Judges 5:1-18

English Standard Version

² “That the leaders took the lead in Israel,
    that ^(B)the people offered themselves willingly,
    bless the Lord!

³ “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes;
    to the Lord I will sing;
    I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.

⁴ “Lord, ^(C)when you went out from Seir,
    when you marched from the region of Edom,
^(D)the earth trembled
    and the heavens dropped,
    yes, the clouds dropped water.
⁵ The mountains ^(E)quaked before the Lord,
    ^(F)even Sinai before the Lord,^[a] the God of Israel.

⁶ “In the days of ^(G)Shamgar, son of Anath,
    in the days of ^(H)Jael, ^(I)the highways were abandoned,
    and travelers kept to the byways.
⁷ The villagers ceased in Israel;
    they ceased to be until I arose;
    I, Deborah, arose as a mother in Israel.
^8 (J)When new gods were chosen,
    then war was in the gates.
^(K)Was shield or spear to be seen
    among forty thousand in Israel?
⁹ My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel
    who ^(L)offered themselves willingly among the people.
    Bless the Lord.

¹⁰ “Tell of it, ^(M)you who ride on white donkeys,
    you who sit on rich carpets^[b]
    and you who walk by the way.
¹¹ To the sound of musicians^[c] at the watering places,
    there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the Lord,
    the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel.

“Then down to the gates marched the people of the Lord.

^12 (N)“Awake, awake, Deborah!
    Awake, awake, break out in a song!
Arise, Barak, ^(O)lead away your captives,
    O son of Abinoam.
¹³ Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
    the people of the Lord marched down for me against the mighty.
¹⁴ From ^(P)Ephraim their root ^(Q)they marched down into the valley,^[d]
    following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen;
from ^(R)Machir marched down the commanders,
    and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant's^[e] staff;
¹⁵ the princes of Issachar came with Deborah,
    and Issachar faithful to ^(S)Barak;
    into the valley they rushed at his heels.
Among the clans of Reuben
    there were great searchings of heart.
¹⁶ Why did you sit still ^(T)among the sheepfolds,
    to hear the whistling for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben
    there were great searchings of heart.
^17 (U)Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;
    ^(V)and Dan, why did he stay with the ships?
^(W)Asher sat still ^(X)at the coast of the sea,
    staying by his landings.
^18 (Y)Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death;
    ^(Z)Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field.