The Judges & Ruth

Awake, awake, Deborah; Awake, awake, utter a song; Rise, Barak, and take captive thy captivity, Son of Abinoam.

Then him who is left of the honourable ones He caused to rule the people of Jehovah, He caused me to rule among the mighty.

Out of Ephraim their root is against Amalek. After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples. Out of Machir came down lawgivers, And out of Zebulun those drawing with the reed of a writer.

And princes in Issachar are with Deborah, Yea, Issachar is right with Barak, Into the valley he was sent on his feet. In the divisions of Reuben, Great are the decrees of heart!

Why hast thou abode between the boundaries, To hear lowings of herds? For the divisions of Reuben, Great are the searchings of heart!

Gilead beyond the Jordan did tabernacle, And Dan--why doth he sojourn in ships? Asher hath abode at the haven of the seas, And by his creeks doth tabernacle.

Zebulun is a people who exposed its soul to death, Naphtali also--on high places of the field.

Kings came--they fought; Then fought kings of Canaan, In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; Gain of money they took not!

From the heavens they fought: The stars from their highways fought with Sisera.

The brook Kishon swept them away, The brook most ancient--the brook Kishon. Thou dost tread down strength, O my soul!

Then broken were the horse-heels, By pransings--pransings of its mighty ones.

Curse Meroz--said a messenger of Jehovah, Cursing, curse ye its inhabitants, For they came not to the help of Jehovah, To the help of Jehovah among the mighty!

Blessed above women is Jael, Wife of Heber the Kenite, Above women in the tent she is blessed.

Water he asked--milk she gave; In a lordly dish she brought near butter.

Her hand to the pin she sendeth forth, And her right hand to the labourers' hammer, And she hammered Sisera--she smote his head, Yea, she smote, and it passed through his temple.

Between her feet he bowed--He fell, he lay down; Between her feet he bowed, he fell; Where he bowed, there he fell--destroyed.

Through the window she hath looked out--Yea, she crieth out--the mother of Sisera, Through the lattice: Wherefore is his chariot delaying to come? Wherefore tarried have the steps of his chariot?

The wise ones, her princesses, answer her, Yea, she returneth her sayings to herself:

Do they not find? --they apportion spoil, A female--two females--for every head, Spoil of finger-work for Sisera, Spoil of embroidered finger-work, Finger-work--a pair of embroidered things, For the necks of the spoil!

So do all Thine enemies perish, O Jehovah, And those loving Him are As the going out of the sun in its might!' and the land resteth forty years.

And the sons of Israel do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth them into the hand of Midian seven years,

and the hand of Midian is strong against Israel, from the presence of Midian have the sons of Israel made for themselves the flowings which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.

And it hath been, if Israel hath sowed, that Midian hath come up, and Amalek, and the sons of the east, yea, they have come up against him,

and encamp against them, and destroy the increase of the land till thine entering Gaza; and they leave no sustenance in Israel, either sheep, or ox, or ass;

for they and their cattle come up, with their tents; they come in as the fulness of the locust for multitude, and of them and of their cattle there is no number, and they come into the land to destroy it.