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

¶ Then sang Deborah with Barak, the son of Abinoam, on that day, saying,

2 “ That the leaders led in Israel, That the people volunteered, Bless the Lord!

Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.

3 “ Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I—to the Lord, I will sing, I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.

Hear, O ye kings. Give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will praise the LORD God of Israel.

4 “ Lord, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, Even the clouds dripped water.

LORD, when thou didst go out of Seir, when thou didst march out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped; the clouds also dropped water.

5 “ The mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord, This Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.

The mountains melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel.

6 “ In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways were deserted, And travelers went by roundabout ways.

¶ In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways ceased, and those that walked went astray through crooked paths.

7 “ The peasantry ceased, they ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel.

The inhabitants of the villages ceased; they had ceased in Israel until I Deborah arose, I arose a mother in Israel.

8 “ New gods were chosen; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel.

When they chose new gods, the war was at the gates. Was there a shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?

9 “ My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless the Lord!

My heart is toward the princes of Israel, those that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.

10 “ You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road— sing!

Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that preside in judgment, and walk by the way.

11 “ At the sound of those who divide flocks among the watering places, There they shall recount the righteous deeds of the Lord, The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel. Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates.

Because of the noise of archers, taken from among those that draw water, there they shall retell the righteousnesses of the LORD, even the righteousnesses of his villages in Israel. Now shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.

12 “ Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and take away your captives, O son of Abinoam.

¶ Rise up, rise up, Deborah; rise up, rise up, sing a song. Stand up, Barak and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.

13 “ Then survivors came down to the nobles; The people of the Lord came down to me as warriors.

Now he has made the remnant of the people to have dominion over the magnificent; the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty.

14 “ From Ephraim those whose root is in Amalek came down, Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples; From Machir commanders came down, And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of office.

Out of Ephraim came his root against Amalek; after thee, came Benjamin, against thy peoples; out of Machir came down princes; and from Zebulun, those that handle the pen of the writer.

15 “ And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed at his heels; Among the divisions of Reuben There were great resolves of heart.

Also princes of Issachar were with Deborah; and Issachar, like Barak, went on foot into the valley. From the divisions of Reuben, great are the thoughts of the heart.

16 “ Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the piping for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.

Why didst thou abide among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? From the divisions of Reuben great are the searchings of the heart.

17 “ Gilead remained across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And remained by its landings.

Gilead remained on the other side of the Jordan, and why did Dan remain next to the ships? Asher continued on the sea shore and remained in his breaches.

18 “ Zebulun was a people who despised their lives even to death, And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.

19 “ The kings came and fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; They took no plunder in silver.

The kings came and fought; then the kings of Canaan fought in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.

20 “ The stars fought from heaven, From their courses they fought against Sisera.

They fought from the heavens; the stars from their ways fought against Sisera.

21 “ The torrent of Kishon swept them away, The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. O my soul, march on with strength.

The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. Tread down, O my soul, with strength.

22 “ Then the horses’ hoofs beat From the dashing, the dashing of his valiant steeds.

Then were the hoofs of the horses broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.

23 ‘ Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord, ‘Utterly curse its inhabitants; Because they did not come to the help of the Lord, To the help of the Lord against the warriors.’

Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they did not come to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

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

¶ Blessed above women shall Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, be; blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

25 “ He asked for water and she gave him milk; In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.

He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth cream in a lordly dish.

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.

She put her hand to the stake, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer, and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.

27 “ Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell dead.

At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down; at her feet he bowed, he fell; where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

28 “ Out of the window she looked and lamented, The mother of Sisera through the lattice, ‘Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots tarry?’

The mother of Sisera looked out the window and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariots tarry?

29 “ Her wise princesses would answer her, Indeed she repeats her words to herself,

Her wise princesses answered her; and she even answered to herself,

30 ‘ Are 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 neck of the spoiler?’

Have they not found spoil and are dividing it? To each man a damsel or two; to Sisera a spoil of different colours, a spoil of different colours of needlework, of different colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of those that take the spoil?

31 “ Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.” And the land was undisturbed for forty years.

So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD, but let those that love thee be as the sun when he rises in all his might. And the land had rest forty years.