1 Dengang sang Debora og Barak Abinoams sønn, denne sang:
2 Lov Herren, fordi fyrstene i Israel gikk først i striden fordi folket møtte villig frem!
3 Hør, I konger! Lytt til, I høvdinger! Jeg - jeg vil synge om Herren; jeg vil lovsynge Herren, Israels Gud.
4 Herre, da du gikk ut fra Se'ir, da du skred frem fra Edoms mark, da bevet jorden, himlene dryppet, skyene dryppet av vann.
5 Fjellene skalv for Herrens åsyn, Sinai der borte skalv for Herrens, Israels Guds åsyn.
6 I Samgars, Anats sønns dager, i Jaels dager var stiene øde, de veifarende gikk på krokete stier.
7 Det fantes ingen fører i Israel, nei, ingen før jeg, Debora, stod frem, før jeg stod frem, en mor i Israel.
8 De valgte nye guder, da var der kamp ved portene; ei såes skjold, ei heller spyd blandt firti tusen i Israel.
9 Mitt hjerte slår for Israels høvdinger og for dem som villig møtte frem blandt folket. Pris Herren!
10 Syng, I som rider på lyse aseninner, I som sitter på eders tepper, og I som vandrer på veien!
11 Bueskytternes røst lyder ved brønnene; der priser de Herrens rettferdige verk, hans styrelses rettferdige verk i Israel. Dengang steg de ned til portene, Herrens folk.
12 Våkn op, våkn op, Debora, våkn op, våkn op, stem i en sang! Stå op, Barak, og før dine fanger i fangenskap, du Abinoams sønn!
13 Dengang lød det: Stig ned, du lille flokk, stig ned til heltene, du folk! Herre, stig ned og strid for mig blandt kjempene!
14 Av Efra'im steg de ned, de som har sin rot på Amaleks fjell; efter dig kom Benjamin blandt dine folk; av Makir steg høvdinger ned, og av Sebulon de som drar frem med hærførerstav,
15 og fyrster i Issakar med Debora, og som Issakar, så Barak; i dalen styrter de avsted i hans følge. Ved Rubens bekker holdtes store rådslagninger.
16 Hvorfor blev du sittende mellem fehegnene og hørte på hyrdefløitene? Ved Rubens bekker holdtes store rådslagninger.
17 Gilead - hinsides Jordan blev han i ro, og Dan - hvorfor dvelte han ved skibene? Aser blev sittende ved havets bredd, og ved sine bukter blev han i ro.
18 Sebulon er et folk som ringeakter sitt liv inntil døden, likeså Naftali på sine fjell.
19 Konger kom, de stred, dengang stred Kana'ans konger ved Ta'anak, ved Megiddos vann; hærfang av sølv fikk de ikke.
20 Fra himmelen stred de, stjernene fra sine baner, de stred mot Sisera.
21 Kisons bekk rev dem bort, den eldgamle bekk, Kisons bekk. Skrid frem, min sjel, med kraft!
22 Da trampet hestenes hover under kjempenes jagende, jagende fart.
23 Forbann Meros, sa Herrens engel, forbann, forbann dets folk, fordi de ikke kom Herren til hjelp, Herren til hjelp blandt kjempene.
24 Priset fremfor kvinner være Jael, kenitten Hebers hustru! Fremfor kvinner i telt være hun priset!
25 Vann bad han om, melk gav hun ham; i prektig skål bar hun frem fløte.
26 Sin hånd rekker hun ut efter teltpluggen og sin høire hånd efter arbeidshammeren; hun slår Sisera med hammeren, knuser hans hode, sønderslår og gjennemborer hans tinning.
27 For hennes føtter seg han ned, falt han, lå han; for hennes føtter seg han ned, falt han; der han seg ned, der lå han fellet.
28 Gjennem vinduet skuer hun og roper, Siseras mor, ut gjennem gitteret: Hvorfor venter hans vogn med å komme? Hvorfor dveler hans traveres skritt?
29 De klokeste av hennes fruer svarer henne, og selv gir hun sig svar på sine ord:
30 Til visse finner de hærfang og skifter: En kvinne, to kvinner til manns, hærfang av farvede klær for Sisera, hærfang av farvede klær, utsydde klær, én farvet klædning, to utsydde halsduker for hver av de hærtatte kvinner!
31 Måtte alle dine fiender omkomme således, Herre, og de som elsker ham, være som solen når den går frem i sin kraft! - Og landet hadde ro i firti år.
1 At that time Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, made this song, saying:
2 Because of the flowing hair of the fighters in Israel, because the people gave themselves freely, give praise to the Lord.
3 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.
4 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.
5 The mountains were shaking before the Lord, before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 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.
7 Country towns were no more in Israel, *** were no more, till you, Deborah, came up, till you came up as a mother in Israel.
8 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?
9 Come, you rulers of Israel, you who gave yourselves freely among the people: give praise to the Lord.
10 Let them give thought to it, who go on white asses, and those who are walking on the road.
11 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.
12 Awake! awake! Deborah: awake! awake! give a song: Up! Barak, and take prisoner those who took you prisoner, O son of Abinoam.
13 Then the chiefs went down to the doors; the Lord's people went down among the strong ones.
14 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.
15 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.
16 Why did you keep quiet among the sheep, hearing nothing but the watchers piping to the flocks?
17 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.
18 It was the people of Zebulun who put their lives in danger, even to death, with Naphtali on the high places of the field.
19 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.
20 The stars from heaven were fighting; from their highways they were fighting against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon took them violently away, stopping their flight, the river Kishon. Give praise, O my soul, to the strength of the Lord!
22 Then loudly the feet of the horses were sounding with the stamping, the stamping of their war-horses.
23 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.
24 Blessings be on Jael, more than on all women! Blessings greater than on any in the tents!
25 His request was for water, she gave him milk; she put butter before him on a fair plate.
26 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.
27 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.
28 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?
29 Her wise women gave answer to her, yes, she made answer again to herself,
30 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?
31 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.