the people offered themselves willingly--_

_Tutti._ _Bless ye the LORD!_

PRELUDE

_Men._ Hear, O ye kings--

_Women._ Give ear, O ye princes--

_Men._ I, even I, will sing unto the LORD--

_Women._ I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.

_Tutti._ Lord, when thou wentest forth out of Seir,
When thou marchedst out of the field of Edom,
The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped,
Yea, the clouds dropped water.
The mountains flowed down at the presence of the LORD,
Even yon Sinai at the presence of the LORD, the God
of Israel.

1. THE DESOLATION

_Men._ In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
In the days of Jael,
The highways were unoccupied,
And the travellers walked through byways;
The rulers ceased in Israel,
They ceased--

_Women._ 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 spear seen
Among forty thousand in Israel?

_Men._ _My heart is toward the governors of Israel--_

_Women._ _Ye that offered yourselves willingly among the people--_

_Tutti._ _Bless ye the LORD!_

_Men._ _Tell of it, ye that ride on white asses,_
_Ye that sit on rich carpets,_
_And ye that walk by the way:--_

_Women._ _Far from the noise of archers,_
_In the places of drawing water:--_

_Tutti._ _There shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD,_
_Even the righteous acts of his rule in Israel._

2. THE MUSTER

_Tutti._ Then the people of the LORD went down to the gates--

(_Men._ _Awake, awake, Deborah,_
_Awake, awake, utter a song:--_

_Women._ _Arise, Barak,_
_And lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam._)

_Tutti._ Then came down a remnant of the nobles,
The people of the LORD came down for me against the mighty.

_Women._ Out of Ephraim came down they whose root is in Amalek--

_Men._ After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples--

_Women._ Out of Machir came down governors--

_Men._ And out of Zebulun they that handle the marshal's staff

_Wome