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 “ When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, 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 princes! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord 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 trembled and the heavens poured, The clouds also poured 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 T he mountains gushed before the Lord, This Sinai, before the Lord 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, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways.

¶ 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 V illage life ceased, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, 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 T hey chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or 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 M y heart is with the rulers of Israel Who offered themselves willingly with 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 “ Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, Who sit in judges’ attire, And who walk along the road.

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

11 F ar from the noise of the archers, among the watering places, There they shall recount the righteous acts of the Lord, The righteous acts for His villagers in Israel; Then the people of the Lord shall go 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 lead your captives away, 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 the survivors came down, the people against the nobles; The Lord came down for me against the mighty.

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 F rom Ephraim were those whose roots were in Amalek. After you, Benjamin, with your peoples, From Machir rulers came down, And from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter’s staff.

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 A nd the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As Issachar, so was Barak Sent into the valley under his command; 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 W hy did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the pipings for the flocks? The divisions of Reuben have 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 G ilead stayed beyond the Jordan, And why did Dan remain on ships? Asher continued at the seashore, And stayed by his inlets.

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 Z ebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.

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 the kings of Canaan fought In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They took no spoils of 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 T hey fought from the heavens; The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.

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

21 T he torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. O my soul, march on in strength!

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

22 T hen the horses’ hooves pounded, The galloping, galloping of his 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, ‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly, Because they did not come to the help of the Lord, To the help of the Lord against the mighty.’

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 among women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in tents.

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

25 H e asked for water, she gave milk; She brought out cream in a lordly bowl.

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

26 S he stretched her hand to the tent peg, Her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head, She split and struck through 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 A t her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; At her feet he sank, he fell; Where he sank, 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 “ The mother of Sisera looked through the window, And cried out through the lattice, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?’

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 H er wisest ladies answered her, Yes, she answered herself,

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

30 ‘ Are they not finding and dividing the spoil: To every man a girl or two; For Sisera, plunder of dyed garments, Plunder of garments embroidered and dyed, Two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?’

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 sun When it comes out in full strength.” So the land had rest 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.