Deborah and Barak sing a victory song celebrating God's help, praising those who volunteered and those who fought, and honouring Jael. The land has rest for forty years.
1 Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day , saying ,
2 Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel , when the people willingly offered themselves.
3 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 .
4 LORD , when thou wentest out of Seir , when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom , the earth trembled , and the heavens dropped , the clouds also dropped water .
5 The mountains melted from before the LORD , even that Sinai from before the LORD God of Israel .
6 In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath , in the days of Jael , the highways were unoccupied , and the travellers walked through byways .
7 The inhabitants of the villages ceased , they ceased in Israel , until that I Deborah arose , that I arose a mother in Israel .
8 They chose new gods ; then was war in the gates : was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel ?
9 My heart is toward the governors of Israel , that offered themselves willingly among the people . Bless ye the LORD .
10 Speak , ye that ride on white asses , ye that sit in judgment , and walk by the way .
11 They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water , there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD , even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel : then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates .
12 Awake , awake , Deborah : awake , awake , utter a song : arise , Barak , and lead thy captivity captive , thou son of Abinoam .
13 Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people : the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty .
14 Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek ; after thee, Benjamin , among thy people ; out of Machir came down governors , and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer .
15 And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah ; even Issachar , and also Barak : he was sent on foot into the valley . For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart .
16 Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds , to hear the bleatings of the flocks ? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart .
17 Gilead abode beyond Jordan : and why did Dan remain in ships ? Asher continued on the sea shore , and abode in his breaches .
18 Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field .
19 The kings came and fought , then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo ; they took no gain of money .
20 They fought from heaven ; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera .
21 The river of Kishon swept them away , that ancient river , the river Kishon . O my soul , thou hast trodden down strength .
22 Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings , the pransings of their mighty ones .
23 Curse ye Meroz , said the angel of the LORD , curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD , to the help of the LORD against the mighty .
24 Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent .
25 He asked water , and she gave him milk ; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish .
26 She put her hand to the nail , and her right hand to the workmen's hammer ; and with the hammer she smote Sisera , she smote off his head , when she had pierced and stricken through his temples .
27 At her feet he bowed , he fell , he lay down : at her feet he bowed , he fell : where he bowed , there he fell down dead .
28 The mother of Sisera looked out at a window , and cried through the lattice , Why is his chariot so long in coming ? why tarry the wheels of his chariots ?
29 Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
30 Have they not sped ? have they not divided the prey ; to every man a damsel 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 for the necks of them that take the spoil ?
31 So let all thine enemies perish , O LORD : but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might . And the land had rest forty years .