The Song of Deborah and Barak

(Deuteronomy 32:1-47)

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

2For that leaders led in Israel, For that the people willingly offered themselves, Bless Jehovah!

3Hear, ye kings; give ear, ye princes, I, [even] I, will sing to Jehovah; I will hymn to Jehovah the God of Israel.

4Jehovah, when thou wentest forth from Seir, When thou marchedst out of the fields of Edom, The earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, Yea, the clouds dropped water.

5The mountains quaked before the face of Jehovah, That Sinai, from before Jehovah the God of Israel.

6In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, The roads were unused, and the travellers on highways went by crooked paths.

7The villages ceased in Israel, Ceased until that I Deborah arose, That I arose a mother in Israel.

8They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

9My heart is toward the governors of Israel, who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless Jehovah!

10Ye that ride on white she-asses, ye that sit on carpets, and ye that walk by the way, consider.

11Because of the voice of those who divide [the spoil] in the midst of the places of drawing water; There they rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah, His righteous acts toward his villages in Israel. Then the people of Jehovah went down to the gates.

12Awake, awake, Deborah! awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, and lead captive thy captives, thou son of Abinoam!

13Then come down, thou, the remnant of nobles, [as his] people; Jehovah! come down with me in the midst of the mighty ones.

14Out of Ephraim [came] those whose root was in Amalek; After thee was Benjamin among thy peoples. Out of Machir came down governors, And out of Zebulun they that handled the staff of the ruler.

15And the princes in Issachar were with Deborah; And Issachar, like Barak; They were sent into the valley at his feet. In the divisions of Reuben there were great resolves of heart!

16Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, To hear the bleating of the flocks? In the divisions of Reuben there were great deliberations of heart!

17Gilead abode beyond Jordan; And Dan, why did he remain in ships? Asher sat on the sea-shore, And abode in his creeks.

18Zebulun is a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto death, Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

19Kings came, -- they fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan; At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They took no spoil of silver.

20From heaven was the fight; The stars from their courses fought with Sisera.

21The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. My soul, thou hast trodden down strength!

22Then did the horse-hoofs clatter with the coursings, The coursings of their steeds.

23Curse Meroz, saith the Angel of Jehovah; Curse, curse the inhabitants thereof; For they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah among the mighty.

24Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, Blessed above women in the tent!

25He asked water, she gave milk; In the nobles' bowl she brought forth cream.

26She put her hand to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen's hammer; And she smote Sisera, she struck through his head, Shattered and pierced through his temples.

27Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell, overcome.

28Them other of Sisera looketh out at the window, And crieth through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarry the trampings of his chariots?

29The wise amongst her ladies answer [her], Yea, she returneth answer to herself,

30Have they not found, divided the booty, A damsel, two damsels, to each? A booty of dyed stuffs for Sisera, A booty of dyed stuffs of embroidery, Dyed stuff of double embroidery for the neck of a spoiler?

31So let all thine enemies perish, Jehovah! But let them that love him be as the rising of the sun in its might. And the land had rest forty years.