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.
Deboras tsî Baraki tsîra di ǁnaetsanas
1 ǁNā tsēs ai ra ge Deboras tsî Abinoammi ôab Baraki tsîra nē ǁnaetsanasa ge ǁnae:
2 ǃKhōǀkhā re ǃKhūba.
Israelǁîn ge ǃkhamsa go mîǁgui hâ i;
khoen ge turaxase ge māsen.
3 ǁNâu re gao-aogo,
ǃgaoǃgâ re ǂgaeǂgui-aogo.
Tita ge nî ǁnae, koaǁnaeba ta ge nî
ǃKhūb Israeli di Eloba.
4 ǃKhūtse Seirǃhomma xuts ge ǀkhīo,
Edommi di ǀkhariba xuts ge hāo,
ob ge ǃhūba ge ǂgubi,
ǀnanub ge ǀhomma xu ge ǀapi
tsî i ge ǁgam-e ǃâude xu ge ǁhōsen.
5 ǃHomgu ge ge ǂgubi
ǃKhūb Sinaib dib aiǃâ,
ǃKhūb Israeli di Elob aiǃâ.
6 Anati ôab Samgari di tsēdi ǃnâ,
Jaels di tsēdi ǃnân,
ge ǃgûkhoena ǃhūb ǃnâ-u ge ǃkharu tama hâ i
tsîn ge xōǀkhā ǁgoe daoga gere ū.
7 Israeli ǃādi ge ge ǃū-aisa, Deborase;
ǁîdi ge ge ǀkhaiǃnâ i sas ge hās kōse,
ǁgûses ge Israela hābas kōse.
8 ǁAes ge ǀasa elona a ǁhûiǂuibasen,
ob ge toroba ǃhūb ǃnâ ge hā.
Hakadisiǀoadisi aogu Israeli digu xa,
ǀguib xaweba ǁâtani-e tanib ge hâ i?
9 Tita ge Israeli ǂgaeǂgui-aogu xa ra ǂâi,
ǁnā aogu turaxase ge māsengu xa.
ǃKhōǀkhā re ǃKhūba.
10 ǃHoa re, ǁîs xa sago ǃuri dâukin ai ra ǃgapigo,
sago îxa saldi ai ra ǂnûgo,
tsî sago daogu ai ra ǃgûgo.
11 ǃGâ re! Tsaugu tawa hâ ǂgui khoen,
ǁîn ge ǃKhūb di dandi xa ra ǃhoa,
ǁîn ge Israelǁîn di dandi xa ra ǃhoa.
ǃKhūb di ǁaes ge ǃās di dao-amdi ǁga ra ǁgôa.
12 ǃKhōdana re Deborase, ǃkhōdana re.
ǃKhōdana, î ǁnaetsana-e ǁnae re, ǃkhōdana re.
Abinoammi ôats Baraktse, ǂhomisen,
î ǃkhōsaben âtsa ǂgaeǂguibē re.
13 ǂGomǂgomsa ǁaes ge ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tawa ge hā;
ǃKhūb di ǁaes ge ǁîb ǃoa ge hā,
ǃkhammi ǃoa ǂhomisen hâ aogu ge ge hā.
14 ǁÎgu ge Efraimma xu ǃgoaǃnāb ǁga ge ǁgôaxa,
Benjaminni ǃhaos di khoen khaoǃgâ.
ǂGaeǂgui-aogu ge Makirsa xu ge hā,
ǂamkhoega Sebulonna xu.
15 Isaskari di ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge Deboras ǀkha ge hā;
Ā, Isaskari digu tsîn ge Baraki ǁga ge hā,
tsî gu ge ǁîba ǃgoaǃnāb ǁga ge saoǁgôa.
Xawe Rubenni ǃhaos ge ge ǁnâugu tama hâ i;
ǁîn ge ǀkhīn nîsa ge mîǁgui ǁoa i.
16 Tare-i ǃaromats kha gūn tawa ge hâ-oa?
ǃÛi-aogu gūna ra ǂgai ǀgausats nî ǃgâse?
Ā, Rubenni ǃhaos ge ge ǁnâugu tama hâ i;
ǁîn ge ǀkhīn nîsa ge mîǁgui ǁoa i.
17 Gadi ǃhaos ge Jordanni aiǂoas ǃnâ ge hâ,
Danni ǃhaos ge doe-omdi tawa ge hâhâ.
Aseri ǃhaos ge hurib tawa ge hâ,
ǁîn ge huribamǃgâb ai ge hâhâ.
18 Xawe Sebulonni tsî Naftalib tsîkha di khoen,
ge ûib âna ǀkhomsen tamase ǃkhammi ǃoa ge ǂoa.
19 Tanaks, Megidos ǃārob amǃgâ ǁgoes
tawa gu ge gao-aoga hā ge ǃkham;
Kanaanni di gao-aogu ge hā ge ǃkham,
xawe gu ge ǀhaiǀuri-e hōbasen tama ge i.
20 ǀGamirodi ge ǀhomma xu ge ǃkham;
ǀhomaib ai garuse di ge Siserab ǃoagu ge ǃkham.
21 Kisonǃāb ge khākhoena ge dâubē,
ǀgaisase ra dâu Kisonǃāba.
Tita ge nî ǃgû, ǁkhoaǂgaoxase ta ge nî aiǃgû.
22 On ge hāna ǀō ra ǂaidi ǀkha ge ǃkhoeǀkhī,
ǂaidi âna ǀgaisase ǃhūb ai ra dāmâise.
23 Ob ge ǃKhūb di ǀhomǃgāba ge mî:
“Merosa ǀâxare; ǁîs ǃnâ ǁan hâna ǀâxare.
ǁÎn ge ǃKhūba hā hui tama ge i,
ǁîn di toroǃkhamaogu ge ǁîba ǃkhamba tama ge i.”
24 Hoa taradi ǃgâ-ai ǃgâiǃgâxa taras ge Jaels,
Kenǁîb Heberi di tarasa.
ǁÎs ge tentdi ǃnâ ǁan hâ taradi hoadi ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâiǃgâxa.
25 Siserab ge ǁgam-e ǂgan, xawes ge dai-e ge mā bi;
îxa xapas ǃnâs ge âudai-e ge hā-ūba bi.
26 ǀGuiǀkhāb ǃommi ǃnâs ge tents ǀuriba ge ū,
nauǀkhāb ǃommi ǃnâ sîsenaob di hamersa;
Siseraba danas ai ǂnau tsîs ge danas âba ge ǂkhūǂkhū,
ǀuribas ge danas âb ǃnâ-u ge ǃkhāǃkharu.
27 ǁÎb di ǁgoara aib ge ge ǁnā,
ǁîs ǂai-am ǁnā tsîb ge ge ǃnōǁgoe.
ǁÎs ǂaira tawab ge ǁgoara âb ai ǁnā tsî ge ǁnāǁgoe;
ǁîb ge ǃhūb ai ǁnā tsî ge ǁō.
28 Siserab îs ge mûǂuidaosa-u gere ǂui;
ǁîs ge tralib ǃgâb ai mâ gere ǃauǂgai:
“Tare-i ǃaromasa kha torokunis âb di hās a ǀhabesa?
Tarexan kha hān âba oahān nîsa a ǂauba?”
29 O di ge hoadi xa gā-ai taradi âsa ge ǃeream si,
tsîs ge ǁîs ǂûsa aitsama gere mî ka mîbasen.
30 “ǁÎgu ge ǁkhâuǁnâ tsî gu nî ǀgoragu xūna ra ôabasen,
mâ toroǃkhamaob hoaba ǀgui tamas ka io ǀgam khoera,
îxa sarana Siserab ǃaroma,
anxa ǃkhaina gao-aos di ǃaob ǃaroma.”
31 ǃKhūtse an sa khākhoen hoana ǁnāti ǁō re,
xawe an satsa a ǀnamna, ǂoaxa ra sores khami ǂkhai re.
ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge ǂkhîba hakadisi kuriga ǃhūb ǃnâ ge hâ.
