16. Why did you stay in the sheepfolds— to hear the piping for the flocks? Among the clans of Reuben there was much searching of heart.
17. Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan, and Dan, why did he stay by the ships? Asher sat at the seacoast, dwelling by its docks.
18. Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to death, and Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
19. The kings came, they fought, then the kings of Canaan fought, at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo, but they took no spoil of silver.
20. From heaven, the stars fought, in their courses they fought Sisera.
21. The Kishon torrent swept them away— that ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon! O my soul, march on with strength!
22. Then the horses’ hooves beat from the dashing, the dashing of his mighty steeds.
23. ‘Curse Meroz!’ said the angel of Adonai, ‘Utterly curse its inhabitants, for they came not to the aid of Adonai, to the aid of Adonai among the mighty.’
24. Blessed above women is Yael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, above women in the tent is she blessed.
25. Water he asked, milk she gave him. In a lordly bowl she brought him butter.
26. Her hand reached for the tent pin, her right hand to the workmen’s hammer, and with the hammer she struck Sisera, she smashed his head— yes, she crushed and pierced his temple.
27. At her feet he collapsed, he fell, he lay. Between her feet he bowed, he fell. Where he bowed, there he fell dead.
28. Through the window, Sisera’s mother looked out, through the lattice. and lamented shrilly: ‘Why does his chariot delay in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariots tarry?’
29. The wisest of her princesses answer her, yes, she repeats the words to herself:
30. ‘Are they not finding, dividing the spoil? A maiden, maidens for every warrior! To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments— a spoil of dyed garments of embroidery, double-dyed garments of embroidery for the necks of every spoiler!’
31. So let all Your enemies perish, Adonai! But may those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.” Then the land had peace for 40 years.