Chapter 5

  At that time Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, made this song, saying:  

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  Because of the flowing hair of the fighters in Israel, because the people gave themselves freely, give praise to the Lord.  

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  Give attention, O kings; give ear, O rulers; I, even I, will make a song to the Lord; I will make melody to the Lord, the God of Israel.  

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  Lord, when you went out from Seir, moving like an army from the field of Edom, the earth was shaking and the heavens were troubled, and the clouds were dropping water.  

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  The mountains were shaking before the Lord, before the Lord, the God of Israel.  

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  In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were not used, and travellers went by side roads.  

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  Country towns were no more in Israel, *** were no more, till you, Deborah, came up, till you came up as a mother in Israel.  

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  They had no one to make arms, there were no more armed men in the towns; was there a body-cover or a spear to be seen among forty thousand in Israel?  

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  Come, you rulers of Israel, you who gave yourselves freely among the people: give praise to the Lord.  

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  Let them give thought to it, who go on white asses, and those who are walking on the road.  

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  Give ear to the women laughing by the water-springs; there they will give again the story of the upright acts of the Lord, all the upright acts of his arm in Israel.  

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  Awake! awake! Deborah: awake! awake! give a song: Up! Barak, and take prisoner those who took you prisoner, O son of Abinoam.  

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  Then the chiefs went down to the doors; the Lord's people went down among the strong ones.  

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  Out of Ephraim they came down into the valley; after you, Benjamin, among your tribesmen; from Machir came down the captains, and from Zebulun those in whose hand is the ruler's rod.  

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  Your chiefs, Issachar, were with Deborah; and Naphtali was true to Barak; into the valley they went rushing out at his feet. In Reuben there were divisions, and great searchings of heart.  

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  Why did you keep quiet among the sheep, hearing nothing but the watchers piping to the flocks?  

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  Gilead was living over Jordan; and Dan was waiting in his ships; Asher kept in his place by the sea's edge, living by his inlets.  

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  It was the people of Zebulun who put their lives in danger, even to death, with Naphtali on the high places of the field.  

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  The kings came on to the fight, the kings of Canaan were warring; in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo: they took no profit in money.  

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  The stars from heaven were fighting; from their highways they were fighting against Sisera.  

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  The river Kishon took them violently away, stopping their flight, the river Kishon. Give praise, O my soul, to the strength of the Lord!  

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  Then loudly the feet of the horses were sounding with the stamping, the stamping of their war-horses.  

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  A curse, a curse on Meroz! said the angel of the Lord. A bitter curse on her townspeople! Because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord among the strong ones.  

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  Blessings be on Jael, more than on all women! Blessings greater than on any in the tents!  

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  His request was for water, she gave him milk; she put butter before him on a fair plate.  

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  She put out her hand to the tent-pin, and her right hand to the workman's hammer; and she gave Sisera a blow, crushing his head, wounding and driving through his brow.  

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  Bent at her feet he went down, he was stretched out; bent at her feet he went down; where he was bent down, there he went down in death.  

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  Looking out from the window she gave a cry, the mother of Sisera was crying out through the window, Why is his carriage so long in coming? When will the noise of his wheels be sounding?  

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  Her wise women gave answer to her, yes, she made answer again to herself,  

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  Are they not getting, are they not parting the goods among them: a young girl or two to every man; and to Sisera robes of coloured needlework, worked in fair colours on this side and on that, for the neck of the queen?  

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  So may destruction come on all your haters, O Lord; but let your lovers be like the sun going out in his strength. And for forty years the land had peace.  

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