zebulun and Naphtali were called, Barak ascended with ten thousand of fighters (Barak went up with ten thousand fighting men), and had Deborah in his fellowship.

¹¹ Forsooth Heber of (the) Kenites had parted (company) some time (ago) from other Kenites his brethren, [the] sons of Hobab, the father of Moses’ wife; and he had set forth tabernacles till to the valley, which is called Zaanaim, and was beside Kedesh (and he pitched his tent in the Zaanaim Valley, which was beside Kedesh).

¹² And it was told to Sisera, that Barak, the son of Abinoam, had gone up into the hill of Tabor. (And Sisera was told that Barak, the son of Abinoam, had gone up to Mount Tabor.)

¹³ And Sisera gathered nine hundred iron chariots, full of weapons, carving as scythes, and all the host, from Harosheth of heathen men to the strand of Kishon. (And Sisera gathered his nine hundred iron chariots, full of weapons, sharp as scythes, and all his army, from Harosheth of the heathen unto the Kishon River.)

¹⁴ And Deborah said to Barak, Rise thou up, for this is the day, in which the Lord hath betaken Sisera into thine hands; lo! the Lord is thy leader. And so Barak came down from the hill of Tabor, and ten thousand of fighters with him (And so Barak came down from Mount Tabor, and had ten thousand fighting men with him).

¹⁵ And the Lord made afeared Sisera, and all his chariots, and all the multitude, by the sharpness of sword, at the sight of Barak, in so much that Sisera leaped down off the chariot, and fled on foot. (And when they saw Barak, and all of his sharp swords, the Lord made Sisera, and all those in his chariots, and all those in his multitude, greatly afraid, in so much that Sisera leapt down off the chariot, and fled away on foot.)

¹⁶ And Barak pursued the chariots fleeing, and the host, till to Harosheth of heathen men (And Barak pursued the fleeing chariots, and the army, unto Harosheth of the heathen); and all the multitude of [the] enemies felled down till to death.

¹⁷ And Sisera fled, and came to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber (the) Kenite; for peace was betwixt Jabin, king of Hazor, and betwixt the house of Heber (the) Kenite (for there was peace between Jabin, the king of Hazor, and the house of Heber the Kenite).

¹⁸ Therefore Jael went out into the coming of Sisera, and said to him, My lord, enter thou to me, enter thou to me; dread thou not. And he entered into her tabernacle, and he was covered of her with a mantle (And he went into her tent, and she covered him with a cloak).

¹⁹ And he said to her, I beseech thee, give me a little water, for I thirst greatly (for I have a great thirst). And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave (it) to him to drink, and (then she) covered him (up again).

²⁰ And Sisera said to her, Stand thou before the door of the tabernacle, and when any man cometh, and asketh thee, and saith, Whether any man is here? thou shalt answer, No man is here. (And Sisera said to her, Stand thou before the door of the tent, and if anyone cometh, and asketh thee, and saith, Is there anyone here? thou shalt answer, No one is here.)

²¹ And so Jael, the wife of Heber, took a nail of the tabernacle, and she took also an hammer; and she entered privily, and with silence she put the nail upon the temple of his head, and she fastened the nail smitten with the hammer into his brain, unto the earth; and he slept, and died together, and he failed life, and was dead. (And then Jael, Heber’s wife, got a tent peg, and she also got a hammer; and she quietly entered, and silently put the peg on the temple of his head, and struck it with the hammer into his brain, and she fastened the other end of the peg into the ground; and so he died in his sleep, yea, his life failed, and he died.)

²² And lo! Barak (had) followed Sisera, and came (up to the tent); and Jael went out into his coming, and said to him, Come, and I shall show to thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he had entered to her, he saw Sisera lying dead, and a nail fastened into his temples (and a tent peg fastened into his temple).

²³ Therefore in that day (And so on that day), God made low Jabin, the king of Canaan, before the sons of Israel;

²⁴ which increased each day, and with strong hand they oppressed Jabin, the king of Canaan, till they did him away.

5 And Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, sang in that day, and said,

² Ye men of Israel, that have willfully offered your lives to peril (who have willingly offered your lives to peril), bless ye the Lord.

³ Ye kings, hear; ye princes, perceive with ears (ye princes, listen!); I am, I am the woman, that shall sing to the Lord; I shall sing to the Lord God of Israel.

⁴ Lord, when thou wentest out from Seir, and passedest by the countries of Edom (and passedest by the countryside of Edom), the earth was moved, and (the) heavens and (the) clouds dropped with waters;

⁵ (the) hills flowed from the face of the Lord, and Sinai from the face of the Lord God of Israel.

⁶ In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, [the] paths rested (the ways were empty), and they that entered by those (ways), went [away] by paths out of the way.

⁷ Strong men in Israel ceased, and rested, till Deborah (a)rose, a mother in Israel.

⁸ The Lord chose new battles, and he destroyed the gates of (their) enemies; shield and spear appeared not in forty thousand of Israel. (They chose new gods, and then there was war at the gates; but shields and spears did not appear among the forty thousand of Israel.)

⁹ Mine heart loveth the princes of Israel; ye that offered you(rselves) to peril by your own will, bless ye the Lord; (My heart loveth the leaders of Israel; ye who willingly offered yourselves to peril, bless ye the Lord;)

¹⁰ speak ye, that ascend on shining asses, and sit above in doom, and go in the way. (speak ye, who ride on shining donkeys, and sit in judgement, and go on the way.)

¹¹ Where the chariots were hurled down (al)together, and the host of [the] enemy’s was strangled, there the Lord’s rightwiseness be told out, and his mercy among the strong men of Israel; then the Lord’s people came down to the gates, and got the princehood. (Where the chariots were altogether hurled down, and the enemy’s army was strangled, there the Lord’s righteousness be told out, and his mercy among the strong men of Israel; then the Lord’s people came down to the gates, and got the victory.)

¹² Rise, rise thou, Deborah, rise thou, and speak a song; rise thou, Barak, and thou, son of Abinoam, take thy prisoners. (Rise, rise thou, Deborah, rise thou up, and sing a song; rise thou up, Barak, thou son of Abinoam, and take thy prisoners.)

¹³ The remnants of the people be saved; the Lord fought against strong men of Ephraim. (The remnant of the people were saved; the Lord’s people fought against the strong men.)

¹⁴ He did away them into Amalek, and after him from Benjamin into thy peoples, thou Amalek. Princes of Machir and of Zebulun went down, that led the host to fight. (From out of Ephraim, they came into the valley, behind the tribe of Benjamin and its people. The leaders of Machir and of Zebulun went down, they who led the army to fight.)

¹⁵ The dukes of Issachar were with Deborah, and followed the steps of Barak, that gave himself to peril, as into a ditch headlong, and into hell (like headlong into a ditch, and down into hell). (Yea,) While Reuben was parted against himself; the strife of great hearted men was found.

¹⁶ Why dwellest thou betwixt twain ends (Why stayest thou by the stalls), (so) that thou (mayest) hear the hissings of (the) flocks? (Yea,) While Reuben was parted against himself, the strife of great hearted men was found.

¹⁷ Gilead rested beyond (the) Jordan, and Dan gave attention to ships. Asher dwelled in the brink of the sea, and dwelled in havens (Asher stayed by the seashore, and lived in safe coves).

¹⁸ And Zebulun and Naphtali offered their lives to the death, in the country of Meromei, that is interpreted, high. (And Zebulun and Naphtali offered their lives unto the death, in the high places of the countryside.)

¹⁹ Kings came, and fought; kings of Canaan fought in Taanach, beside the waters of Megiddo; and nevertheless they took nothing by prey (but they took nothing of prey).

²⁰ From heaven, it was fought against them (They fought against them from the heavens); (the) stars dwelled in their order, and in their course, and they fought against Sisera.

²¹ The strand of Kishon drew (away) their dead bodies, the strand of Kedumim, the strand of Kishon. My soul, tread thou (down the) strong men. (The Kishon River drew away their dead bodies, yea, the ancient river, the Kishon River. My soul, tread thou forth with strength.)

²² The horsehoofs fell away, while the strongest of enemies fled with rush (while the strongest of the enemies fled away with haste), and (then) felled headlong.

²³ Curse ye the land of Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye the dwellers of him, for they came not to the help of the Lord, into the help of the strongest of him. (Curse ye the land of Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye its inhabitants, for they came not to the Lord’s help, nor to the help of his strongest men.)

²⁴ Blessed among women be Jael, the wife of Heber (the) Kenite; blessed be she in her tabernacle (blessed be she in her tent).

²⁵ To Sisera asking (for) water she gave milk, and in a basin of princes she gave him butter.

²⁶ She put the left hand to the nail, and her right hand to the smith’s hammer; and she smote Sisera, and sought in his head a place of wound, and she pierced strongly his temple. (Then she put a tent peg in her left hand, and the smith’s hammer in her right hand; and she sought a place on his head for the wound, and then she struck down Sisera, when she strongly pierced his temple.)

²⁷ He felled betwixt her feet, (and) he failed, and died; he was weltered before her feet, and he lay without life, and wretchedful.

²⁸ His mother beheld by a window, and yelled (out); and she spake from the solar, Why tarrieth his chariot to come again? Why tarry the feet of his four-horsed carts?

²⁹ One wiser than [the] other wives of him answered these words to the mother of her husband,

³⁰ In hap now he parteth spoils, and the fairest of women is chosen to him; clothes of diverse colours be given to Sisera into prey, and diverse array of household is gathered to adorn necks. (Perhaps now he parteth the spoils, and the fairest of the women be chosen for him; yea, clothes of diverse colours be given to Sisera for prey, and a diverse array of things be gathered to adorn the victor’s neck.)

³¹ Lord, all thine enemies perish so; soothly, they that love thee, shine so, as the sun shineth in his strength. And the land rested forty years. (Lord, may all thy enemies so perish; and may they who love thee, shine like the sun shineth in its strength. And then the land rested for forty years.)