Judges 5

1

And Deborah sang—also Barak son of Abinoam—on that day, saying:–

2

For locks going loose¹ in Israel,
For a people volunteering themselves
Bless ye Yahweh!

3

Hear, ye kings; give ear, ye princes—
I, to Yahweh, I will sing,
I will psalm to Yahweh, God of Israel.

4

Yahweh, in thy going forth out of Seir,
In thy marching out of the field of Edom,
The land trembled, also the heavens poured,
Also thick clouds poured water.

5

Mountains flowed before the face of Yahweh,
This Sinai, before the face of Yahweh, God of Israel.

6

In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
In the days of Yael,
The ways were forborne,
And those going in the paths went in crooked ways.

7

Rulers forbore in Israel, they forbore,
Till I arose—Deborah—
I arose, a mother in Israel.

8

God, he chose anew,
Then war was at the gates!
A shield could not be seen, and spear,
Among forty thousands in Israel.

9

My heart is unto the governors of Israel,
Who volunteered among the people,
Bless ye Yahweh!

10

Riders on white she-asses,
Dwellers in long robes,
And walkers by the way—speak out!

11

Away from the voice of the archers
Among where the water is drawn,
There they shall talk of the righteous acts of Yahweh,
Righteous acts for his rulers in Israel,
Then shall descend, unto the gates, the people of Yahweh.

12

Awake, awake, Deborah;
Awake, awake, speak a song;
Arise, Barak, and take captive thy captivity,
O son of Abinoam.

13

Then descended a remnant of the nobles,
The people of Yahweh descended unto me against the mighty,

14

Out of Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek;
After thee, Benjamin with thy peoples;
Out of Makir descended governors,
And out of Zebulun those who draw the scribe’s rod,

15

And principals in Issakar with Deborah;
And as Issakar, so was Barak;
Into the valley they were sent at his feet.
In the divisions of Reuben,
Great were the searchings of heart!

16

Why hast thou dwelled between the sheepfolds—
To hear the whistling for the flocks?
For the divisions of Reuben,
Great were the searchings of heart!

17

Gilead across the Jordan stayed,
And Dan—why did he sojourn in ships?
Asher dwelled at the coast of the seas,
And by his inlets stayed.

18

Zebulun is a people who scorned its soul unto death,
And Naphtali, on the heights of the ‹battle›field.

19

Kings came—they fought;
Then warred the kings of Cana’an,
In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;
Profit of silver they took not!

20

From the heavens, the stars, they warred:
From their highways they fought with Sisera.

21

The river Kishon swept them away,
River of ancientness, river Kishon.
Treadest on souls² of strength!

22

Then hammered³ the heels of the horses,
From mighty-ones⁴ galloping, galloping.

23

Curse Meroz, said the angel of Yahweh,
Cursing, curse ye those who dwell there,
That they came not to the help of Yahweh,
To the help of Yahweh, in ‹the midst of› the mighty!

24

Blessed among women is Yael,
Woman of Cheber the Kenite;
Among women in the tent she is blessed.

25

Water he asked—milk she gave;
In a noble dish she brought near curds.

26

Her hand to the peg she sent forth,
And her right hand to the travailers’ hammer,
And hammered⁵ Sisera—pierced his head,
And split and pierced his thin ‹bit›.

27

Between her feet he knelt—he fell, he lay;
Between her feet he knelt, he fell;
Where he bowed, there he fell—desolated.

28

Through the window she looked and keened—
The mother of Sisera, through the lattice:
Wherefore delayeth his chariot to come?
Wherefore tarrieth the footsteps of his chariot?

29

Her wisest, her princesses answereth her—
Even she returneth the sayings to herself:

30

Are they not finding, dividing the loot?
A womb—two wombs—for every mighty-one,⁶
Loot of dyework unto Sisera,
Loot of dyework, embroidered and dyed—
Two embroideries for the neck as loot!

31

So be lost all thine enemies, O Yahweh,
And may those who love him
Be as unto the going forth of the sun in its might!
And the land had quiet forty years.