Judges 5:20–30

²⁰From the heavens^g the stars fought,

from their courses they fought against Sisera.

²¹The river Kishon^h swept them away,

the age-old river, the river Kishon.

March on, my soul; be strong!ⁱ

²²Then thundered the horses’ hooves—

galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.^j

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^k be Jael,^l

the wife of Heber the Kenite,^m

most blessed of tent-dwelling women.

²⁵He asked for water, and she gave him milk;ⁿ

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.^o

²⁷At her feet he sank,

he fell; there he lay.

At her feet he sank, he fell;

where he sank, there he fell—dead^p.

²⁸“Through the window^q peered Sisera’s mother;

behind the lattice she cried out,^r

‘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:^s

a woman or two for each man,

colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,

colorful garments embroidered,

highly embroidered garments^t for my neck—

all this as plunder?^u’