Judges

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

² When the people volunteered, Bless Yahweh!

³ As for me, to Yahweh, I will sing; I will sing praise to Yahweh, the God of Israel.

⁴ When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, Even the clouds dripped water.

⁵ This Sinai, at the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

⁶ In the days of Jael, the paths had ceased, So travelers went by roundabout paths.

⁷ Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel.

⁸ Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel.

⁹ The volunteers among the people; Bless Yahweh!

¹⁰ You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road—muse aloud!

¹¹ There they shall commemorate the righteous deeds of Yahweh, The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel. Then the people of Yahweh went down to the gates.

¹² Awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, and take away your captives, O son of Abinoam.

¹³ The people of Yahweh came down to me as warriors.

¹⁴ Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples; From Machir commanders came down, And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of a scribe.

¹⁵ As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed at his heels; Among the divisions of Reuben There was great persistence of the heart.

¹⁶ To hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great probings of the heart.

¹⁷ And why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And dwelt by its landings.

¹⁸ And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

¹⁹ Then fought the kings of Canaan At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; They took no gain of silver.

²⁰ From their courses they fought against Sisera.

²¹ The ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength.

²² From the dashing, the dashing of his valiant steeds.

²³ ‘Utterly curse its inhabitants, Because they did not come to the help of Yahweh, To the help of Yahweh against the warriors.’

²⁴ The wife of Heber the Kenite; Most blessed is she of women in the tent.

²⁵ In a mighty bowl she brought him curds.

²⁶ And her right hand for the workmen’s hammer. Then she beat Sisera; she smashed his head, And she crushed and pierced his temple.

²⁷ Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell violently devastated.

²⁸ The mother of Sisera through the lattice, ‘Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots tarry?’

²⁹ Indeed she repeats her words to herself,

³⁰ A maiden, two maidens for every mighty man; To Sisera a spoil of dyed work, A spoil of dyed work embroidered, Dyed work of double embroidery on the neck of the spoil?’

³¹ But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.” And the land was quiet for forty years.