4:7. And I will bring unto thee in the place of the torrent Cison, Sisara, the general of Jabin"s army, and his chariots, and all his mult.i.tude, and will deliver them into thy hand.
4:8. And Barac said to her: If thou wilt come with me, I will go: if thou wilt not come with me, I will not go.
4:9. She said to him: I will go, indeed, with thee, but at this time the victory shall not be attributed to thee, because Sisara shall be delivered into the hand of a woman. Debbora therefore arose, and went with Barac to Cedes.
4:10. And he called unto him Zabulon and Nephthali, and went up with ten thousand fighting men, having Debbora in his company.
4:11. Now Haber, the Cinite, had some time before departed from the rest of the Cinites, his brethren, the sons of Hobab, the kinsman of Moses: and had pitched his tents unto the valley, which is called Sennim, and was near Cedes.
4:12. And it was told Sisara, that Barac, the son of Abinoem, was gone up to Mount Thabor:
4:13. And he gathered together his nine hundred chariots armed with scythes, and all his army, from Haroseth of the Gentiles, to the torrent Cison.
4:14. And Debbora said to Barac: Arise, for this is the day wherein the Lord hath delivered Sisara into thy hands: behold, he is thy leader. And Barac went down from Mount Thabor, and ten thousand fighting men with him.
4:15. And the Lord struck a terror into Sisara, and all his chariots, and all his mult.i.tude, with the edge of the sword, at the sight of Barac; insomuch, that Sisara leaping down from off his chariot, fled away on foot,
4:16. And Barac pursued after the fleeing chariots, and the army, unto Haroseth of the Gentiles; and all the mult.i.tude of the enemies was utterly destroyed.
4:17. But Sisara fleeing, came to the tent of Jahel, the wife of Haber, the Cinite, for there was peace between Jabin, the king of Asor, and the house of Haber, the Cinite.
4:18. And Jahel went forth to meet Sisara, and said to him: Come in to me, my lord; come in, fear not. He went into her tent, and being covered by her with a cloak,
4:19. Said to her: Give me, I beseech thee, a little water, for I am very thirsty. She opened a bottle of milk, and gave him to drink, and covered him.
4:20. And Sisara said to her: Stand before the door of the tent, and when any shall come and inquire of thee, saying: Is there any man here?
thou shalt say: There is none.
4:21. So Jahel, Haber"s wife, took a nail of the tent, and taking also a hammer: and going in softly, and with silence, she put the nail upon the temples of his head, and striking it with the hammer, drove it through his brain fast into the ground: and so pa.s.sing from deep sleep to death, he fainted away and died.
4:22. And behold, Barac came pursuing after Sisara: and Jahel went out to meet him, and said to him: Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, he saw Sisara lying dead, and the nail fastened in his temples.
4:23. So G.o.d that day humbled Jabin, the king of Chanaan, before the children of Israel:
4:24. Who grew daily stronger, and with a mighty hand overpowered Jabin, king of Chanaan, till they quite destroyed him.
Judges Chapter 5
The canticle of Debbora and Barac after their victory.
5:1. In that day Debbora and Barac, son of Abinoem, sung, and said:
5:2. O you of Israel, that have willingly offered your lives to danger, bless the Lord.
5:3. Hear, O ye kings, give ear, O ye princes: It is I, it is I, that will sing to the Lord, I will sing to the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel.
5:4. O Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, and pa.s.sedst by the regions of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens and clouds dropped water.
5:5. The mountains melted before the face of the Lord, and Sinai before the face of the Lord the G.o.d of Israel.
5:6. In the days of Samgar, the son of Anath, in the days of Jahel, the paths rested: and they that went by them, walked through bye-ways.
The paths rested... The ways to the sanctuary of G.o.d were unfrequented: and men walked in the by-ways of error and sin.
5:7. The valiant men ceased, and rested in Israel: until Debbora arose, a mother arose in Israel.
5:8. The Lord chose new wars, and he himself overthrew the gates of the enemies: a shield and spear was not seen among forty thousand of Israel.
5:9. My heart loveth the princes of Israel: O you, that of your own good will offered yourselves to danger, bless the Lord.
5:10. Speak, you that ride upon fair a.s.ses, and you that sit in judgment, and walk in the way.
5:11. Where the chariots were dashed together, and the army of the enemies was choked, there let the justices of the Lord be rehea.r.s.ed, and his clemency towards the brave men of Israel: then the people of the Lord went down to the gates, and obtained the sovereignty.
5:12. Arise, arise, O Debbora, arise, arise, and utter a canticle.
Arise, Barac, and take hold of thy captives, O son of Abinoem.
5:13. The remnants of the people are saved, the Lord hath fought among the valiant ones.
5:14. Out of Ephraim he destroyed them into Amalec, and after him out of Benjamin into thy people, O Amalec: Out of Machir there came down princes, and out of Zabulon they that led the army to fight.
Out of Ephraim, etc... The enemies straggling in their flight were destroyed, as they were running through the land of Ephraim, and of Benjamin, which lies after, that is beyond Ephraim: and so on to the very confines of Amalec. Or, it alludes to former victories of the people of G.o.d, particularly that which was freshest in memory, when the men of Ephraim and Benjamin, with Aod at their head, overthrew their enemies the Moabites with the Amalecites their allies. See chap. 3.
Ibid. Machir... The tribe of Mana.s.ses, whose eldest son was Machir.
5:15. The captains of Issachar were with Debbora, and followed the steps of Barac, who exposed himself to danger, as one going headlong, and into a pit. Ruben being divided against himself, there was found a strife of courageous men.
Divided against himself, etc... By this it seems that the valient men of the tribe of Ruben were divided in their sentiments, with relation to this war; which division kept them at home within their own borders, to hear the bleating of their flocks.
5:16. Why dwellest thou between two borders, that thou mayst hear the bleatings of the flocks? Ruben being divided against himself, there was found a strife of courageous men.
5:17. Galaad rested beyond the Jordan, and Dan applied himself to ships: Aser dwelt on the sea sh.o.r.e, and abode in the havens.
5:18. But Zabulon and Nephthali offered their lives to death in the region of Merome.
5:19. The kings came and fought, the kings of Chanaan fought in Thanac, by the waters of Mageddo and yet they took no spoils.
5:20. There was war made against them from heaven: the stars, remaining in their order and courses, fought against Sisara.
5:21. The torrent of Cison dragged their carca.s.ses, the torrent of Cadumim, the torrent of Cison: tread thou, my soul, upon the strong ones.
5:22. The hoofs of the horses were broken whilst the stoutest of the enemies fled amain, and fell headlong down.
5:23. Curse ye the land of Meroz, said the angel of the Lord: curse the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord, to help his most valiant men.
Meroz... Where this land of Meroz was, which is here laid under a curse, we cannot find: nor is there mention of it anywhere else in holy writ.
In the spiritual sense, they are cursed who refuse to a.s.sist the people of G.o.d in their warfare against their spiritual enemies.
5:24. Blessed among women be Jahel, the wife of Haber the Cinite, and blessed be she in her tent.