Judges 5
The Song of Deborah
and Barak |
1 |
Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of
Abin'o-am on that day, saying,
|
2 |
Praise ye the LORD
for the avenging of Israel,
|
when the people willingly offered
themselves. | | |
3 |
Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye
princes;
|
I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; |
I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.
| | |
4 |
LORD, when thou
wentest out of Se'ir,
|
when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, |
the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, |
the clouds also dropped
water. | | |
5 |
The mountains melted from before the
LORD,
|
even that Si'nai from before the LORD God of Israel. Ex.
19.18
| | |
6 |
In the days of Shamgar the son of
Anath,
|
in the days of Ja'el, |
the highways were unoccupied, |
and the travelers walked through
byways. | | |
7 |
The inhabitants of the villages
ceased,
|
they ceased in Israel, |
until that I Deborah arose, |
that I arose a mother in
Israel. | | |
8 |
They chose new gods;
|
then was war in the gates: |
was there a shield or spear seen |
among forty thousand in
Israel? | | |
9 |
My heart is toward the governors
of Israel,
|
that offered themselves willingly among the
people. |
Bless ye the LORD.
| | |
10 |
Speak, ye that ride on white asses,
|
ye that sit in judgment, |
and walk by the
way. | | |
11 |
They that are delivered from the
noise of archers in the places of drawing water,
|
there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the
LORD, |
even the righteous acts toward the
inhabitants of his villages in Israel: |
then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.
| | |
12 |
Awake, awake, Deborah:
|
awake, awake, utter a song: |
arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, |
thou son of
Abin'o-am. | | |
13 |
Then he made him that remaineth have
dominion over the nobles among the people:
|
the LORD made me have dominion
over the
mighty. | | |
14 |
Out of E'phra-im was there a root
of them against Am'alek;
|
after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; |
out of Machir came down governors, |
and out of Zeb'ulun they that handle the pen of the
writer. | | |
15 |
And the princes of Is'sachar were
with Deborah;
|
even Is'sachar, and also Barak: |
he was sent on foot into the valley. |
For the divisions of Reuben |
there were great thoughts of
heart. | | |
16 |
Why abodest thou among the
sheepfolds,
|
to hear the bleatings of the flocks? |
For the divisions of Reuben |
there were great searchings of
heart. | | |
17 |
Gil'e-ad abode beyond Jordan:
|
and why did Dan remain in ships? |
Asher continued on the seashore, |
and abode in his
breaches. | | |
18 |
Zeb'ulun and Naph'tali were a
people
|
that jeoparded their lives unto the death in
the high places of the field.
| | |
19 |
The kings came and fought;
|
then fought the kings of Canaan |
in Ta'anach by the waters of Megid'do; |
they took no gain of
money. | | |
20 |
They fought from heaven;
|
the stars in their courses fought against
Sis'era. | | |
21 |
The river of Kishon swept them away,
|
that ancient river, the river Kishon. |
O my soul, thou hast trodden down
strength. | | |
22 |
Then were the horsehoofs broken
|
by the means of the prancings, |
the prancings of their mighty ones.
| | |
23 |
Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the
LORD,
|
curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; |
because they came not to the help of the LORD, |
to the help of the LORD against
the mighty.
| | |
24 |
Blessed above women shall Ja'el the wife
of Heber the Kenite be;
|
blessed shall she be above women in the
tent. | | |
25 |
He asked water, and she gave
him milk;
|
she brought forth butter in a lordly
dish. | | |
26 |
She put her hand to the nail,
|
and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; |
and with the hammer she smote Sis'era, she smote off
his head, |
when she had pierced and stricken through his
temples. | | |
27 |
At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay
down:
|
at her feet he bowed, he fell: |
where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
| | |
28 |
The mother of Sis'era looked out at a
window,
|
and cried through the lattice, |
Why is his chariot so long in coming? |
Why tarry the wheels of his
chariots? | | |
29 |
Her wise ladies answered her,
|
yea, she returned answer to
herself, | | |
30 |
Have they not sped? have they not
divided the prey;
|
to every man a damsel or two; |
to Sis'era a prey of divers colors, |
a prey of divers colors of needlework, |
of divers colors of needlework on both sides, |
meet for the necks of them that take
the spoil?
| | |
31 |
So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD:
|
but let them that love him be as the
sun when he goeth forth in his might.
| |
|
|
And the land had rest forty
years. |