Hilltop Dawn in Hebron
/
The boy steps out to crest the hill,
To view the reaching rays
Of sunlight slowly streaming forth,
Revealing lands through haze.
The young lad's home is at his back,
The place where the Hittite
Made covenant with Abraham,
For Sarah's burying-site.
/
The Rephaim, he'd heard men say,
The three sons of Anak,
Once dwelt here, fearsome giants three,
'Til Caleb drove them back.
And here also the Hebrew tribes
Sent forth their elders wise,
To make the son of Jesse king,
The people to unite.
/
Out eastward lies the Sea of Death,
Where not one fish by far,
Swims in its sullen, briny depths
Where brim-stoned cities are.
And further east live Lot's offspring,
Both Moab and Ammon,
And then Mesopotamia,
Of fabled Babylon.
/
And southward lies the great Negev,
That long expanse of sands,
Through which Edom and Midian
Go streaming forth by bands.
More distant still the lands of Ham,
Of Mizraim and Cush,
Whose mighty works of hand are fed,
By Nile's mighty rush.
/
Now westward lies the Shephelah,
The coastal plain so rich,
Abundant harvest can provide
Both man and beast no lack.
And thither that way also dwell,
The Philistine lords five,
With strength of men, and strength of iron,
And chariots to strive.
/
But northward lies Jerusalem,
The City called Kadesh,
The blessed place where 'mid his cares,
King David may refresh.
His dealings with Aram and Tyre
May fail when trouble's nigh,
But greater still is He whose strength
Gives succour from on High.
/
The boy sets forth to do his work,
Though day may bring forth heat;
It matters not what future holds,
His tasks he must complete.
For here in Hebron, place of old,
The lad will rest in mind,
That Hashem's will that He foretold
Will come to pass in time.
A/N:
"Hashem": literally, "The Name" in Hebrew