Judges 5

1Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

2Because avengings were bared in Israel, because the folk offered themselves freely, bless Yahweh abundantly!

3Hear, kings! Give ear, princes! I myself will sing to Yahweh; I will sing praises to Yahweh, God of Israel.

4Yahweh, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from Edom's countryside, the earth quaked, the heavens too dripped, even the clouds dripped water.

5The mountains flowed before Yahweh, even Sinai before Yahweh, God of Israel.

6In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways ceased, and path travelers walked crooked paths.

7Villages ceased in Israel; they ceased until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose a mother in Israel.

8They chose new gods, then war came to the gates—was a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

9My heart is with Israel's rulers, the volunteers among the people. Bless Yahweh!

10Proclaim, you who ride white donkeys, you who sit on saddlecloths, and you who walk along the road.

11From the noise of archers amid the watering places, there they recount Yahweh's righteous acts, righteous acts of his villages in Israel; then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates.

12Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, voice a song! Arise, Barak, son of Abinoam, and lead away your captives.

13Then the remnant ruled over the nobles among the people; Yahweh ruled for me among the champions.

14From Ephraim their root against Amalek, after you, Benjamin, among your peoples; from Machir rulers came down, and from Zebulun those drawing the scribe's staff.

15My captains in Issachar were with Deborah; so was Issachar with Barak, who was sent on foot into the valley at his feet. Great searchings of heart in the divisions of Reuben.

16Why did you stay among the sheepfolds, listening to the bleating flocks? Great heart-searchings marked Reuben's divisions.

17Gilead dwelt beyond the Jordan; why does Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the seashore and dwells by his harbors.

18Zebulun, a people exposing their lives to death, and Naphtali on the heights of the field.

19Kings came and fought, then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no gain of silver.

20From the heavens the stars fought; from their highways they fought against Sisera.

21The river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. March with strength, my soul!

22Then the horses' hooves pounded from the prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones.

23Curse Meroz, said Yahweh’s angel; curse its inhabitants bitterly, because they did not come to Yahweh’s aid, to Yahweh’s aid against the mighty.

24Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite, is most blessed among women, most blessed among women in the tent.

25He asked for water; she gave him milk and brought him butter in a noble bowl.

26She stretched her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the laborers' hammer, struck Sisera, crushed his head, pierced and shattered his temple.

27Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; between her feet he bowed, he fell; where he bowed, there he fell destroyed.

28Through the window she looked out and cried, Sisera's mother through the lattice: Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots linger?

29Her wise noblewomen answered her; even she returned her words to herself.

30Have they not found and divided the plunder—a maiden, two maidens per mighty man; for Sisera plunder of colored cloth, plunder of colored embroidery, colored embroidery doubled, plunder for the necks.

31So may all your enemies perish, Yahweh, but those who love him be like the sun coming forth in its might. And the land rested forty years.