by Brian Godawa
And then all was silent.
Alyun waited for something to happen. But nothing did.
He turned to Jebir and remarked, “Well this really takes the dessert for the most mentally deranged people I have ever seen.”
The Jericho defenders began to laugh.
Others began to dance silly dances like children or insane people.
Jebir enjoyed the mockery.
But then a rumble in the earth stopped him.
It stopped all of them.
It started low at first, as if only a sound.
But it increased to the point of causing wooden structures all around the city to shake.
Then it became an enduring quake of large magnitude.
The very walls they were standing on began to shake back and forth with such force that the soldiers could barely steady themselves.
And then the ground in the center of the city split in half and a massive wave of energy swept over the city.
Large portions of the outer walls of Jericho just crumbled to the ground like sandcastles in a desert wind.
The inner wall was the second to fall under the wave. A large part of it tumbled over and crushed houses and inhabitants.
Alyun, Jebir, and their guards were on part of that tumbling wall. They fell to the ground thirty feet below in a pile of dust and rubble.
• • • • •
The Israelites were as shocked as the inhabitants of the city. They did not anticipate such a spectacular act of their god. Their faith was amazingly weak.
But the commanders sallied forth with charges and the forces stormed the fort.
They climbed over the rocky rubble and broke into the city fighting the stunned soldiers that had not been crushed in the earthquake.
It would be over quickly.
Caleb and Salmon swiftly made their way to the north of the city where Rahab’s house was. They had prayed that hers was not a part of the wall that had collapsed.
Othniel, who had distinguished himself at the battle of Jahaz by killing King Sihon, had a penchant for taking out leaders, so he led a platoon of men toward the crumbled palace walls to seek out the commander of the fort.
• • • • •
Jebir had landed on top of one of the Anakim in the fall of their wall. The giant had cushioned his fall and had left him miraculously unscathed. The Anakite however was barely alive from being bashed on sharp rock edges.
Jebir searched through the dust coughing, trying to find his king. There were a couple other of the Anakim bodyguards unhurt in the fall, as they had tumbled free of the crushing rocks.
And then he found Alyun. He was alive, but he was badly wounded. His legs were under a boulder and he was covered in debris.
He crouched to his side.
“Alyun, my commander.”
Alyun was delirious. Jebir could see immediately that he would not be of any help to the defense of the fort. So he did what he was prepared to do in such a fortuitous situation; he looked around to make sure no one was looking. Then he picked up a large rock and crushed his commander’s skull with one swift blow.
Alyun’s body quivered with death spasms.
Jebir got up and brushed himself off. He found his weapon and turned to see the two Anakim guards that had survived approaching him.
“Alyun has died under the rubble. I am the new commander of the fort.”
They bowed in respect as Jebir looked out onto the devastation below. The Israelites were pouring in like water through a broken dam, killing everything in their wake.
Jebir knew it was all over.
He even noticed a band of Israelites heading straight for their position. He didn’t know this was Othniel, the king killer. But he knew enough to get the Sheol out of there.
He had one last concern before escaping the city. He turned to the Anakim and ordered them, “Follow me to the red district!”
He had considered the fact that if Rahab was alive, she would no doubt be spared as spoils for the pleasures of the plunderers. But his obsession with her had become so all-consuming, that he could not think of losing her any longer. A tragedy had granted him the authority he wanted to attain his desire. But he would probably never be allowed to enjoy it because of these damned Habiru.
He concluded that if he could not have Rahab, then no one would.
• • • • •
Caleb and Salmon had found their way through the rubble and various skirmishes to the north quarter of the city. They brought along several other soldiers to help them.
When they got there, they saw that the sections of the wall that held did indeed include Rahab’s inn. Yahweh’s providential care should not have surprised him. Her scarlet rope was now hanging out the front window marking her location like the blood of Passover on the doorposts.
They rushed in and found Rahab with her family waiting with their sacks to leave.
Caleb said, “Let us get out of here.”
“Wait!” said Rahab. “Where is Yasha? Has anyone seen Yasha?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Did anyone check her room?”
Baraket barked, “We all rushed down here like you said.”
Rahab rushed back up the broken down stairwell. The inn did not fall under the earthquake, but it had been shaken apart badly.
Caleb told one of the soldiers, “Bring these family members out to safety beyond the walls. We will meet you.”
He turned to Salmon, “Keep watch,” and he bolted after Rahab to help her find her little sister.
He found Yasha’s room where Rahab was nursing an unconscious Yasha.
“She was knocked out by falling debris in the earthquake. I think she is okay.”
Yasha began to come to.
Rahab looked at Caleb, “Did Yahweh do this? Did he collapse the walls?”
Caleb smiled, “With the snap of his fingers.”
Rahab said, “I guess I chose the right god to follow after all.”
“No, I think he chose you, Rahab.”
The look in his eyes shook her to her core. What kind of a god would choose me?
Yasha awakened in Rahab’s arms.
“Come, little sister, it is time we go home.”
They were interrupted by a shout from below, “CALEB!”
Caleb rushed out to find Salmon at the bottom of the stairs with his back against a wall—and two Anakim soldiers, about nine feet tall each with swords drawn facing him. At the doorway was Jebir who recognized Caleb and Salmon with a satisfied look.
Caleb leapt off the balcony and grabbed the decorative drapery hanging against the wall. He judged correctly. The drapery could not hold his weight and it ripped, dropping him easily to the ground next to Salmon.
The Anakim attacked.
Their huge weapons came down simultaneously with massive power.
Caleb and Salmon rolled out of the way.
The counter was crushed into splinters.
The Anakite that went after Caleb had an iron war hammer. And he was furious and relentless. He was too fast for Caleb to get his whip sword out and extend it for a strike. He was too busy ducking and dodging and rolling out of the way of the monstrous pounding hammer shattering everything in its path into fragments.
The Anakite that went after Salmon had a sword. Fortunately for Salmon, he had confiscated an iron sword from the battle at Edrei; otherwise his old bronze sickle sword would have been broken in half by now under the force of the Anakite’s flurry of blows.
Salmon was an excellent swordsman. He had won plenty of contests in the Israelite camp sparring with his fellow warriors. But this was no friendly Israelite. This was a screaming mad Anakite that was one and a half times his height and twice his weight.
But he was not as good of a swordsman. Salmon immediately found his weakness. He was left-handed and he repeated the same crisscross slash pattern as he hacked at his small foe. Salmon could predict his behavior.
Caleb rolled out of the way as a
hammer blow broke a hole in the floor. It took a second for the Anakite to wrest the hammer from the splintered floorboards, which was all the time Caleb needed to roll out his whip sword, Rahab.
But it was not quite enough time, because the giant pulled it out and without even looking, immediately swung around expecting Caleb to be there. The hammer came in contact with a main pole holding the building. Caleb was next to that pole. He went flying and hit the floor tumbling. His sword was no longer in his hands. It was by the pole. The wood and debris began to fall down upon them all.
Salmon found his opportunity and followed his opponent’s swing until he knew his moment to strike. And he did, piercing the giant through the stomach. He screamed and backed up.
Salmon did not anticipate that his strike, since it did not kill his enemy, would only make him angrier. The Anakite unleashed a fury of blows that Salmon could barely keep up with. His arm could not hold up. The hits had worn him down.
At last the sword flew from his hands and he was up against the wall again, but this time unarmed before his towering menace.
The Anakite smirked with satisfaction and swung his blade to cut Salmon in half.
But before he could, a serpent wrapped around his arm—that is, a serpent blade—and sliced his arm off. The sword fell to the ground in a clatter.
Salmon rolled, picked up his blade, and jumped upon the monster, jamming it into his sternum and up into his heart. No mistakes this time.
The Anakite was dead.
He looked up to see Caleb with his whip sword in one hand and the head of the hammer Anakite in his other.
They were trying to catch their breaths. Their fight had exhausted them both.
Rahab’s scream drew their attention to the bottom of the staircase.
Jebir held Rahab from behind with his sword to her throat.
He would have killed her immediately, but then he would have to fight his way through the two warriors who just slaughtered his Anakim, which was not a hopeful possibility. If he could just get to the doorway he could escape.
“Back away!” he yelled.
Caleb and Salmon did not move.
“I said back away!”
They started to move backward, but slowly.
Rahab had one hand free. She slipped it beneath her own robe to pull the secret dagger she kept.
But before she could do anything with it, Jebir saw it and knocked it out of her hands to the floor.
He inched his way toward the door, watching the Israelites like a hawk.
A few more feet, and he would cut her throat and run into the streets.
Caleb stepped forward.
Jebir tightened his grip on Rahab and stopped.
Caleb’s hand tensed on his blade. The son of perdition was too far away. His blade would not reach.
Salmon could not throw his sword because Rahab was in front of Jebir.
They were not going to be able to stop him.
And they did not realize that he was going to kill her anyway.
He reached the doorway and smiled.
But instead of cutting Rahab’s throat, he gritted his teeth in pain, released Rahab, and dropped his sword, trying to reach behind his back.
Behind him was the small and stealthy young Yasha, Rahab’s sister. Jebir had completely forgotten about her. She had picked up Rahab’s dagger and slipped behind Jebir to the doorway, so that when he got there, she jammed the blade into his rib cage, puncturing his lung from behind.
Jebir fell to his knees.
Yasha cried in horror at what she had done.
Salmon and Caleb ran to help Rahab.
But Rahab was fast enough. She pulled the dagger out of his back and heard a gush of wind collapse his lung. He gasped for air.
She pulled his head back by his hair so he could see her face.
She said, “I should have known you would try, you Canaanite piece of filth,” and cut through his throat.
But she had surprised herself. She had called him a Canaanite, as if she were not one. She had already begun to see herself as one of these Habiru.
Salmon reached her and they hugged with desperation for her safety.
Yasha was frozen in horror at what she had done. She did not believe she could do such a thing. But when her beloved sister was in danger, she just reacted without thinking.
Caleb held Yasha. She burst out in tears into his shoulder. She shook like another earthquake was hitting her, but Caleb held her tight until she calmed in his strong arms.
He led her gently outside.
They could see that the battle was already over. The Israelites had captured the city and were going throughout the streets finishing off the stragglers and fighters who refused to give up.
The commander’s palace was already in flames. They would burn the entire place to the ground.
Salmon held Rahab. “Fear not, Rahab. Your family is safe outside the walls.”
“Thank you,” she said to Caleb. “Thank you so much for keeping your promise.”
Caleb just nodded silently. He envied Salmon for his close attendance to Rahab.
He saw Rahab look up at Salmon with a tenderness that disclosed their intimacy, and he knew he could never have her.
“Salmon,” said Rahab, “I bear your child.”
Chapter 39
Jericho was a smoldering pile of ashes and ruins. The Israelite soldiers were celebrating the victory of Yahweh throughout the camp. Much wine and beer was being consumed. The spoils of war were taken back to Gilgal where they would be purified and given to the treasury.
Salmon and Caleb led Rahab and her family toward the Commander’s tent to meet Joshua.
Rahab was trembling with anxiety. She knew he would hold her fate in his hands. And she knew he was the one who communed with the god Yahweh. What would he say? Would he see through her and into her damaged soul so full of evil? She prayed silently to Yahweh to be merciful to her family if not to her.
But on the way, they passed a small group of refugees herded into their own area.
She said, “Salmon, wait.”
Caleb and Salmon stopped to watch Rahab walk over to the group.
Caleb said, “We best not keep the Commander waiting.”
Salmon went to see what Rahab was doing.
He noticed a young girl about thirteen years old standing out from the crowd staring at Rahab. She was dressed in rags from traveling and was unkempt. Salmon thought of a little wild jackrabbit at her sight.
Rahab said, “Donatiya? Donatiya, is that you?”
The girl was crying and nodding her head.
Rahab ran and embraced her. They hugged desperately and Rahab crouched down to her height.
“I am so happy to see you again,” said Rahab. “How did you arrive here?”
A lot of traveling around Canaan,” she replied.
Salmon stepped up to them.
Rahab said, “Salmon, this is Donatiya. I met her months ago after Israel had taken the Transjordan. She was with a group of refugees who passed through Jericho.”
Of course, Rahab would never mention the other part of that experience: the sorceress who recognized her and recalled the prophecy about her—before being killed by Rahab.
“Hello, Donatiya,” said Salmon.
She looked away without response.
Salmon smiled. “Shy, are you?”
Rahab said, “I want to take her with me. I want her to be my maidservant. Would you like that, Donatiya? Would you like to live with me?”
Donatiya’s eyes lit up.
“I do not know,” said Salmon. “We cannot just assimilate foreigners beyond your family.”
“I will adopt her.”
Salmon sighed.
Donatiya said, “I heard the sorceress that night.”
Salmon’s ears perked up.
Donatiya continued, “The night you visited us outside the city walls.”
Rahab tried to avoid what was coming, “That was a long time ago, de
ar.”
“What did the sorceress say?” said Salmon, jumping in.
Rahab said, “Just some babbling craziness.”
Donatiya would not stop. “She said that your womb would birth a great and mighty warrior, whose kingdom would overthrow all kingdoms.”
“That is not right, Donatiya,” said Rahab. “You misheard her.”
Donatiya would not fight back. She hung her head in submission. “I am sorry.”
Salmon however was intrigued. “You said she was a sorceress?”
Rahab said in a hushed tone to Donatiya, “Do not speak of this again.”
Salmon said, “Was it a prophecy?”
She stood up and pulled Salmon out of her earshot. “Salmon, think about it. I am a common prostitute. I am a vile and corrupted vessel. Do you really think Yahweh would choose my womb to birth anything noble? I do not want to speak any more of this nonsense.”
Salmon stared into her eyes. He was heartbroken. She really did feel that she was worthless.
“Rahab,” he said, “marry me.”
She kept staring into his bold courageous eyes. Her own filled with tears. She felt uncharacteristically weak. But Salmon held her.
Rahab whispered to him, “I am unclean. You do not want me.”
“I will be the judge of my desires, woman. And you can be made clean.”
She could not speak.
He added, “You carry my child, and according to Yahweh’s law, I am required to marry you, so try to get out of that one.”
He gave her a big loving smile.
She finally smiled back.
They kissed deeply.
Donatiya scrunched her face, closed tight her eyes, and muttered, “Ewwwwww.”
• • • • •
Joshua was consulting with his war counselors when Caleb’s voice brought him to attention.
He turned to see Caleb and Salmon in the tent. And between them was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It actually stirred within him something he had not felt in many years since the loss of his beloved Hasina.
Caleb said, “Commander Joshua ben Nun, I introduce you to Rahab of Jericho.”
