Judges 5

At the time when the Israelites defeated Jabin’s army, Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang a song to celebrate. This is the song that they sang: 2 “We should all praise God for the Israelite men who promised to fight and who fought willingly. \* 3 Even the most important people in the world should pay attention to this! I am going to sing to God. With this song, I will praise God, the God of Israel. 4 God, when you came from Seir, when you marched from that land that people also call Edom, thunder shook the earth and clouds poured down rain from the skies. \* 5 The mountains shook when you came, just as Mount Sinai shook when you appeared there, because you are God, the God whom we Israelites worship. 6 After our leader Shamgar son of Anath died and before Jael helped us defeat the army of Jabin, we Israelites were afraid to walk on the main roads, {because Jabin’s soldiers would rob us}. Instead, when our people had to travel, they used little roads that wound through the countryside. \* 7 Israelites who lived in small villages left them and moved into walled cities {for safety}. But then I, Deborah, became a leader of the Israelite people, and I protected them just as a mother protects her children. 8 When the Israelite people {abandoned God} and began to worship different gods, enemies attacked their cities. The Israelites {could barely defend themselves because they} had hardly any weapons. \* 9 So I am very thankful for the Israelite leaders and soldiers who willingly fought against Sisera. We should all praise God for them! 10 You wealthy people who ride on white donkeys, sitting on nice, padded saddles, and you poorer people who just walk on the road, think about all this! \* 11 Listen to the songs that people sing at the places along the road where travelers stop to get water. Those songs tell about how God acted righteously when he enabled the Israelite warriors to defeat their enemies. After that, God’s people were able to return safely to their cities. \* 12 Sing energetically, Deborah! Sing from your own vivid recollections! Now is the time, Barak son of Abinoam, to show the prisoners that your army captured. 13 The Israelite people who had scattered for safety came down from the highlands to where their leaders were gathering an army. These were men who were loyal to God, and they came to help me, Barak, fight against the enemy soldiers. \* 14 Some soldiers came from the tribe of Ephraim. They came from land that had once belonged to the descendants of Amalek. Soldiers also came from the tribe of Benjamin. They reached the Israelite camp before the ones from Ephraim. Military leaders from the clan of Machir in the tribe of Manasseh led their troops to fight. So did officers from the tribe of Zebulun. They carried staffs to indicate their rank. \* 15 Leaders from the tribe of Issachar brought their soldiers when Deborah told Barak to gather an army. They fully supported Barak. He led these soldiers down into the valley {to fight Sisera}. But the men of the tribe of Reuben could not decide what they should do. \* 16 They should not have stayed away from the battle, taking care of their sheep and listening to shepherds playing their flutes. But the men of the tribe of Reuben could not decide what they should do. \* 17 So the men of all the tribes living in the Gilead area stayed at home, east of the Jordan River. And the men of the tribe of Dan just kept fishing in the sea {when they should have been helping to fight against Sisera}. Similarly, the men of the tribe of Asher did not leave their harbors on the seacoast {to come and help fight}. 18 But the soldiers from the tribe of Zebulun risked their lives on the battlefield. The soldiers from the tribe of Naphtali also risked their lives in order to occupy the high ground on the battlefield. \* 19 Sisera brought an army of soldiers from many Canaanite kingdoms {that were subject to Jabin} to fight against us. They fought a battle against us near the city of Taanach. That city is near the river that flows through the Valley of Megiddo. But {they did not defeat us, and so} they did not carry any valuable things away from the battle. 20 It was as if the stars in the sky fought for us, and as if those stars fought against Sisera, as they moved across the sky. \* 21 The Kishon River, that river that has been there for a long time, was drowning Sisera’s soldiers. So I told myself to be brave and to keep fighting. 22 Then the horses of Sisera’s army {ran away from the battle. As they ran, they} pounded the ground with their hooves. Those powerful horses kept galloping along. \* 23 {After the battle,} an angel representing God said, ‘The people who live in the town of Meroz did not help God by stopping Sisera’s army from retreating. And so you must call for God to punish them by making bad things happen to them.’ \* 24 But God is very pleased with the woman whose name is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. He is more pleased with her than with all the other women who live in tents. 25 Although Sisera only asked for some water, Jael gave him some milk. She brought him some yogurt in the kind of bowl that rulers have. \* 26 Then{, when Sisera was asleep,} Jael picked up a tent peg with her left hand and a heavy hammer with her right hand. She pounded the tent peg into Sisera’s head so hard that it went right through his temple. This smashed his head. 27 As Jael stood over him, Sisera died {from the crushing blow to his head}. He did not even move from where he was when she hit him. He died right there. \* 28 Sisera’s mother looked out through her window {to see whether he was returning from the battle}. She asked, ‘Why is he taking so long to come home in his chariot? Why have I not yet heard his chariot horses pounding the ground with their feet?’ \* 29 Some tactful ladies in her household reassured her, and she told herself the same thing they told her: 30 ‘Sisera and his soldiers are probably {late returning because they are} dividing up the things and the people they captured after the battle. Each soldier will get one or two women as slaves. Each of Sisera’s soldiers will also get one or two expensive robes that have bright colors and gold thread for decoration. They will probably wear them home from the battle to show that they won.’ \* 31 {But that is not what happened!} God, I hope that all your enemies will die as Sisera did! And I wish that all those who love you, God, will be as strong as the sun when it rises!” After that, the land of Israel was a peaceful place for the next 40 years. \*