16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens

to hear the whistling for the flocks?

In the districts of Reuben

there was much searching of heart.

17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan.

And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?

Asher remained on the coast

and stayed in his coves.

18 The 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.

20 From the heavens the stars fought,

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

21 The river Kishon swept them away,

the age-old river, the river Kishon.

March on, my soul; be strong!

22 Then 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.’

16 Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds,

to hear the whistling for the flocks?

Among the clans of Reuben

there were great searchings of heart.

17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;

and Dan, why did he stay with the ships?

Asher sat still at the coast of the sea,

staying by his landings.

18 Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death;

Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field.

19 “The kings came, they fought;

then fought the kings of Canaan,

at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;

they got no spoils of silver.

20 From heaven the stars fought,

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

21 The torrent Kishon swept them away,

the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.

March on, my soul, with might!

22 “Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs

with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.

23 “Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord,

curse its inhabitants thoroughly,

because they did not come to the help of the Lord,

to the help of the Lord against the mighty.

16 Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds,

To hear the bleatings of the flocks?

For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.

17 Gilead abode beyond Jordan:

And why did Dan remain in ships?

Asher continued on the sea shore,

And abode in his breaches.

18 Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death

In the high places of the field.

19 The kings came and fought,

Then fought the kings of Canaan

In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo;

They took no gain of money.

20 They fought from heaven;

The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

21 The river of Kishon swept them away,

That ancient river, the river Kishon.

O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.

22 Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings,

The pransings of their mighty ones.

23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord,

Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof;

Because they came not to the help of the Lord,

To the help of the Lord against the mighty.

16 Why did you sit at home among the sheepfolds—

to hear the shepherds whistle for their flocks?

Yes, in the tribe of Reuben

there was great indecision.

17 Gilead remained east of the Jordan.

And why did Dan stay home?

Asher sat unmoved at the seashore,

remaining in his harbors.

18 But Zebulun risked his life,

as did Naphtali, on the heights of the battlefield.

19 “The kings of Canaan came and fought,

at Taanach near Megiddo’s springs,

but they carried off no silver treasures.

20 The stars fought from heaven.

The stars in their orbits fought against Sisera.

21 The Kishon River swept them away—

that ancient torrent, the Kishon.

March on with courage, my soul!

22 Then the horses’ hooves hammered the ground,

the galloping, galloping of Sisera’s mighty steeds.

23 ‘Let the people of Meroz be cursed,’ said the angel of the Lord.

‘Let them be utterly cursed,

because they did not come to help the Lord—

to help the Lord against the mighty warriors.’

16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds,

To hear the pipings for the flocks?

The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.

17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan,

And why did Dan remain on ships?

Asher continued at the seashore,

And stayed by his inlets.

18 Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death,

Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.

19 “The kings came and fought,

Then the kings of Canaan fought

In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;

They took no spoils of silver.

20 They fought from the heavens;

The stars from their courses fought against Sisera.

21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away,

That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon.

O my soul, march on in strength!

22 Then the horses’ hooves pounded,

The galloping, galloping of his steeds.

23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord,

‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly,

Because they did not come to the help of the Lord,

To the help of the Lord against the mighty.’

16 Why did you stay by the sheepfold?

Was it to hear the music played for your sheep?

The Reubenites thought hard

about what they would do.

17 The people of Gilead stayed east of the Jordan River.

People of Dan, why did you stay by the ships?

The people of Asher stayed at the seashore,

at their safe harbors.

18 But the people of Zebulun risked their lives,

as did the people of Naphtali on the battlefield.

19 “The kings came, and they fought.

At that time the kings of Canaan fought

at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo.

But they took away no silver or possessions of Israel.

20 The stars fought from heaven;

from their paths, they fought Sisera.

21 The Kishon River swept Sisera’s men away,

that old river, the Kishon River.

March on, my soul, with strength!

22 Then the horses’ hoofs beat the ground.

Galloping, galloping go Sisera’s mighty horses.

23 ‘May the town of Meroz be cursed,’ said the angel of the Lord.

‘Bitterly curse its people,

because they did not come to help the Lord.

They did not fight the strong enemy.’

16 Why sattest thou among the sheepfolds,

To hear the pipings for the flocks?

At the watercourses of Reuben

There were great searchings of heart.

17 Gilead abode beyond the Jordan:

And Dan, why did he remain in ships?

Asher sat still at the haven of the sea,

And abode by his creeks.

18 Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death,

And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field.

19 The kings came and fought;

Then fought the kings of Canaan.

In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo:

They took no gain of money.

20 From heaven fought the stars,

From their courses they fought against Sisera.

21 The river Kishon swept them away,

That ancient river, the river Kishon.

O my soul, march on with strength.

22 Then did the horsehoofs stamp

By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones.

23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of Jehovah.

Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof,

Because they came not to the help of Jehovah,

To the help of Jehovah against the mighty.

16 Why did you sit between the saddlebags? 

Was it to listen to the shepherds playing their flutes? 

Reuben’s divisions of important men had second thoughts. 

17 Gilead remained east of the Jordan River. 

And Dan … Why did he stay by the ships? 

Asher sat on the seashore and remained along the inlets. 

18 But Zebulun mocked death, 

and Naphtali risked his life on the battlefield. 

19 Kings came and fought. 

Then the kings of Canaan fought. 

They fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. 

But they didn’t carry off any rich loot. 

20 The stars fought from heaven. 

They fought against Sisera from their heavenly paths. 

21 The Kishon River swept them away— 

that old river, the Kishon. 

I must march on with strength! 

22 Then the horses’ hoofs pounded. 

The mighty war horses galloped on and on. 

23 “Curse Meroz!” said the Messenger of the Lord. 

“Bitterly curse those who live there! 

They did not come to help the Lord, 

to help the Lord and his heroes.” 

16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds

listening to the playing of pipes for the flocks?

There was great searching of heart

among the clans of Reuben.

17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.

Dan, why did you linger at the ships?

Asher remained at the seashore

and stayed in his harbors.

18 Zebulun was a people risking their lives,

Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.

19 Kings came and fought.

Then the kings of Canaan fought

at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,

but they took no spoil of silver.

20 The stars fought from the heavens;

the stars fought with Sisera from their courses.

21 The river Kishon swept them away,

the ancient river, the river Kishon.

March on, my soul, in strength!

22 The horses’ hooves then hammered—

the galloping, galloping of his stallions.

23 “Curse Meroz,” says the Angel of the Lord,

“Bitterly curse her inhabitants,

for they did not come to help the Lord,

to help the Lord against the mighty warriors.”

16 Why did you tarry among the sheepfolds,

to hear the piping for the flocks?

Among the clans of Reuben

there were great searchings of heart.

17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;

and Dan, why did he abide with the ships?

Asher sat still at the coast of the sea,

settling down by his landings.

18 Zebulun is a people that scorned death;

Naphtali too, on the heights of the field.

19 “The kings came, they fought;

then fought the kings of Canaan,

at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;

they got no spoils of silver.

20 The stars fought from heaven,

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

21 The torrent Kishon swept them away,

the onrushing torrent, the torrent Kishon.

March on, my soul, with might!

22 “Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs

with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.

23 “Curse Meroz, says the angel of the Lord,

curse bitterly its inhabitants,

because they did not come to the help of the Lord,

to the help of the Lord against the mighty.

16 Why do you sit among the sheepfolds,

to hear the calling sounds of the herds?

For the clans of Reuben,

there were great searchings of the heart.

17 Gilead has remained beyond the Jordan.

Why did Dan dwell as a foreigner with ships?

Asher sat at the coast of the waters,

and by his coves he has been settling down.

18 Zebulun is a people who scorned death,

and Naphtali, on the heights of the field.

19 “The kings came, they fought;

then the kings of Canaan fought;

at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,

they got no plunder in silver.

20 The stars fought from heaven;

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

21 The wadi torrent of Kishon swept them away,

the raging wadi torrent,

the wadi torrent of Kishon.

March on, my soul, with strength!

22 “Then the hooves of the horse beat loudly,

because of galloping, galloping of his stallions.

23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of Yahweh;

‘curse bitterly its inhabitants,

because they did not come to the help of Yahweh,

to the help of Yahweh against the mighty.’

16 Why did they stay among the campfires?

Why did they stay to hear shepherds whistling for the flocks?

In the territories of Reuben,

men looked deeply into their hearts.

17 Gilead stayed east of the Jordan River.

Why did Dan stay near the ships?

The men of Asher remained on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

They stayed in their safe harbors.

18 The people of Zebulun put their very lives in danger.

So did Naphtali on the hills in the open country.

19 “Kings came and fought.

The kings of Canaan fought

at Taanach by the streams of Megiddo.

But they didn’t carry any silver away.

They didn’t take anything at all.

20 From the heavens the stars fought.

From the sky they fought against Sisera.

21 The Kishon River swept them away.

The Kishon is a very old river.

My spirit, march on! Be strong!

22 The hoofs of the horses pounded like thunder.

The powerful horses of our enemies galloped away.

23 ‘Let Meroz be cursed,’ said the angel of the Lord.

‘Let bitter curses fall on its people.

They did not come to help the Lord.

They did not come to help him against our powerful enemies.’

16 “Why did you sit among the sheepfolds,

To hear the piping for the flocks?

Among the divisions of Reuben

There were great searchings of heart.

17 “Gilead remained across the Jordan;

And why did Dan stay in ships?

Asher sat at the seashore,

And remained by its landings.

18 “Zebulun was a people who despised their lives even to death,

And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field.

19 “The kings came and fought;

Then fought the kings of Canaan

At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo;

They took no plunder in silver.

20 “The stars fought from heaven,

From their courses they fought against Sisera.

21 “The torrent of Kishon swept them away,

The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.

O my soul, march on with strength.

22 “Then the horses’ hoofs beat

From the dashing, the dashing of his valiant steeds.

23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord,

‘Utterly curse its inhabitants;

Because they did not come to the help of the Lord,

To the help of the Lord against the warriors.’