5:1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this victory song: ¹ 

5:2 “When the leaders took the lead ²  in Israel,

When the people answered the call to war –

Praise the Lord!

5:3 Hear, O kings!

Pay attention, O rulers!

I will sing to the Lord! ³ 

I will sing ⁴  to the Lord God of Israel!

5:4 O Lord, when you departed ⁵  from Seir,

when you marched from Edom’s plains,

the earth shook, the heavens poured down,

the clouds poured down rain. ⁶ 

5:5 The mountains trembled ⁷  before the Lord, the God of Sinai; ⁸ 

before the Lord God of Israel.

5:6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,

in the days of Jael caravans ⁹  disappeared; ¹⁰ 

travelers ¹¹  had to go on winding side roads.

5:7 Warriors ¹²  were scarce, ¹³ 

they were scarce in Israel,

until you ¹⁴  arose, Deborah,

until you arose as a motherly protector ¹⁵  in Israel.

5:8 God chose new leaders, ¹⁶ 

then fighters appeared in the city gates; ¹⁷ 

but, I swear, not a shield or spear could be found, ¹⁸ 

among forty military units ¹⁹  in Israel.

5:9 My heart went out ²⁰  to Israel’s leaders,

to the people who answered the call to war.

Praise the Lord!

5:10 You who ride on light-colored female donkeys,

who sit on saddle blankets, ²¹ 

you who walk on the road, pay attention!

5:11 Hear ²²  the sound of those who divide the sheep ²³  among the watering places;

there they tell of ²⁴  the Lord’s victorious deeds,

the victorious deeds of his warriors ²⁵  in Israel.

Then the Lord’s people went down to the city gates –

5:12 Wake up, wake up, Deborah!

Wake up, wake up, sing a song!

Get up, Barak!

Capture your prisoners of war, ²⁶  son of Abinoam!

5:13 Then the survivors ²⁷  came down ²⁸  to the mighty ones; ²⁹ 

the Lord’s people came down to me ³⁰  as ³¹  warriors.

5:14 They came from Ephraim, who uprooted Amalek, ³² 

they follow ³³  after you, Benjamin, with your soldiers.

From Makir leaders came down,

from Zebulun came ³⁴  the ones who march carrying ³⁵  an officer’s staff.

5:15 Issachar’s leaders were with Deborah,

the men of Issachar ³⁶  supported ³⁷  Barak;

into the valley they were sent under Barak’s command. ³⁸ 

Among the clans of Reuben there was intense ³⁹  heart searching. ⁴⁰ 

5:16 Why do you remain among the sheepfolds, ⁴¹ 

listening to the shepherds playing their pipes ⁴²  for their flocks? ⁴³ 

As for the clans of Reuben – there was intense searching of heart.

5:17 Gilead stayed put ⁴⁴  beyond the Jordan River.

As for Dan – why did he seek temporary employment in the shipyards? ⁴⁵ 

Asher remained ⁴⁶  on the seacoast,

he stayed ⁴⁷  by his harbors. ⁴⁸ 

5:18 The men of Zebulun were not concerned about their lives; ⁴⁹ 

Naphtali charged on to the battlefields. ⁵⁰ 

5:19 Kings came, they fought;

the kings of Canaan fought,

at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo, ⁵¹ 

but ⁵²  they took no silver as plunder.

5:20 From the sky ⁵³  the stars ⁵⁴  fought,

from their paths in the heavens ⁵⁵  they fought against Sisera.

5:21 The Kishon River carried them off;

the river confronted them ⁵⁶  – the Kishon River.

Step on the necks of the strong! ⁵⁷ 

5:22 The horses’ ⁵⁸  hooves pounded the ground; ⁵⁹ 

the stallions galloped madly. ⁶⁰ 

5:23 ‘Call judgment down on ⁶¹  Meroz,’ says the Lord’s angelic ⁶²  messenger;

‘Be sure ⁶³  to call judgment down on ⁶⁴  those who live there,

because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle, ⁶⁵ 

to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’ ⁶⁶ 

5:24 The most rewarded ⁶⁷  of women should be Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite!

She should be the most rewarded of women who live in tents.

5:25 He asked for water,

and she gave him milk;

in a bowl fit for a king, ⁶⁸ 

she served him curds.

5:26 Her left ⁶⁹  hand reached for the tent peg,

her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.

She “hammered” ⁷⁰  Sisera,

she shattered his skull, ⁷¹ 

she smashed his head, ⁷² 

she drove the tent peg through his temple. ⁷³ 

5:27 Between her feet he collapsed,

he fell limp ⁷⁴  and was lifeless; ⁷⁵ 

between her feet he collapsed and fell limp,

in the spot where he collapsed,

there he fell limp – violently murdered! ⁷⁶ 

5:28 Through the window she looked;

Sisera’s mother cried out through the lattice:

‘Why is his chariot so slow to return?

Why are the hoofbeats of his chariot-horses ⁷⁷  delayed?’

5:29 The wisest of her ladies ⁷⁸  answer;

indeed she even thinks to herself,

5:30 ‘No doubt they are gathering and dividing the plunder ⁷⁹  –

a girl or two for each man to rape! ⁸⁰ 

Sisera is grabbing up colorful cloth, ⁸¹ 

he is grabbing up colorful embroidered cloth, ⁸² 

two pieces of colorful embroidered cloth,

for the neck of the plunderer!’ ⁸³ 

5:31 May all your enemies perish like this, O Lord!

But may those who love you shine

like the rising sun at its brightest!” ⁸⁴ 

And the land had rest for forty years.