Building Benjamin

by Barbara M. Britton

  She turned in his arms.

  He bent to kiss her.

  She wanted this kiss. She wanted a chance to show him that their time together was not a mistake, not chance. They had been brought together for more than just a bedding and babies. Lacing her fingers behind his neck, she took hold and pressed her lips to his. He seized her mouth hard and fast. A powerful sensation coiled like a tendril from her toes to her belly, all the way to her breasts. Breaking free for air, she held on to him and breathed into his chest.

  “If God is with us, perhaps you will not have to wait much past tomorrow’s eve to truly become my husband.”

  “And if He is not?” Eliab bent so they were face to face. His gaze grew serious. “If something should happen to me, find your father or your brother and return to your family.”

  Naomi closed her eyes to keep tears from spilling onto her cheeks. If she were returned to her family, it would mean Eliab had perished. God, I beg of You, send us Your angels. She took hold of Eliab’s hand and hoped he did not feel the drumming of her pulse. “The tribal elders will listen to you and Onan. They will see the wisdom in leaving their daughters as wives so a tribe of Jacob can remain in this land.”

  Eliab’s brow furrowed as if the weight of their journey rested there. “I have my father’s robe and gold ring, but it did not persuade more than four hundred men to answer our call. Perhaps if my father had spoken, more would have joined us.”

  “I do not believe so.” She made sure his brown eyes beheld her own. “You speak the truth with boldness.”

  “You cannot know this.”

  “I know you.” She kept Abigail’s listening room a secret. “And that is all I need to know. Now, you must rest this morning and noonday before you and I strap on a sword and meet Onan and his men to travel the Camel Road. After sundown. As one.” She emphasized her last word.

  “Naomi, I—”

  “Shh.” She placed a finger over his lips. “I told you before—we journey together. Do not hide me away in the straw of a cart, or with the animals. I am a Benjamite now and your wife, Eliab. You told me before—God sent me into your arms. Do not send me away.”

  “How can I argue with myself and with our God?” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I am going to trust that there has been enough blood spilled in Gibeah.”

  When another sun had set, Eliab dressed for battle. She followed him into the bustle on the road leading to Gibeah. Torches lit the Camel Road. Their flames illuminated the sandstone hills, casting shadows upon crags. The landscape filled with eerie shapes, eyes of black that watched soldiers lining up for war. Not just war, but a much-needed victory.

  Soldiers nodded in acknowledgement of Eliab as they passed by. Some men laughed and skirmished with swords, advancing on one another like doing battle was a day in the fields picking the harvest. Leather breastplates and sheaves, swords, shields, and slings accompanied everyone who had heeded Onan’s charge. Their garrison of weapons outshone all she had seen among her tribe. The divisions of Judah made a fearful sight.

  During the Sabbath, she had repeated prayers over and over for protection, but most of all for peace. Onan and Eliab had remained apart during the Sabbath, their time of rest, lest they plan defenses or a rescue of the city and thus anger God.

  Hurry, Judah. For Ephraim may not wait until morning.

  Onan, Hamul, and another elder sat upon horses whose bridles and blankets were studded with polished bronze rings and baubles. A vacant mount waited on the end. Only one.

  Eliab crossed his arms. Whether by chance or by reason, his ring of authority shone in the torchlight. “My wife will need a mount. She must not leave my sight.”

  Naomi squinted at the rows of men. She stood as a child at their waists with no armor or fierce weapon. A shiver pimpled her skin. Lord, spare us from battle.

  Hamul trotted his horse mere feet from where she stood. “I am in agreement. She is the reason we go to Gibeah, is she not?”

  “Father, you are the reason we go to Gibeah.” Onan motioned for Eliab to mount. A mule was brought forward. “Let her ride. She will be safe with us. The scouts will warn us of danger.”

  The soldier bringing her mount stood taller and two hands wider than Eliab. His breastplate shone like fine polished silver in the dense light. A helmet covered his forehead, nose, and cheeks. She had never seen a stabbing sword as long and ornate as the one attached to this warrior’s hip. Naomi’s scalp tingled like she had lain on an anthill.

  “You are Naomi bat Heriah?” The man’s voice was definite but not harsh.

  She nodded. Did the men know of her kidnapping from Shiloh?

  “Thank you for bringing me an animal to ride.”

  The soldier held her mule while she mounted. Light trade winds chilled her face as she glanced at the dark tunnel of road that lay ahead. She followed Eliab, lingering a few paces behind the elders.

  The slap of sandals echoed above the trail and off the cliffs as the men of Judah marched at a determined pace. No chatter rang out. No prayers. Only steadfast stomps and silence.

  Nearing the outskirts of Gibeah where she and Eliab had angled through the hills down to the road, a scout galloped toward the row of elders. The rider pulled the reins taut, causing dust to swirl into the shadowed air.

  “We have discovered a Benjamite and some women in a crag up ahead.”

  Her heart raced faster than the spy’s mount. Had these people fled fighting? Had Ephraim and Manasseh not waited until morning to start their siege? Her chest grew tight at the thought of her friends hiding in Isa’s small dwelling.

  “Bring them to us,” Onan said. “I will not carry on into an ambush.”

  Eliab stiffened as if blame was cast on his honor. “I will talk to my tribesman.”

  “As you wish,” Onan replied. “They can prepare us for what lies ahead.”

  In the dim of the torchlight, horses trotted forward. Sounds of a scuffle came from the rear of the scouting party.

  “Get your fingers off me, or I will bite and swallow them. I am an elder’s wife, not a harlot.” The voice carried too far for a warring party.

  Cuzbi! Tears of relief pressed against Naomi’s eyelids.

  “I know that woman.” Naomi sprang from her mule and sprinted toward the struggle. “She is from Shiloh.”

  “Where have you been?” Cuzbi raged. She slapped at the air as if clearing a swarm of flies. “Our home is no more. They have burnt everything but the rock.”

  23

  Hope drained from Naomi’s soul. Were they really too late? Had Ephraim attacked before the Sabbath ended? Was Benjamin no more? Had the remainder of Eliab’s family been slain?

  My family.

  She grabbed hold of Cuzbi’s mount to steady herself.

  “What of your husband, Ashbanel, and Berek?” Her voice trembled and squeaked as she listed those who may have perished.

  Eliab closed the distance between the elders and the scouts with three long strides. He positioned himself behind her.

  “What of my father? The city? Tell me.” Eliab’s voice climbed as high as the cliffs. An eerie quiet settled over the small crowd of leaders. Did they wait to see if they should press on or mourn the slaughtered?

  “Spies attacked East Gibeah, but we are safe,” a man shouted. “The city awaits a siege. Your father and Ashbanel are barricaded inside.”

  Naomi knew that sharp cadence to be Isa’s. His announcement warmed her bones like a sun-drenched woolen blanket.

  The scouts parted for a rider to come through. A soldier rode forward, leading a mount whose back bore Isa and Jael.

  Eliab practically pulled Isa from atop the horse with his embrace.

  Jael cuddled Yom to her chest. “We were blessed to make it to the hills, Naomi.”

  “Praise Yahweh.” Naomi blew out a pent-up breath.

  “They can see we made it to the hills.” Cuzbi righted herself on her mount. “I was trying to explain what happened when Naomi started wailing.”


  “How did you keep the women safe?” Eliab remained at Isa’s side.

  “Many buildings outside of Gibeah have been burned. When I saw a few raiders approaching, I sent the women toward the cliffs. One raider broke off to follow. Now he can only crawl.”

  Naomi cringed at what might have happened to Jael and Cuzbi had Isa not been a skilled slinger. Her chest grew tight. She prayed the man maimed was not her brother. She had already lost two brothers to slingers. The killing needed to end.

  Isa glanced up as if he just noticed the elders of Judah. “Camps of fighting men are all around the city. Our men are stationed by the old walls, but with the gaps and rubble, they cannot keep the other tribes from advancing.”

  Onan dismounted and paced in front of the elders, scouts, and Isa. His bronze-adorned breastplate quaked with every footstep. “If Gibeah is surrounded as you say, then Ephraim and Manasseh have brought a force, for they would not leave the high ground unprotected. We must divide our men and feign a larger number.”

  Onan had been known to Naomi for only two days, but his confidence soothed her anxiety like a drink of warm goat’s milk.

  “How many divisions has Judah brought?” Isa asked.

  “We number four hundred.” Onan announced the number with pride.

  “What?” Isa and Cuzbi chorused their surprise.

  “Our soldiers are worth three of any other.” No one dared to disagree with Onan’s assessment.

  Eliab clapped Isa’s shoulder. “We owe a debt to Onan that we were able to round up these men. Other elders insulted Benjamin and cared not that we may be wiped from this land.”

  Naomi stood in the dark with an uncertain future before her like the night Eliab swept her onto his mule and away from her home. Had she not prayed for God’s protection? Had God not kept her safe? Had He not performed a miracle in her heart? How could she calm the fear of the people she loved?

  She stepped to Onan’s side.

  “Have all of us not prayed and asked for God’s guidance? We have offered Him our best sacrifices. Our best gifts. Why would He abandon us now?” Eliab nodded in agreement. She looked to Cuzbi and Jael. “I do not know why I am here on a dark road leading to war, but I do not want to be anywhere else.” Love swelled her heart so big she thought it would burst through her rib cage. “We came here as daughters of Ephraim, but now we are wives of Benjamites. Our homes can be rebuilt. Let us go and save our people. God can give us a victory.”

  “My wife speaks for me as well.” Eliab joined her. “Let us plan our siege and not lose heart. We need to position our men before sunrise and be ready to reason with the elders of the tribes face to face.”

  “Is there no one else to come to our aid?” Cuzbi did not seem impressed with Onan’s prowess. “I thought Eliab would rally more men.” Cuzbi held her stomach as if she was concerned not only for herself but for her baby.

  Naomi resisted the urge to stand up for Eliab. Comfort my friend, Lord.

  Hamul raised his sword and cackled as if he were half-mad. “We can raise more warriors.”

  Onan cast a sideways glance at his father-in-law. “We must act before dawn. Time is not our friend.”

  “And who is our friend?” Hamul continued. “Do we not serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? And did He not create man from mud?” Hamul sheathed his sword, slid from his mount, and rummaged in a saddlebag.

  Cuzbi bent down and lifted Naomi’s head covering from her ear. “Why is this man ranting about dirt while my husband’s life is in danger? Is he mad?”

  “His faith is strong,” Naomi whispered.

  “Father, we need to plan our defense of the city.” Onan did not sound pleased with Hamul’s interruption.

  Hamul whirled around. He held a wooden mask aloft before donning it. Fanged teeth and oblong owl eyes replaced his normal features.

  “We will craft an army of golems.” The carved face muffled Hamul’s declaration.

  “Now I know he’s mad,” Cuzbi muttered.

  “Maybe not.”

  Naomi left her friend and perched at Hamul’s side. She took his mask and ran her fingers over the smooth cedar. The elders’ heads swayed back and forth as if they agreed with Cuzbi’s assessment of Hamul.

  “I have heard stories of people coming to life from the mud. Did I believe them? I do not know if in my heart I did. But when I asked God to provide an army, He gave us four hundred men. Who am I to doubt that He could give us more warriors from the dust or from the heavens?”

  “I have heard of golems.” Eliab took the mask from her and placed it over his face. Removing it, he said, “A few survivors say when Gibeah was under siege, men dug in the dirt and made shapes out of clay. They prayed to God to breathe life into the forms and bring fighting men to protect the city. God did not create an army that day.” He turned toward Onan. “I have buried the bodies of Benjamites who are now returning to dust. I do not want to bury any more people. Not this day. Let us make clay soldiers, but we must also plan our siege. We need to be in position before sunrise.”

  “Well then,” Onan bellowed. He removed a beak-nosed mask from Hamul’s satchel and strode closer to the lines of Judah’s fighters. “I will need a few men to stay behind with the women and create an army of golems. And do not tell me that Israelites do not know how to make clay bricks.”

  Some older men came forward.

  Onan gathered the elders and some division leaders into a group. Naomi listened while Cuzbi rattled on about her hardship in fleeing from the enemy.

  “I will take two hundred men to the west,” Onan said. “Our Benjamite brothers will lead almost as many east. With the outskirts burned, they will not leave scouts.”

  “I know these hills,” Isa cut in. “I will show you the best route before accompanying Eliab. May it not be said I abandoned the house of Berek.”

  “Leave the least men with me.” Hamul rotated his gruesome mask. “I will hold the road. No army will venture down this path in fear that Judah has reinforcements from here to Jerusalem and on to Bethlehem. I can oversee the women now that it seems we will fight more than talk.”

  Was she staying? She cast a glance at Jael, who smothered Yom in her lap. Naomi wanted to be with Eliab and to speak for the girls of Shiloh. But what about her friends?

  “At first light, I will blow the shofar three times.” Onan’s deep voice brought her back to their grim reality. “Then we will show them our strongholds. I will ride down to the gates of Gibeah, as will Eliab, and we will counsel with the commanders of Ephraim and Manasseh. This punishment of Benjamin will end by threat of war with Judah.”

  Agreement echoed through the circle.

  War? Couldn’t they avoid destruction?

  While Onan divided the men, Naomi sought out Jael. Cuzbi remained atop her mount.

  She stroked the young girl’s arm. “We will be safe here with Hamul.”

  “I have been safe with you, Naomi. And I believe God will bring Isa back to me.”

  Naomi wished she could feel the surety that shone in Jael’s eyes. She had lost two brothers in battle and had sat at her mother’s side to comfort widows. Remembering the grief caused a millstone to settle in her stomach.

  “We were going to carry your ewe, but we had to leave so fast.” Jael clutched Yom so tight he bleated. “The mother died in the flames. Forgive us.”

  Naomi’s chest tightened. She cared about her gift, but not more than she cared for her friend’s well-being. “There is nothing to forgive. You are here with me. How I would have grieved if you had perished.”

  “I will never return to Shiloh.” Jael’s lip quivered.

  “You do not have to. We will rebuild our homes. What can fire do to rock?” She pinched Jael’s chin. “But Isa will need the girl who fought off drunkards at his side, not a frightened sparrow.”

  An image of her mother, Heriah’s proud wife, collapsing to the ground and rocking in the dirt after hearing of the deaths of cherished sons hollowed Naomi’s stomac
h. She had tried to comfort her mother. For hours, over and over, she stroked her mother’s back until her mother had enough strength to crawl through the doorway. Don’t swallow me up with such grief, Lord. She flinched when Eliab’s touch drew her into the shadows, away from her friends.

  Tall, cloaked, and armed with a blade, Eliab transformed into a forbidding commander, but when she touched the bristle of his beard, all she could see were visions of him as a young shepherd caring for his family, and him caring for her.

  Eliab held her against his body, disguising his bold embrace with the folds of his garment.

  Sharing his warmth in such a daring, public display made her long for a wedding night.

  “I am not leaving you behind like that Levite.” Eliab’s words rumbled deep in his chest. “I do not wish for you to face angry men. You are safest here, and I believe Hamul will keep you well, no matter what God wills. I would not go alone if—”

  “You have to go. To save your family and mine. God is with all the sons and daughters of Jacob, especially the weak.” She stepped from the elixir of his warmth. “Go and save Gibeah.”

  “I am coming back for you, wife.”

  She glanced away from his consuming gaze, for she knew there was a chance he spoke a lie.

  “You’d better, for you owe me a new loom and livestock.”

  “I owe you more than that. I owe you my life.” He kissed her cheek and hesitated.

  Was he waiting for her to be more brazen? A daring thought of taking hold of his hair and pushing against his breastplate flashed across her mind, but with her father and brother waiting not far to fight for her honor, and all the men milling about, she could not bring herself to be more bold. If all went as planned, she and Eliab would have a reunion later. And then? Her cheeks flamed hot.

  “Go with God’s protection,” she said. “I will be right where I am, waiting for your return, husband.”

  In one swift movement, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her like this could be their last. She held on to him and let him possess her mouth and take everything he needed, giving it with bountiful pleasure.