THE BOOK OF
JUDGES
Judges 5 ©
Deborah in this song of praise exhorts to praise and thanksgiving, and goes before the people with her own example, v. 1, etc. Recounts the glorious mercies of God shown to His people in times past, 4. Compares the miseries of former times with the present estate, 6. Excites the governors, the congregation, herself and Barak, to praise the Lord, 9. Commends the chief of the tribes, who went forth willingly to this battle, and upbraids the unwilling ones that tarried at home, 14. Describes this wonderful victory in all its circumstances, 19. Curses those of Meroz, because they came not to help the people of God, 23. Extols the valiant woman Jael, and her act, 24. Derides the vain hope of Sisera’s Court-Ladies, 28. And concludes with a prayer for God’s people against their enemies, 31.
THEN sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
Praise ye the LORD for the 1avenging of 2Israel, when the 3people willingly offered themselves.
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.
LORD, when thou 4wentest out of 5Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth 6trembled,a and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.
Theb7mountains melted from before the LORD, 8even that Sinaic from before the LORD God of Israel.
In the days of 9Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of 10Jael, the highways were 11unoccupied, and the 12travellers walked through byways.
The inhabitants of the 13villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a 14mother in Israel.
15They chose 16new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a 17shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?
My heart is toward the 18governors of Israel, that offered themselves 19willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.
20Speak, ye that ride on white 21asses, ye that sit 22in judgment, and walk by the 23way.
24They that are delivered from the noise of 25archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they 26rehearse the 27righteous acts of the LORD, even the 28righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the LORD 29go down to the gates.
Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead 30thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
Then 31he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the LORD 32made me have dominion over the mighty.
Out of 33Ephraim was there a 34root of them against Amalek; 35after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of 36Machir came down 37governors, and out of Zebulun they that 38handle the pen of the writer.
And the 39princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent 40on foot into the valley. For the 41divisions of Reuben there were great 42thoughts of heart.
Why abodest 43thou among the 44sheepfolds, to hear the 45bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great 46searchings of heart.
47Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in 48ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his 49breaches.
Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeopardedd50their lives 51unto the death 52in the high places of the field.
The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in 53Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of 54money.
They fought 55from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.
The river of Kishon 56swept them away, that 57ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast 58trodden down 59strength.
Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the 60pransings, the pransings of their 61mighty ones.
Curse ye 62Meroz, said the 63angel of the LORD, 64curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help 65of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against 66the mighty.
67Blessed above 68women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women 69in the tent.
He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth 70butter in a 71lordly dish.
She put her 72hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she 73smote off his head, when she had pierced and 74stricken through his temples.
At her feet he 75bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down 76dead.
The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the 77lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his 78chariots?
79Her wise 80ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
81Have they not sped? have they not 82divided the prey; 83to every man a 84damsel 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 85for the necks of them that take the spoil?
So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love 86him be 87as the sun when he 88goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.