The Song of Deborah
1On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2“When the princes in Israel take the lead,
when the people willingly offer themselves—
praise the Lord!
3“Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
I, even I, will sing to5:3 Or of the Lord;
I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.
4“When you, Lord, went out from Seir,
when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook, the heavens poured,
the clouds poured down water.
5The mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the highways were abandoned;
travelers took to winding paths.
7Villagers in Israel would not fight;
they held back until I, Deborah, arose,
until I arose, a mother in Israel.
8God chose new leaders
when war came to the city gates,
but not a shield or spear was seen
among forty thousand in Israel.
9My heart is with Israel’s princes,
with the willing volunteers among the people.
Praise the Lord!
10“You who ride on white donkeys,
sitting on your saddle blankets,
and you who walk along the road,
consider 11the voice of the singers5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. at the watering places.
They recite the victories of the Lord,
the victories of his villagers in Israel.
“Then the people of the Lord
went down to the city gates.
12‘Wake up, wake up, Deborah!
Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!
Take captive your captives, son of Abinoam.’
13“The remnant of the nobles came down;
the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
14Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek;
Benjamin was with the people who followed you.
From Makir captains came down,
from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s5:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. staff.
15The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
yes, Issachar was with Barak,
sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
16Why did you stay among the sheep pens5:16 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
there was much searching of heart.
17Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.
And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher remained on the coast
and stayed in his coves.
18The people of Zebulun risked their very lives;
so did Naphtali on the terraced fields.
19“Kings came, they fought,
the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,
they took no plunder of silver.
20From the heavens the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21The river Kishon swept them away,
the age-old river, the river Kishon.
March on, my soul; be strong!
22Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.
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 be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25He asked for water, and she gave him milk;
in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
26Her 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.
27At her feet he sank,
he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell—dead.
28“Through the window peered Sisera’s mother;
behind the lattice she cried out,
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
29The wisest of her ladies answer her;
indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
30‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:
a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments for my neck—
all this as plunder?’
31“So may all your enemies perish, Lord!
But may all who love you be like the sun
when it rises in its strength.”
Then the land had peace forty years.
Debora Dwom
1Ɛda no, Debora ne Abinoam babarima Barak too saa dwom yi:
2“Israel mpanimfoɔ sɔre dii animu,
na nnipa no de anigyeɛ dii wɔn akyi.
Nhyira nka Awurade!
3“Mo ahemfo, montie!
Monyɛ aso, mo aberempɔn!
Na mɛto dwom ama Awurade.
Mɛma me nne so ama Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn.
4“Awurade, ɛberɛ a wofirii Seir,
na wobɔɔ nsra faa Edom mfuo so no,
asase wosoeɛ
na ɔsoro omununkum tuee nsuo.
5Awurade ba no maa mmepɔ wosoeɛ.
Sinai Bepɔ mpo wosoeɛ wɔ Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn anim.
6“Anat ba Samgar ne Yael berɛ so,
nnipa amfa akwantempɔn so,
na akwantufoɔ faa anammɔnkwan kɔntɔnkye so.
7Nnipa kakra na wɔkaa Israel nkuraaseɛ
kɔsii sɛ Debora sɔree sɛ ɛna maa Israel.
8Ɛberɛ a Israel somm anyame foforɔ no,
ɔko sɔree kuropɔn no apono ano.
Nanso wɔanhunu kyɛm anaa pea
wɔ akofoɔ ɔpeduanan a wɔwɔ Israel mu!
9Mewɔ Israel ntuanofoɔ afa
ne wɔn a wɔde anigyeɛ dii wɔn akyi.
Hyira Awurade!
10“Mo a motete afunumu a wɔte apɔ so,
tete nsaa a ɛyɛ fɛ so, montie!
Ne mo a ɛsɛ sɛ monante fam nso, montie!
11Montie nkuraaseɛ nnwomsiaafoɔ a wɔaboa wɔn ho ano wɔ anomeeɛ.
Wɔkeka Awurade tenenee nkonimdie,
ne ne nkuraasefoɔ nkonimdie wɔ Israel ho asɛm.
“Afei Awurade nkurɔfoɔ
bɔɔ nsra kɔɔ kuropɔn no apono ano.
12‘Sɔre! Debora, sɔre!
Sɔre, sɔre na to dwom!
Sɔre, Barak!
Di wo nneduafoɔ anim kɔ, Abinoam ba!’
13“Nkaeɛfoɔ no bɔɔ nsra firi Tabor kɔɔ ahoɔdenfoɔ so.
Awurade nkurɔfoɔ bɔɔ nsra kɔɔ akofoɔ ahoɔdenfoɔ so.
14Wɔfiri Efraim baeɛ, asase a na kane no na ɛyɛ Amalekfoɔ dea,
na Benyamin nso dii wʼakyi.
Asahene no bɔɔ nsra firii Makir;
ɔsahene pomakurafoɔ firi Sebulon baeɛ.
15Na Isakar mu atitire ka Debora ne Barak ho.
Wɔdii Barak akyi, bɔ wuraa bɔnhwa no mu.
Nanso, Ruben abusuakuo mu deɛ,
wɔansi wɔn adwene pi.
16Adɛn enti na wotenaa efie wɔ nnwanhwɛfoɔ mu,
tie nnwanhwɛfoɔ a wɔde hwerɛma frɛ wɔn nnwan?
Ruben abusuakuo mu,
wɔansi wɔn adwene pi.
17Gilead kaa Yordan apueeɛ hɔ.
Na Dan deɛ, adɛn enti na ɔtenaa fie?
Aser tenaa mpoano a wanka ne ho,
ɔkaa nʼahyɛn gyinabea ahodoɔ hɔ.
18Nanso, Sebulon too ne nkwa akyerɛ
sɛdeɛ Naftali yɛɛ wɔ akono no.
19“Kanaan ahemfo koeɛ wɔ Taanak a ɛbɛn Megido nsutire ho,
nanso, wɔannya asadeɛ biara ankɔ.
20Nsoromma firi soro koeɛ.
Nsoromma nam wɔn kyenenee so ko tiaa Sisera.
21Asubɔnten Kison twee wɔn kɔeɛ,
tete asuo, Kison.
Me kra, fa akokoɔduru bɔ nsra kɔ wʼanim!
22Afei, apɔnkɔ no tɔte pempem fam,
wɔde mmirikatɛntɛ, Sisera apɔnkɔ ahoɔdenfoɔ no mmirikatɛntɛ.
23‘Nnome nka Merosfoɔ,’ Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ na ɔseɛ.
Ma nnome a ano yɛ den nka wɔn
ɛfiri sɛ, wɔammɛboa Awurade,
wɔammɛboa Awurade anko antia akofoɔ ahoɔdenfoɔ no.
24“Nhyira nka Yael,
Heber a ɔfiri Keni yere.
Ne nhyira nsene mmaa a wɔtete ntomadan mu nyinaa.
25Sisera srɛɛ nsuo,
na Yael maa no nufosuo;
bonsua a ɛfata ahemfo no mu
na ɔde nufosuo ani sradeɛ brɛɛ no.
26Afei, ɔde ne nsa benkum yii ntomadan pɛɛwa,
na ɔde ne nsa nifa faa odwumfoɔ asaeɛ.
Ɔde bɔɔ Sisera, pɛkyɛɛ ne ti.
Ɔde pɛɛwa no wɔɔ ne moma so, bɔɔ so kɔɔ ne tirim.
27Ɔhodwoeɛ, ɔhwee ase;
ɔwuu wɔ ne nan ase.
28“Sisera nena hwɛɛ mpomma mu;
ɔtɛɛ mpomma mu hwɛɛ no kwan,
ɔkaa sɛ, ‘Adɛn enti na ne teaseɛnam akyɛre ba yi?
Adɛn enti na yɛnte teaseɛnam nhankra nnyegyeeɛ yi?’
29Ne mmaa anyansafoɔ no rema mmuaeɛ no,
ɔtii mu kaa saa nsɛm yi kyerɛɛ ne ho sɛ:
30‘Wɔrekyɛ asadeɛ a wɔnyaeɛ no,
ɔbarima biara nya ɔbaa baako anaa mmienu.
Sisera bɛnya ntadeɛ a ɛyɛ fɛ
na me nso menya ntadeɛ a ɛkura ahosuo ahodoɔ na wɔanwono mu fɛɛfɛ.’
31“Awurade, ma wʼatamfoɔ nyinaa nwu sɛ Sisera!
Nanso, ma wɔn a wɔdɔ wo no nkɔso sɛ owigyinaeɛ.”
Afei, asomdwoeɛ baa asase no so mfirinhyia aduanan.
