Tis not thy ungrateful friends alone implore thee Thy country’s voice proclaims thee as her chief. Not against thee alone our elders sin’d Our ungrateful hearts forgot the Rock of Ages His great deliverance and his boundless blessings All, all ne’er made our stubborn hearts obey Fill his just vengeance, clothe the land in mourning Then by our humble prayers and deep repentance We sought his pardon and obtained forgiveness. His gracious voice is heard again in Israel For not like man the Almighty holds resentment How can weak man whose virtues all are frail To near approach his Heavenly Maker’s image As by kind mercy delegate of heaven Who bids us pardon even our enemies. JEPHTHAH. Should I return would you indeed prove true Is no conceal’d no treacherous snare employ’d To work my ruin by my envious foes. PEDAZAR. No treachery believe me waits thy steps Dost thou think so meanly of Pedazar’s heart As to suspect he would join in bare deceit To work the ruin of his bitterest foe Much less the man once rank’d among his friends. JEPHTHAH. Pedazar pray forgive my unjust suspicions My former fortunes render me distrustful And if the Lord give Ammon to my hands Shall I retain my place as Israel’s judge Swear that ye will not drive me again to exile. ELZAPHAN. Here in our country’s name we solemn swear And call heaven’s thunders to attest the oath That Jephthah’s chosen judge of Israel To rule in peace and war with equal sway And may heaven’s vengeance blast the guilty wretch Who dares oppose what Israel has decreed. PEDAZAR. Come let us haste, the expectant army waits With keen impatience for their gallant leader And Israel’s prayers attend us to the field. JEPHTHAH. Go tell our warriors Jephthah soon will join them And while life’s current warms this heart to action Ammon shall feel the fury of this arm. (_Exit_ ELZAPHAN _and_ PEDAZAR.) JEPHTHAH. Great God, if thou indeed wilt crown my arms With wish’d success against our impious foe And make ungrateful Israel feel my wrongs Then will I offer on thy altar, Lord What e’er comes first from out my house to meet me To hail my joyful conquest o’er the foe Ammon destroyed and Israel bless’d with peace. (_End of the first act._) [Illustration: