Judges chapter 5

Deborah’s song of victory.

 


 

DEBORAH’S SONG OF VICTORY

 

VERSE 1. Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

Deborah. As a prophet, Deborah declares the will of the LORD God for the nation. And as judge, she is the military leader.

 

VERSE 2. “Because the leaders took the lead in Israel, because the people offered themselves willingly, be blessed, the LORD!

the leaders took the lead. In the previous chapter, Barak only did the revealed will of the LORD God if certain conditions were met.

Otherwise, he would have disobeyed the revealed will of the LORD God. This was an unacceptable response to a command from the LORD God.

 

VERSE 3. “Hear, you kings! Give ear, you princes! I, even I, will sing to the LORD. I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.

 

VERSE 4. “LORD, when you went out of Seir, when you marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the sky also dropped. Yes, the clouds dropped water.

 

VERSE 5. The mountains quaked at the LORD’s presence, even Sinai at the presence of the LORD, the God of Israel.

 

VERSE 6. “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied. The travelers walked through byways.

the highways were unoccupied. Outside the fortified cities, life in the villages and on the roadways came to a standstill. That was due to oppression by the Canaanites.

 

VERSE 7. The rulers ceased in Israel. They ceased until I, Deborah, arose; Until I arose a mother in Israel.

until I, Deborah, arose. Deborah arose as a judge. And as a prophet.

 

VERSE 8. They chose new gods. Then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

They chose new gods. All the trouble experienced by Israel stemmed from their own forsaking of the LORD God.

 

VERSE 9. My heart is toward the governors of Israel, who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the LORD!

 

VERSE 10. “Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, you who sit on rich carpets, and you who walk by the way.

you who ride on white donkeys. That is, rich people.

you who walk by the way. That is, poor people.

 

VERSE 11. Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water, there they will rehearse the LORD’s righteous acts, the righteous acts of his rule in Israel. “Then the LORD’s people went down to the gates.

 

VERSE 12. ‘Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, utter a song! Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, you son of Abinoam.’

 

VERSE 13. “Then a remnant of the nobles and the people came down. The LORD came down for me against the mighty.

 

VERSE 14. Those whose root is in Amalek came out of Ephraim, after you, Benjamin, among your peoples. Governors come down out of Machir. Those who handle the marshal’s staff came out of Zebulun.

Deborah pronounces blessings on those tribes that responded freely to the call for battle:

  • Ephraim
  • Benjamin
  • Makir (part of the tribe of Manasseh)

 

VERSE 15. The princes of Issachar were with Deborah. As was Issachar, so was Barak. They rushed into the valley at his feet. By the watercourses of Reuben, there were great resolves of heart.

Deborah continues to pronounce blessings on those tribes that responded freely to the call for battle:

  • Issachar
  • Reuben

 

VERSE 16. Why did you sit among the sheepfolds? To hear the whistling for the flocks? At the watercourses of Reuben, there were great searchings of heart.

 

VERSE 17. Gilead lived beyond the Jordan. Why did Dan remain in ships? Asher sat still at the haven of the sea, and lived by his creeks.

Deborah continues to pronounce blessings on those tribes that responded freely to the call for battle:

  • Gilead
  • Asher

 

VERSE 18. Zebulun was a people that jeopardized their lives to the death; Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

Deborah continues to pronounce blessings on those tribes that responded freely to the call for battle:

  • Zebulun
  • Naphtali

 

VERSE 19. “The kings came and fought, then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no plunder of silver.

 

VERSE 20. From the sky the stars fought. From their courses, they fought against Sisera.

From the sky the stars fought. Deborah sees divine intervention at work.

 

VERSE 21. The river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. My soul, march on with strength.

 

VERSE 22. Then the horse hoofs stamped because of the prancing, the prancing of their strong ones.

 

VERSE 23. ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the LORD’s angel. ‘Curse bitterly its inhabitants, because they didn’t come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’

Curse Meroz. Deborah pronounced a curse upon Meroz for failing to aid in the battle.

 

VERSE 24. “Jael shall be blessed above women, the wife of Heber the Kenite; blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

Jael shall be blessed above women. She slaughtered the mighty king Sisera, and thereby secured the victory for Israel.

Now Jael is indeed blessed above women, being sung in the Bible for all time.

 

VERSE 25. He asked for water. She gave him milk. She brought him butter in a lordly dish.

 

VERSE 26. She put her hand to the tent peg, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer. With the hammer she struck Sisera. She struck through his head. Yes, she pierced and struck through his temples.

Judges 4:21. Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg, and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the pin into his temples, and it pierced through into the ground, for he was in a deep sleep; so he fainted and died.

 

VERSE 27. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay. At her feet he bowed, he fell. Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

 

VERSE 28. “Through the window she looked out, and cried: Sisera’s mother looked through the lattice. ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariots wait?’

 

VERSE 29. Her wise ladies answered her, Yes, she returned answer to herself,

 

VERSE 30. ‘Have they not found, have they not divided the plunder? A lady, two ladies to every man; to Sisera a plunder of dyed garments, a plunder of dyed garments embroidered, of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the plunder?’

 

VERSE 31. “So let all your enemies perish, LORD, but let those who love him be as the sun when it rises in its strength.” Then the land had rest forty years.

 


next chapter »

« previous chapter


JUDGES

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.