After these preparations Kenaz took the field against the enemy, with
three hundred thousand men. (15) The first day he slew eight thousand
of the foe, and the second day five thousand. But not all the people
were devoted to Kenaz. Some murmured against him, and calumniating him,
said: "Kenaz stays at home, while we expose ourselves on the field."
The servants of Kenaz reported these words to him. He ordered the
thirty-seven (16) men who had railed against him to be incarcerated,
and he swore to kill them, if God would but grant him assistance for
the sake of His people.
Thereupon he assembled three hundred men of his attendants, supplied
them with horses, and bade them be prepared to make a sudden attack
during the night, but to tell none of the plans he harbored in his
mind. The scouts sent ahead to reconnoitre reported that the Amorites
were too powerful for him to risk an engagement. Kenaz, however,
refused to be turned away from his intention. At midnight he and his
three hundred trusty attendants advanced upon the Amorite camp. Close
upon it, he commanded his men to halt, but to resume their march and
follow him when they should hear the notes of the trumpet. If the
trumpet was not sounded, they were to return home.
Alone Kenaz ventured into the very camp of the enemy. Praying to God
fervently, he asked that a sign be given him: "Let this be the sign of
the salvation Thou wilt accomplish for me this day: I shall draw my
sword from its sheath, and brandish it so that it glitters in the camp
of the Amorites. If the enemy recognize it as the sword of Kenaz, then
I shall know Thou wilt deliver them into my hand; if not, I shall
understand Thou hast not granted my prayer, but dost purpose to deliver
me into the hand of the enemy for my sins."
He heard the Amorites say: "Let us proceed to give battle to the
Israelites, for our sacred gods, the nymphs, are in their hands, and
will cause their defeat." When he heard these words, the spirit of God
came over Kenaz. He arose and swung his sword above his head. Scarce
had the Amorites seen it gleam in the air when they exclaimed: "Verily,
this is the sword of Kenaz, who has come to inflict wounds and pain.
But we know that our gods, who are held by the Israelites, will deliver
them into our hands. Up, then, to battle!" Knowing that God had heard
his petition, Kenaz threw himself upon the Amorites, and mowed down
forty-five thousand of them, and as many perished at the hands of their
own brethren, for God had sent the angel Gabriel (17) to his aid, and
he had struck the Amorites blind, so that they fell upon one another.
On account of the vigorous blows dealt by Kenaz on all sides, his sword
stuck to his hand. A fleeing Amorite, whom he stopped, to ask him how
to loose it, advised him to slay a Hebrew, and let his warm blood flow
over his hand. Kenaz accepted his advice, but only in part: instead of
a Hebrew, he slew the Amorite himself, and his blood freed his hand
from the sword. (18)
When Kenaz came back to his men, he found them sunk in profound sleep,
which had overtaken them that they might not see the wonders done for
their leader. They were not a little astonished, on awakening, to
behold the whole plain strewn with the dead bodies of the Amorites.
Then Kenaz said to them: "Are the ways of God like unto the ways of
man? Through me the Lord hath sent deliverance to this people. Arise
now and go back to your tents." The people recognized that a great
miracle had happened, and they said: "Now we know that God hath wrought
salvation for His people; He hath no need of numbers, but only of
holiness."
On his return from the campaign, Kenaz was received with great
rejoicing. The whole people now gave thanks to God for having put him
over them as their leader. They desired to know how he had won the
great victory. Kenaz only answered: "Ask those who were with me about
my deeds." His men were thus forced to confess that they knew nothing,
only, on awakening, they had seen the plain full of dead bodies,
without being able to account for their being there. Then Kenaz turned
to the thirty-seven men imprisoned, before he left for the war, for
having cast aspersions upon him. "Well," he said, "what charge have you
to make against me?" Seeing that death was inevitable, they confessed
they were of the sort of sinners whom Kenaz and the people had
executed, and God had now surrendered them to him on account of their
misdeeds. They, too, were burnt with fire.
Kenaz reigned for a period of fifty-seven years. When he felt his end
draw nigh, he summoned the two prophets, Phinehas and Jabez, (19)
together with the priest Phinehas, the son of Eleazar. To these he
spake: "I know the heart of this people, it will turn from following
after the Lord. Therefore do I testify against it." Phinehas, the son
of Eleazar, replied: "As Moses and Joshua testified, so do I testify
against it; for Moses and Joshua prophesied concerning the vineyard,
the beautiful planting of the Lord, which knew not who had planted it,
and did not recognize Him who cultivated it, so that the vineyard was
destroyed, and brought forth no fruit. These are the words my father
commanded me to say unto this people."
Kenaz broke out into loud wailing, and with him the elders and the
people, and they wept until eventide, saying: "Is it for the iniquity
of the sheep that the shepherd must perish? May the Lord have
compassion upon His inheritance that it may not work in vain."
The spirit of God descended upon Kenaz, and he beheld a vision. He
prophesied that this world would continue to exist only seven thousand
years, to be followed then by the Kingdom of Heaven. These words
spoken, the prophetical spirit departed from him, and he straightway
forgot what he had uttered during his vision. Before he passed away, he
spoke once more, saying: "If such be the rest which the righteous
obtain after their death, it were better for them to die than live in
this corrupt world and see its iniquities." (20)
As Kenaz left no male heirs, Zebul was appointed his successor. Mindful
of the great service Kenaz had performed for the nation, Zebul acted a
father's part toward the three unmarried daughters of his predecessor.
At his instance, the people assigned a rich marriage portion to each of
them; they were given great domains as their property. The oldest of
the three, Ethema by name, he married to Elizaphan; the second, Pheila,
to Odihel; and the youngest, Zilpah, to Doel.
Zebul, the judge, instituted a treasury at Shiloh. He bade the people
bring contributions, whether of gold or of silver. They were only to
take heed not to carry anything thither that had originally belonged to
an idol. His efforts were crowned with success. The free-will offerings
to the temple treasure amounted to twenty talents of gold and two
hundred and fifty talents of silver.
Zebul's reign lasted twenty-five years. Before his death he admonished
the people solemnly to be God-fearing and observant of the law. (21)