Judges 5:1-31
New American Standard Bible
2'For the leaders leading in Israel, For the people volunteering, Bless the Lord!
3Hear, you kings; listen, you dignitaries! I myself—to the Lord, I myself will sing, I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel!
4Lord, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, The clouds also dripped water.
5The mountains flowed with water at the presence of the Lord, This Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.
6'In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the roads were deserted, And travelers went by roundabout ways.
7The peasantry came to an end, they came to an end in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel.
8New gods were chosen; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel.
9My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless the Lord!
10You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road—shout in praise!
11At the sound of those who distribute water among the watering places, There they will 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.
12'Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, son of Abinoam.
13Then survivors came down to the nobles; The people of the Lord came down to me as warriors.
14From 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.
15And 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 determinations of heart.
16Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the piping for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.
17Gilead remained across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay on ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And remained by its landings.
18Zebulun was a people who risked their lives, And Naphtali too, on the high places of the field.
19'The kings came and fought; Then the kings of Canaan fought At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; They took no plunder in silver.
20The stars fought from heaven, From their paths they fought against Sisera.
21The torrent of Kishon swept them away, The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. My soul, march on with strength!
22Then the horses’ hoofs beat From the galloping, the galloping of his mighty stallions.
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.’
24'Most blessed of women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Most blessed is she of women in the tent.
25He asked for water, she gave him milk; In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
26She 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.
27Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell dead.
28'Out of the window she looked and wailed, The mother of Sisera through the lattice, ‘Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots delay?’
29Her wise princesses would answer her, Indeed she repeats her words to herself,
30‘Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoils? A concubine, two concubines for every warrior; To Sisera a spoil of dyed cloth, A spoil of dyed cloth embroidered, Dyed cloth of double embroidery on the neck of the plunderer?’
King James Version
Chapter 5
1Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, 2Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.Christian Standard Bible
2When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people volunteer, blessed be the Lord.
3Listen, kings! Pay attention, princes! I will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
4 Lord, when you came from Seir, when you marched from the fields of Edom, the earth trembled, the skies poured rain, and the clouds poured water.
5The mountains melted before the Lord, even Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the main roads were deserted because travelers kept to the side roads.
7Villages were deserted, they were deserted in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel.
8Israel chose new gods, then there was war in the city gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
9My heart is with the leaders of Israel, with the volunteers of the people. Blessed be the Lord!
10You who ride on white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and who travel on the road, give praise!
11Let them tell the righteous acts of the Lord, the righteous deeds of his warriors in Israel, with the voices of the singers at the watering places. Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates.
12"Awake! Awake, Deborah! Awake! Awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and take your prisoners, son of Abinoam!"
13Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the Lord’s people came down to me with the warriors.
14Those with their roots in Amalek came from Ephraim; Benjamin came with your people after you. The leaders came down from Machir, and those who carry a marshal’s staff came from Zebulun.
15The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; Issachar was with Barak; they were under his leadership in the valley. There was great searching of heart among the clans of Reuben.
16Why did you sit among the sheep pens listening to the playing of pipes for the flocks? There was great searching of heart among the clans of Reuben.
17Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. Dan, why did you linger at the ships? Asher remained at the seashore and stayed in his harbors.
18The people of Zebulun defied death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
19Kings came and fought. Then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the Waters of Megiddo, but they did not plunder the silver.
20The stars fought from the heavens; the stars fought with Sisera from their paths.
21The river Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul, in strength!
22The horses’ hooves then hammered— the galloping, galloping of his stallions.
23"Curse Meroz," says the angel of the Lord, "Bitterly curse her inhabitants, for they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord with the warriors."
24Jael is most blessed of women, the wife of Heber the Kenite; she is most blessed among tent-dwelling women.
25He asked for water; she gave him milk. She brought him cream in a majestic bowl.
26She reached for a tent peg, her right hand, for a workman’s hammer. Then she hammered Sisera— she crushed his head; she shattered and pierced his temple.
27He collapsed, he fell, he lay down between her feet; he collapsed, he fell between her feet; where he collapsed, there he fell—dead.
28Sisera’s mother looked through the window; she peered through the lattice, crying out: "Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why don’t I hear the hoofbeats of his horses?"
29Her wisest princesses answer her; she even answers herself:
New Living Translation
4'Lord, when you set out from Seir and marched across the fields of Edom, the earth trembled, and the cloudy skies poured down rain.
5The mountains quaked in the presence of the Lord, the God of Mount Sinai — in the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.
6'In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, and in the days of Jael, people avoided the main roads, and travelers stayed on winding pathways.
7There were few people left in the villages of Israel — until Deborah arose as a mother for Israel.
8When Israel chose new gods, war erupted at the city gates. Yet not a shield or spear could be seen among forty thousand warriors in Israel!
9My heart is with the commanders of Israel, with those who volunteered for war. Praise the Lord!
10'Consider this, you who ride on fine donkeys, you who sit on fancy saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road.
11Listen to the village musicians gathered at the watering holes. They recount the righteous victories of the Lord and the victories of his villagers in Israel. Then the people of the Lord marched down to the city gates.
13'Down from Tabor marched the few against the nobles. The people of the Lord marched down against mighty warriors.
14They came down from Ephraim — a land that once belonged to the Amalekites; they followed you, Benjamin, with your troops. From Makir the commanders marched down; from Zebulun came those who carry a commander’s staff.
15The princes of Issachar were with Deborah and Barak. They followed Barak, rushing into the valley. But in the tribe of Reuben there was great indecision.
16Why did you sit at home among the sheepfolds — to hear the shepherds whistle for their flocks? Yes, in the tribe of Reuben there was great indecision.
17Gilead remained east of the Jordan. And why did Dan stay home? Asher sat unmoved at the seashore, remaining in his harbors.
18But Zebulun risked his life, as did Naphtali, on the heights of the battlefield.
19'The kings of Canaan came and fought, at Taanach near Megiddo’s springs, but they carried off no silver treasures.
20The stars fought from heaven. The stars in their orbits fought against Sisera.
21The Kishon River swept them away — that ancient torrent, the Kishon. March on with courage, my soul!
22Then the horses’ hooves hammered the ground, the galloping, galloping of Sisera’s mighty steeds.
23‘Let the people of Meroz be cursed,’ said the angel of the Lord. ‘Let them be utterly cursed, because they did not come to help the Lord — to help the Lord against the mighty warriors.’
24'Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. May she be blessed above all women who live in tents.
25Sisera asked for water, and she gave him milk. In a bowl fit for nobles, she brought him yogurt.
26Then with her left hand she reached for a tent peg, and with her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera with the hammer, crushing his head. With a shattering blow, she pierced his temples.
27He sank, he fell, he lay still at her feet. And where he sank, there he died.
29'Her wise women answer, and she repeats these words to herself:
30‘They must be dividing the captured plunder — with a woman or two for every man. There will be colorful robes for Sisera, and colorful, embroidered robes for me. Yes, the plunder will include colorful robes embroidered on both sides.’
English Standard Version
2"That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly, bless the Lord!
3"Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the Lord I will sing; I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.
4"Lord, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the region of Edom, the earth trembled and the heavens dropped, yes, the clouds dropped water.
5The mountains quaked before the Lord, even Sinai before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6"In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned, and travelers kept to the byways.
7The villagers ceased in Israel; they ceased to be until I arose; I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.
8 When new gods were chosen, then war was in the gates. Was shield or spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?
9My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the Lord.
10"Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys, you who sit on rich carpets and you who walk by the way.
11To the sound of musicians at the watering places, there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the Lord, the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel. "Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord.
12 "Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, break out in a song! Arise, Barak, lead away your captives, O son of Abinoam.
13Then down marched the remnant of the noble; the people of the Lord marched down for me against the mighty.
14From Ephraim their root they marched down into the valley, following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen; from Machir marched down the commanders, and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant 's staff;
15the princes of Issachar came with Deborah, and Issachar faithful to Barak; into the valley they rushed at his heels. Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
16Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds, to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan; and Dan, why did he stay with the ships? Asher sat still at the coast of the sea, staying by his landings.
18 Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death; Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field.
19"The kings came, they fought; then fought the kings of Canaan, at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; they got no spoils of silver.
20 From heaven the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The torrent Kishon swept them away, the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. March on, my soul, with might!
22"Then loud beat the horses ' hoofs with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.
23"Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord, curse its inhabitants thoroughly, 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 be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
25 He asked for water and she gave him milk; she brought him curds in a noble 's bowl.
26 She sent her hand to the tent peg and her right hand to the workmen 's mallet; she struck Sisera; she crushed his head; she shattered and pierced his temple.
27Between her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; between her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell — dead.
28 "Out of the window she peered, the mother of Sisera wailed through the lattice: ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’
29Her wisest princesses answer, indeed, she answers herself,
30‘Have they not found and divided the spoil? — A womb or two for every man; spoil of dyed materials for Sisera, spoil of dyed materials embroidered, two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?’
31 "So may all your enemies perish, O Lord! But your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might." And the land had rest for forty years.
New International Version
3"Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.
4"When you, Lord, went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water.
5The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6"In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned; travelers took to winding paths.
7Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.
8God chose new leaders when war came to the city gates, but not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
9My heart is with Israel’s princes, with the willing volunteers among the people. Praise the Lord!
10"You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road, consider
12‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah! Wake up, wake up, break out in song! Arise, Barak! Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’
13"The remnant of the nobles came down; the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
14Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed you. From Makir captains came down, from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s staff.
15The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was with Barak, sent under his command into the valley. In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.
16Why did you stay among the sheep pens to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the districts of Reuben there was much searching of heart.
17Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher remained on the coast and stayed in his coves.
18The people of Zebulun risked their very lives; so did Naphtali on the terraced fields.
19"Kings came, they fought, the kings of Canaan fought. At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo, they took no plunder of silver.
20From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21The river Kishon swept them away, the age-old river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul; be strong!
22Then thundered the horses’ hooves— galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.
23‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord. ‘Curse its people bitterly, because they did not come to help the Lord, to help the Lord against the mighty.’
24"Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
26Her hand reached for the tent peg, her right hand for the workman’s hammer. She struck Sisera, she crushed his head, she shattered and pierced his temple.
27At her feet he sank, he fell; there he lay. At her feet he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell—dead.
28"Through the window peered Sisera’s mother; behind the lattice she cried out, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
29The wisest of her ladies answer her; indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
New King James Version
2“When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the Lord!
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.
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;
5 The mountains gushed before the Lord, This Sinai, 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.
7Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel.
8They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.
9My heart is with the rulers of Israel Who offered themselves willingly with the people. Bless the Lord!
10“Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, Who sit in judges’ attire, And who walk along the road.
11Far 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.
12“Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away, O son of Abinoam!
13“Then the survivors came down, the people against the nobles; The Lord came down for me against the mighty.
14From 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.
15And 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.
16Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the pipings for the flocks? The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan, And why did Dan remain on ships? Asher continued at the seashore, And stayed by his inlets.
18 Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
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.
20They fought from the heavens; The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.
21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. O my soul, march on in strength!
22Then the horses’ hooves pounded, The galloping, galloping of his steeds.
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.’
24“Most blessed among women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in tents.
25He asked for water, she gave milk; She brought out cream in a lordly bowl.
26She 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.
27At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; At her feet he sank, he fell; Where he sank, there he fell 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?’
29Her wisest ladies answered her, Yes, she answered 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?’
