5

1Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

2“Because the leaders took the lead in Israel,

because the people offered themselves willingly,

be blessed, Yahweh!

3“Hear, you kings!

Give ear, you princes!

I, even I, will sing to Yahweh.

I will sing praise to Yahweh, the God of Israel.

4“Yahweh, when you went out of Seir,

when you marched out of the field of Edom,

the earth trembled, the sky also dropped.

Yes, the clouds dropped water.

5The mountains quaked at Yahweh’s presence,

even Sinai at the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

6“In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,

in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied.

The travelers walked through byways.

7The rulers ceased in Israel.

They ceased until I, Deborah, arose;

Until I arose a mother in Israel.

8They chose new gods.

Then war was in the gates.

Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

9My heart is toward the governors of Israel,

who offered themselves willingly among the people.

Bless Yahweh!

10“Speak, you who ride on white donkeys,

you who sit on rich carpets,

and you who walk by the way.

11Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water,

there they will rehearse Yahweh’s righteous acts,

the righteous acts of his rule in Israel.

“Then Yahweh’s people went down to the gates.

12‘Awake, awake, Deborah!

Awake, awake, utter a song!

Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, you son of Abinoam.’

13“Then a remnant of the nobles and the people came down.

Yahweh came down for me against the mighty.

14Those whose root is in Amalek came out of Ephraim,

after you, Benjamin, among your peoples.

Governors come down out of Machir.

Those who handle the marshal’s staff came out of Zebulun.

15The princes of Issachar were with Deborah.

As was Issachar, so was Barak.

They rushed into the valley at his feet.

By the watercourses of Reuben,

there were great resolves of heart.

16Why did you sit among the sheepfolds?

To hear the whistling for the flocks?

At the watercourses of Reuben,

there were great searchings of heart.

17Gilead lived beyond the Jordan.

Why did Dan remain in ships?

Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,

and lived by his creeks.

18Zebulun was a people that jeopardized their lives to the death;

Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

19“The kings came and fought,

then the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo.

They took no plunder of silver.

20From the sky the stars fought.

From their courses, they fought against Sisera.

21The river Kishon swept them away,

that ancient river, the river Kishon.

My soul, march on with strength.

22Then the horse hoofs stamped because of the prancing,

the prancing of their strong ones.

23‘Curse Meroz,’ said Yahweh’s angel.

‘Curse bitterly its inhabitants,

because they didn’t come to help Yahweh,

to help Yahweh against the mighty.’

24“Jael shall be blessed above women,

the wife of Heber the Kenite;

blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

25He asked for water.

She gave him milk.

She brought him butter in a lordly dish.

26She put her hand to the tent peg,

and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer.

With the hammer she struck Sisera.

She struck through his head.

Yes, she pierced and struck through his temples.

27At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay.

At her feet he bowed, he fell.

Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

28“Through the window she looked out, and cried:

Sisera’s mother looked through the lattice.

‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?

Why do the wheels of his chariots wait?’

29Her wise ladies answered her,

Yes, she returned answer to herself,

30‘Have they not found, have they not divided the plunder?

A lady, two ladies to every man;

to Sisera a plunder of dyed garments,

a plunder of dyed garments embroidered,

of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the plunder?’

31“So let all your enemies perish, Yahweh,

but let those who love him be as the sun when it rises in its strength.”

Then the land had rest forty years.

6

1The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, so Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2The hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made themselves the dens which are in the mountains, the caves, and the strongholds. 3So it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them. 4They encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. They left no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey. 5For they came up with their livestock and their tents. They came in as locusts for multitude. Both they and their camels were without number; and they came into the land to destroy it. 6Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried to Yahweh.

7When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh because of Midian, 8Yahweh sent a prophet to the children of Israel; and he said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of bondage. 9I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land. 10I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God. You shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not listened to my voice.’”

11Yahweh’s angel came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. 12Yahweh’s angel appeared to him, and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

13Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, ‘Didn’t Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”

14Yahweh looked at him, and said, “Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven’t I sent you?”

15He said to him, “O Lord, how shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

16Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

17He said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talk with me. 18Please don’t go away until I come to you, and bring out my present, and lay it before you.”

He said, “I will wait until you come back.”

19Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal. He put the meat in a basket and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it.

20The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.”

He did so. 21Then Yahweh’s angel stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. Then Yahweh’s angel departed out of his sight.

22Gideon saw that he was Yahweh’s angel; and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! Because I have seen Yahweh’s angel face to face!”

23Yahweh said to him, “Peace be to you! Don’t be afraid. You shall not die.”

24Then Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh, and called it “Yahweh is Peace.” To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25That same night, Yahweh said to him, “Take your father’s bull, even the second bull seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it. 26Then build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold, in an orderly way, and take the second bull, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.”

27Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Yahweh had spoken to him. Because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, he could not do it by day, but he did it by night.

28When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built. 29They said to one another, “Who has done this thing?”

When they inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”

30Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.” 31Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? He who will contend for him, let him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has broken down his altar!” 32Therefore on that day he named him Jerub-Baal, saying, “Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.”

33Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel. 34But Yahweh’s Spirit came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together to follow him. 35He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they also were gathered together to follow him. He sent messengers to Asher, to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

36Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken, 37behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I’ll know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken.”

38It was so; for he rose up early on the next day, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39Gideon said to God, “Don’t let your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Please let me make a trial just this once with the fleece. Let it now be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.”

40God did so that night; for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.