Women. Men. Women. Men. Antistrophe They fought from heaven, The stars in their courses fought against O my soul, march on with strength! By reason of the pransings, The pransings of their strong ones. Antistrophe 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! 4. THE RETRIBUTION Strophe Blessed above women shall Jael be, the wife of Blessed shall she be above women in the tent! He asked water, and she gave him milk; She brought him butter in a lordly dish. She put her hand to the nail, And her right hand to the workman's ham mer; 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! Antistrophe Women. Through the window she looked forth, and cried, The mother of Sisera, 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 found, Have they not divided the spoil? A damsel, two damsels to every man; To Sisera a spoil of divers colours, Of divers colours of embroidery on both Tutti. 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! V DAVID'S LAMENT Thy glory, O Israel, Is slain upon thy high places! Fallen! Tell it not in Gath, Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew nor rain upon you, Neither fields of offerings: For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, From the blood of the slain, From the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, Weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet delicately, Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty — Fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, Slain upon thy high places, I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan : How are the mighty — Fallen! And the weapons of war — 159 VI DAVID'S SONG OF VICTORY The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine; The God of my rock, in him will I trust; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge; My saviour, thou savest me from violence. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from mine enemies. For the waves of death compassed me, The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. And he heard my voice out of his temple, The foundations of heaven moved And were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, |