THE JUDGES OF ISRAEL, 113

death, was false and treacherous. Though Deborah, in
speaking of this action, says,—“ Blessed above women
shall be Jael, the wife of Heber, the Kenite;” still we
need not understand that as intimating that the action
itself was right, but rather that those who had suffered
from the oppression of Sisera would load with approba-
tion the woman who had taken his life. It is not
always those actions that are best in themselves that are
most praised by the world; it bestows its loudest ap-
proval on those which are most fortunate in their results.

Marianne. I think Jael was very wicked, the worst
woman I ever heard of.

Grandfather. We must not judge too severely
of her, Marianne ; when we think the conduct of any
one deserving of blame, we ought always to take into
view those circumstances which may make the blame
appear less. There is little doubt that Jael was an
Israelite at heart, looking on them as the peculiar people
of the God whom she worshipped. She thought what
was done for them was right; what was done against
them was wrong. She wished that Sisera might be
conquered ; but when she saw that proud general of the
Canaanites a miserable fugitive, it may have been pity
alone that impelled her to offer him protection, for if she -
did not take him in, his death was certain. She took
him in and treated him kindly ; but when he asked her
to tell a falsehood, she may have thought it no longer
necessary to keep faith with him. In this she was
wrong, for the sins of others can never excuse our own.

I