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.
Loŋgo Debora ndi Baraka be ro
1 'Dooko Debora ndi Baraka ŋgwa Abinoma robe ŋgoyi loŋgo ono te tu ana si ekye:
2 Nyäräṛu OPI, 'dri'bai 'dete Yisaraele'bai ri mileya;
lidri ozo andivo ànyaro te kyila oyene ya cini si.
3 Ami nyäräṛu Opi 'bädri'bai, nyeri dri!
Ami 'dimiri'bai miga bi!
Maŋgona loŋgo, ago ma'bina loŋgo ndi ŋga loŋgo oŋgoro si
OPI, Lu Yisaraele ro ri.
4 OPI, ondro nyefote ni 'Bereŋwai Seira yasi,
ondro nyikyite ni wari Edoma ro yasi oko,
'bädri lä'bite, ago 'bu 'dite ni kurusi.
Owo, gyi ladate ni 'dikolo yasi.
5 'Bereŋwai kandarute OPI Sinai ro mile,
OPI, Lu Yisaraele ro mile.
6 Tu Samegara ŋgwa Anata ro rosi,
tu Jaela rosi,
lidri aba kote wari ana yasi arabia si,
ago aba'bai abayite liti kundu ya si.
7 Kyila oye'bai kyete ni Yisaraele yasi,
madale eŋga ma Debora te
eŋgate oso endre ronye Yisaraele ri.
8 Ondro Yisaraele'bai konjiyi lui to'diro te oko
kyila a'dote dereŋwai 'bakici ro kala.
Inye'do kyila'bai kutu 'butesu (40,000) se Yisaraele ya kai
azana ru ŋga 'digagaro kode äzu gindi ya?
9 Ya maro orivoya otaozo'bai Yisaraele robe,
se ozoyi andivo ànyaro te ole cini si lidri lakosi 'do be.
Nyäräṛu OPI!
10 Nyiti tana ami se nyàbe lämu doŋgyii onjero si,
ami se nyàbe ori vooriro se doŋgyi drisi dri ono,
ago ami se nyàbe aba vo cini yasi kwoi.
11 Nyeri! Kporo loŋgooŋgo'bai ro koroi lomvosi
lau ànya kayi ŋgaopeṛe OPI ro tana itina,
ŋgaopeṛe lidri ndaro Yisaraele ro ro.
'Dooko lidri OPI ro oyiyite ni dereŋwai ànyaro kala.
12 Mipi mi Debora, mipi mi ri!
Mipi mi ri, mipi mi ago miŋgo loŋgo!
Miŋga ri Barako ago nyoro kamba'bai miro!
Mi ŋgwaagoro Abinoma ro.
13 'Dooko 'dise ke'bebe 'do ikyite dri'bai ànyaro re;
lidri OPI ro ikyiyite ndare nja kyila oyene.
14 Ànya ikyiyite ni Eperaima yasi le vodelero ya,
ago lidri 'bakala Benjamina ro soyite ànya vo.
Otaozo'bai ikyiyite ni Makira yasi,
dri'bai efoyite ni Zebuluna yasi.
15 Dri'bai Yisakara ro ikyiyite Debora be;
lidri Yisakara ro a'doyite 'diri Baraka ri;
ago ànya soyite nda vo le vodelero ya.
Oko 'bakala Rubena ro lako;
ànya niyi kote tausune tase oyene ta.
16 Tana e'di ànya riyi gwo kovole gyolo timele roya ni ya?
Ta lekye'bai se kayibe loŋgo oŋgo gboko timele ro ri ana erine ya?
Oko, 'bakala Rubena ro lako;
ànya niyi kote tausune tase oyene ta.
17 'Bakala Gada ro rite 'buzele Golo Yaradene ro yasi,
ago 'bakala Dana ro rite toŋboi yibe.
'Bakala Asera ro rite 'du gyi'desi kala;
ànya riyite 'du kototisi.
18 Oko lidri Zebuluna ro ozoyi andivo ànyaro te odrane
lidri Nafatali ro kpa inye vo kyilaro yasi.
19 'Bädri'bai ikyiyite yeyi kyila te,
ndi 'bädri'bai Kanana ro yeyi kyila te,
Tanaka ya, gyi Megido ro kala
caoko ànya ruyi mo'di kote.
20 'Bi'bii yeyi kyila te ni vokuru yasi;
ni vo ànyaro yasi,
ànya yeyi kyila te Sisera be.
21 Oga Golo Kisona ro ŋgyi ànya te kpeye,
udi ärru Golo Kisona ro.
Muguna ndi oyi, moyina ndi mbarasi!
22 'Dooko kporo pavo farasi ro ezi uwite,
uguyi loŋgate mbarasi.
23 Malaika OPI ro atate ekye: “Mi'ba latri ka'do Meroza dri,
latri, rriti ro ka'do ànya se kayibe ori lau ana dri.
Tana ànya ikyiyi kote ŋgaopa oyene OPI ri,
ànya ikyiyi kote kyila oyene kyila'baazi Opi robe.”
24 Toko se äṛube ndrani 'ditoko azii ri ni Jaela,
toko Ebera Kena'ba ro,
äṛu be ndrani 'ditoko se cini kayibe ori zo boŋgoro ya drisi.
25 Sisera ejitate gyi ta, oko anya ozote leyi ayani ndäri;
anya ozo muruṛu te ndäri deŋbele liŋgyiekye si.
26 Anya ru losomari zo boŋgoro otoro te drigaṛi si,
ago ru lori te drigwo anyaro si;
anya oto Sisera te ago oto drî ndaro te ätrufu;
anya ṛo drî ndaro te äbi.
27 Nda 'dete ädruku kaya si,
'dete vuru ago u'dute 'du Jaela pa.
Nda 'dete ädruku kaya si Jaela pa ago 'dete vuru;
nda 'dete vuru gyini dri, ago drate.
28 Endre Sisera ro äwuvote vouŋbo zo ro yasi;
anya ndrevote vogbete gbetero zo ro yasi.
Ago anya ejitate ekye: “Arabia kyila ro ndaro rigwo madaro egoako etaya?
Tana e'di farasii ndaro leyegwo egoako niya?”
29 'Ditoko tauniekye anyaro zatadrite,
ago anya zatadri andivo anyaro rote kpekpe ekye:
30 “A'dona ànya kayi dri ŋga uṛi topane ago lonyine,
ŋguti alodi, kode ritu kyila'ba alodi ri,
boŋgo lagye amba be Sisera ri,
boŋgo loselosero ritu,
ŋga 'diegaro loselosero boŋgo wuräwuräro loselosero ritu be o'bane kyembe maro ya.”
31 Äye OPI, ka'do inye mi'ba kyila'baazii cini miro kotodrayi oso inye,
oko mi'ba bereazii miro keyivo oso kitu kabe itu ronye!
Ago taliatokpe a'dote wari ya ndroa na 'butesu.