Study Desk

And Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, sang on that day, saying:

For the loosing of locks of hair in Israel; for the willing offering of the people, bless Jehovah!

Listen, O kings; give ear, O princes. I, even I, will sing to Jehovah; I will sing praise to Jehovah the God of Israel.

O Jehovah, when You went forth out of Seir, when You marched out of the fields of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped. Yea, the clouds dropped water.

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

In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways ceased, and those going in the paths traveled in byways.

The leaders ceased in Israel; they ceased until I, Deborah, arose; I arose as a mother in Israel.

They chose new gods; then war was at the gates! Neither a shield nor a spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

My heart was toward the lawgivers of Israel, who freely offered themselves among the people; bless Jehovah!

You that ride on white asses, you that sit on rich carpets, and you going on the way, sing out!

Louder than the voice of the dividers between the watering places there, they shall tell of the righteous acts of Jehovah, the righteous acts of His leaders in Israel. Then the people of Jehovah went down to the gates.

Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, utter a song! Rise, Barak, and lead your captives captive, son of Abinoam.

Then He caused me to tread on the remnant of the noble ones of the people; Jehovah trod for me among the warriors.

Out of Ephraim they came, those whose root was against Amalek. After you, Benjamin, among your peoples; and out of Machir came down commanders; and out of Zebulun the ones that hold the staff of the scribe.

And my commanders in Issachar were with Deborah; as was Issachar, so was Barak. They were sent into the valley at his feet. Among the divisions of Reuben resolves of heart were great!

Why did you sit between the sheepfolds to hear the bleatings of flocks? At the divisions of Reuben searchings of heart were great!

Gilead remained beyond the Jordan; and why did Dan stay in ships? Asher sat at the shore by the water, and remained by his havens.

Zebulun, a people who despised his life, even to death; also Naphtali on the high places of the field.

Kings came; they fought; then the kings of Canaan fought in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of silver.

The stars fought from the heavens; from their courses they fought with Sisera.

The Kishon torrent swept them away, the ancient river, the Kishon torrent. You trod, my soul, in strength.

Then did the hooves of horses beat from the galloping, galloping of his mighty stallions.

Curse Meroz, said the Angel of Jehovah; curse the ones living in it bitterly, because they did not come to the help of Jehovah, to the help of Jehovah against the warriors.

Most blessed among women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. She is blessed among women in the tent.

He asked for water; she gave him milk; in a lordly bowl she brought curd.

She put her hand to the tent peg, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and she hammered Sisera; she smashed his head; she struck through and pierced his temple.

Between her feet he bowed; he fell; he lay down. Between her feet he bowed; he fell! Where he bowed, there he fell down ruined.

Through the window she looked out; yea, she cried out, the mother of Sisera, through the lattice; Why does his chariot delay to come? Why have the steps of his chariot tarried?

The wise ones of her princesses answered her; yea, she returned her words to herself:

Do they not find and divide the plunder? A womb, two wombs to each man's head; a plunder of dyed garments to Sisera, a plunder of embroidered dyed garments , two embroidereddyed garments for the necks of theplunderers?

So all Your enemies shall perish, O Jehovah, and those who love Him shall be as the sun when it goes forth in its might. And the land had rest forty years.