5
The Song of Deborah and Barak
1 AEx 15:1Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,
That BPs 110:3the people volunteered,
Bless the Loʀᴅ!
3 “Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers!
APs 27:6I—to the Loʀᴅ, I will sing,
I will sing praise to the Loʀᴅ, the God of Israel.
4 “ADeut 33:2; Ps 68:7Loʀᴅ, when You went out from Seir,
When You marched from the field of Edom,
BPs 68:8, 9The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped,
Even the clouds dripped water.
BPs 68:8This Sinai, at the presence of the Loʀᴅ, the God of Israel.
6 “In the days of AJudg 3:31Shamgar the son of Anath,
In the days of BJudg 4:17Jael, the highways 1Lit had ceasedwere deserted,
And travelers 2Lit walkedwent by 3Lit twistedroundabout ways.
7 “The peasantry ceased, they ceased in Israel,
Until I, Deborah, arose,
Until I arose, a mother in Israel.
8 “ADeut 32:17New gods were chosen;
Then war was in the gates.
Not a shield or a spear was seen
Among forty thousand in Israel.
The volunteers among the people;
Bless the Loʀᴅ!
You who sit on rich carpets,
And you who travel on the road—2Or declare itsing!
There they shall recount B1 Sam 12:7; Mic 6:5the righteous deeds of the Loʀᴅ,
The righteous deeds for His 1Or rural dwellerspeasantry in Israel.
Then the people of the Loʀᴅ went down CJudg 5:8to the gates.
12 “APs 57:8Awake, awake, Deborah;
Awake, awake, 1Or uttersing a song!
Arise, Barak, and BPs 68:18; Eph 4:8take away your captives, O son of Abinoam.
13 “Then survivors came down to the nobles;
The people of the Loʀᴅ came down to me as warriors.
Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples;
From Machir commanders came down,
And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of 1Lit the scribeoffice.
As was Issachar, so was Barak;
Into the valley they rushed AJudg 4:10at his 2Lit feetheels;
Among the divisions of Reuben
There were great resolves of heart.
To hear the piping for the flocks?
Among the divisions of Reuben
There were great searchings of heart.
And why did Dan stay in ships?
Asher sat at the seashore,
And 1Or dweltremained by its landings.
And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.
Then fought the kings of Canaan
BJudg 1:27At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo;
CJudg 5:30They took no plunder in silver.
20 “AJosh 10:12-14The stars fought from heaven,
From their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 “The torrent of Kishon swept them away,
The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.
AEx 15:2; Ps 44:5O my soul, march on with strength.
22 “AJob 39:19-25Then the horses’ hoofs beat
From the dashing, the dashing of his 1Lit mighty onesvaliant steeds.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Loʀᴅ,
‘Utterly curse its inhabitants;
AJudg 5:13Because they did not come to the help of the Loʀᴅ,
To the help of the Loʀᴅ against the warriors.’
24 “AJudg 4:19-21Most blessed of women is Jael,
The wife of Heber the Kenite;
Most blessed is she of women in the tent.
25 “He asked for water and she gave him milk;
In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
26 “She reached out her hand for the tent peg,
And her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.
Then she struck Sisera, she smashed his head;
And she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 “Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay;
Between her feet he bowed, he fell;
Where he bowed, there he fell 1Lit devastateddead.
28 “Out of the window she looked and lamented,
The mother of Sisera through the 1Or windowlattice,
‘Why does his chariot delay in coming?
Why do the 2Lit stepshoofbeats of his chariots tarry?’
29 “Her wise princesses would answer her,
Indeed she repeats her words to herself,
30 ‘AEx 15:9Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoil?
A maiden, two maidens for every warrior;
To Sisera a spoil of dyed work,
A spoil of dyed work embroidered,
Dyed work of double embroidery on the 1Lit necks of the spoilneck of the spoiler?’
31 “APs 68:2; 92:9Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Loʀᴅ;
BPs 19:4-6; 89:36, 37But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.”
And the land was undisturbed for forty years.
15:2 Or locks hung loose in
15:5 Lit flowed
15:6 Lit had ceased
25:6 Lit walked
35:6 Lit twisted
15:10 Or tawny
25:10 Or declare it
15:11 Or rural dwellers
15:12 Or utter
15:14 Lit the scribe
15:15 So with ancient versions; Heb My princes
25:15 Lit feet
15:16 Or saddlebags
15:17 Or dwelt
15:17 Or dwelt
15:22 Lit mighty ones
15:27 Lit devastated
15:28 Or window
25:28 Lit steps
15:30 Lit necks of the spoil