Judges

5:1		At that time Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, made this song, saying:
5:2		Because of the flowing hair of the fighters in Israel, because the people gave themselves freely, give praise to the Lord.
5:3		Give attention, O kings; give ear, O rulers; I, even I, will make a song to the Lord; I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.
5:4		Lord, when you went out from Seir, moving like an army from the field of Edom, the earth was shaking and the heavens were troubled, and the clouds were dropping water.
5:5		The mountains were shaking before the Lord, before the Lord, the God of Israel.
5:6		In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were not used, and travellers went by side roads.
5:7		Country towns were no more in Israel, *** were no more, till you, Deborah, came up, till you came up as a mother in Israel.
5:8		They had no one to make arms, there were no more armed men in the towns; was there a body-cover or a spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?
5:9		Come, you rulers of Israel, you who gave yourselves freely among the people: give praise to the Lord.
5:10		Let them give thought to it, who go on white asses, and those who are walking on the road.
5:11		Give ear to the women laughing by the water-springs; there they will give again the story of the upright acts of the Lord, all the upright acts of his arm in Israel.
5:12		Awake! awake! Deborah: awake! awake! give a song: Up! Barak, and take prisoner those who took you prisoner, O son of Abinoam.
5:13		Then the chiefs went down to the doors; the Lord's people went down among the strong ones.
5:14		Out of Ephraim they came down into the valley; after you, Benjamin, among your tribesmen; from Machir came down the captains, and from Zebulun those in whose hand is the ruler's rod.
5:15		Your chiefs, Issachar, were with Deborah; and Naphtali was true to Barak; into the valley they went rushing out at his feet. In Reuben there were divisions, and great searchings of heart.
5:16		Why did you keep quiet among the sheep, hearing nothing but the watchers piping to the flocks?
5:17		Gilead was living over Jordan; and Dan was waiting in his ships; Asher kept in his place by the sea's edge, living by his inlets.
5:18		It was the people of Zebulun who put their lives in danger, even to death, with Naphtali on the high places of the field.
5:19		The kings came on to the fight, the kings of Canaan were warring; in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo: they took no profit in money.
5:20		The stars from heaven were fighting; from their highways they were fighting against Sisera.
5:21		The river Kishon took them violently away, stopping their flight, the river Kishon. Give praise, O my soul, to the strength of the Lord!
5:22		Then loudly the feet of the horses were sounding with the stamping, the stamping of their war-horses.
5:23		A curse, a curse on Meroz! said the angel of the Lord. A bitter curse on her townspeople! Because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord among the strong ones.
5:24		Blessings be on Jael, more than on all women! Blessings greater than on any in the tents!
5:25		His request was for water, she gave him milk; she put butter before him on a fair plate.
5:26		She put out her hand to the tent-pin, and her right hand to the workman's hammer; and she gave Sisera a blow, crushing his head, wounding and driving through his brow.
5:27		Bent at her feet he went down, he was stretched out; bent at her feet he went down; where he was bent down, there he went down in death.
5:28		Looking out from the window she gave a cry, the mother of Sisera was crying out through the window, Why is his carriage so long in coming? When will the noise of his wheels be sounding?
5:29		Her wise women gave answer to her, yes, she made answer again to herself,
5:30		Are they not getting, are they not parting the goods among them: a young girl or two to every man; and to Sisera robes of coloured needlework, worked in fair colours on this side and on that, for the neck of the queen?
5:31		So may destruction come on all your haters, O Lord; but let your lovers be like the sun going out in his strength. And for forty years the land had peace.