Judges 3-5 (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition)

Judges 3

 ¹These are the nations which the Lord left, that by them he might instruct Israel, and all that had not known the wars of the Chanaanites:

    ²That afterwards their children might learn to fight with their enemies, and to be trained up to war:

    ³The five princes of the Philistines, and all the Chanaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hevites that dwelt in mount Libanus, from mount Baal Hermon to the entering into Emath.

    ⁴And he left them, that he might try Israel by them, whether they would hear the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses, or not.

    ⁵So the children of Israel dwelt in the midst of the Chanaanite, and the Hethite, and the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite:

    ⁶And they took their daughters to wives, and they gave their own daughters to their sons, and they served their gods.

    ⁷And they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot their God, and served Baalim and Astaroth.

    ⁸And the Lord being angry with Israel, delivered them into the hands of Chusan Rasathaim king of Mesopotamia, and they served him eight years.

    ⁹And they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour, and delivered them, to wit, Othoniel the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb:

    ¹⁰And the spirit of the Lord was in him, and he judged Israel. And he went out to fight, and the Lord delivered into his hands Chusan Rasathaim king of Syria, and he overthrew him.

    ¹¹And the land rested forty years, and Othoniel the son of Cenez died.

    ¹²And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: who strengthened against them Eglon king of Moab: because they did evil in his sight.

    ¹³And he joined to him the children of Ammon, and Amalec: and he went and overthrew Israel, and possessed the city of palm trees.

    ¹⁴And the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years:

    ¹⁵And afterwards they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour called Aod, the son of Gera, the son of Jemini, who used the left hand as well as the right. And the children of Israel sent presents to Eglon king of Moab by him.

    ¹⁶And he made himself a two-edged sword, with a haft in the midst of the length of the palm of the hand, and was girded therewith under his garment on the right thigh.

    ¹⁷And he presented the gifts to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was exceeding fat.

    ¹⁸And when he had presented the gifts unto him, he followed his companions that came along with him.

    ¹⁹Then returning from Galgal, where the idols were, be said to the king: I have a secret message to thee, O king. And he commanded silence: and all being gone out that were about him,

    ²⁰Aod went in to him: now he was sitting in a summer parlour alone, and he said: I have a word from God to thee. And he forthwith rose up from his throne,

    ²¹And Aod put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly,

    ²²With such force that the haft went in after the blade into the wound, and was closed up with the abundance of fat. So that he did not draw out the dagger, but left it in his body as he had struck it in. And forthwith by the secret parts of nature the excrements of the belly came out.

    ²³But Aod carefully shutting the doors of the parlour and locking them,

    ²⁴Went out by a postern door. And the king's servants going in, saw the doors of the parlour shut, and they said: Perhaps he is easing nature in his summer parlour.

    ²⁵And waiting a long time till they were ashamed, and seeing that no man opened the door, they took a key: and opening, they found their lord lying dead on the ground.

    ²⁶But Aod, while they were in confusion, escaped, and passed by the place of the idols, from whence he had returned. And he came to Seirath:

    ²⁷And forthwith he sounded the trumpet in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel went down with him, he himself going in the front.

    ²⁸And he said to them: Follow me: for the Lord hath delivered our enemies the Moabites into our hands. And they went down after him, and seized upon the fords of the Jordan, which are in the way to Moab: and they suffered no man to pass over.

    ²⁹But they slew of the Moabites at that time, about ten thousand, all strong and Valiant men: none of them could escape.

    ³⁰And Moab was humbled that day under the hand of Israel: and the land rested eighty years.

    ³¹After him was Samgar the son of Anath, who slew of the Philistines six hundred men with a ploughshare: and he also defended Israel.

   

Judges 4

 ¹And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord after the death of Aod,

    ²And the Lord delivered them up into the hands of Jaban king of Chanaan, who reigned in Asor: and he had a general of his army named Sisara, and he dwelt in Haroseth of the Gentiles.

    ³And the children of Israel cried to the Lord: for he had nine hundred chariots set with scythes, and for twenty years had grievously oppressed them.

    ⁴And there was at that time Debbora a prophetess the wife of Lapidoth, who judged the people,

    ⁵And she sat under a palm tree, which was called by her name, between Rama and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for all judgment.

    ⁶And she sent and called Barac the son of Abinoem out of Cedes in Nephtali: and she said to him: The Lord God of Israel hath commanded thee: Go, and lead an army to mount Thabor, and thou shalt take with thee ten thousand fighting men of the children of Nephtali, and of the children of Zabulon:

    ⁷And 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 multitude, and will deliver them into thy hand.

    ⁸And Barac said to her: If thou wilt come with me, I will go: if thou wilt not come with me, I will not go.

    ⁹She 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.

    ¹⁰And he called unto him Zabulon and Nepbtali, and went up with ten thousand fighting men, having Debbora in his company.

    ¹¹Now 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 Sellnim, and was near Cedes.

    ¹²And it was told Sisara, that Barac the son of Ablinoem was gone up to mount Thabor:

    ¹³And he gathered together his nine hundred chariots armed with scythes, and all his army from Haroseth of the Gentiles to the torrent Cison.

    ¹⁴And 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.

    ¹⁵And the Lord struck a terror into Sisara, and all his chariots, and all his multitude, with the edge of the sword, at the sight of Barac, insomuch that Sisara leaping down from off his chariot, fled away on foot.

    ¹⁶And Barac pursued after the fleeing chariots and the army unto Haroseth of the Gentiles, and all the multitude of the enemies was utterly destroyed.

    ¹⁷But 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.

    ¹⁸And Jahel went forth to meet Sisara, and said to him: Come in to me, my lord, come in, fear not. He went in to her tent, and being covered by her with a cloak,

    ¹⁹Said 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.

    ²⁰And 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.

    ²¹So 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 passing from deep sleep to death, he fainted away and died.

    ²²And 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, be saw Sisara lying dead, and the nail fastened in his temples.

    ²³So God that day humbled Jabin the king of Chanaan before the children of Israel:

    ²⁴Who grew daily stronger, and with a mighty hand overpowered Jabin king of Chanaan, till they quite destroyed him.

   

Judges 5

 ¹In that day Debbora and Barac son of Abinoem sung, and said:

    ²O you of Israel, that have willingly offered your lives to danger, bless the Lord.

    ³Hear, O ye kings, give ear, ye princes: It is I, it is I, that will sing to the Lord, I will sing to the Lord the God of Israel.

    ⁴O Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, and passedst by the regions of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped water.

    ⁵The mountains melted before the face of the Lord, and Sinai before the face of the Lord the God of Israel.

    ⁶In the days of Samgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jahel the paths rested: and they that went by them, walked through by-ways.

    ⁷The valiant men ceased, and rested in Israel: until Debbora arose, a mother arose in Israel.

    ⁸The 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.

    ⁹My heart loveth the princes of Israel: O you that of your own good will offered yourselves to danger, bless the Lord.

    ¹⁰Speak, you that ride upon fair asses, and you that sit in judgment, and walk in the way.

    ¹¹Where the chariots were dashed together, and the army of the enemies was choked, there let the justices of the Lord be rehearsed, and his clemency towards the brave men of Israel: then the people of the Lord went down to the gates, and obtained the sovereignty.

    ¹²Arise, arise, O Debbora, arise, arise, and utter a canticle. Arise, Barac, and take hold of thy captives, O son of Abinoem.

    ¹³The remnants of the people are saved, the Lord hath fought among the valiant ones.

    ¹⁴Out 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.

    ¹⁵The 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.

    ¹⁶Why dwellest thou between two borders, that thou mayest hear the bleatings of the flocks? Ruben being divided against himself, there was found a strife of courageous men.

    ¹⁷Galaad rested beyond the Jordan, and Dan applied himself to ships: Aser dwelt on the sea shore, and abode in the havens.

    ¹⁸But Zabulon and Nephtali offered their lives to death in the region of Merome.

    ¹⁹The kings came and fought, the kings of Chanaan fought in Thanach by the waters of Mageddo, and yet they took no spoils.

    ²⁰War from heaven was made against them, the stars remaining in their order and courses fought against Sisara.

    ²¹The torrent of Cison dragged their carcasses, the torrent of Cadumim, the torrent of Cisoii: tread thou, my soul, upon the strong ones.

    ²²The hoofs of the horses were broken whilst the stoutest of the enemies fled amain, and fell headlong down.

    ²³Curse 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.

    ²⁴Blessed among women be Jahel the wife of Haber the Cinite, and blessed be she in her tent.

    ²⁵He asked her water and she gave him milk, and offered him butter in a dish fit for princes.

    ²⁶She put her left hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workman's hammer, and she struck Sisara, seeking in his head a place for the wound, and strongly piercing through his temples.

    ²⁷At her feet he fell: he fainted, and he died: he rolled before her feet, and he lay lifeless and wretched.

    ²⁸His mother looked out at a window, and howled: and she spoke from the dining room: Why is his chariot so long in coming back? Why are the feet of his horses so slow?

    ²⁹One that was wiser than the rest of his wives, returned this answer to her mother in law:

    ³⁰Perhaps he is now dividing the spoils, and the fairest of the women is chosen out for him: garments of divers colours are given to Sisara for his prey, and furniture of different kinds is heaped together to adorn the necks.

    ³¹So let all thy enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love thee shine, as the sun shineth in his rising.

    ³²And the land rested for forty years.