Our Lord & Savior

The Book of Judges: Part 1

The Song of Deborah

(Judges 5:1-31)

1 On that day, Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, sang, proclaiming:

2 "Praise the Lord for the vindication of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.

3 Listen, O kings; pay attention, O princes; I will sing to the Lord, I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.

4 O Lord, when you set out from Seir, when you marched from the region of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds also poured water.

5 The mountains quaked before the Lord, even Sinai before the Lord, the God of Israel."

6 During the era of Shamgar, son of Anath, and in Jael's time, the main roads were deserted, and travelers took winding paths.

7 Village life in Israel ceased, ceased until I, Deborah, arose, arose a mother in Israel.

8 They chose new gods; then there was war at the gates. Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel.

9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Praise the Lord.

10 You who ride on white donkeys, sitting on your saddles, and you who walk along the road, consider.

11 Those delivered from the archers' noise at the watering places will recount the Lord's righteous acts, the righteous deeds for His village dwellers in Israel. Then the Lord's people will descend to the gates.

12 Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and take your captives, O son of Abinoam.

13 Then the remnant gained dominion over the nobles among the people; the Lord granted me dominion over the mighty.

14 From Ephraim, their root marched against Amalek; following you, Benjamin, with your people; from Machir, commanders went down, and from Zebulun, those who wield the writer's pen.

15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; Issachar, faithful to Barak, rushed into the valley on foot. Amidst Reuben's divisions, great were the searchings of heart.

16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens to hear the bleating of the flocks? Among the divisions of Reuben, there were great searchings of heart.

17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan. And why did Dan stay with the ships? Asher settled at the seashore and stayed by his inlets.

18 Zebulun and Naphtali risked their lives to the death on the heights of the battlefield.

19 Kings came, they fought; the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, but they carried off no silver, no plunder.

20 From the heavens the stars fought; from their courses, they fought against Sisera.

21 The river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. Oh, my soul, you have trampled down strength.

22 Then the horse hooves were broken by the prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones.

23 '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.'

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

25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk; she offered butter in a princely bowl.

26 She placed her hand on the nail and her right hand on the workmen's hammer; with it, she struck Sisera, she crushed his head, after piercing and splitting his temples.

27 At her feet, he sank, he fell, he lay still: at her feet, he sank, he fell; where he sank, there he fell, lifeless.

28 The mother of Sisera peered through the window, and lamented through the lattice, 'Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariots delay?'

29 Her wise ladies responded, indeed, she answered herself,

30 'Have they not hastened? Have they not divided the spoil? A girl or two for each warrior; for Sisera, spoil of varied colors, a spoil of embroidered garments, of varied colors on both sides, suitable for the necks of the plunderers?'

31 May all your enemies perish, O Lord; but may those who love you be like the sun in its full strength. And the land had peace for forty years.