² “When the princes in Israel take the lead,
    when the people willingly offer^(D) themselves—
    praise the Lord!^(E)

³ “Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
    I, even I, will sing to^[a] the Lord;^(F)
    I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.^(G)

⁴ “When you, Lord, went out^(H) from Seir,^(I)
    when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook,^(J) the heavens poured,
    the clouds poured down water.^(K)
5 The mountains quaked^(L) before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
    before the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁶ “In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,^(M)
    in the days of Jael,^(N) the highways^(O) were abandoned;
    travelers took to winding paths.^(P)
7 Villagers in Israel would not fight;
    they held back until I, Deborah,^(Q) arose,
    until I arose, a mother in Israel.
⁸ God chose new leaders^(R)
    when war came to the city gates,^(S)
but not a shield or spear^(T) was seen
    among forty thousand in Israel.
⁹ My heart is with Israel’s princes,
    with the willing volunteers^(U) among the people.
    Praise the Lord!

¹⁰ “You who ride on white donkeys,^(V)
    sitting on your saddle blankets,
    and you who walk along the road,
consider ¹¹ the voice of the singers^[b] at the watering places.
    They recite the victories^(W) of the Lord,
    the victories of his villagers in Israel.

“Then the people of the Lord
    went down to the city gates.^(X)
12 ‘Wake up,^(Y) wake up, Deborah!^(Z)
    Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!^(AA)
    Take captive your captives,^(AB) son of Abinoam.’

¹³ “The remnant of the nobles came down;
    the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
¹⁴ Some came from Ephraim,^(AC) whose roots were in Amalek;^(AD)
    Benjamin^(AE) was with the people who followed you.
From Makir^(AF) captains came down,
    from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s^[c] staff.
¹⁵ The princes of Issachar^(AG) were with Deborah;^(AH)
    yes, Issachar was with Barak,^(AI)
    sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
¹⁶ Why did you stay among the sheep pens^[d](AJ)
    to hear the whistling for the flocks?^(AK)
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
¹⁷ Gilead^(AL) stayed beyond the Jordan.
    And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher^(AM) remained on the coast^(AN)
    and stayed in his coves.
¹⁸ The people of Zebulun^(AO) risked their very lives;
    so did Naphtali^(AP) on the terraced fields.^(AQ)

¹⁹ “Kings came^(AR), they fought,
    the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,^(AS)
    they took no plunder of silver.^(AT)
20 From the heavens^(AU) the stars fought,
    from their courses they fought against Sisera.
²¹ The river Kishon^(AV) swept them away,
    the age-old river, the river Kishon.
    March on, my soul; be strong!^(AW)
22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
    galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.^(AX)
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord.
    ‘Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the Lord,
    to help the Lord against the mighty.’

²⁴ “Most blessed of women^(AY) be Jael,^(AZ)
    the wife of Heber the Kenite,^(BA)
    most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
²⁵ He asked for water, and she gave him milk;^(BB)
    in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
²⁶ Her hand reached for the tent peg,
    her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
    she shattered and pierced his temple.^(BC)
27 At her feet he sank,
    he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
    where he sank, there he fell—dead^(BD).

²⁸ “Through the window^(BE) peered Sisera’s mother;
    behind the lattice she cried out,^(BF)
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
    Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
²⁹ The wisest of her ladies answer her;
    indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
³⁰ ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:^(BG)
    a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
    colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments^(BH) for my neck—
    all this as plunder?^(BI)’

³¹ “So may all your enemies perish,^(BJ) Lord!
    But may all who love you be like the sun^(BK)
    when it rises in its strength.”^(BL)

“The Lord is my rock,^(C) my fortress^(D) and my deliverer;^(E)
3     my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,^(F)
    my shield^[a](G) and the horn^[b](H) of my salvation.
He is my stronghold,^(I) my refuge and my savior—
    from violent people you save me.

⁴ “I called to the Lord, who is worthy^(J) of praise,
    and have been saved from my enemies.
⁵ The waves^(K) of death swirled about me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁶ The cords of the grave^(L) coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁷ “In my distress^(M) I called^(N) to the Lord;
    I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came to his ears.
⁸ The earth^(O) trembled and quaked,^(P)
    the foundations^(Q) of the heavens^[c] shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
⁹ Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire^(R) came from his mouth,
    burning coals^(S) blazed out of it.
¹⁰ He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds^(T) were under his feet.
¹¹ He mounted the cherubim^(U) and flew;
    he soared^[d] on the wings of the wind.^(V)
12 He made darkness^(W) his canopy around him—
    the dark^[e] rain clouds of the sky.
¹³ Out of the brightness of his presence
    bolts of lightning^(X) blazed forth.
¹⁴ The Lord thundered^(Y) from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
¹⁵ He shot his arrows^(Z) and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁶ The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke^(AA) of the Lord,
    at the blast^(AB) of breath from his nostrils.

¹⁷ “He reached down from on high^(AC) and took hold of me;
    he drew^(AD) me out of deep waters.
¹⁸ He rescued^(AE) me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁹ They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.^(AF)
20 He brought me out into a spacious^(AG) place;
    he rescued^(AH) me because he delighted^(AI) in me.^(AJ)

²¹ “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;^(AK)
    according to the cleanness^(AL) of my hands^(AM) he has rewarded me.
²² For I have kept^(AN) the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²³ All his laws are before me;^(AO)
    I have not turned^(AP) away from his decrees.
²⁴ I have been blameless^(AQ) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁵ The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,^(AR)
    according to my cleanness^[f] in his sight.

²⁶ “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁷ to the pure^(AS) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.^(AT)
28 You save the humble,^(AU)
    but your eyes are on the haughty^(AV) to bring them low.^(AW)
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;^(AX)
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
³⁰ With your help I can advance against a troop^[g];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³¹ “As for God, his way is perfect:^(AY)
    The Lord’s word is flawless;^(AZ)
    he shields^(BA) all who take refuge in him.
³² For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock^(BB) except our God?^(BC)
33 It is God who arms me with strength^[h]
    and keeps my way secure.
³⁴ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;^(BD)
    he causes me to stand on the heights.^(BE)
35 He trains my hands^(BF) for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow^(BG) of bronze.
³⁶ You make your saving help my shield;^(BH)
    your help has made^[i] me great.
³⁷ You provide a broad path^(BI) for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁸ “I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁹ I crushed^(BJ) them completely, and they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
⁴⁰ You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.^(BK)
41 You made my enemies turn their backs^(BL) in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
⁴² They cried for help,^(BM) but there was no one to save them—^(BN)
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.^(BO)
43 I beat them as fine as the dust^(BP) of the earth;
    I pounded and trampled^(BQ) them like mud^(BR) in the streets.

⁴⁴ “You have delivered^(BS) me from the attacks of the peoples;
    you have preserved^(BT) me as the head of nations.
People^(BU) I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁵     foreigners cower^(BV) before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.^(BW)
46 They all lose heart;
    they come trembling^[j](BX) from their strongholds.

⁴⁷ “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted^(BY) be my God, the Rock, my Savior!^(BZ)
48 He is the God who avenges^(CA) me,^(CB)
    who puts the nations under me,
⁴⁹     who sets me free from my enemies.^(CC)
You exalted me^(CD) above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
⁵⁰ Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises^(CE) of your name.^(CF)

⁵¹ “He gives his king great victories;^(CG)
    he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,^(CH)
    to David^(CI) and his descendants forever.”^(CJ)