Into egypt
As the morning sun began its ascent across the cloudless Judean sky, Amariah left the doorway of the women’s temple. A merciless sun would soon rise above the horizon, and all desert inhabitants prepared for another day of torture. Heat boiled like water in a kettle over a campfire as soon as the red orange orb crested the line of mountain ridges, baking the land, stalking the unwary, like a predator on the hunt.
Herod pushed silk curtains aside, hoping to capture an early morning breeze, but nothing had the power to cool his anger. Only a faint gust of air stirred the courtyard’s pomegranate tree leaves. The fountain’s splashing water evaporated before it could cascade into the pool below, bringing no hint of coolness or moisture.
Oppressive heat fueled Herod’s internal fire which raged like a funeral pyre. “Captain of the Guard!” his voice was rough, throaty, as if the desert heat sucked all moisture from his mouth.
A choked sound emitted from Herod’s lips as his face contorted. “Who tells these lies? I rule this land and I rule it well! You can ask any Roman official what I have done.”
Amariah laughed and swept her hand toward the door, her movement mocking. “Any Roman official? Of course they praise your administration of Judea. You whip our people without mercy to extract usurious taxes to fund your ceaseless building. You buy your honor in Rome with the blood of countless thousands who die trying to pay the burden of insane taxes! You lie to everyone, but most pitiful of all, Herod, you lie to yourself. The people of Judea hate you and the Romans you represent. Why is it sedition to resent armies who should not be on our land? God alone has the power to give this land and he promised it to the Tribes of Israel. Rome has no business here. Why else would you lock yourself away in dense fortifications behind legions of men? You fear for your life every day. You are despised! You are hated!”
The look in Amariah’s eyes was cold, harsh, demanding. “Don’t you believe in the prophets? Am I mistaken? I thought the man who rebuilt the Temple of Solomon understood the prophesies of Samuel, Moses, and Elijah.”
CLYDEANOCONNER©2022