Judges 5

5 ¹ On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song: ² "When the leaders lead in Israel, when the people willingly offer themselves — praise our Father!" ³ Hear, O kings! Listen, O princes! I, even I, will sing to our Father; I will make music to our Father, the God of Israel. ⁴ Our Father, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water. ⁵ The mountains quaked before our Father, the One of Sinai, before our Father, the God of Israel. ⁶ In the days of Shamgar son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were deserted, and travelers kept to the winding paths. ⁷ Village life in Israel ceased, it ceased — until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel. ⁸ They chose new gods; then war came to the gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. ⁹ My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people — praise our Father! ¹⁰ You who ride on white donkeys, you who sit on saddle blankets, and you who walk along the road — tell of it! ¹¹ Louder than the voice of those who divide the flocks at the watering places, there they recount the righteous acts of our Father, the righteous acts of his villagers in Israel. Then the people of our Father went down to the gates. ¹² Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, break into song! Arise, Barak! Lead away your captives, son of Abinoam. ¹³ Then the survivors came down to the nobles; the people of our Father came down to me against the mighty. ¹⁴ From Ephraim came those whose roots were in Amalek, following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen; from Machir the commanders came down, and from Zebulun those who carry the marshal's staff. ¹⁵ The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, Issachar was faithful to Barak, rushing into the valley at his heels. Among the districts of Reuben there was great searching of heart. ¹⁶ Why did you stay among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? Among the districts of Reuben there was great searching of heart. ¹⁷ Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And Dan, why did he linger by the ships? Asher sat still at the seashore, settling by his harbors. ¹⁸ Zebulun was a people who risked their very lives; so was Naphtali, on the heights of the field. ¹⁹ Kings came and fought; then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo, but they carried off no silver, no plunder. ²⁰ From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses they fought against Sisera. ²¹ The river Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the river Kishon. March on, my soul, in strength! ²² Then the horses' hooves thundered — the galloping, galloping of his mighty steeds. ²³ "Curse Meroz," said the messenger of our Father, "bitterly curse its people, because they did not come to help him, to help our Father against the mighty." ²⁴ Most blessed of women be Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, most blessed of women in the tent. ²⁵ He asked for water, and she gave him milk; in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curds. ²⁶ Her 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. ²⁷ At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; 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?" ²⁹ Her wisest ladies answer her — indeed, she keeps repeating to herself — ³⁰ "Are they not finding and dividing the spoil? — a girl or two for every man, plunder of dyed cloth for Sisera, plunder of dyed cloth richly embroidered, two pieces of embroidered cloth for the neck of the plunderer?" ³¹ So may all your enemies perish, our Father! But may those who love you be like the sun rising in its strength. Then the land had peace for forty years.