At the murderous evening - High priest Yehoyada was in his house. He had no knowledge about Athaliah’s activity, and was seated on a few cushions spread on the floor. Those had been put there near the dining table, on the cotton rugs and mats covering tiles- according to the mourning tradition of God’s believers.
Light of oil candles hanged on the walls, illuminating the room, and enabled him to read some sacred scroll of laments. He stopped reading, as he saw a tall shadow moving along the wall. It was his wife Yehosheva, who had brought him a bowel of soup and a plate with roasted gooze. She became seated near Yehoyada on the floor, ready to have ‘dinner of mourn’ together.
“You have come this evening earlier than usual,” she said, “My dear husband, you don’t have to worry because of my terrrible mourning. I sit here at home, wrapped by some good reminiscences and hard thoughts. I try to forget my sorrow about my brother’s death, by fervent prayers…I try not to think too much about the future. . .A great disaster needs hopeful people to face it. We should trust in God.”
“I had arranged a quick sacrificing ceremony,” said the High Priest, “The truth is, that I am tired. I’m anxious...Haven’t you gone to your mother this afternoon?”
“No use. I asked her to sit down with me on the floor. She refused to follow the Torah mourning custom. She said, that Idols worshippers have that same tradition. But she would be very busy with the Generals, she said. They asked her to attend their meetings – regarding defence against Jehu.”
“So, it’s right for you to sit here to mourn,” said High Priest Yehoyada, “I’ll read with you - elegies and laments from Psalms. We will say prayers, that strengthen our belief in His help”.
“Now I am worried,“ said Yehoshaeva, “about the poor baby. It’s a late hour. The nursing maid has not yet returned…”
“Where has she walked with him?”
“To the neighborhood. To take a breath of fresh air. More than two hours have passed since she left.”
Yehoyada rose and walked to the front door. His wife discerned his worried and wearied face. ‘Everything may startle us,’ she thought, ’the disaster is hanging over the royal family like a haze.’
“I’ll go out, to take a short walk,” said Yehoyada. “I’ll see where Nefertita might be. Wait here, please. Maybe she’ll come from another direction.”
He left the room.
Half an hour before Yehoyada had gone out - full moon was hiding behind the clouds, then re-appeared. Two figures were walking cautiously on a path, not far from the Priest’s house, near a small deserted garden’s fence. One of them was holding an oil ceramic lantern: He was prophet Joseph, who carefully kept the light from being waved by the wind, covering it by a piece of glass. Dressed in a shepherd’s black and white lined cotton robe, he was escorting a young maiden named Nefertita. She was the Chief Priest’s ‘breast feeding maid’.
She was dressed in a black long robe. Actually, her whole figure looked black, as she was having an Egyptian-Sudanese features. Her arms were embracing a bundle, covered by white cloth, and she grasped it very tightly to her bossom. It was a small baby, deeply sleeping. He seemed to be smiling toward her, repetitively and unconsciously- whenever she was looking at him.
From a breach in the fence- there suddenly came a noise of crashed bush branches. It was followed by men’s voices. Two masked men broke out from the planted sideway. Their yells filled the air and terrified Nefertita, but she pressed the baby and freezed on her place. One of the couples’ attackers was grabbing the maid tightly by her elbows, and she screamed in dread. In the panic - the young Prophet threw his oil lantern on the other attacker, whose dress was entangles in the stings of a bush. He tried to jump on Joseph, but the prophet pushed him after he had kicked him by his testicles – and succeeded to escape. He shouted to Nefertita, who did not move:
“I’ll call for help, my love. Don’t worry.”
The attacker, who still felt pain between his legs, tried to pursue the running out prophet. But Joseph disappeared in the darkness, hiding behind donkeys’ stables and small bushes. Then he curved his way, and joined a group of youths who were walking toward the royal palace.
The masked man remaining with Nefertita uncovered the baby’s cotton blanket. His comrade retrurned to stand by him. Both looked at the baby, and the one who still grabbed the maid told her:
“Don’t be afraid. We won’t hurt you or the baby. I know who you are…”
“But I don’t know who you are.” said the maid bluntly, “Why are you attacking me, fellows? You wanted to hurt my man, too. We are poor and peaceful people.”
“We have to take you to the palace,” said the other masked man, “For your own safety- and for the baby's...We are headguards of Lady Athaliah, and have orders…”
“Isn’t this king Ahaziah’s baby?” suddenly the other man could not restrain himself from asking, “a woman told us that you had been his nurse.”
“You are wrong!” Nefertita raised her voice,”This is my own baby! The man who’s just ran out – was my husband.”
“We have to interrogate you,” said the second masked man, “Come to the King’s palace, woman. There!…”
“If this is your son,” asked the other man, “We know, that you had been a maidservant to the king’s family. Had you?” She nodded.
“D’you know - where is the late king’s wife, and her son?”
“You should know,” she said, “they all had remained with the king in Jezre-el. Surely Jehu had killed them, sir.”
“There is a rumor, that the baby had remained here, in Jerusalem.”
“What are ye’ talking about? They all got killed by the rebels… I think lady Athaliah should know about that. So, let me go, please…”
The rude men pulled her by her arms, and she went with them. She was grabbing the baby close to her breast. He woke up and screamed, and the noise nerved them. One of them shouted at her to hush him, and she dangled the beby while walking.
They passed a few houses in the small alley, then crossed an avenue in the passage leading to the Royal Palace gate. Its surrounding was illuminated by lanterns and a tumult of loud talks of a crowd was heard from its direction.
While they approached the gate, Nefertita saw about twenty people. All were pushing each other and shouting unilaterally and repeatedly: “Athaliah is our Queen”.
Suddenly there came a group of three young maids, led by young prophet Joseph, who hided his beard by a shawl. His long coat was not on his body, and only a shirt, made of a goat’s fur, covered his chest and back. In that shape he could be hardly recognized by his attackers...Nefertita had identified him, and was at first surprised. She saw that he had indicated two young female dancers, who arrived with him - to approach the two masked men. The girls were very shortly dressed. They came close to Nefertita, and their nice legs were exposed, while they began to shake their bodies sexually. Nefertita’s captors looked at them with much interest and desire. The girls pulld them by their hands, indicating them to join their dance. The men became already seduced, and winkd to the girls. They both began to giggle to each other, and soon left Nefertita, following the girls to behind some bushes.
Nefertitra turned aside and saw Joseph. His hand indicated her to turn to the west, and she succeeded to sneak out in the shelter of darkness and follow him. They hurried to the opposite direction that the snatchers and the girls had taken.
The young couple were walking now between courtyards - in a zigzag path, sometime even crossing breached fences. They were bending while the trees and bushes along the way had been too short for hiding their tall figures.
“Thank you for my rescue, my sweetheart,” whispered Nefertita, short breathed, “I had known for long …that with you…- I shouldn’t fear.”
“You should fear only God, my lass. Take care. I was lucky to find these Ashera maids, who recognized me, and had done me a favor. ..”
When the
y arrived to the back gate of the High priest’s courtyard, Joseph’s lips kissed Nefertita by her lips very quickly, and he whispered:
“My love to you had strengthened me. I’ll pray for you, and for the little one. Warn the priest. A plot is in the air – to annoint Athaliah as Queen. God will help us.”
Prophet Joseph opened the gate, and let his girl and her bundle get in. After he had seen that she clapped on the back door of the hut and permitted to enter - he left the place in a hurry.
Nefertita, the wrapped baby close to her bosom, was facing Lady Yehosheva, who was alone at home. She approached the maid, looking at the baby. She soon uncovered his little blanket, and earnestly inspected his face. This time he was not smiling in his sleep.
“You are an irresponsible maid - Nefer!” Yehosheva scorned the maid, “We were worried. You have left out for too long.”
“I apologize, lady. I was meeting the young prophet I’ve told you about.”
“I have not approved your today’s meeting with him.”
“My lover warned me: I have to hide immediately - with the baby, madam!”
“Hide? From whom?” inquired Yehosheva.
“Baby’s life is in danger,” Nefertita pointed on the bundle, “Your mother Athaliah seems… to have declared herself Queen! I’ve just heard that.”
“ My God! My mother is crazy. Queen? Are you sure?”
There was a knock at the door, and the high priest Yehoyada entered.
“Yes, Athaliah has taken the crown,” he said, “she isn’t crazy. Army commander Abner refused to interfere, so is the rumor...I’ve just met his brother and his cousine, while I was striding around … Why have you been so late?” He asked Nefertite,
“I’ve already explained to my mistress,” said the maid.
“I must go to see my lunatic Mom,” said Yehosheva, “I’ll tell her what I do think about her….Why has she usurped the crown? She will darken our sky. Don’t the commanders understand that?””
“My dear, beware of speaking too harshly and directly - to your mother. You know: A word against the ruler is a crime. We should be very cautious.”
“She knows: I’m her only daughter. . . She won’t hurt me.”
“Now this baby is the one who’s in danger!” said the maid.
“How d’you know that? Why?” asked the High Priest.
“My fiance, the prophet, has just rescued me and the baby - from masked men…”
“What?” roared the couple.
“Therefore I was late here. They are in search for the king’s baby, so they said.. .”
“She is not going to kill a baby, who is her grandson!” said Yehosheva.
“If you don’t believe a prophet – who can you rely on? My dear Joseph warned me. He knows and feels about things- better than any of us. Excuse me, High Priest…” Nefertita was close to tears, and Yehosheva took the baby angrily from her hands.
“She is right, my dear wife,” said Yehoyada, “The prophet has seen the danger. We shouldn’t waste our time. There is a rumor, about murders going around…Some guard chatted about that.”
“My masters, What should I do?” asked the maid in dread.
“Oh, God!” the High Priest raised his hands over his head, “A real danger is facing us.”
“When I think again… about what you’ve just told me,” said Yehosheva to both, “My Mom is a real monster. Oh, God. We should hide little Joasah immediately. Please, apologize me, Nefer…” Yehosheva handed back the baby to the maid.
Yehoyada indicated Nefertita to follow him to the back door, that he had opened. Nefertita covered again the baby, this time with a black cloth- instead of the white one that had been on him before.
They soon got out of the house. Nefertita was walking close to Yehoyada, and both were in the priests’ roses garden. He whispered to her:
“Swear, that you’ll not deliver the baby to anyone. I know you love him very much…But a voacl vow will strengthen your commitment. So says our tradition.”
“I vow in the name of God, with all my heart,” she said. “I’ll Keep this baby, as if he were my own son.”
They left his courtyard. Soon the priest felt that he was too much in a hurry, as the maid almost stumbled, rushing after him
“Slow down,” he whispered, “God will rescue your precious load - in whatever speed we’ll take.”
They crossed some alleys and were on the stoned road leading to God’s Temple.
They saw its courtyard’s side fence. At the gate there was standing an armed guard, dresssed in a grey robe. He was a flower priest, who recognized the High Priest. In order not to let him remain curious, Yehoyada whispered to him: “We carry a special kind…of pigeons, for tomorrow’s sacrifice. Don’t tell anybody that you’ve seen us.”
The young men nodded and they were in the Temple’s courtyard. Walking still a few steps, they saw a locked wooden door in front of a low stone building.
The Temple itself was rising not far from there. Its shape was ugly, not glorious as a sacred place. Its walls seemed gray, and their stones and bricks broken and cracked in many places. Wild long grass was growing out in those points, as well as dark-green dots of hyssop were sticking everywhere.
High Priest Yehoyada recollected, that he and his predecessor had longly begged the kings to repair the inner and outer shape of the Temple. Constructors told them- that any further negligence would bring ruin and breakage…But they were told to find rich God believers for that, and raise high amounts of charity money. In his preach sermons - Yehoyada requested the congregation members to render tenth of their income for that aim. But they had failed to do that: In recent time - poverty prevailed on many people, in addition to the general decrease of God’s believers in the country. . .
Nefertita followed the High Priest, who was heading to a wooden cabin seen at the side of a small stone house. Its back wall was built on the slope of a rocky hill, on border of the Temple’s courtyard. Nefertita with her parcel were waiting at the door of the cabin like house. Yehoyada lighted a lantern, taking the fire from a hanging oil torch thereby, that dimmly illuminated the area. Yehoyada pulled out a key from his pocket, opened the door and called Nefertita to follow him: “Come in, maid. Beware, it’s a low entry door.”
After Nefertita had entered with the ‘parcel’, he locked the door behind them. She exposed the baby’s head, smiling to him and dangling him a little, as she saw that he became awake. The priest indicated Nefertita to sit on a wooden small bench and wait.
“This is the room for the priests to wash- after they would sacrifice sheep or oxen or piegeons,” he said, “But now you’ll be surprised…”
He pushed aside the long stone basin for wash, which had been set on heavy gray stones leaning on the wall. A low wicket was revealed....The maid presumed that it had been leading toward the rocky hill direction.
Yehoyada pushed that wicket. Holding his lantern tightly, he entered a darkened place. Nefertita understood that it might be a cave, and would be used as her and the baby’s hiding place and shelter.
Yehoyada was looking around, checking the place with his eyes. He and the maid got slowly used to the darkness and saw a step just at the entry. He stretched his hand to Nefertita, and helped her to climb and get inside the cave.
She was bending, almost kneeling, while carrying the baby. Yehoyada let her get inside, and showed her a wooden stool that he had long ago brought there, on which she was cautiously seated.
“So, Here is our safe place.” He said, “I’ll permit you to go out from time to time, to take some breath...Though over there is also a pipeline for air supply.”
He turned the lantern up to the cave’s ceiling, and showed her a small ‘pipeline hole’ - that would enable to look at the stars through it, which she did.
“What about food, sir?” asked the maid, “I should be well fed; otherwise- no milk for the baby.” She shyly pointed on her bre
ast.
“Don’t worry,” said the High Priest, “You will get fresh food every day - from me, or from my wife. We will soon bring you a blanket too. So help me God!..”
He came closer to her and looked at her eyes: “I know your faith in Him is strong,” he pointed over the ‘cave’s ceiling’.
The baby began whimpering, and she tried to calm him- by gently moving and dangling his little body to and fro.
“I am from Yitro’s( king James’ Bible spelling is: JITRO) nomads’ tribe,” said Nefertita, “Yitro, who helped Moses in Sinai.”
“Our God - your God,” said the High Priest.
“I’ve told that to your wife. Therefore she gave me that sacred job, sir. It was just when the baby was born. Blessed be the king and his wife’s souls in Heaven…”
Yehoyada’s hands began to organizes the place there. His fingers touched a straw ‘bed’ on the floor. He felt it had been dry, and would fit for lying on it. He promised the maid to bring her a Toarah scroll, for reading and learning. She said that she had in her pocket also something from her fiance, prophet Joseph. He had foreseen bad a punisment on the sinners of Israel and Judea in the past, she told the Priest. He wrote a prophecy about that, and gave her that - just last night. However - she, Nefertita, preferred to read his past condolence poetry, so she carried that also with her. . .
“Well,” said Yehoyada, “now go to sleep, dear maid. The Priests would get from me another place for washing after sacrificing at the altar. So - you will rarely hear voices around. Hopefully no one will disturb you. . . God bless you and the child!”
He raised his hands like blessing his community’s crowd: “God, make this baby grow up- and let him become our king, in due time! Amen.”
“Amen,” murmured Nefertita. Suddenly, as she discerned him turn to go out, she said:
“Sir, you have not told me –for how long I should stay here with the baby. I … am bothered by the thought…that this secluded place, in this situation… if it’s too long…for years…I won’t like …to be like a nun. Sir, I can’t bear that idea…”
“With God’s help,” he said, facing her again, “the period of your stay - will be short, maid…”
“Sir, I have a sweetheart, prophet Joseph. I love him so much. He had rescued me and the baby. I should not be punished…We have sworn to each other.”
“Be patient. I will talk to him and explain. I understand, that you have told him who the baby really is. That is…Well… With God’s help. God is Good, Great and Graceful …”
“If my stay here becomes too long, “ she said, “will you promise me to find one who will replace me? Even for a partial time, sir?”
“I promise, “ said Yehoyada, “Please, don’t think about the far future. My wife will come in here, whenever she’ll be able…”
“Thank you, sir. Remember my hard effort. And pray everyday for both the child and myself.” Yehoyada’s eyes became wet. He kissed her forhead and left the cave.
CHAPTER 11