Jael

You give me no sword for the battle;
you give me no shield from the foe.
You leave me at home with a hammer;
you leave me with nowhere to go.

You say, make the home and then fill it;
prepare for the victors a feast,
for God will be praised in his temple
when all of our battles have ceased.

I stay, but the battle comes to me;
I wield then the work of the home,
for even here evil pursues me.
O God, must I fight it alone?

My enemy lies on the hearthrug
and bids me to wrap him in lies.
Shall I make the home and secure it
when evil within it yet hides?

If all that I have is a hammer,
and all that I have is a nail,
I praise God with all that I have, then,
and offer the worship of Jael.

So God will be praised in his temple,
and God will be praised in the home,
and I will do all I am able
to keep it 'til victory comes.

Jael and Sisera, by Artemisia Gentileschi – Web Gallery of Art:   Image  Info about artwork, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=775068