Judges 5:23

5:23 ‘Call judgment down on ¹  Meroz,’ says the Lord’s angelic ²  messenger;

‘Be sure ³  to call judgment down on ⁴  those who live there,

because they did not come to help in the Lord’s battle, ⁵ 

to help in the Lord’s battle against the warriors.’ ⁶ 

[5:23]  ¹ tn Heb “Curse Meroz.”

[5:23]  ² tn The adjective “angelic” is interpretive.

[5:23]  ³ tn Heb “Curse, cursing.” The Hebrew construction is emphatic.

[5:23]  ⁴ tn Heb “[to] curse.”

[5:23]  ⁵ tn Heb “to the help of the Lord” (the same Hebrew phrase occurs in the following line). Another option is to read “to aid the Lord’s cause.”

[5:23]  ⁶ tn Or “along with the other warriors.”