Song of Deborah
1 ① On that day, Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, sang this song:
2In Israel the warriors let their hair loose, in Israel they presented voluntary offerings for the war. Blessed be Yahweh!
3Listen, O kings; pay attention, O princes. To Yahweh will I sing. To Yahweh, the God of Israel, will I offer praise.
4When you went forth from Seir, O Yahweh, when you came from the camp of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens reeled and the clouds poured down rain. 5The mountains rocked before Yahweh, before Yahweh — the God of Israel.
6In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Yael, caravans ceased and travelers wandered through the byways. 7There were no leaders in Israel until I, Deborah, awoke and arose as a mother of Israel.
8They went after new gods, and war was upon them. There was hardly a shield or a spear for forty thousand men in Israel!
9My heart is with the leaders of Israel, among the people who came willingly. Blessed be Yahweh!
10Those who go riding on white asses, those who walk by the way, meditate! 11Hear the voice of those who divide the plunder near the watering place: they sing the favors God has done to Israel when the people of Yahweh march down to the gates.
12Wake up, Deborah, wake up! Wake up, wake up and begin to sing. Arise, Barak! And bring your songs, son of Abinoam.
13Let the survivors of the people rule over their oppressors! May Yahweh be with me, stronger than the valiant! 14Your roots, O Ephraim, are in Amalek; your brother Benjamin is behind you among your army. From Machir the commanders marched down; from Zebulun the leaders bearing the brass staff.
15The leaders of Issachar are with Deborah, Issachar is with Barak; the people rushed forth following their footsteps into the plain.
There were long talks among the clans of Reuben. 16Why did you choose to remain in your folds listening to the flute among the flock? The clans of Reuben could not decide.
17Galaad remained on the other side of the Jordan, and Dan, why did you remain in your ships? Asher has remained on the seacoasts; he is quiet in his ports.
18Zebulun, in turn, has scorned death; Naphtali went up to the battlefield, too. 19The kings came to fight; the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach, near the waters of Megiddo, but they got no silver.
20From the heavens the stars fought, from their orbits they fought against Sisera. 21The torrent Kishon dragged them away, the cold torrent, the torrent Kishon. March on without fear, my soul!
22Hoofs of horses shake the ground: the galloping, galloping of his horses. 23Cursed be Meroz, said the angel of Yahweh, cursed be it, cursed be its inhabitants, for it came not to the aid of Yahweh, not like the heroes.
24Blessed among women be Yael, wife of Heber the Kenite, among the women who dwell in tents, blessed may you be! 25He asked for water, she gave him milk; in the cup of honor she served him cream.
26She put her hand to the peg and with her right hand took the hammer of a workman. She struck Sisera, crushed his head, pierced and shattered his temple. 27He collapsed at her feet, and there he fell, and lay still.
28Sisera’s mother looks out of the window, and she cries out behind the lattice: Why is his chariot late in coming? Why is his chariot delayed? 29The wisest of her women answers and says: 30Surely they are dividing the plunder — one captive, two captives for each warrior; colored cloths for Sisera as booty, colored cloths twice adorned with raised embroidery for a scarf.
31So may all your enemies perish, O Yahweh, but may your friends be like the brilliant sun!
And there was peace in the land for forty years.
- Jdg 5,1 The Song of Deborah is one of the more ancient pieces of Hebrew literature. Composed a little after the events, it is a hymn to Yahweh the conqueror. This poem takes note of the individualism of the tribes with only three of them joining together to confront the Canaanites.
