The Song of Deborah
1 Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoamsang on that day, saying:
2 “When leaderslead in Israel,
# When the people willingly offer themselves,
Bless theLord!
3 “Hear,O kings! Give ear, O princes!
# I,evenI, will sing to theLord;
I will sing praise to theLordGod of Israel.
4 “Lord,when You went out from Seir,
# When You marched fromthe field of Edom,
The earth trembled and the heavens poured,
The clouds also poured water;
5 The mountains gushed before theLord,
# This Sinai, before theLordGod of Israel.
6 “In the days ofShamgar, son of Anath,
# In the days ofJael,
# The highways were deserted,
And the travelers walked along the byways.
7 Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel,
Until I, Deborah, arose,
Arose a mother in Israel.
8 They chosenew gods;
Thentherewaswar in the gates;
Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heartiswith the rulers of Israel
Who offered themselves willingly with the people.
Bless theLord!
10 “Speak, you who ride on whitedonkeys,
Who sit in judges’ attire,
And who walk along the road.
11 Far from the noise of the archers, among the watering places,
There they shall recount the righteous acts of theLord,
The righteous actsforHis villagers in Israel;
Then the people of theLordshall go down to the gates.
12 “Awake,awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, sing a song!
Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away,
O son of Abinoam!
13 “Then the survivors came down, the people against the nobles;
TheLordcame down for me against the mighty.
14 From Ephraimwerethose whose roots were inAmalek.
After you, Benjamin, with your peoples,
From Machir rulers came down,
And from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter’s staff.
15 And the princes of Issacharwerewith Deborah;
As Issachar, sowasBarak
Sent into the valley under his command;
Among the divisions of Reuben
Thereweregreat resolves of heart.
16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds,
To hear the pipings for the flocks?
The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan,
And why did Dan remain on ships?
# Asher continued at the seashore,
And stayed by his inlets.
18 Zebulunisa peoplewhojeopardized their lives to the point of death,
Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
19 “The kings cameandfought,
Then the kings of Canaan fought
# InTaanach, by the waters of Megiddo;
They took no spoils of silver.
20 They fought from the heavens;
The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.
21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away,
That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon.
O my soul, march on in strength!
22 Then the horses’ hooves pounded,
The galloping, galloping of his steeds.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of theLord,
‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly,
Because they did not come to the help of theLord,
To the help of theLordagainst the mighty.’
24 “Most blessed among women is Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite;
# Blessed is she among women in tents.
25 He asked for water, she gave milk;
She brought out cream in a lordly bowl.
26 She stretched her hand to the tent peg,
Her right hand to the workmen’s hammer;
She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head,
She split and struck through his temple.
27 At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still;
At her feet he sank, he fell;
# Where he sank, there he felldead.
28 “The mother of Sisera looked through the window,
And cried out through the lattice,
‘Why is his chariotsolong in coming?
Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?’
29 Her wisest ladies answered her,
Yes, she answered herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil:
To every man a girlortwo;
For Sisera, plunder of dyed garments,
Plunder of garments embroidered and dyed,
Two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?’
31 “Thus let all Your enemiesperish, OLord!
# Butletthose who love Himbelike thesun
# When it comes out in fullstrength.”
So the land had rest for forty years.