Study Desk

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

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

"For the leaders leading in Israel, For the people volunteering, Bless the LORD!

Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.

"Hear, you kings; listen, you dignitaries! I myself—to the LORD, I myself will sing, I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel!

Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto 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 quaked, the heavens also dripped, The clouds also dripped water.

Lord , when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.

"The mountains flowed with water at the presence of the LORD, This Sinai, at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.

The mountains melted from before the Lord , even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.

"In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the roads were deserted, And travelers went by roundabout ways.

In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.

"The peasantry came to an end, they came to an end in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Until I arose, a mother in Israel.

The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.

"New gods were chosen; Then war was in the gates. Not a shield or a spear was seen Among forty thousand in Israel.

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

"My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel, The volunteers among the people; Bless the LORD!

My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord .

"You who ride on white donkeys, You who sit on rich carpets, And you who travel on the road—shout in praise!

Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.

"At the sound of those who distribute water among the watering places, There they will recount the righteous deeds of the LORD, The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel. Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates.

They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord , even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates.

"Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, son of Abinoam.

Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.

"Then survivors came down to the nobles; The people of the LORD came down to me as warriors.

Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty.

"From Ephraim those whose root is in Amalek came down, Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples; From Machir commanders came down, And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of office.

Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.

"And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed at his heels; Among the divisions of Reuben There were great determinations of heart.

And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart.

"Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the piping for the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben There were great searchings of heart.

Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.

"Gilead remained across the Jordan; And why did Dan stay on ships? Asher sat at the seashore, And remained by its landings.

Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.

"Zebulun was a people who risked their lives, And Naphtali too, on the high places of the field.

Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.

"The kings came and fought; Then the kings of Canaan fought At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo; They took no plunder in silver.

The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.

"The stars fought from heaven, From their paths they fought against Sisera.

They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

"The torrent of Kishon swept them away, The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon. My soul, march on with strength!

The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.

"Then the horses' hoofs beat From the galloping, the galloping of his mighty stallions.

Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.

'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the LORD, 'Utterly curse its inhabitants, Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the warriors.'

Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord , curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord , to the help of the Lord against the mighty.

"Most blessed of women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Most blessed is she of women in the tent.

Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

"He asked for water, she gave him milk; In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.

He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.

"She 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.

She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.

"Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell dead.

At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

"Out of the window she looked and wailed, The mother of Sisera through the lattice, 'Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots delay?'

The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?

"Her wise princesses would answer her, Indeed she repeats her words to herself,

Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,

'Are 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 neck of the plunderer?'

Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?

"May all Your enemies perish in this way, LORD; But may those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might." And the land was at rest for forty years.

So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord : but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.