“1 Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day,
saying, 2 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the
people willingly offered themselves. 3 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. 4 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. 5
The mountains melted from before the LORD, [even] that Sinai from
before the LORD God of Israel.”
“6 In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael,
the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through
byways. 7 [The inhabitants of] the villages ceased, they ceased in
Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new gods; then [was] war in the gates: was there a
shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? 9 My heart [is]
toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly
among the people. Bless ye the LORD. 10 Speak, ye that ride on white
asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way. 11 [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.”
“12 Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise,
Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam. 13 Then
he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the
people: the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty. 14 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. 15 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. 16 Why abodest thou
among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the
divisions of Reuben [there were] great searchings of heart. 17
Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher
continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches. 18 Zebulun
and Naphtali [were] a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto the
death in the high places of the field. 19 The kings came [and]
fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of
Megiddo; they took no gain of money. 20 They fought from heaven; the
stars in their courses fought against Sisera. 21 The river of Kishon
swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul,
thou hast trodden down strength. 22 Then were the horsehoofs broken
by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.
23 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.”
“24 Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite
be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. 25 He asked water,
[and] she gave [him] milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly
dish. 26 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.
27 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. 28 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? 29 Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer
to herself, 30 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? 31 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.” (Judges 5:1-31 AV)
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