The Song of Deborah

Then Deborah and Barak the son of

Abinoam sang on that day, saying:

"When leaders lead in Israel,

When the people willingly offer 

themselves,

Bless the LORD!

"Hear , O Kings! Gives ear, O princes!

I, even I, will sing to the LORD;

I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel.

"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;

The mountains gushed before the LORD,

This Sinai, before the LORD God of Israel.

" In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath,

In the days of Jael,

The highways were deserted,

And the travelers walked along the byways.

Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel,

Until I, Deborah , arose,

Arose a mother in Israel.

They chose new gods;

Then there was war in the gates;

Not a shield or spear was seen 

among forty thousand in Israel.

My heartt is with the rulers of Israel

Who offered themselves willingly 

with the people.

Bless the LORD!

"Speak , you who ride on white donkeys,

Who sit in judges' attire,

And who walk along the road .

Far 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.

" Awake, awake, Deborah!

Awake , awake, sing a song!

Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away,

O son of Abinoam!

"Then the survivors came down, the people against the nobles;

The LORD came down for me

against the mighty.

From Ephraim were those whose

roots were in Amalek.

After you, Benjamin, with your peoples,

From Machir rulers came down,

And from Zabulum those who bear 

the recruiter's staff.

And the princess 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 .

Why did you sit among  the 

sheepfolds.

To hear the pipings for the flocks?

The divisions of Reuben have great 

searching of heart.

Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan,

And why did Dan remain on ships?

Asher continued at the seashore,

And stayed by his inlets.

Zebulun is a people who jeopardized

their lives to the point of death,

Napthali also, on the heights of the 

battlefield.

" The kings came and fought,

Then the kings of Canaan fought

In Taanach, by the waters of 

Megiddo;

They took no spoils of silver.

They fought from the heavens;

The stars from their courses fought

against Sisera.

The torrent of Kishon swept them away,

That ancient torrent, the torrent of 

Kishon.

O my soul , march on in strength!

Then the horses ' hooves pounded,

The galloping , galloping of his steeds.

'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!

"Most blessed among women is Jael,

The wife of Heber the Kenite;

Blessed is she among in tents.

He asked for water , she gave milk;

She brought out cream in a lordly bowl.

She 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.

At her he sank, he fell, he lay still;

At her he sank, there he fell dead.

"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?

Her wiset ladies answered herself,

'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?'

"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.