The Song of Deborah and Barak
1 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:
2 Praise the Lord!
The Israelites were determined to fight;
the people gladly volunteered.
3 Listen, you kings!
Pay attention, you rulers!
I will sing and play music
to Israel's God, the Lord.
4 Lord, when you left the mountains of Seir,
when you came out of the region of Edom,
the earth shook, and rain fell from the sky.
Yes, water poured down from the clouds.
5 The mountains quaked before the Lord of Sinai,
before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael,
caravans no longer went through the land,
and travelers used the back roads.
7 The towns of Israel stood abandoned, Deborah;
they stood empty until you came,
came like a mother for Israel.
8 Then there was war in the land
when the Israelites chose new gods.
Of the forty thousand men in Israel,
did anyone carry shield or spear?
9 My heart is with the commanders of Israel,
with the people who gladly volunteered.
Praise the Lord!
10 Tell of it, you that ride on white donkeys,
sitting on saddles,
and you that must walk wherever you go.
11 Listen! The noisy crowds around the wells
are telling of the Lord's victories,
the victories of Israel's people!
Then the Lord's people marched down from their cities.
12 Lead on, Deborah, lead on!
Lead on! Sing a song! Lead on!
Forward, Barak son of Abinoam,
lead your captives away!
13 Then the faithful ones came down to their leaders;
the Lord's people came to him ready to fight.
14 They came from Ephraim into the valley,
behind the tribe of Benjamin and its people.
The commanders came down from Machir,
the officers down from Zebulun.
15 The leaders of Issachar came with Deborah;
yes, Issachar came and Barak too,
and they followed him into the valley.
But the tribe of Reuben was divided;
they could not decide to come.
16 Why did they stay behind with the sheep?
To listen to shepherds calling the flocks?
Yes, the tribe of Reuben was divided;
they could not decide to come.
17 The tribe of Gad stayed east of the Jordan,
and the tribe of Dan remained by the ships.
The tribe of Asher stayed by the seacoast;
they remained along the shore.
18 But the people of Zebulun and Naphtali
risked their lives on the battlefield.
19 At Taanach, by the stream of Megiddo,
the kings came and fought;
the kings of Canaan fought,
but they took no silver away.
20 The stars fought from the sky;
as they moved across the sky,
they fought against Sisera.
21 A flood in the Kishon swept them away—
the onrushing Kishon River.
I shall march, march on, with strength!
22 Then the horses came galloping on,
stamping the ground with their hoofs.
23 “Put a curse on Meroz,” says the angel of the Lord,
“a curse, a curse on those who live there.
They did not come to help the Lord,
come as soldiers to fight for him.”
24 The most fortunate of women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite—
the most fortunate of women who live in tents.
25 Sisera asked for water, but she gave him milk;
she brought him cream in a beautiful bowl.
26 She took a tent peg in one hand,
a worker's hammer in the other;
she struck Sisera and crushed his skull;
she pierced him through the head.
27 He sank to his knees,
fell down and lay still at her feet.
At her feet he sank to his knees and fell;
he fell to the ground, dead.
28 Sisera's mother looked out of the window;
she gazed from behind the lattice.
“Why is his chariot so late in coming?” she asked.
“Why are his horses so slow to return?”
29 Her wisest friends answered her,
and she told herself over and over,
30 “They are only finding things to capture and divide,
a woman or two for every soldier,
rich cloth for Sisera,
embroidered pieces for the neck of the queen.”
31 So may all your enemies die like that, O Lord,
but may your friends shine like the rising sun!
And there was peace in the land for forty years.
Ondoro ya Debora na Barak youtoṋi
1 Meyuva ndo Debora na Barak, omuzandu wa Abinoam, va tona ondoro ndji:
2 Tangeye Muhona,
Ovaisrael tjinga ave rimana okurwa,
notjiwaṋa atja ri nombango ombwa.
3 Zuveye, eṋe zombara!
Purateneye, eṋe vahona!
Ami, ii, ami me vanga okuimburira
Muhona ondangero,
me vanga okunyandera Muhona,
Ndjambi wa Israel, ongoma.
4 Muhona, ove tji wa kumuka mOseir,
tji wa ka wondja mokuti kwa Edom,
ehi ra nyinganyinga, neyuru ra totisa omata,
novikamba vya rokisa ombura.
5 Ozondundu za teratera
komurungu wa Muhona,
ingwi Muhona wa Sinai,
komurungu wa Muhona,
Ndjambi wa Israel.
6 Momayuva wa Samgar, omuzandu wa Anat,
momayuva wa Jael,
ozondjira za ri nguruhu,
novaryange va twara ozondjira zoposyo.
7 Ovaungure vehi va hirimana,
va hirimana mOisrael nga ove,
Debora, tji wa sekama otja ina yOvaisarel.
8 Ovaisrael tji ve ritoororera ovisenginina,
ovita tjandje vi ri pomivero;
indu pa munika oruvao poo enga mokati
kaimba omayovi omirongo vine mOisrael are?
9 Omutima wandje u ri kovahongore va Israel
mbaa ve raisa ombango
ombwa yokuyenda kovita,
mokati kotjiwaṋa.
Tangeye Muhona!
10 Eṋe mbu mu kavira kousino ouzenḓu ouvapa,
mbu mu haama kovisara,
na mbu mu kayenda pehi, imbureye!
11 Purateneye! Otjimbumba tji
matji rokoha pozondjombo
matji serekarere ozondjito
ozosemba za Muhona zondaarero,
nondaarero yotjiwaṋa tja Israel.
Notjiwaṋa tja Muhona otji tja ya komivero.
12 Penduka, Debora, penduka,
Penduka! Imbura eimburiro! Penduka!
Sekama, Barak! Muna wa Abinoam,
hongorera ovakamburwa woye neimburiro!
13 Imba mba hupa va rauka
okuya kovanane votjiwaṋa,
notjiwaṋa tja Muhona
tje ya ku ye atje rirongerere okurwa.
14 Va za kehi ra Efraim, nave ya momukutu;
owo ve ku kongorera,
Benjamin, mokati kovarumendu voye;
okuza kehi ra Makir kwa rauka ovahongore,
nokuza kehi ra Sebulon kwa
zira imba mbe tjinga okati kouhongore;
15 novanane vomuhoko wa Isakar ve ya puna Debora;
ii, Isakar weya na Barak wina.
Owo ve mu kongorera nga korutjandja.
Omuhoko wa Ruben wa ri nozombata;
owo kau zuvasanene okuya.
16 Okutjavi tji wa haama pehi mokati koviunda
nokupuratena kombosiro
yozohiva motupanda twozonḓu?
Omuhoko wa Ruben wa ri nozombata;
owo kave zuvasanene kutja mave ya.
17 Omuhoko wa Gad wa kara
uriri koutjiro wa Jordan;
nu imbwi wa Dan wa kara
uriri pozondjuwozomomeva.
Omuhoko wa Aser
wa haama komukuro wokuvare
nowo wa suva mbo uriri.
18 Omuhoko wa Sebulon nowa Naftali
vya yandja ominyo vyavyo
movita kozondundu mehi eparanga.
19 MOtaanak poruronḓu rwa Megido,
ozombara ze ya, naze ru;
ozombara za Kanaan za rwire
nu kaza ri nosilveri ndji za huura.
20 Ozonyose aaze rwire okuza keyuru,
ozo aaze ru na Sisera okuza komivanda vyazo.
21 Okaruronḓu Kison ke ve twarere,
okaruronḓu komahakaeneno Kison!
Sekama, muinyo wandje,
karwe nomasa aehe!
22 Oukambe wa yenda amau tupuka
amau tono ovikoti pehi.
23 Omuengeri wa Muhona ma tja nai:
“Senga otjihuro Meros,
Senga, ii, senga ovature vatjo,
owo tjinga ave he ere okuvatera Muhona,
okuvatera Muhona puna ozombanḓe.”
24 Jael, omukazendu wOmukeni Heber,
nga hivirikwe povakazendu avehe,
mokati kovakazendu avehe
mozondanda eye nga hivirikwe!
25 Sisera wa ningira omeva,
nu Jael e mu pe omaihi;
motjinwino otjihuze eye
we mu etera omaere.
26 Eke re wa ropororera komboha yondanda,
neke re rokunene wa
toora ongowa yomuungure;
nongowa eye wa tona na yo
Sisera na ṱukuṱura otjiuru tje,
e tji nyanyaura na tuvakanisa
omboha mongwikiro ye.
27 Pokati kozombaze za Jael eye wa seuka,
a u na saravara mbo!
Pokati kozombaze ze eye wa seuka na u;
pa seukira opa saravara na kokerere.
28 Ina ya Sisera wa tarera moruiho
pendje na ravaerere
motuvindina tworuiho ama tja:
“Etemba re rovita ra kawomba
pu tjike tji ri hiya kotoka?
Okutjavi okutona kwovikoti
vyoukambe we tji ku hiya posa?”
29 Ingwi onongo tjinene povakazendu
ve ovahivirikwa we mu ziri,
nandarire ina ya Sisera omuini
wa kamburira komambo nga, a tja:
30 “Owo, katjotjiri, va kamuna ovihuurwa,
nave vi haṋa nai:
Omukazona umwe omukarere poo
ovakazona vevari ovakarere komurumendu umwe;
notjihuura tjozombanda zovivara ku Sisera,
notjihuura tjozombanda zovivaravara;
nonḓuru yovivara,
nomarapi yevari womosengo
yoserekaze wovivara mbya hovekwa.”
31 Ovanavita na ove avehe, Muhona,
ngave ṱe nao!
Nungwari imba mbe ku suvera
ngave kare otja eyuva
tji ri ri pokupita nomasa waro aehe!
Tjazumba ehi ra kara nohange oure wozombura omirongo vine.
