sleep; so he swooned and died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, "Come, and I will show thee the man whom thou seekest." And he came unto her; and, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the tent-pin was in his temples. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prevailed more and more against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. XLVI THE SONG OF DEBORAH (Judges v: 1-31) Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, "For that the leaders took the lead in Israel, For that the people offered themselves willingly, Bless ye Jehovah. Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto Jehovah; I will sing praise unto Jehovah, the God of Israel. The mountains quaked at the presence of Jehovah, In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, And the travellers walked through byways. The rulers ceased in Israel, they ceased, Until that I Deborah arose, That I arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; Then was war in the gates: Was there a shield or spear seen Among forty thousand in Israel? My heart is toward the governors of Israel, Bless ye Jehovah. Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses, Ye that sit on rich carpets, And ye that walk by the way. Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water, There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of Jehovah, Then the people of Jehovah went down to the gates. Awake, awake, utter a song: Arise, Barak, and lead away thy captives, thou son of Abinoam. Then came down a remnant of the nobles and the people; Jehovah came down for me against the mighty. Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in Amalek; After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples; Out of Machir came down governors, And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal's staff. And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. By the watercourses of Reuben There were great resolves of heart. Why sattest thou among the sheepfolds, There were great searchings of heart. And Dan, why did he remain in ships? And abode by his creeks. Zebulun was a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death, And Naphtali, upon the high places of the field. The kings came and fought; Then fought the kings of Canaan, In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo: They took no gain of money. From heaven fought the stars, From their courses they fought against Sisera. The river Kishon swept them away, That ancient river, the river Kishon. By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their strong ones. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of Jehovah, Blessed shall she be above women in the tent. She brought him butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the tent-pin, And her right hand to the workmen's hammer; And with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote through his head; Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay; At her feet he bowed, he fell: Where he bowed, there he fell down dead. Her wise ladies answered her, Yea, she returned answer to herself, Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil? To Sisera a spoil of dyed garments, A spoil of dyed garments embroidered, Of dyed garments embroidered on both sides, on the necks of the spoil? So let all thine enemies perish, O Jehovah: But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might." And the land had rest forty years. XLVII THE STORY OF GIDEON (Judges vi: vii: 25) And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah: and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, they came up against them; and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents; they came in as locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number: and they came into the land to destroy it. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah. And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah because of Midian, that Jehovah sent a prophet unto the children of Israel: and he said unto them, "Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, 'I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land; and I said unto you, "I am Jehovah your God; ye shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell. But ye have not hearkened unto my voice." 99999 1 And the angel of Jehovah came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon 1 was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him, and said unto him, "Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valor." And Gideon said unto him, "Oh, my lord, if Jehovah is with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, 'Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt?' but now Jehovah hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian." And Jehovah looked upon him, and said, "Go in this thy might, and save Israel from the hand of 1. "One who cuts down." |