Sereb waved his hands as if dismissing Eliab. “False accusations.”
“My father would not lie.” Eliab’s shoulders snapped back as if he was ready to strike Sereb. “Elders from Judah told my father to go to the feast in Shiloh.”
“Onan, dismiss this babble. What elder in Judah would encourage such insult? We are not fools.” Sereb settled onto his wooden throne.
The crooked-back servant brushed by her without a glance and grabbed Onan’s braided belt. “Son, do not pass judgment on the Benjamite.”
Son?
“Why not?” Onan questioned.
The old servant pulled on his tapered beard. “For it may have come from my lips.”
“My father insisted the plan came from an elder of Judah,” Eliab said.
Onan straightened. “My father-in-law, Hamul, is an elder of Judah.”
The gray-haired elder scuffled toward Sereb. “I have not broken any laws,” Hamul stammered. “I planted the seed for a new beginning and my idea bore fruit for this Benjamite. He took a dancer and has found a wife.” Her former taskmaster turned and pointed at her. “She is here among us.”
Gasps and mutterings swept through the courtyard. Bystanders moved in unison to gawk at her, the stolen dancer.
Sweat trickled down the side of her face. She tried to smile, but her lips quivered, and she feared she resembled a braying donkey.
“Is this Benjamite your husband?” Onan asked, loud enough for all of Bethlehem to hear.
If she wanted to go home, home to stay, this was her chance, for she stood among elders of one of Israel’s tribes, and they would see to her safe return. Tears welled in her eyes. Her past evaporated like water in the desert, but her future brightened before her eyes. A future of her own choosing with a man she desired.
What would her family say if they heard her declaration? Would they want to see her if they knew she had testified to being a Benjamite’s wife? Would they acknowledge her children? Eliab’s seed?
She envisioned the campfire in Shiloh, the booths, the girls. If Eliab sat before her, would she have given him her attention? She had never met anyone like Eliab. And she never would again, for he had spoiled her for another man. No man could take his place in her heart.
A stuttered breath shook her whole being. Naomi swallowed the lump choking her throat. “He is my husband.”
Her gaze met Eliab’s. He joined her, taking her hand in a show of support.
A desire deep in her gut filled her with hope and calmed her racing heart. “I once was an Ephraimite, but now I am a wife of a Benjamite, and I beg you to save my people from destruction.” She looked over the women huddled around her. “Let us pray for Benjamin and no more bloodshed.”
“Unless it’s a Benjamite’s,” a man shouted.
Something hard struck her cheek. A stone dropped to the ground as pain radiated through her jaw.
Eliab pulled her behind him. Onan and Hamul flanked his sides.
“These visitors are under my protection,” Onan bellowed.
Holding her face, she began to pray, “Hear, O Israel. The Lord is our God. The Lord alone.”
Thankfully, those around her joined in reciting the Shema. Onan’s deep voice wailed loudest.
Sereb, who had flown off his chair, had to stop and finish the prayer.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.”
Naomi closed her eyes to keep from weeping, for a young shepherd and a younger weaver had finally found an ally from the tribe of Judah.
21
Onan led her, Eliab, and a procession of elders to his domain. She prayed Onan would be able to convince the other leaders to send an army to Gibeah and answer Berek’s call.
A woman, not as tall as Cuzbi but dressed in fine tapestry with gold bracelets to spare, shadowed Naomi’s every step. She glanced to see if the woman held rocks. Her jaw ached from the pelt in the courtyard.
“So you are with the Benjamite that brings another war to my doorstep?” The woman matched Naomi’s stride, turned, and walked with her back to the men.
The hair on Naomi’s arms rose as if carded. Would this woman attack her like Sereb’s wife? She clenched her fists to ward off an assault.
“There will not be a battle if Judah comes and speaks for Benjamin.” Naomi’s cheeks grew warm. Where was the compassion for the weak? How many times did she and Eliab have to beg for help? “We need the tribes from the north to think Judah will fight on our behalf. They will expect Judah to remain true to its reputation as having the best warriors.” Naomi’s voice quivered as she thought of Jael and Cuzbi hidden in Isa’s dwelling. “I am tired of mourning the dead. This time, we may save lives and a remnant in Benjamin.”
The woman grabbed Naomi’s hand.
Naomi flinched. She cast a glance at Eliab, but he was deep in conversation.
“Do not be afraid,” the woman said. “Follow me around to the side of the house. My servants will need water to wash all these regal feet.” She tugged Naomi into an alley and led her through a courtyard and a set of wooden doors. Crossing the threshold, the woman called out instructions to two girls sweeping the entry.
“You are Onan’s wife?” Naomi asked, catching her breath from the unplanned dash.
“And Hamul’s daughter, Abigail. You met my father this morning. It seems he is to blame for the schemes in Shiloh.”
Abigail sauntered down a hallway and paraded into the living room.
Onan greeted his wife.
Young girls with hair as black as Abigail’s came with jugs of water to assist the servants in washing the feet of the elders.
Naomi stayed in the hall. Her heart could not take another confrontation with Sereb.
Eliab sought her out. “You are safe here. Onan understands what we need.” He swept a thumb under her cheekbone and scowled when he inspected the skin below her brow. “I will not let you be struck again.”
She knew Eliab meant well, but he was one man against many. No matter how much he desired to, he could not protect her from all harm. She stilled his hand. “I will heal as you are healing. Now you must convince the elders to give us an army and we can go back to East Gibeah and be safe in our own home.”
“I shall do my best for God and for you.” Hidden from view, he casually caressed her arm. “Seeing Onan and his family makes me want to start my own.”
His touch was like a drink of cool water soothing her stomach and enlivening her soul. She tucked the lingering sensation into her memory. Soon he would not have to stop after one stroke. “We will be together when Gibeah is safe and my tribe returns to their fields.”
“I will hold you to your word.” Eliab turned and joined the elders.
What would her wedding night be like? Her mother was not near to prepare her for marriage. And she did not want an encounter like Cuzbi’s.
The slap of sandals brought her back to the trouble at hand.
Abigail approached. “I do not know what possessed my father to send the Benjamites into Ephraim’s vineyards, but the deception does not seem to have cast empty nets.” Abigail raised her sculpted black eyebrows. “Unless there is a vengeful betrothed lying wait beyond Gibeah’s borders, it would seem you are content with your husband.”
Naomi shook her head and then thought better of it as pain settled into her cheek. “My father had not arranged a marriage. And I know of two other girls content to stay with their Benjamites…I mean, husbands.”
“Perhaps my father isn’t as foolish as others say. You spoke forthright during prayer and that kind of strength comes from the heart.”
And fright. “I spoke my story.”
“Indeed.” Abigail ushered Naomi into a room for cooking. “Help me with this bread. Sundown on the Sabbath waits for no woman. And we will have soldiers to feed.”
“Then you believe Onan will raise an army?” Naomi sat beside a basket of flour and measured grain, thankful for the privacy of the side walls and
the view of the clear sky.
“That is to be seen, but my husband is headstrong, and I can tell he is considering your cause.” Abigail called to her daughters while she placed a stone on the fire.
When the girls arrived, Abigail set them to the chore of baking bread and motioned for Naomi to follow. Slipping off her sandals, Abigail indicated for Naomi to do the same.
“Come with me,” Abigail said with a tug on Naomi’s sleeve.
Naomi tensed as they passed the elders’ meeting room. Sereb’s ranting, though muffled, brought back visions of flying pottery.
Abigail eased open a door. “It is a small pantry,” she whispered. “If we press our ears to the stone, we can hear the discussion.”
“Is this not dishonest?” What would Onan or Eliab say if they caught them eavesdropping?
Abigail pushed Naomi forward. “I accept that my husband fights for Judah, but I do not want to be caught unaware. I need time to meditate on his decisions.”
A basket of bean pods took up the corner, so Naomi wedged herself close to the wall and inwardly welcomed the flow of words seeping through the stone.
Sereb’s accusations came forth.
“How do I know the men left in Gibeah have repented of their vile ways? My people fought bravely for two days before God gave us victory. We suffered more than most tribes.”
“My father upholds the laws of Moses.” Eliab’s voice held steady. “The remnant in Gibeah follows God’s commandments.”
“But your father ruled Benjamin before the war?”
Naomi stiffened at Onan’s questioning of Berek’s authority. She prayed for Eliab to remain calm.
“Yes, and he tried to rid the city of false gods. Too many men had turned from the truth. We are not the first tribe to be overrun with idols.”
“And you won’t be the last,” Onan remarked. “Have we not struggled with foreigners bringing images of their gods into Bethlehem?”
“Nonsense,” Sereb shouted louder than a ram’s horn. She and Abigail drew back from the wall. “Our elders have stayed true to our ways and our God.”
“Fool, we are not perfect.” Hamul must have been pacing, for his chastisement waned, then grew louder. “The oath our people took left Benjamin with no hope of wives.”
“That is why you recommended stealing the virgins?” The question came from an unknown elder.
“What better way around the vow than to steal?” Hamul’s answer held no hint of humor.
“Well, they are not virgins now,” someone said.
“Judah will not pay one shekel of a bride price to Ephraim. The women are worth nothing.”
Abigail shook her head at Sereb’s statement. Naomi balled a fist, wishing she could strike Sereb for his insult.
“The women are worth everything.”
She knew that voice. A flutter of pride filled her chest.
“The girls of Shiloh are our wives. Some are with child by now. We cannot send them back to face a life of shame. They are part of our families.”
“Only a harlot would accept a union with a Benjamite.”
“Sereb!” Onan snapped.
Naomi covered her mouth lest she answer through the wall. Abigail stroked Naomi’s arm. Her wide eyes showed her disbelief at the insult.
“My wife is as honorable as any woman in Judah. She did not rush into my bed. You heard her plea for forgiveness in the place of prayer. She is a godly woman who prays for peace.”
Eliab’s praise whipped her heart into a frenzy. She worried the men would hear the pounding and discover her hiding place.
“Who are we to decide this matter? Shall we not seek the high priest?” a stranger asked.
“We have no time.” Eliab’s tone grew urgent. “Send an envoy north, and when they return, Benjamin will be destroyed. A distant memory.”
“A bad one.”
Could Sereb not reason for the good of Abraham’s descendants for one moment?
A stomp echoed through the meeting room.
“I will raise an army to protect Gibeah.” No fear of fight rang in Onan’s declaration. Naomi glanced at Abigail. Onan’s wife rested her forehead against the stone, her mouth mumbling a petition to God.
“You may ride out to my kin, but I will stay here.”
At least they had some support.
“I will not spill one more drop of my family’s blood for Benjamin. We have sacrificed too many.”
So have I, Sereb. So have we all.
“Then Judah rides out divided,” an elder declared.
Raucous conversation rose from the room.
Abigail motioned for Naomi to leave their hideout.
They put on their sandals and returned to the fire. Abigail sent her daughters for more water.
Naomi returned to making flatbread like any other day, except this day would never leave her memory.
She handed some dough to Abigail. “Are you upset that Onan has thrown in his lot with Benjamin?”
“I married a warrior.” No emotion showed on Abigail’s face. Not a glimmer of pride. Not a tear of sadness. “I pray that his skill brings him back to me.” Abigail regarded her while testing the bread. “And your husband? Does he follow our God as he confessed?”
Naomi shifted her weight. Was Abigail insinuating Eliab had lied about his father and his tribe? She beheld Abigail’s gaze. This woman needed to know that Onan and Hamul fought for good, and for good people.
“My husband is an honorable man. He was away from the city when the Levite’s companion was attacked.”
Abigail stopped cooking. “How do you know he would not have participated in the offense had his plans not taken him away from his family?”
How honest should she be with Abigail? Would Eliab want her to speak of their vow? He had praised her for not rushing into his bed, but he did not reveal that all they had done in his bed was sleep. So far. Was Eliab afraid the elders would take her from him? Could she be as coy as Eliab in her testimony? She swallowed hard.
“I know my husband is trustworthy because he let me keep something valuable that was in his interest to take.”
Abigail tapped her arm. “Keep working and tell me.”
Naomi’s temples pulsed. She inspected the dough. “Um.”
“Mother.” A young man entered the room from the alley, his arms filled with wood. “Do you have need of kindling?”
Naomi blew out a breath, thankful for the interruption.
“Yes, yes. But do not travel far.” Abigail handed her son a piece of bread and returned to her task. “And this gift, Naomi?” Abigail cocked her head and popped a piece of manna in her mouth.
Naomi’s eyes widened. She wanted Abigail to think she and Eliab had become one. That she could possibly be with child. That a family in Benjamin was worth the fight. She had to deny her new friend the truth, for she would not risk being returned to her father to appease Judah. Think. Think. Think. “The possession was…a ewe about to give birth. What shepherd gives away two animals when he slaves to find but one?” She placed her dough on the stone with a slightly unsteady hand and measured more grain.
“Then there is hope for Benjamin. For before, they would not have denied themselves anything.”
Naomi poured water into her bowl. What had Eliab really denied her? Her freedom at first, but then he had set her free from bondage to the Moabite. He gave her the ewe at Isa’s ridicule. He gave her the loom that stood in their bedroom. He gave her the truth about his betrothal to the Reubenite. He had not held back anything except what mattered most to him. And to her.
“You have a paste in that bowl,” Abigail said.
Naomi snapped out of her daydream. “You are right. I am weary from traveling, but that is of little consequence when we have men to feed. We will need many men if Benjamin is to have a future.”
Footsteps echoed in the house.
Abigail stood. Naomi followed her into the hall.
Sereb and a half-dozen elders strode from the dwelling in haste
.
Abigail bowed before entering the meeting room. With a show of respect, Naomi knelt in the doorway.
“Are they going to ready their kin?” Abigail cast a knowing glance at Naomi.
Onan went to his wife. “Amram will speak to his family, but he will not ride with us. Your father and I will represent Judah.”
“How many men will follow your lead?” Eliab’s voice rasped from the burden he shouldered for Benjamin.
Onan tightened his belt. His bronze adornments sparkled even though no light shone in on him. “A few hundred. Maybe more if I am convincing.”
Hundreds? Where was the lion of Judah? But more importantly, where was God?
“In a few hours the Sabbath is upon us.” Eliab laced his hands as if to pray. “We have a city and countryside to cover.”
Hamul reared up like his hunched back had miraculously straightened. “Was our judge Gideon not victorious against thousands with barely three hundred men?”
Naomi jumped to her feet. Her knees barely held her upright. This day had whipped her hopes like wind on a torn sail. “Hamul, an angel of the Lord appeared to the judge of which you speak. We have not received a messenger from God like Gideon.”
Hamul hobbled toward her and pointed his crooked finger at the heavens.
“Not yet, woman. Not yet.”
22
Naomi peered at the evening sky from a window in Onan’s guest room.
Eliab rested a hand on her hip and pulled her into his chest. “How many stars do you see?”
“Two.” Her throat grew thick like a soaked reed. “Another day and our Sabbath will be over.”
“Ah, three stars.” Eliab pointed above the neighbor’s roof. “We have to fight, Naomi. So be it. If God wills that I go to my death, I will go. But I have been in earnest prayer that we will be spared another slaughter.” He hesitated, breathing as if the air became heavy. “My one regret is that I have not been a true husband to you.” His arms cinched around her waist. “Though do not be mistaken—I count you as my wife. I love you, daughter of Heriah. Lord willing, I will show you how much very soon.” His wisp of a touch along her face nearly buckled her knees.
Building Benjamin Page 13