tain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.”

At that time the Lord raised up a woman to be a prophetess, and to exercise judgment over his people Israel. Her name was Deborah, the wife of Lapidoth; and her usual residence was under a palm-tree, between Beth-el and Ramah, in mount Ephraim; to which place the Israelites resorted for judgment.

Under the impulse of Divine inspiration, Deborah sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam, out of 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 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 honour, for the 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 showed Sisera that Barak, the son of Abinoam, was gone up to mount Tabor. And Sisera gathered together all his chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon. Deborah said unto Barak, Up, for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thy hand; is not the Lord gone up 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 And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she

And

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, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and inquire 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 a 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 show 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."

Upon occasion of this victory, Deborah and Barak sang a song of triumph and of praise. It abounds with striking thoughts and bold figures, and may be taken as a specimen of the earliest poetry. The only song or poem, of earlier date, which has come down to us, is the song composed by Moses, and sung by Miriam, with her female companions, after crossing the Red sea. The reader will be gratified by some extracts from an ancient poetical composition.

"Praise ye the Lord, for the avenging of Israel, When the people willingly offered themselves. Ilear, O ye kings, give ear, O ye princes:

I, even I, will sing unto the Lord,

I will sing praise to the God of Israel.

Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir,

When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,
The earth trembled, and the heavens dropped;
The clouds also dropped water.

The mountains melted from before the Lord;
That Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.

In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath;

In the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied,
And the travellers walked through by-ways.

The inhabitants of the villages ceased,

They ceased in Israel, 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 a spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

My heart is toward the governors of Israel,

That offered themselves willingly among the people.

Bless ye the Lord.

Speak, ye that ride on white asses,

Ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.

-From the noise of archers, in the places of drawing water;

There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord;

Even the righteous acts towards the villages in Israel;

Then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates.

Awake, awake, Deborah, awake, awake, utter a song:
Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive,

Thou son of Abinoam.

Then he made him that remaineth have dominion

Over the nobles, among the people.

The Lord made me have dominion over the mighty.

Out of Ephraim was a root of them against Amalek.
After thee, Benjamin, among thy people.

Out of Machir came down governors,

And out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.

And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah,

Even Issachar; and also Barak.

He was sent on foot into the valley.

For the divisions of Reuben, were great thoughts of heart.
Why abodest thou among the sheep-folds,

To hear the bleatings of the flocks?

For the divisions of Reuben were great searchings of heart.

Gilead abode beyond Jordan:

And why did Dan remain in ships?

Asher continued on the sea-shore, and abode in his breaches.

Zebulun and Naphtali were a people

That jeoparded their lives unto the death, in 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 of Kishon swept them away

That ancient river-the river of Kishon.

O, my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.

Then were the horse-hoofs broken

By the means of their prancings-the prancings of their mighty ones. Curse ye Meroz-said the angel of the Lord

Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof:

Because they came not to the help of the Lord

To the help of the Lord against the mighty.

Blessed among women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be:
Blessed shall she be above women, in the tent.

He asked water, and she gave him milk;
She brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
She put her hand to the nail,

And her right hand to the workman's hammer;
And with the hammer she smote Sisera:
She smote off his head, when she had pierced,
And stricken through his temples.

At her feet he bowed-he fell-he lay down-
At her feet he bowed-he fell-

Where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

The mother of Sisera looked out at a window,

And cried through the lattice,

Why is his chariot so long in coming?

Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?

Her wise ladies answered her—

Yea, she returned answer to herself:

Have they not sped-have they not divided the prey?
To every man a damsel or two-

To Sisera a prey of divers colours of needle-work—

Of divers colours of needle-work on both sides,
Meet for the necks of them that take the spoil.
So let thine enemies perish, O Lord:

But let them that love him be as the sun
When he goeth forth in his might."

In this song, those tribes who willingly came forward to fight the battles of the Lord, are celebrated with due praise; but severe censures are passed on those who remained at home at this time, when the services of all were needed. Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun, and Naphtali, are recorded as having done their duty. While Reuben, on account of his divisions and internal distractions, was not in a situation to render any aid. And Dan and Asher, though near to the field of battle, clung to their ships and sea-coast, and furnished no help in the contest. But why do we hear nothing of Judah, commonly the foremost in all pious enterprises; and on whose borders the battle was fought? I know not the answer to this question. One place, no where else mentioned in Scripture, is here made memorable, by the curse denounced against it by the angel of the Lord, for not coming up to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Why Meroz was singled out for this anathema, when so many others were delinquent, cannot now be ascertained. But this city stands as a beacon to all future generations.

SECTION XVIII.

MIDIAN OPPRESSES ISRAEL-A NAMELESS PROPHET IS SENT WITH A MESSAGE FROM GOD TO ISRAEL-THE ANGEL OF THE LORD APPEARS TO GIDEON, WHO SACRIFICES A KID TO JEHOVAH, AND THE ANGEL, AFTER DELIVERING HIS MESSAGE, ASCENDS IN THE FLAME-GIDEON THROWS DOWN THE ALTAR OF BAAL BY DIVINE DIRECTION-JOASH, GIDEON'S FATHER, REFUSES TO GIVE HIM UP-A GREAT HOST GATHERED AGAINST ISRAEL-GIDEON COLLECTS THE PEOPLE-ASKS FOR A TWOFOLD SIGN, WHICH IS GRANTED.

THE national distresses of Israel, in every instance, were owing to their transgressions. The language of the sacred history is, "The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord," and then the Lord "sold them," or "delivered them into the hands of their enemies." The nation which next obtained the dominion over them, was Midian; and their rule was exceedingly oppressive; so that the children of Israel were driven to take refuge in the dens of the mountains, and in the caves and strongholds. And the labours of agriculture were rendered almost useless, for when "Israel had sown, the Midianites and Amalekites, and the children of the east, came up against them. And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou came unto Gaza; and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up

with their cattle, and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers, for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number, and they entered into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord." It is a remarkable evidence of the goodness, long-suffering, and gracious condescension of the Lord, that in all cases when the people cried unto him, he mercifully interposed for their deliverance. On this occasion, he sent a prophet, who said, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up out of 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, that I am the Lord your God. Fear not the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell; but ye have not obeyed my voice." Whence this prophet came, or whither he went after he had delivered his message, we are not informed; neither are we able to tell his name, or designate the family or tribe to which he belonged. This mission of a prophet was evidently intended to bring the people to repentance for their sins in departing from the worship of Jehovah, and going after the gods of the Amorites.

"The angel

But a more august ambassador was now sent. of the Lord came and sat under an oak, which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash, the Abi-ezrite; and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the wine-press, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, O my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, O my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest. with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. And Gideon went in and made ready a kid, and leavened cakes of an ephah of flour; the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a