³ See how they lie in wait for me!
    Fierce men conspire^(F) against me
    for no offense or sin of mine, Lord.
⁴ I have done no wrong,^(G) yet they are ready to attack me.^(H)
    Arise to help me; look on my plight!^(I)
5 You, Lord God Almighty,
    you who are the God of Israel,^(J)
rouse yourself^(K) to punish all the nations;^(L)
    show no mercy to wicked traitors.^[c](M)

⁶ They return at evening,
    snarling like dogs,^(N)
    and prowl about the city.
⁷ See what they spew from their mouths^(O)—
    the words from their lips are sharp as swords,^(P)
    and they think, “Who can hear us?”^(Q)
8 But you laugh at them, Lord;^(R)
    you scoff at all those nations.^(S)

⁹ You are my strength,^(T) I watch for you;
    you, God, are my fortress,^(U)
10     my God on whom I can rely.

God will go before me
    and will let me gloat over those who slander me.
¹¹ But do not kill them, Lord our shield,^[d](V)
    or my people will forget.^(W)
In your might uproot them
    and bring them down.^(X)
12 For the sins of their mouths,^(Y)
    for the words of their lips,^(Z)
    let them be caught in their pride.^(AA)
For the curses and lies they utter,
¹³     consume them in your wrath,
    consume them till they are no more.^(AB)
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
    that God rules over Jacob.^(AC)

¹⁴ They return at evening,
    snarling like dogs,
    and prowl about the city.
¹⁵ They wander about for food^(AD)
    and howl if not satisfied.
¹⁶ But I will sing^(AE) of your strength,^(AF)
    in the morning^(AG) I will sing of your love;^(AH)
for you are my fortress,^(AI)
    my refuge in times of trouble.^(AJ)

¹⁷ You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
    you, God, are my fortress,
    my God on whom I can rely.^(AK)

⁵ Save us and help us with your right hand,^(K)
    that those you love^(L) may be delivered.
⁶ God has spoken from his sanctuary:
    “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem^(M)
    and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.^(N)
7 Gilead^(O) is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim^(P) is my helmet,
    Judah^(Q) is my scepter.^(R)
8 Moab is my washbasin,
    on Edom I toss my sandal;
    over Philistia I shout in triumph.^(S)”

⁹ Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
¹⁰ Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us
    and no longer go out with our armies?^(T)
11 Give us aid against the enemy,
    for human help is worthless.^(U)
12 With God we will gain the victory,
    and he will trample down our enemies.^(V)

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)