Judges

¹ That day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:

² they let it blow wild in the wind. The people volunteered with abandon, bless God!

³ To God, yes to God, I'll sing, Make music to God, to the God of Israel.

⁴ marched across the fields of Edom, Earth quaked, yes, the skies poured rain, oh, the clouds made rivers.

⁵ before God, the God of Israel.

⁶ and in the time of Jael, Public roads were abandoned, travelers went by backroads.

⁷ no fight left in them. Then you, Deborah, rose up; you got up, a mother in Israel.

⁸ who then fought at the gates. And not a shield or spear to be seen among the forty companies of Israel.

⁹ with abandon, volunteering yourselves with the people—bless God!

¹⁰ comfortably mounted on blankets And you who walk down the roads, ponder, attend!

¹¹ and listen to them sing, Chanting the tale of God's victories, his victories accomplished in Israel. Then the people of God went down to the city gates.

¹² Wake up, wake up, sing a song! On your feet, Barak! Take your prisoners, son of Abinoam!

¹³ The people of God joined the mighty ones.

¹⁴ behind you, Benjamin, with your troops. Captains marched down from Makir, from Zebulun high-ranking leaders came down.

¹⁵ Issachar stood fast with Barak, backing him up on the field of battle. But in Reuben's divisions there was much second-guessing.

¹⁶ Diverted and distracted, Reuben's divisions couldn't make up their minds.

¹⁷ and Dan, why did he go off sailing? Asher kept his distance on the seacoast, safe and secure in his harbors.

¹⁸ as did Naphtali on the battle heights.

¹⁹ the kings of Canaan fought. At Taanach they fought, at Megiddo's brook, but they took no silver, no plunder.

²⁰ from their courses they fought against Sisera.

²¹ the torrent attacked them, the torrent Kishon. Oh, you'll stomp on the necks of the strong!

²² charging, stampeding stallions.

²³ "Curse, double curse, its people, Because they didn't come when God needed them, didn't rally to God's side with valiant fighters."

²⁴ wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of homemaking women.

²⁵ she brought milk; In a handsome bowl, she offered cream.

²⁶ with her right hand she seized a hammer. She hammered Sisera, she smashed his head, she drove a hole through his head.

²⁷ He slumped at her feet. He fell. Slumped. Fallen. Dead. W

²⁸ a weary, anxious watch. "What's keeping his chariot? What delays his chariot's rumble?"

²⁹ with calm, reassuring words,

³⁰ dividing up the loot? A girl, maybe two girls, for each man, And for Sisera a bright silk shirt, a prize, fancy silk shirt! And a colorful scarf—make it two scarves— to grace the neck of the plunderer."

³¹ while his lovers be like the unclouded sun. The land was quiet for forty years.