The Song at the Sea (Judges 5:1–31)
2 UST Yahweh makes me strong, and I will sing about him. He has saved me. He is my God, and I will celebrate{ because of what he did for me}. He was my father’ s God, and I will tell others how great he is. BSB BSB: The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
3 UST Yahweh is a warrior; Yahweh is his name. BSB BSB: The LORD is a warrior, the LORD is His name.
4 UST He has thrown the king’ s chariots and his army into the sea; The king’ s best officers all drowned in the Sea of Reeds. BSB BSB: Pharaoh’s chariots and army He has cast into the sea; the finest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 UST The deep water covered them; they sank to the bottom like a rock. BSB BSB: The depths have covered them; they sank there like a stone.
6 UST O Yahweh, your power is immense; with that power, O Yahweh, you have crushed the enemy into pieces. BSB BSB: Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
7 UST You use your great strength to defeat your enemies. When you are angry, you destroy them like a fire burns up straw. BSB BSB: You overthrew Your adversaries by Your great majesty. You unleashed Your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble.
8 UST You blew on the sea, and the water piled up high; the water became like mounds of dirt. In the deepest part of the sea, the water became thick, as though it were frozen. BSB BSB: At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up; like a wall the currents stood firm; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 UST Our enemies said,‘We will go after them and catch up to them. We will do whatever we want to them! We will draw our swords and defeat them; then we will divide up everything we take from them.’ BSB BSB: The enemy declared, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.’
10 UST Your wind blew, and then the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the big waves. BSB BSB: But You blew with Your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 UST Yahweh, there is no other god like you! There is no one like you! You are wonderfully different from everything else. Everyone fears and praises you for all the miracles you do! BSB BSB: Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
12 UST You used your power to make the earth open and our enemies go down into it! BSB BSB: You stretched out Your right hand, and the earth swallowed them up.
13 UST You are leading the people you bought because you always love us; Because{ you use} your strength{ for our good}, you are guiding us to the home that you set apart. BSB BSB: With loving devotion You will lead the people You have redeemed; with Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling.
14 UST The people of other nations will hear what you have done, and they will tremble. The people in Philistia will be terrified. BSB BSB: The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the dwellers of Philistia.
15 UST The chiefs in Edom will be dismayed. The leaders in Moab will be so afraid that they will shake. All those who live in Canaan will faint. BSB BSB: Then the chiefs of Edom will be dismayed; trembling will seize the leaders of Moab; those who dwell in Canaan will melt away,
16 UST They will be terrified and fearful because of your great strength. But they will be as silent as stones until we, your people, march past them, the people you freed{ from being slaves in Egypt.} BSB BSB: and terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of Your arm they will be as still as a stone until Your people pass by, O LORD, until the people You have bought pass by.
17 UST You will bring us{ into the promised land of Canaan.} You will enable us to live on your hill, in the place that you, Yahweh, have chosen to be your home, in the holy place, our Lord, that you yourself will build. BSB BSB: You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of Your inheritance—the place, O LORD, You have prepared for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, Your hands have established.
18 UST O Yahweh, you will rule forever!” BSB BSB: The LORD will reign forever and ever!”
19 UST When the king’ s horses and chariots and horsemen tried to go through the sea, Yahweh caused the water to come back and cover them. But the Israelite people walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground. BSB BSB: For when Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
20 UST Then Miriam, who was Aaron’ s older sister and a prophetess, picked up her tambourine and led all the other women who had tambourines out to dance. BSB BSB: Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing.
21 UST Miriam sang to Yahweh this song:“Sing to Yahweh because he has triumphed gloriously over his enemies. He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea.” BSB BSB: And Miriam sang back to them: “Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.”
The Waters of Marah 22 UST Then Moses led the Israelite people away from the Sea of Reeds. They went to the wilderness of Shur. They walked for three days, but they could not find any water. BSB BSB: Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water.
23 UST So they went on and came to a place named Marah. There was water there, but they could not drink it, because it was bitter. That is why they named the place Marah, which is the Hebrew word that means“bitter.” BSB BSB: And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)
24 UST The people complained to Moses, saying,“What are we going to drink?” BSB BSB: So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
25 UST So Moses prayed to Yahweh. Then Yahweh showed him a branch. He took the branch and threw it into the water, and the water became good to drink. There at Marah, Yahweh gave them a fixed rule by which to live. He also tested them there{ to determine if they would obey him.} BSB BSB: And Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log. And when he cast it into the waters, they were sweetened. There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them,
26 UST He said,“I am Yahweh, your God. If you will obey me when I speak to you and do those things that I say are right and listen to all the things that I tell you, I will keep you from all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians. Do not forget that I am Yahweh, the one who heals you.” BSB BSB: saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”
27 UST After they left Marah, they came to an oasis named Elim. There were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees there. So they camped there. BSB BSB: Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there by the waters.