Judges 5
5
The Song of Deborah
1On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2“The leaders led Israel.
The people volunteered to go to battle.
Praise the Lord!
3Listen, kings.
Pay attention, rulers!
I myself will sing to the Lord.
I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel.
4“Lord, when you came from Edom,
when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook,
the skies rained,
and the clouds dropped water.
5The mountains shook before the Lord, the God of Mount Sinai,
before the Lord, the God of Israel!
6“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the main roads were empty.
Travelers went on the back roads.
7There were no warriors in Israel
until I, Deborah, arose,
until I arose to be a mother to Israel.
8At that time they chose to follow new gods.
Because of this, enemies fought us at our city gates.
No one could find a shield or a spear
among the forty thousand people of Israel.
9My heart is with the commanders of Israel.
They volunteered freely from among the people.
Praise the Lord!
10“You who ride on white donkeys
and sit on saddle blankets,
and you who walk along the road, listen!
11Listen to the sound of the singers
at the watering holes.
There they tell about the victories of the Lord,
the victories of the Lord’s warriors in Israel.
Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates.
12“Wake up, wake up, Deborah!
Wake up, wake up, sing a song!
Get up, Barak!
Go capture your enemies, son of Abinoam!
13“Then those who were left came down to the important leaders.
The Lord’s people came down to me with strong men.
14They came from Ephraim in the mountains of Amalek.
Benjamin was among the people who followed you.
From the family group of Makir, the commanders came down.
And from Zebulun came those who lead.
15The princes of Issachar were with Deborah.
The people of Issachar were loyal to Barak
and followed him into the valley.
The Reubenites thought hard
about what they would do.
16Why did you stay by the sheepfold?
Was it to hear the music played for your sheep?
The Reubenites thought hard
about what they would do.
17The people of Gilead stayed east of the Jordan River.
People of Dan, why did you stay by the ships?
The people of Asher stayed at the seashore,
at their safe harbors.
18But the people of Zebulun risked their lives,
as did the people of Naphtali on the battlefield.
19“The kings came, and they fought.
At that time the kings of Canaan fought
at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo.
But they took away no silver or possessions of Israel.
20The stars fought from heaven;
from their paths, they fought Sisera.
21The Kishon River swept Sisera’s men away,
that old river, the Kishon River.
March on, my soul, with strength!
22Then the horses’ hoofs beat the ground.
Galloping, galloping go Sisera’s mighty horses.
23‘May the town of Meroz be cursed,’ said the angel of the Lord.
‘Bitterly curse its people,
because they did not come to help the Lord.
They did not fight the strong enemy.’
24“May Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite,
be blessed above all women who live in tents.
25Sisera asked for water,
but Jael gave him milk.
In a bowl fit for a ruler,
she brought him cream.
26Jael reached out and took the tent peg.
Her right hand reached for the workman’s hammer.
She hit Sisera! She smashed his head!
She crushed and pierced the side of his head!
27At Jael’s feet he sank.
He fell, and he lay there.
At her feet he sank. He fell.
Where Sisera sank, there he fell, dead!
28“Sisera’s mother looked out through the window.
She looked through the curtains and cried out,
‘Why is Sisera’s chariot so late in coming?
Why are sounds of his chariots’ horses delayed?’
29The wisest of her servant ladies answer her,
and Sisera’s mother says to herself,
30‘Surely they are robbing the people they defeated!
Surely they are dividing those things among themselves!
Each soldier is given a girl or two.
Maybe Sisera is taking pieces of dyed cloth.
Maybe they are even taking
pieces of dyed, embroidered cloth for the necks of the victors!’
31“Let all your enemies die this way, Lord!
But let all the people who love you
be as strong as the rising sun!”
Then there was peace in the land for forty years.
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Judges 5: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Judges 5
5
1 Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,
2“Because the leaders took the lead in Israel,
because the people offered themselves willingly,
be blessed, LORD!
3“Hear, you kings!
Give ear, you princes!
I, even I, will sing to the LORD.
I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.
4“LORD, when you went out of Seir,
when you marched out of the field of Edom,
the earth trembled, the sky also dropped.
Yes, the clouds dropped water.
5 The mountains quaked at the LORD’s presence,
even Sinai at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.
6“In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied.
The travellers walked through byways.
7 The rulers ceased in Israel.
They ceased until I, Deborah, arose;
Until I arose a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new gods.
Then war was in the gates.
Was there a shield or spear seen amongst forty thousand in Israel?
9 My heart is towards the governors of Israel,
who offered themselves willingly amongst the people.
Bless the LORD!
10“Speak, you who ride on white donkeys,
you who sit on rich carpets,
and you who walk by the way.
11Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water,
there they will rehearse the LORD’s righteous acts,
the righteous acts of his rule in Israel.
“Then the LORD’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.’
13“Then a remnant of the nobles and the people came down.
The LORD came down for me against the mighty.
14 Those whose root is in Amalek came out of Ephraim,
after you, Benjamin, amongst your peoples.
Governors come down out of Machir.
Those who handle the marshal’s staff came out of Zebulun.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah.
As was Issachar, so was Barak.
They rushed into the valley at his feet.
By the watercourses of Reuben,
there were great resolves of heart.
16 Why did you sit amongst the sheepfolds?
To hear the whistling for the flocks?
At the watercourses of Reuben,
there were great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead lived beyond the Jordan.
Why did Dan remain in ships?
Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,
and lived by his creeks.
18 Zebulun was a people that jeopardised their lives to the death;
Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.
19“The kings came and fought,
then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo.
They took no plunder of silver.
20 From the sky the stars fought.
From their courses, they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon swept them away,
that ancient river, the river Kishon.
My soul, march on with strength.
22Then the horse hoofs stamped because of the prancing,
the prancing of their strong ones.
23‘Curse Meroz,’ said the LORD’s angel.
‘Curse bitterly its inhabitants,
because they didn’t come to help the LORD,
to help the LORD against the mighty.’
24“Jael shall be blessed above women,
the wife of Heber the Kenite;
blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
25 He asked for water.
She gave him milk.
She brought him butter in a lordly dish.
26She put her hand to the tent peg,
and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer.
With the hammer she struck Sisera.
She struck through his head.
Yes, she pierced and struck through his temples.
27 At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay.
At her feet he bowed, he fell.
Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
28“Through the window she looked out, and cried:
Sisera’s mother looked through the lattice.
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why do the wheels of his chariots wait?’
29 Her wise ladies answered her,
Yes, she returned answer to herself,
30‘Have they not found, have they not divided the plunder?
A lady, two ladies to every man;
to Sisera a plunder of dyed garments,
a plunder of dyed garments embroidered,
of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the plunder?’
31“So let all your enemies perish, LORD,
but let those who love him be as the sun when it rises in its strength.”
Then the land had rest forty years.
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