This Scarlet Cord

by Joan Wolf

  He reached out and took her into his arms. Rahab slid her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his shoulder. His lips touched her hair. He said, “I think Yahweh always meant for us to be together—that is why He arranged it that I should be the one to rescue you from the slavers, that I should be the one to bring you to Him. I truly believe that.”

  Rahab rubbed her cheek against the linen of his tunic and inhaled his scent. “I believe it too, Sala. I believe Yahweh is with me. I feel it in my heart.”

  “Look up,” he whispered.

  She raised her face and he kissed her. Her head fell back under the force of the kiss and he put his hand behind her head. Her arms tightened around his waist.

  Someone shouted loudly at the front of the house and they jumped apart. “Just as well,” Sala said, breathing hard. “You go to my head like wine and I lose all sense of what is right.”

  Rahab understood what he meant. Her knees were weak and she felt a little dizzy. She wanted his arms around her again to hold her up.

  “I must go,” he said. “I’ll be a little way down the street in the morning, to take the men to the gate when your father throws them out. If something should go wrong and you need me, I’ll be close by.”

  “All right.”

  He gave her a crooked smile. “I can’t kiss you again or I’ll never leave.”

  Her return smile was tremulous.

  He turned and began to climb down the ladder. Neither one of them said good-bye.

  Twenty-Eight

  THE FOLLOWING MORNING KING TAMUR WAS APPROACHED by his friend and closest counselor, Farut, while he was down at the stable behind the palace, looking at one of his chariot horses that had come up lame. The chariot horses were Tamur’s pride and joy, and he still took them out most days for a run. He dreaded to think of what it would be like trying to keep them exercised during a siege.

  His face was flushed from bending over when he turned to face Farut. “What is it?” His voice was testy. He didn’t like being interrupted when he was with his horses.

  “I am sorry to interrupt you, my lord, but some information has come to my attention that I think you should hear about immediately.”

  “And what is that?”

  “It’s been reported that two possible Israelite spies have been spotted in the city. Apparently they came in yesterday with a group of shepherds. The two were spotted in the Sign of the Olive wine bar, and one of the patrons, a merchant from Gaza, escorted them out because they were so clearly out of place. A guard stopped and spoke to the men as they were going down the street, but he let them pass because he knew the merchant. The next we heard of them was that they were seen at one of the inns in the Lower City.”

  “How do we know these men were spies?”

  “The guard said that they did not speak our language very well. In fact, they hardly spoke at all. Unfortunately, this didn’t seem to give him a clue that something might be amiss.”

  “Who was this merchant? Bring him in. It sounds as if he might be a spy as well.”

  “I am having him brought in, my lord. But meanwhile, we must trace these so-called shepherds.”

  “I want every available man combing the city for them. Try every inn, every wine bar, every shop. They must be hiding somewhere.”

  “Yes, my lord. I will pass the order immediately.”

  Lord Nahshon was having breakfast alone, Sala having gone to watch for Gideon and Isaac, when two palace guards came into the inn and asked him if he was the man who had taken the Israelite spies away from the Sign of the Olive the previous day.

  “Spies?” Nahshon looked at them in bewilderment. “What spies? What are you talking about?”

  “Are you the man who took away those so-called shepherds?” One of the guards leaned his face close to Nahshon’s in a distinctly threatening manner.

  “I removed two peasant men from a wine bar yesterday, yes. If they were spies I had no idea. They were just out of place in that particular company and I did everyone a favor by removing them.”

  “Come with us,” the guard said. “Some people at the palace want to talk to you.”

  Word raced around the town like wildfire. Two spies were loose in Jericho. They had come into the city with a group of shepherds yesterday and were in hiding somewhere. All good citizens were to keep watch for them. Anything out of the ordinary was to be reported at once to the military.

  When Sala heard this, he knew Gideon and Isaac could not possibly try to leave the city by the gate. Everyone going through would be thoroughly questioned—if they did not close the gate altogether.

  He had to let Rahab know.

  He did the only thing he could: he walked up to her house, opened the door, and stepped inside. He was surprised to find the front room empty but didn’t stop to wonder where all the family had gone. Instead he started toward the stairs. He put his foot on the first step, looked up, and saw Shemu coming down.

  “What are you doing here?” Shemu asked as he continued to descend.

  Sala remembered Rahab’s warning that Shemu suspected him of being a spy, but there was no time to invent another story. He would have to tell the truth. “I have a problem, Shemu. Can we go somewhere where we can speak privately?”

  Light steps sounded on the stairs and Rahab, followed by Atene, came into view. Rahab’s eyes were huge as she looked down at Sala. “Is something wrong?”

  Shemu’s eyes flicked from Sala’s face to Rahab’s, then back to Sala’s. “Come with me up to the roof,” he said. “We can be private there.”

  He pushed past Rahab and Atene and told them to stay below. The two girls ignored him and followed Sala up to the roof.

  The first thing Sala did was look to make sure Isaac and Gideon were hidden. The flax looked undisturbed and the rest of the roof was empty. He began to breathe easier.

  “Now,” Shemu said, crossing his arms and leaning his back against the mud brick wall, “tell me what is going on here.”

  The group of men who had made a habit out of standing across from Rahab’s house were talking about the rumor of spies being seen in the city when they saw Sala push open Rahab’s door and go in.

  “Didn’t we see some men just walk into that house yesterday?” said the heavyset man who was the group’s leader.

  One of the men, who had been chewing on a piece of wood he used as a tooth pick, said, “We did.”

  “And we didn’t see them come out, did we?”

  “No, we didn’t.”

  “And now this young man, who looks as if he is in a great hurry, does the same thing. I find that odd.”

  Murmurs of agreement came from the other men.

  The heavyset man continued, “No one has gone into that house except the family who lives there for as long as we’ve been watching. Who are these strangers?”

  One of the other men swallowed a date he had been eating and said, “Do you think this might have something to do with those spies the guards are looking for?”

  “Hmm,” the heavy man said pensively.

  “But why would Israelite spies go into Rahab’s house?” someone else asked. “They are good Canaanite people. They would never harbor a spy.”

  The fat man had had time to think. “The family may not know someone is hiding there. Remember, the house was empty when we saw the two men go in yesterday. Perhaps the spies are hiding somewhere inside without the family’s knowledge.”

  “They might have slipped out during the night when everyone was asleep,” the man with the stick said.

  All of the men continued to squint through the morning sun at the house across the street. Then the heavyset man said, “If we reported to the guards that we saw two mysterious men slip into Rahab’s house yesterday when it was empty, they will be sure to investigate. To do that properly, they will have to get all of the family out of the house so they can search it. If they do that, then we might get our chance to see Rahab.”

  “Aaahhhh.” It was a general murmur
of approval.

  A thin man said, “It will look well for us, too, if we show that we are on the alert for the spies. Even if they find nothing in the house, the guards will appreciate our trying to help.”

  “A true word,” said the man who was now chewing on a second date.

  “It certainly can’t do us any harm.”

  Unsaid, but recognized by all, was the fact that the excitement of a search would provide a good morning’s entertainment for them.

  “I’ll go to find a guard,” volunteered the man chewing on the stick. Everyone agreed.

  Having convinced themselves of the worthiness of their intentions, he set off while the rest of the men kept their eyes trained on Rahab’s door in case they saw the strangers come out.

  Up on the roof Shemu turned to Sala and demanded again, “What are you doing here? What made you walk into this house as if you belonged here?”

  Sala looked at Rahab. “I think you had better tell him.”

  “Yes.” Rahab turned to her brother, her face grave. “The first thing you must know, Shemu, is that I have become an Israelite. I no longer follow the false gods of Canaan, I worship the One True God, the God of the Israelites.”

  Shemu swung around to face Sala, his hands balled up into fists. “You have been filling her ears with your nonsense, and it will stop. Do you hear me? It will stop right now.”

  Sala stared back, his face expressionless.

  Shemu felt Atene’s hand on his sleeve. She looked up at him and said in the gentle voice that he loved, “I, too, have become an Israelite, my husband. I also have renounced the gods of Canaan to follow Elohim.”

  Shemu said in disbelief, “You told me once that you had prayed to this god, and I said nothing. But you cannot renounce your own gods, Atene. That means you are renouncing your own people!”

  She was standing straight, looking at him with clear, steady eyes. “I prayed to Elohim for a baby, Shemu.”

  Shemu’s heart clenched with pain. He knew how much she longed for a child and now that longing had driven her to pray to a false god. “Atene, it is not—”

  “Hear me, my husband.” She closed her hand around his sleeve. “Elohim listened to me. I am with child.”

  Shemu’s mouth dropped open.

  She smiled at his astonishment. “It’s true. I’m late with my flow and I’m never late—you know that as well as I. Elohim has given us a child, Shemu. He is the true God. I prayed to Lady Asherah for years and nothing happened. But now”—her whole face lit with joy—“we are going to have a baby!”

  He reached out and took her into his arms. Over her head he stared at Sala and the message in his eyes was clear. If this isn’t true, if Atene is disappointed, I will kill you with my own hands.

  He heard Rahab say, “It’s true, Shemu. When I was made the hierodule I prayed to Elohim to save me, and He did. The king died in the bed before he could do anything to me. He just died, Shemu! Elohim did that to save me. I know He did.”

  This was all becoming a bit much for Shemu to take in. His wife and his sister secret Israelites? He went back to the one question he hadn’t gotten an answer to. “So what is Sala doing here?”

  Atene, who didn’t know the answer, turned in Shemu’s arms so she could see Rahab. Rahab said to Sala, “We have to tell him.”

  Sala looked grim. Shemu’s arms dropped away from his wife and he faced Sala. “If this has anything to do with my wife or my sister, then you had better tell me. Are you and your father Israelite spies, Sala? Is that what this is all about?”

  It was Rahab who answered his question. “It’s not Sala who is the spy, Shemu, but—”

  Suddenly Shemu knew. He had been out earlier and heard all the rumors about the spies. “Those spies everyone is looking for. That is what you are here about, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Sala said.

  “You know where they are?”

  Sala looked at Rahab.

  Rahab said, “They are right here on this roof, Shemu. Hiding under the flax.”

  Shemu felt the color drain from his face. “Here? Now?”

  “Yes.”

  He looked at his sister. “How did this happen?”

  “They slipped in yesterday while everyone was over at Uncle Ilim’s. Sala found me and told me about it and I said they could stay the night. They are supposed to leave this morning—”

  Sala cut in, “But now they can’t. Somehow word got out about them and the guards are looking for them. The gates have been closed for the day.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Rahab said. She pursed her lips. “Well, I suppose they will just have to remain here until the gate opens again.”

  “Absolutely not!” Shemu said. “I don’t care what happens to them. I want them out of this house now.”

  The door from the stairway opened and Shemu’s brother Mattan stepped onto the roof. “Here you are. We’ve been looking for the three of you. You won’t believe this, but four guards have come to the door and said they had a report that the Israelite spies had entered this house yesterday. They want us all to leave so they can search.”

  Sala looked at Shemu and said, “It certainly wouldn’t look good if spies were found here, would it?”

  Shemu gave him a hard look in return. It would look terrible if the spies were found here, as Sala well knew. Shemu had no choice right now but to protect them.

  Rahab said to Mattan, “Who could have made such a report?”

  “The guards won’t say, but Father suspects it is those hyenas who hang around across the street. They will do anything to get a look at you.”

  “Did Father tell that to the guards?”

  “He did, but they said they have to search anyway.”

  Shemu looked at Sala again. “Very well. I suppose we had better let them do it, then.”

  “Yes, I think that would be best.”

  As they headed toward the door, Mattan lowered his voice and said to Shemu, “What is he doing here?”

  “He came to see me on business,” Shemu returned, and the five of them went down the stairs and out onto the street so their house could be searched by the Jericho military guard.

  Twenty-Nine

  THE MEN ACROSS THE STREET WERE THRILLED WHEN they saw the guards go into Rahab’s house. Word had spread quickly and by the time the family came filing out of the house onto the street, an even bigger crowd had gathered. For one delicious moment the hopeful men caught a glimpse of Rahab as she turned her face toward them and gave them a furious glare.

  “She’s gorgeous!”

  “Magnificent!”

  “More beautiful than I ever imagined!”

  A chorus of ecstasy poured out of their throats. Then Rahab’s father hustled her into the house next door and came back out alone, shaking his fist at the gathered group.

  The men didn’t even care when the guards came out of Rahab’s house empty-handed. They had gotten what they were waiting for, a glimpse of the most beautiful woman in Canaan. Something to share with their mates at the wine shop.

  One of the guards crossed the street to speak to them as Rahab’s family began to return into their house.

  Yes, they said, they were certain they had seen two men enter the house yesterday when the family was next door at a party. No, they had not seen them go out.

  The guard recrossed the street and spoke to his companions. Then they knocked on the door of Rahab’s house once more.

  Rahab had been thinking furiously all the time the guards were searching and she had come to the conclusion that the spies would never be able to get away unless the search for them was called off. And the only way to make the search cease was for the guards to think the spies had already escaped. So when the guards came back into the house to ask once again if anyone in the family knew something about the two men who had been reported, Rahab stepped forward.

  “I think I know who you must be looking for,” she said.

  Stunned silence greeted her admission.


  She gave the guards an apologetic smile. “My brothers rushed me out of the house so quickly just now that I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

  “Tell us what, lady?” the largest guard said deferentially.

  She gave her father an apologetic glance before she answered. “I came back into our house yesterday during the party. I wanted to get something to show to one of my cousins, and I found two men in my mother’s kitchen.”

  Kata gave a horrified moan.

  Mepu cried, “Why did you never tell me this?”

  Shemu looked grim.

  Rahab said, “I’m sorry, Papa, but I didn’t want to worry you.” She turned back to the guards. “I was frightened when I saw them and I asked them what they were doing in my family’s house. They said they had come in to see if they could find something to eat, that they were hungry.”

  The big guard asked eagerly, “How did they speak? Did they sound foreign?”

  “Yes, they did. They had such thick accents that I could hardly understand them. But so many strangers are coming into the city these days that I didn’t think too much about it.”

  She gave them a big-eyed, pleading look, an innocent girl who could be easily duped by cunning men.

  “You should have left the house immediately and come to tell me,” Mepu said angrily.

  “But they did me no harm, Papa. I gave them something to eat because they said they were going on a journey and then they left.”

  “That was wrong of you,” Mepu said.

  Another big-eyed look from Rahab. “But, Papa, you always say hospitality is sacred.”

  The big guard said, “Did they say what kind of journey they were going on?”

  “They were in a hurry to get out of the city before the gate closed for the night. They didn’t say where they were going.”

  “And you didn’t think to ask?” the guard asked with audible exasperation.

  Rahab looked down and her voice became even huskier than usual. “I am sorry. I was only trying to be kind. Do you think these may be the men you are looking for?”