Judges

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

² when the people willingly offer themselves— praise the Lord!

³ I will sing to the Lord, I will sing; I will make music to the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁴ when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water.

⁵ before the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁶ in the days of Jael, the roads were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths.

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

⁸ war came to the city gates, and not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

⁹ with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!

¹⁰ sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, consider

¹¹ They recite the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous acts of his warriors in Israel. “Then the people of the Lord went down to the city gates.

¹² Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, O Barak! Take captive your captives, O son of Abinoam.’

¹³ came down to the nobles; the people of the Lord came to me with the mighty.

¹⁴ Benjamin was with the people who followed you. From Makir captains came down, from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s staff.

¹⁵ yes, Issachar was with Barak, rushing after him into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.

¹⁶ to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.

¹⁷ And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves.

¹⁸ so did Naphtali on the heights of the field.

¹⁹ the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they carried off no silver, no plunder.

²⁰ from their courses they fought against Sisera.

²¹ the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong!

²² galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.

²³ ‘Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty.’

²⁴ the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.

²⁵ in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.

²⁶ her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple.

²⁷ he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell—dead.

²⁸ behind the lattice she cried out, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’

²⁹ indeed, she keeps saying to herself,

³⁰ a girl or two for each man, colorful garments as plunder for Sisera, colorful garments embroidered, highly embroidered garments for my neck— all this as plunder?’

³¹ But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” Then the land had peace forty years.