sculptured stones, and escaped unto Seirath. And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he before them. And he said unto them: "Follow after me: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand." And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valor; and there escaped not a man. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years. And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel. 1 Deborah and Barak, Deliverers from Sisera (Judg. iv., v.). And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years hc mightily oppressed the children of Israel. And Deborah a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Beth-el in the hill country of Ephraim and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him: "Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali, and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee, to the river Kishon, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand." And Barak said unto her: "If thou wilt go with me, then I will go but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go." And she said: "I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honor; for the Josh. xi. 1-11 recounts that a 'Jabin king of Hazor,' at the head of a league of northern Canaanite kings, was defeated by Joshua at the waters of Merom. Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh. And they shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor. And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon. And Deborah said unto Barak: "Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand is not the Lord gone out before thee?" So Barak went down from mount Tabor and ten thousand men after him. And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet. But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth of the Gentiles and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left. Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him: "Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not." And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her: "Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty." And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. Again he said unto her : "Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No." Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him: "Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest." And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. 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 will sing praise to Jehovah, the God of Israel. The mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord, In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, In the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, The inhabitants of the villages ceased; they ceased in Until that thou Deborah arose, thou arose a mother in My heart is toward the governors of Israel, That offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord. Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses, Ye that sit upon carpets, Ye too that but walk by the way. Far from the noise of archers, in the places of drawing There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, 1 The sense of this obscure verse is disputed. Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, utter a song: Arise, Barak, and lead away thy captives, thou son of Then came down a remnant of the nobles and the people, Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in Ama- After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples; Out of Machir1 came down governors, And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal's staff. As was Issachar, so was Barak; Into the valley they rushed forth at his feet. By the watercourses of Reuben were there great resolves of heart. Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds To hear the pipings for the flocks? At the watercourses of Reuben were there great searchings of heart. Gilead abode beyond Jordan; And why did Dan 2 remain in ships? Asher sat still at the shore of the sea, And abode by his creeks. Zebulun were 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. They fought from heaven, The stars in their courses fought against Sisera. The river Kishon swept them away, That ancient river, the river Kishon. 1 Machir. A clan of Manasseh. 2 Dan. The tribe seems here to be already connected with the seafaring Phoe nicians. Its migration to the north is recounted on p. 199 ff. By reason of the prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, The wife of Heber the Kenite, Blessed shall she be above women in the tent. And her right hand to the workmen's hammer; Yea, she pierced and struck through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell : Where he bowed, there he fell down dead. Through the window she looked forth, and cried, Her wise ladies answered her, Yea, she returned answer to herself, Have they not found, have they not divided the spoil: A damsel, two damsels to every man; 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 Lord: But let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. Gideon, Deliverer from the Midianites (Judg. vi. 1.-viii. 32). And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the 1 butter. Sour milk or curds. |