Judges 5

New American Standard Bible 2020

The Song of Deborah and Barak

1 1Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,2“2For 3the leaders leading in Israel, For 4the people volunteering, Bless the Lord!3Hear, you kings; listen, you dignitaries! 5I myself--to the Lord, I myself will sing, I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel!4 6Lord, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, 7The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped, The clouds also dripped water.5 8The mountains 9flowed with water at the presence of the Lord, 10This Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.

6“In the days of 11Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of 12Jael, the roads 13were deserted, And travelers went by 14roundabout ways.7The 15peasantry came to an end, they came to an end in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel.8 16New 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 17the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless the Lord!10 18You who ride on 19white 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 20the watering places, There they will recount 21the righteous deeds of the Lord, The righteous deeds for His 22peasantry in Israel. Then the people of the Lord went down 23to the gates.

12“24Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, 25sing a song! Arise, Barak, and 26lead 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 27in Amalek came down, Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples; From Machir commanders came down, And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of 28office.15And the 29princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed 30at his 31heels; Among the divisions of Reuben There were great determinations of heart.16Why did you sit among 32the 33sheepfolds, To hear the piping for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.17 34Gilead 35remained across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay on ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And 36remained by its landings.18 37Zebulun was a people who risked their lives, And Naphtali too, on the high places of the field.

19“38The kings came and fought; Then the kings of Canaan fought 39At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; 40They took no plunder in silver.20 41The stars fought from heaven, From their paths they fought against Sisera.21The torrent of Kishon swept them away, The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. 42My soul, march on with strength!22 43Then 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, 44Because they did not come to the help of the Lord, To the help of the Lord against the warriors.’

24“45Most 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 46dead.

28“Out of the window she looked and wailed, The mother of Sisera through the 47lattice, ‘Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the 48hoofbeats of his chariots delay?’29Her wise princesses would answer her, Indeed she repeats her words to herself,30‘49Are 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 50neck of the plunderer?’31 51May all Your enemies perish in this way, Lord; 52But may those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.” And the land was at rest for forty years.

Notes

1. Judges 5:1 Ex 15:1 ↩
2. Judges 5:2 Judg 5:9 ↩
3. Judges 5:2 Or the hair hanging free in ↩
4. Judges 5:2 Ps 110:3 ↩
5. Judges 5:3 Ps 27:6 ↩
6. Judges 5:4 Deut 33:2; Ps 68:7 ↩
7. Judges 5:4 Ps 68:8, 9 ↩
8. Judges 5:5 Ex 19:18 ↩
9. Judges 5:5 As in MT; LXX quaked ↩
10. Judges 5:5 Ps 68:8 ↩
11. Judges 5:6 Judg 3:31 ↩
12. Judges 5:6 Judg 4:17 ↩
13. Judges 5:6 Lit had ceased ↩
14. Judges 5:6 Lit twisting ↩
15. Judges 5:7 Or rural dwellers ↩
16. Judges 5:8 Deut 32:17 ↩
17. Judges 5:9 Judg 5:2 ↩
18. Judges 5:10 Judg 10:4; 12:14 ↩
19. Judges 5:10 Or tawny ↩
20. Judges 5:11 Gen 24:11; 29:2, 3 ↩
21. Judges 5:11 1 Sam 12:7; Mic 6:5 ↩
22. Judges 5:11 Or rural dwellers ↩
23. Judges 5:11 Judg 5:8 ↩
24. Judges 5:12 Ps 57:8 ↩
25. Judges 5:12 Lit speak ↩
26. Judges 5:12 Ps 68:18; Eph 4:8 ↩
27. Judges 5:14 Judg 12:15 ↩
28. Judges 5:14 Lit a scribe ↩
29. Judges 5:15 As in ancient versions; MT My princes ↩
30. Judges 5:15 Judg 4:10 ↩
31. Judges 5:15 Lit feet ↩
32. Judges 5:16 Num 32:1, 2, 24, 36 ↩
33. Judges 5:16 Or saddlebags ↩
34. Judges 5:17 Josh 22:9 ↩
35. Judges 5:17 Or dwelt ↩
36. Judges 5:17 Or dwelt ↩
37. Judges 5:18 Judg 4:6, 10 ↩
38. Judges 5:19 Josh 11:1-5; Judg 4:13 ↩
39. Judges 5:19 Judg 1:27 ↩
40. Judges 5:19 Judg 5:30 ↩
41. Judges 5:20 Josh 10:12-14 ↩
42. Judges 5:21 Ex 15:2; Ps 44:5 ↩
43. Judges 5:22 Job 39:19-25 ↩
44. Judges 5:23 Judg 5:13 ↩
45. Judges 5:24 Judg 4:19-21 ↩
46. Judges 5:27 Lit destroyed ↩
47. Judges 5:28 Or window ↩
48. Judges 5:28 Lit steps ↩
49. Judges 5:30 Ex 15:9 ↩
50. Judges 5:30 Lit necks of the spoil ↩
51. Judges 5:31 Ps 68:2; 92:9 ↩
52. Judges 5:31 Ps 19:4-6; 89:36, 37 ↩

The Song of Deborah and Barak

Notes

Commentaries on Judges 5