Judges 5

1Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, 2because the people offered themselves willingly, “Because the leaders took the lead in Israel, be blessed, Yahweh! 3Give ear, you princes! I will sing praise to Yahweh, the God of Israel. “Hear, you kings! I, even I, will sing to Yahweh. 4when you marched out of the field of Edom, Yes, the clouds dropped water. “Yahweh, when you went out of Seir, the earth trembled, the sky also dropped. 5even Sinai at the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel. The mountains quaked Yahweh’s presence, 6in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied. The travelers walked through byways. “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, 7They ceased until I, Deborah, arose; Until I arose a mother in Israel. The rulers ceased in Israel. 8Then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? They chose new gods. 9who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless Yahweh! My heart is toward the governors of Israel, 10you who sit on rich carpets, and you who walk by the way. “Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, 11there they will rehearse Yahweh’s righteous acts, the righteous acts of his rule in Israel. Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water, “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.’ 13Yahweh came down for me against the mighty. “Then a remnant of the nobles and the people came down. 14after you, Benjamin, among your peoples. Those who handle the marshal’s staff came out of Zebulun. Those whose root is in Amalek came out of Ephraim, Governors come down out of Machir. 15As was Issachar, so was Barak. They rushed into the valley at his feet. there were great resolves of heart. The princes of Issachar were with Deborah. By the watercourses of Reuben, 16To hear the whistling for the flocks? there were great searchings of heart. Why did you sit among the sheepfolds? At the watercourses of Reuben, 17Why did Dan remain in ships? Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, and lived by his creeks. Gilead lived beyond the Jordan. 18Naphtali also, on the high places of the field. Zebulun was a people that jeopardized their lives to the death; 19then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no plunder of silver. “The kings came and fought, 20From their courses, they fought against Sisera. From the sky the stars fought. 21that ancient river, the river Kishon. My soul, march on with strength. The river Kishon swept them away, 22the prancing of their strong ones. Then the horse hoofs stamped because of the prancing, 23‘Curse bitterly its inhabitants, because they didn’t come to help Yahweh, to help Yahweh against the mighty.’ ‘Curse Meroz,’ said Yahweh’s angel. 24the wife of Heber the Kenite; blessed shall she be above women in the tent. “Jael shall be blessed above women, 25She gave him milk. She brought him butter in a lordly dish. He asked for water. 26and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer. She struck through his head. Yes, she pierced and struck through his temples. She put her hand to the tent peg, With the hammer she struck Sisera. 27At her feet he bowed, he fell. Where he bowed, there he fell down dead. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay. 28Sisera’s mother looked through the lattice. Why do the wheels of his chariots wait?’ “Through the window she looked out, and cried: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? 29Yes, she returned answer to herself, Her wise ladies answered her, 30A lady, two ladies to every man; a plunder of dyed garments embroidered, of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the plunder?’ ‘Have they not found, have they not divided the plunder? to Sisera a plunder of dyed garments, 31but let those who love him be as the sun when it rises in its strength.” “So let all your enemies perish, Yahweh, Then the land had rest forty years.