Keepers of the Covenant Read online

  © 2014 by Lynn Austin

  Published by Bethany House Publishers

  11400 Hampshire Avenue South

  Bloomington, Minnesota 55438

  www.bethanyhouse.com

  Bethany House Publishers is a division of

  Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan

  www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

  Ebook edition created 2014

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

  ISBN 978-1-4412-6479-4

  Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®. Copyright © 1973,1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Jennifer Parker

  Photography by Mike Habermann Photography, LLC

  To my husband, Ken,

  and to my children:

  Joshua, Benjamin, Vanessa, Maya, and Snir

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Foreword

  Prologue

  Part I

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Part II

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Part III

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Glossary

  A Note to the Reader

  About the Author

  Books by Lynn Austin

  Back Ads

  Back Cover

  The Babylonian army conquered the Jewish nation in 586 BC, destroying God’s temple in Jerusalem and marching most of the survivors into exile. For nearly fifty years, the Jews languished in captivity, far from home. Then the Persians defeated the Babylonians, and in the first year of his reign, the new monarch, King Cyrus, issued a decree that allowed the captive Jews to return:

  “Anyone of his people among you—may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem.”

  Ezra 1:3

  A group of about forty thousand exiles decided to make the long journey back to their homeland, led by Zerubbabel, an ancestor of King David. Most people, however, chose to remain behind in their captive lands.

  After a long, twenty-year struggle, the returnees finally rebuilt God’s temple, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah who promised a future restoration for God’s people. Meanwhile, the Jews who remained in captivity discovered that the window of opportunity to emigrate had slammed shut once again. For the next generation, still living among their pagan enemies sixty years after King Cyrus’s decree, all hope for restoration has vanished.

  THE CITADEL OF SUSA, PERSIA

  SPRING 473 BC

  Haman paced the citadel’s rooftop, waiting for the court astrologers to finish their work. He despised his impotence. His destiny should be under his own control, not determined by mere pricks of light, sparkling in the midnight sky. This muttering huddle of stargazers in their night-black robes shouldn’t decide his future—he should. But the request he wanted to bring before King Xerxes, supreme ruler of the Persian Empire, was much too important to leave to chance or fate.

  Haman paused near the parapet to gaze down at the sentries standing watch at the king’s gate. His obsession first began at that gate when an impudent Jew refused to bow down to him. The entire world bowed before Haman now that he’d earned a seat of honor above all of the king’s nobles, now that he’d become the second most important man in the empire. He’d spent his entire lifetime in the king’s service, yet after everything Haman had achieved, Mordecai the Jew refused to bow.

  “Lord Haman . . . ?” He turned at the sound of the chief astrologer’s voice. “We have an answer for you, my lord.”

  Haman took his time crossing to the waiting astrologers, unwilling to let them see his urgency or the power they held over him. “What do the stars say tonight?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

  “Tomorrow will be an extremely favorable day for you, my lord. We see no opposition from the heavens to whatever you plan. In fact, the heavenly bodies all line up in your favor.”

  Haman struggled to conceal his relief, his triumph. He had waited weeks for this news. At last, he would be able to put his plan into place. “Good. I have one more task for you tonight. Cast the lots for me and choose a favorable month in the future and then a day of that month.”

  “A date for what, my lord?”

  “That’s not your concern. Just do it. Now.”

  Haman followed the astrologers down the stairs to their shadowy workroom. He watched as an apprentice readied the leather bag with twelve marked clay tiles, one for each month, then a second bag with thirty tiles to represent the days. Of course, the proper incantations had to be mumbled before they cast the lot, and Haman grew impatient as he listened to the chief sorcerer’s gibberish. The tiles clicked like bones as the magi shook the bag. He plunged his hand inside and drew one out. “Twelve, my lord,” he said, holding it up for Haman to see. “The month of Adar.”

  Haman nodded, his jaw clenched. Adar was eleven months away! He wanted to implement his plan now, not delay it for so long. But as he waited for the sorcerer to recite the second incantation and prepare to draw the lot to determine the day of the month, Haman decided that maybe the delay would be a good thing after all. It would provide plenty of time for his decree to reach every corner of the kingdom, all 127 provinces. Plenty of time for Haman to prepare for the execution of his enemies.

  Day after day, each time that stubborn Jew had refused to bow, Haman’s fury had multiplied until he’d decided not only to execute one man, but every Jew in the empire. Haman knew who Mordecai’s people were—the enemies of his own race of Amalekites. The hatred they harbored for one another traced back to a mother’s womb, where twin brothers had grappled for supremacy. The younger twin, Jacob, had stolen everything from Haman’s ancestor,
Esau, who was the older twin and rightful heir. It was time for Haman’s people to rid the world of Jacob’s descendants, the Jews, and take back what belonged to them.

  The sorcerer held up a second tile. “The thirteenth day, my lord.”

  Haman couldn’t suppress his smile. His lucky number. Born on a thirteenth day, he had come to power on a thirteenth day. Yes, the thirteenth day of Adar would do very nicely. “Thank you,” he said with a nod and strode from the workroom.

  Haman didn’t bother going home to his bedchamber and his wife, Zeresh. He would never be able to sleep. Instead, he went to the king’s council chamber and sat down to compose his edict. Even with the stars lining up in his favor, Haman needed to plan cautiously, choose his words wisely. Every Jew must die—young and old, men and women, children and infants. But Haman couldn’t come right out and propose such a bold plan. He needed to use veiled suggestions and innuendoes to guide the king into reaching that conclusion, leading him there the way a hunter uses carefully placed bait to lead his prey into a snare.

  When the chamberlains arrived after dawn, Haman ordered them to prepare the throne room, opening windows to let in the fresh spring air, lighting braziers to take the chill from the stone floor, arranging torches for light, plumping pillows and cushions. Everything must be perfect. Haman stood before a polished bronze mirror as he waited, composing his facial expression to show deep concern without a trace of the anticipation and elation he felt.

  In due time King Xerxes arrived, ushered in by servants and pages to take his seat on his ivory throne. “Your Majesty—may you live forever!” Haman said, bowing low before him. When he rose again, Haman sat down in his seat at the king’s right hand. “I trust you rested well last night, Your Majesty?”

  Xerxes gave an impatient wave as if to say that his sleep habits weren’t important. “What business must we accomplish this morning, Haman? How many petitioners?”

  “A room full of them, Your Majesty. But before we begin, may I speak to you in private about a matter of extreme concern to me? It has to do with the stability and peace of your entire kingdom.”

  “This sounds very serious. Of course you may speak.”

  Haman waited as the pages and chamberlains scurried away, aware of the heavy thudding of his heart. “It has come to my attention, Your Majesty, that there is a certain race of people dispersed and scattered among the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are very different from all your other subjects. They worry me, Your Majesty, because they don’t obey the king’s laws. It’s not in the best interests of your kingdom to tolerate them.”

  “Have they openly rebelled?”

  “Not yet, but the potential is very great because they have never assimilated into the kingdom the way the other subject nations in your empire have. They don’t see themselves as part of your kingdom at all, but stubbornly insist on maintaining their ethnic identity and customs. Most worrisome of all, they refuse to worship the gods of our great empire.”

  The king grunted. “They refuse, you say?”

  “Yes. Even when threatened with punishment and death. Should we risk angering Persia’s gods? Gamble on incurring their wrath?”

  “Certainly not.”

  “There is nothing to be gained by keeping these people as subjects. There is no benefit they provide that outweighs the harm they cause.” Haman paused, watching the king’s reaction, trying to assess his every gesture and expression.

  “What’s your recommendation?” Xerxes said after a moment.

  Haman wiped his palms on his thighs. “If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy this potential threat, so these people can never harm you and your empire. In fact, I feel so strongly about the danger they pose that I’m willing to put ten thousand talents of my own silver into the royal treasury to pay the men who will carry out this decree.”

  “That’s a great deal of silver, Haman. Are these people truly that dangerous?”

  “I believe so, my lord. Especially since they are dispersed throughout your kingdom like a deadly plague that could multiply and bring destruction.”

  The king stared at the floor, playing with the signet ring he wore on his finger. Haman held his breath, planning what he would say if Xerxes asked for proof of these accusations, or for the name of this menacing group of people. But the stars were in his favor, Haman reminded himself. He would prevail.

  At last the king spoke. “I’ve decided to trust your judgment, Haman. If you say they are a threat to me, then I want them taken care of.” He pulled off his signet ring and handed it to him. “Keep your silver . . . and do whatever you think best with these people to eliminate the threat.”

  Haman closed his eyes in relief and victory, clenching the king’s signet ring in his fist. Once his decree went out, it could never be rescinded. Every Jew in the empire would die. “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll attend to your wishes right away.”

  Chapter

  1

  BABYLON

  The door to Ezra’s study burst open without warning. Startled, he looked up from his scroll and saw his brother Jude on the threshold, breathless. He still wore his leather potter’s apron, and streaks of dried clay smudged his arms and forehead. “You need to come right away.”

  Ezra held the pointer in place on the scroll to mark where he’d stopped reading. “Can it wait a few more minutes? We’re nearly finished with this Torah portion, and it’s a particularly difficult one.”

  Jude strode across the room and snatched the pointer from Ezra’s hand, tossing it onto the table. “No! It can’t wait. If the rumors are true, our people’s lives are at stake, and your Torah studies aren’t going to matter in the least!”

  “I’m sorry,” Ezra said to the other three scholars. “I’ll be back as soon as I see what the problem is.”

  “All of you need to come,” Jude said, gesturing to the men at the study table. “This involves all of us.”

  “But our work—”

  “This is more important.” Jude tugged Ezra’s arm, pulling him to his feet. “Come on.”

  Ezra would chide his brother later for bursting in on him and his colleagues and not even allowing him time to put away the scrolls. Jude was thirty-one, four years younger than Ezra, and his temper could burn as hot as the kiln where he and their younger brother, Asher, fired their pottery. “Where are we going?” Ezra asked as Jude hurried him and the others from the room.

  “To the house of assembly. The elders have called an emergency meeting.”

  “Can you give me the gist of the problem, Jude? We have important work to do.” His brother didn’t understand the seriousness of Ezra’s scholarly work, studying and interpreting God’s holy law, putting it into practical terms so laborers like Jude could apply it to their everyday lives. The God of Abraham had called His people to live holy lives, and Ezra’s work would ensure that they didn’t repeat the failures of the past, which had led to their current captivity in Babylon.

  “I know all about your important work,” Jude said as they strode through the narrow streets. “Why do you think Asher and I support you and give you a place to live?”

  “That doesn’t give you the right to interrupt me and order me around—”

  Jude halted, still gripping Ezra’s arm, and swung around to face him. “Did you hear what I said, Ezra? Or was your head in the clouds with the angels? This news concerns our people’s lives.”

  “You can let go of my arm,” he said, pulling free. “I’m coming with you, aren’t I?”

  Ezra seldom participated in community councils, preferring his life of scholarly isolation. But he sensed the urgency of the meeting as soon as he and Jude pushed their way into the packed assembly hall. Men from every strata of society had left work to gather here. Rebbe Nathan, the leader of Babylon’s exiled Jewish community, stood on the bimah calling for quiet. Beside him stood an elderly Babylonian man, dressed in the robes of a royal sorcerer, looking out of place in this Jewish house of prayer. The stranger gaz
ed around as if looking for an escape—as if the crowd might pull him limb-from-limb any minute. The mere sight of a Gentile, standing so close to where the sacred scrolls were kept, infuriated Ezra.

  “What is that pagan shaman doing in our house of prayer?” he asked Jude. “It’s a desecration—”

  “Shh!” Jude elbowed him. “Will you forget all your holy rules for once and just listen?”

  “Quiet! Please!” Rebbe Nathan said. “Everyone needs to listen!” When the men finally quieted, he turned to the elderly Babylonian. “Tell them why you’ve come. Tell them everything you told me.”

  The sorcerer stared at the floor, not at the crowd as he spoke in a halting voice. “Years ago, as one of the king’s young magi in training, I was honored to know the man you called Daniel the Righteous One—may he rest in peace. Because of my great admiration for him, I wanted you to hear about this royal dispatch immediately.” He held up an official-looking document. “Couriers delivered it from the citadel of Susa. King Xerxes sealed it with his own ring. It will be translated into every language and sent to satraps, governors, and nobles throughout the empire, announced to people of every nationality. The king’s edict is an unalterable law in every province—” The old man paused as his voice broke. He passed the document to Nathan. “Here, you read it . . . and may the God you serve have mercy.”

  Rebbe Nathan cleared his throat. “This is an order to destroy, kill, and annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in every province in the kingdom. . . .”

  Horrified murmurs swept through the crowd. Ezra shook his head as to erase the words he’d just heard. Kill all the Jews?

  “The massacre is scheduled to take place on a single day later this year,” Nathan continued. “On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month.”

  Ezra turned to his brother, hoping this was a mistake or a terrible joke, hoping he’d misunderstood. This couldn’t be true. They would all be slaughtered in a few short months? Jude, who had a wife and two young daughters, had tears in his eyes.

  “But . . . why?” Ezra asked aloud. “Why kill all of us?” What had been the point of all his years of study, all his knowledge of the Torah, all the work of the men of the Great Assembly, if their lives ended this way? Why would the Almighty One allow it?