Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Fi ve An c i e n t Ci t i e s
by
Paul Justice
All rights reserved
Copyright © Paul Justice, 2010
This book is sold subject to the conditions that it shall not, by way of
trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated
without the author's or publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or
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without a similar condition including this condition being imposed
on the subsequent purchaser.
ISBN 978-1-907211-94-2
Dedication
Florence Justice
Did you know that forty writers from various periods wrote
the Scriptures, which make up The Bible, over a period of
three thousand years? Originally written on stone, clay tablets
and papyrus and in three languages – Hebrew, Aramaic and
Greek – the Bible has survived down through the centuries,
although not in its entirety. Natural erosion and interference
by man has left us with a condensed interpretation of these
ancient accounts. Of the forty writers, all claim to have been
inspired by God. Enoch, the seventh man from Adam, com-
piled his account before Moses, who wrote Genesis; Enoch
wrote more concerning pre-flood era. Throughout the
remainder of the first century of our common era, the writ-
ings of scriptures were completed in the Greek language,
commonly known as the New Testament. However, the
gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written dur-
ing the second century of our common era, and the writings
of Mary Magdalene were also excluded from the Holy Book.
Those who wrote The Bible covered such a wide span of time
and were such a vast variety of writers – each one giving their
own personal slant on how their perceived supernatural inspi-
ration – that the final version leaves us with a compilation of
books that make up The Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
The Old Testament relays to us the history of ancient
civilisations of God’s people and the continuous promise
of better things to come, to be realised upon the arrival of
the promised Messiah. The New Testament introduces a
reformation of Abraham’s covenant into a new covenant,
introduced to the Hebrews and, later, all gentile nations. The
Bible certainly has its own unique history, interfered with by
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PAUL JUSTICE
II
Introduction
k
As Lot enters the Jordan valley, accompanied by his wife and
daughters and a huge following of drifters, the scene before
them is breathtaking and far exceeds all that they imagined
the land of promise to be. They pitched their tents in an area
of pasturage set between the coast and the largest of the five
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
V
Contents
VII
1
The City of Ur
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2
SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
Even the torches on the walls of the ziggurat are no more than
a faint flicker.
Panic fills the assembled people and they run aimlessly, to
flee the scene. Soldiers have drawn their swords and lash out
into the pitch black, they sever heads and limbs off one anoth-
er, and people assembled on the steps of the ziggurat fall and
plummet to their inevitable death. In the midst of the chaos
and pandemonium, Terah and his family remain huddled
together and try to undo their wrist restraints. Abram’s voice
is heard, “My hands are almost free!” The group stands with
their backs to one another and grapple at their wrist restraints,
trying to free each other. Abram’s hands are free. As he reach-
es out in the darkness, he calls Sarai’s name.
He gropes almost everyone in the group and eventually
finds her, “Sarai, have you managed to free your hands?” he asks.
“Almost!” she replies.
As Abram assists his wife, they are bumped as people rush
past in their panic. Sarai is afraid and says to Abram, “It is so
black. What are we going to do?”
“Keep a tight hold on my hand at all times!” he reassures
her, and says to all of the family, “Everyone hold hands, form
a chain; we must get away from this madness. Father, where
are you?”
Terah replies, “Here, what about my son, your brother,
are we to leave him here?”
“Father, we cannot see; we could pick anyone up in this
black void!” Abram says.
A voice is suddenly heard, “Are you saying we are leaving
my father here?”
“Lot, is that you?” Abram responds.
“Yes, of course. Surely, my father and your brother need a
respectful burial?” Lot answers.
“Yes, of course, but how? We are surrounded by pitch
black and in the midst of insanity; we must get out of here
now!” Abram replies.
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PAUL JUSTICE
“Yes, just get us out of here; follow the North Star!” says
Terah.
Abram looks up into the night sky, which appears to mis-
lead with the absence of the moon. He eventually locates the
North Star and shuffles his feet, feeling for bodies that may
have fallen, that might block his path. Everyone inches for-
ward, follows Abram’s lead as he paves the way, and he feels
the occasional breeze from people who rush past. The cries
from terrified people can be heard for some time, as Abram
precariously leads the family away from the danger zone.
After they have shuffled for some time, the screams and
cries from the Chaldeans become a faint and distant noise and
Abram can see small lights glow in the distance: the lights
from torches that line the city walls of Ur. Abram’s hopes rise
within, as he says to the family, “Look straight ahead every-
one. We are near to the city walls!”
Abram shuffles and leads the family, as they all hobble
along, giving the appearance of a chain gang. As they reach the
city walls, the family groups together to discuss further actions.
Abram reaches up to remove one of the torches from the brace
attached to the wall and holds it in his right hand. The light
from the flames reveal who is present and who is not.
Abram peers at their faces before asking, “Where are the
slaves?” He moves closer, allows the torchlight to reveal who
is present, and he sees Terah, Nahor, Milcah, Sarai, Lot, Lot’s
wife and Lot’s two daughters. Nine souls have made it back to
the city and twelve have lost their way in the dark.
“Father, what are your wishes from here on?” Abram asks
Terah.
“We must leave Ur, for the Chaldeans will hunt us down
like jackals!” Terah replies.
“And go where?” asks Abram.
Terah says, “Have you not heard the rumours about the
land of Canaan? The people live in paradise there, where
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
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PAUL JUSTICE
Lot returns with two torches. Abram takes one, and hands
it to Nahor. “Take this to guide you through the city. Choose
a place to hide and choose wisely!”
Nahor takes the torch and, taking his wife by the hand, he
leads her away from the family group. Terah watches as his
son walks away. He watches until the light from the torch
becomes a distant glow which resembles a firefly. His pro-
longed agony is a result of knowing, deep down inside, that he
will never see his son alive again.
Terah’s trance is broken by the sound of Abram’s voice.
“Father, we must press on!” Terah turns to see Abram and Lot
who each hold a torch, with flames that dance in the breeze,
as the light catches the faces of the women who stand close.
With no inflection in his voice, Terah says, “As we exit Ur,
head north toward the woodland!”
The family exits the city and presses on through woodland
and thick undergrowth. Arriving at the edge of the Euphrates
River, they all stop to rest. As the dawn breaks and the sun
rises, everything appears normal, as though the experience of
the blackout were just a nightmare. They rest until the sun is
high and the torches have extinguished. Moving on, they
head toward Babylon, eventually arriving in a town called
Akkad, famous for trade. Although held within the province
of Babylon, Akkad is a rural town far enough away from the
Capital that it allows Terah and his family to find refuge and
hide for some time.
As they arrive in Akkad, the dawn breaks. They have trav-
elled five full days and nights since their departure from the
Euphrates River, and without sustenance, with the exception
of a few berries along the way. It is not long before curious
townsfolk notice their arrival, and a lonely widow, who offers
accommodation to drifters, takes them in.
10
2
Akkad
The widow smiles after she hears such a long list and
looks at Abram directly, “Everyone works in Akkad. We have
craftsmen who are gifted in various arts. People trade every
day in the market square, and so you will have to earn the
things you desire!”
Terah joins in the conversation. “We did not intend to
stay here for long. Is there a way around trading that will not
involve long periods of time?”
“What you are asking for is charity, my friend,” the
widow says, laughing heartily, “and all I have to offer is food
and shelter!”
“Yes, and we greatly appreciate your hospitality,” Terah
says. “We were weak and exhausted when we arrived here!”
Silence prevails as they all continue to eat. Terah looks at
the widow, who appears to be lost in her own world as she
thinks about the needs of her visitors.
Finally she looks up, saying “There is one thing you could
do for me before you leave?” All eyes are fixed on the widow.
“Finish your meals and I will take you to the storehouse!” she
says.
Lot drinks the last of his wine and he is the first one on his
feet, eager to go. The rest of them rise from the dining area.
“Follow me, as the storehouse is a short distance across
town!” the widow says.
As she leads them across town and as they pass by the
market square, Abram notices how the area teems with trades-
men, who buy and sell everything from bronze artefacts to
tiny beads. He itches to get in on the action, but first he must
check out the storehouse.
As they arrive at the storehouse, they see a large stone
building with oak wood doors before them. The widow opens
the doors and takes them all inside. They are gobsmacked
when they look at the objects heaped up from wall to wall.
Rolls of fabric piled high, with lush designs and patterns.
Sheets of Egyptian cotton and fine linen and animal skins are
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
piled up almost to the ceiling and wooden boxes are filled with
coloured beads. Crafted ornaments in bronze, stone and wood
abound. The things that catch Abram’s attention are the care-
fully crafted camel seats. He has never seen anything like
them, carved and crafted in cedar, with a padded seat made
from leopard skins.
The widow walks over to Abram. “Found something you
like?” she asks. Abram looks at the widow, speechless. “Those
are a product from Axum and very expensive!” she tells him.
“I never even knew anything like this existed; the crafts-
manship is outstanding!” Abram says.
“Exactly!” says the widow. She turns and looks at every-
one present, before she states her purpose for bringing all of
them here. Abram remains in a trance over the camel seats.
“All of these things you see here were my husband’s prop-
erty,” the widow explains, “in conjunction with his business.
He died suddenly and left it all to me. Now, I have no need for
any of it; day after day, it all lies here, and collects dust and
moths. I need it all cleared out so that I can have this store-
house converted into accommodation for the poor, the needy
and drifters like yourselves. So, here is my proposal: when you
leave Akkad, take it all with you, or take it to market and trade
for something you do need, livestock perhaps. Do we have
an agreement?”
“Yes indeed!” everyone enthusiastically responds.
Abram rushes over to the widow and shakes her hand.
“Thank you for your generosity! Would you mind if we stayed
in this storehouse until we clear everything out?” he asks.
“You are welcome to do so. Just make sure you barricade
the doors at night!” she replies.
Abram nods in agreement and the widow leaves the store-
house. Everyone stands in the storehouse, looks at one anoth-
er in total disbelief, unable to comprehend their good fortune.
Lot rushes over to Abram and, places both hands on his
shoulders. “See, you have done it again!” he shouts. “What is
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PAUL JUSTICE
Lot’s wife walks over to him and, tugging on his arm, asks,
“Are we in danger, Lot?”
Terah speaks up. “I think Lot has a valid point here. What
are we going to do with all of this stuff? I mean, there is too
much to take with us, do we not all agree?”
Abram paces the floor, thinks for a few minutes and stops.
He looks up. “The Law states: should anyone inherit illegally
obtained goods, the benefactor must return them to the right-
ful owner or pay a penance. This means that the widow should
return all of this, which would require travel, hundreds of
miles. Obviously she cannot do it; this may be why she has
asked us to remove the goods?”
“Now you are thinking!” says Lot.
“Unless…” Abram pauses to think.
“Unless what?” asks Lot.
“Unless we refashion it!” says Abram.
“Refashion it? What do you mean?” asks Terah.
“There is a loophole in the clause of the Law,” Abram
begins, “which states that the stolen item must retain its
originality. Let me explain: suppose you obtain a long
tunic from the black market and you decide to cut it into a
small item of clothing, that item of clothing is rightfully
yours!”
“I get it!” says Lot. “Disguise the stolen item.”
Terah looks at Abram, dumbfounded, “How do you know
all of this?”
“Simple. I read!”says Abram.
“So what do we do now?” asks Lot.
“Well,” says Abram, “I have been thinking. Do you see all
of this fabric? We will cut it and make tents and cloths, so that
it becomes legally ours. As for the camel seats and other items,
they will have to go to market!”
“Market!” says Lot. “What if we get arrested?”
“I know the risk,” Abram replies, “so we will trade early in
the morning before the afternoon confusion!”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Morning: The sun rises on a new day in Akkad and Lot is the
first one awake and on his feet. He walks over to Abram, who
is almost buried in animal furs with just his feet which pro-
trude. Lot kicks the soles of Abram’s feet until Abram opens
his eyes.
“What are you doing? Stop it!” Abram says, squinting up
at Lot.
“Why do you nurse that pyramid as though it were a new-
born baby?” Lot asks.
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19
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“Open the bag and let me see the rubies,” Abram demands.
The man tips a few rubies into the palm of his hand and,
on seeing them, Abram says, “We have a deal, my friend!”
Happy with his purchase, the man hands the bag of rubies
to Abram and takes the seat. Abram assists the man to tether
his seat to the camel, then he hoists the man up onto the seat.
It appears to be the perfect fit. The man sits, smiling from ear
to ear, and looks down on Abram, “This is luxury indeed!
Have a good day!” The man rides away and Abram stands and
watches as the seat rocks from side to side, as it accommodates
one happy customer.
Abram turns and looks at Terah, who sits and looks dumb-
founded.
“What?” asks Abram.
“You drive a hard bargain!” Terah says.
“Hard bargain?” says Abram. “Look! The man is happy
and we have a camel. Sarai will be delighted!”
Terah laughs, then gazing past Abram, he points with one
finger. “Look!”
Abram turns his head and sees Lot approaching, carrying
two chickens, one under each arm. As Lot reaches them,
Abram says, “Lot, what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking eggs for breakfast!” says Lot.
Abram turns and looks at Terah, who grins from ear to
ear. In a more serious tone, Abram says, “Father, take the
camel to the storehouse and take Lot and his livestock with
you. I will remain here for a little longer.”
“Very well, try not to be too late!” Terah replies, and he
and Lot take the animals to the storehouse. Abram reclines in
the one camel seat which remains. It is late afternoon and the
sun descends over the horizon. Abram sits and watches as peo-
ple disperse after a lucrative day, beguiled over the joyous
chatter of happy customers and tradesmen gather and prepare
for home. Abram, as a lone soul in a camel seat, goes almost
unnoticed to passersby.
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
The next day brings new opportunities to trade and Abram
reminds everyone that they need to clear the storehouse of
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Several weeks have now passed since Terah and his family
arrived in Akkad and their favour to the widow is almost com-
plete. Abram is delighted, as he has managed to purchase two
more camels, and he managed to retain three of the camel
seats. Lot and his chickens become a nuisance, as Lot buys
them quicker than they can eat poultry. The women’s hands
are callused and sore from extensive sewing, but the slave-
women have a clean and healthy appearance for the first time.
Word has spread throughout Akkad with respect to the fami-
ly and their mission; people come and question about the
land of Canaan and their search for paradise. As Abram is an
accomplished storyteller, he convinces many more people to
join them in their quest. As the numbers grow and people talk,
likewise Abram’s popularity grows in equal measure, and they
are all ready and eager to leave Akkad.
k
The day has arrived for them to leave, and more than one hun-
dred people have congregated around the storehouse. The
three camels are burdened with tents, water-skins and other
necessary items, and this includes Abram’s treasured artefact,
which is carefully wrapped and stuffed into a pouch on the
camel seat. On one of the camels sits Sarai, looking proud like
the Queen of Sheba. The assembly who are led by Abram,
move toward the widow’s house. As they all congregate
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24
3
Nineveh
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k
Early morning: The campsite is quiet, and Abram is the only
one awake. He searches the tent for items to take on his jour-
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
33
4
Entering Haran
As the dawn breaks and the sun rises over the valley, everyone
in the camp is busy dismantling their tents and packing their
stuff to be ready to leave. Abram checks his personal items,
while ten women dismantle his tent. Sarai tends to the camels,
making sure they are fed and watered before they leave.
On her return, Abram calls her over.
“Sarai, where is the artefact, the one shaped like a
pyramid?”
“It is stuffed into a pouch on the camel seat, where you
left it!” she says.
Abram rushes over to the camels and frantically searches
each one, as they all look the same to him. He finds the appro-
priate camel, and searches every pouch attached to the seat.
Relief spreads over his face as he finds his unique item of
treasure. He carefully unravels it and checks that the contents
are intact. His concern is the fact that he took it to Nineveh
and back without awareness to the fact, as the camel was unat-
tended all day. With the artefact intact, Abram wraps it and
replaces it so that it is safely tucked away. He takes hold of the
reins and walks the camel over to Terah’s tent while he calls
for Lot. Lot hears Abram, and meets him near the entrance to
the tent.
“Go and find two young and capable strong men from
within the camp,” Abram says to him. “We need to lift Father
onto the camel without any trauma to his legs.”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
“Of course!” says Lot and rushes off to find the men.
Abram enters his father’s tent to find Terah sitting on the
ground and holding his right leg, the one which causes the
most pain. Abram approaches and kneels before Terah,
“Father, I have a camel prepared for your journey to Haran;
Lot will bring two men to assist.”
Without an answer, Terah groans because of the pain.
Abram collects his father’s belongings, as Lot enters the tent
with two sturdy men. Abram rises to his feet, still holding
some of Terah’s clothes, and smiles at the men, “Good day to
you, my friends!”
The men nod to gesture the same greeting in return.
Abram instructs the men to carefully lift Terah and carry him
out to the camel, and the men oblige and follow every detail
of Abram’s instructions. As Lot is about to leave the tent,
Abram says, “Lot, drop the camel!”
Lot looks over his shoulder and frowns before he
leaves.
Lot mutters under his breath, “Drop the camel, drop the
camel, I hate the damn things.”
He takes hold of the camel’s reins and tugs in a downward
thrust, “Down beast, get down!”
The animal is stubborn, insubordinate and will not obey.
Frustrated, Lot kicks the animal’s knees, causing a ruckus. In
protest, the animal flings its head to hiss and spit, showering
Lot with saliva. Finally, the animal drops to the ground with a
thud and creates a cloud of dust. A final thrust of the camel’s
head releases a collective mass of sticky goo headed in Lot’s
direction. Hitting him full on in the face, the sticky substance
dangles from his beard before the elasticity weakens and the
gunk falls to the ground. Lot wipes the slime from his face
when the two men appear carrying Terah. They place him
precariously into the camel seat, with difficulty, as the animal
insists on a struggle.
“Keep still you horrible beast!” Lot calls out.
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PAUL JUSTICE
k
They have travelled for almost one full day and it now creeps
toward dusk. Lot’s wife feels the strain and tugs on Lot’s coat.
“Lot! My feet are burning. Why did I have to walk?”
Lot looks at his wife as she limps, “Terah rides Sarai’s camel!”
“Well, Sarai should walk, not I?” says Lot’s wife.
Lot ignores her comment and continues to walk. She
nudges Lot and persists, “Abram knows not when to let up
and his persistence is gruelling!”
“Hush, woman!” says Lot.
Silence prevails between Lot and his wife for the remain-
der of the day. The dusk descends and settles in and by the
time Abram calls a halt to the assembly, many of them have
blistered and sore feet. They all pitch tent for the night.
The next morning, Lot instructs his daughters to walk
while his wife takes the camel. After three weeks, they finally
reach the outskirts of Haran. With the city in their sights, the
people become cheerful and their spirits rise. Abram chooses
an area to settle not far from the city gates. The area chosen
is appropriate for a nomadic settlement, as it is well planted
with trees and foliage, and a sustainable water supply in the
city is within their reach. They all pitch tent and settle.
Night closes in and the tribal settlement is quiet except
for the occasional grunt from the camels tethered to a tree.
Abram sits up most of the night in Terah’s tent, watching his
father as he sleeps. Eventually, Abram nods off to sleep while
he sits upright; his head drops forward almost between his
knees and he snores.
k
Morning: Abram wakes with a jolt, as he almost falls over. He
stretches, and winces over his aching back as a result of cramp.
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pitched tents among the trees and bring with them peoples
and livestock. They wish to address you concerning this,
my lord!”
The King snaps his fingers and waves his hands, dismiss-
ing the maidservants. Looking at Abram and Lot, he says
“Come closer, so I may see you more clearly!”
The guards stand aside as the drifters move closer to the
King. Abram and Lot both bow and the King asks, “Your
names?”
Abram speaks. “I am Abram and this is my nephew Lot,
my lord.”
The King looks at Abram momentarily. “My concern is
this,” he says. “You have wandered into my domain and have
pitched tents among my trees and in my gardens, without my
permission.”
“My father is sick,” Abram pleads, “and he is in urgent
need of assistance. We had to settle among the trees to be
close to the city, my lord!”
The King feels that Abram is stubborn. “Let me explain,”
the King begins, “for those who have selective hearing. The
gardens, now littered with your tents, peoples and animals, are
manmade. I had them planted by my servants, who work daily
to nurture them. This is now being interrupted by you. Today,
you must leave. You and your tribe, animals, tents – all of it –
must be gone before sundown.”
Abram responds, with urgency, “My father is very ill, my
lord. May we move our tents into the city?”
“No!” the King swiftly replies. He sits and thinks momen-
tarily. He contemplates Abram’s options and looks at Abram.
“Let me explain how things work here. The botanical gardens
are used to grow stobrum trees that produce odoriferous gum.
From the gum, we produce a clear serum that allows me to
have this beautiful glazed Palace you now stand in. The wood
from the trees is very flexible, and this allows us to build bee-
hive houses for the poor, known as “coolers.” Thus, the entire
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“Not at this rate!” says Abram. “Pass the skin around, only
none for father as his head remains in the clouds from the
opium!”
Terah perks up. “I will make my own decisions as to what
I consume, and in fact, I am going to sing about it!”
“Please. No!” says Abram, while he blocks his ears with
both hands.
Lot passes the skin to his wife, who takes a drink and
almost chokes. His daughters both take a drink and appear to
like it. Three slaves each take a drink and react enthusiastical-
ly over its potency. Sarai takes the flask and very calmly takes
a drink, without a fluster. She hands the flask to Abram, who
now drinks without hesitation and, bypassing Terah, he
hands the skin back to Lot. Terah feels left out and sings a flat
melody, with repetitive lyrics.
“I shall drink and be merry, for that is my wish and if
Abram refuses he might feel my fist.”
As the flask repeats its cycle, handed from one to another.
Abram hears a young female voice drift in from outside the
door. “Lord Abram, are you there?”
Abram rises to his feet and exits the dome. Standing out-
side the doorway, he see a beautiful young woman. “Who are
you, my child?” says Abram.
“I am Alicia, my lord, one of the slaves you purchased in
Akkad!”
Abram fails to remember or recognise the woman.
“I remember buying slaves…” he says.
The woman looks into Abram’s eyes. “They left me here
all alone,” she says, “and as the night fell, I became afraid!”
“They?” says Abram.
“Yes, my lord! The slaves, they were allocated to houses
and I was left alone to wander the city.”
Concerned over the woman, Abram says, “Then you must
reside as a member of my household. Come! I will introduce
you to Lot’s daughters.” Abram takes the young woman inside
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Morning: Abram rises first and the others remain asleep; they
nurse hangovers. A beautiful day fills him with vigour, as he is
keen to explore the city and meet the locals. He gathers a few
personal items, then leaves the dome and wanders the streets
of Haran, stopping occasionally to chat with passersby. He
remembers the lake in the Palace Gardens and decides to pay
a visit, as it intrigued him the first time. On arrival, he sees a
man who stands by the water’s edge; he appears to mutter
silently while he stares into the water.
“Good day, my friend!” Abram says, as he approaches.
The man appears not to have heard and continues to
mumble in silence.
“Good day!” Abram says again, moving closer.
The man stops his silent chant and looks at Abram; he
does not speak.
Abram looks at the fish as they swim near the surface.
“Unusual fish…” he says.
The man looks at Abram again, then looks at the water.
“Yes, it’s a unique breed and very sacred!”
Abram frowns, then looks again into the water. He quick-
ly glances at the man and asks, “Why are the fish considered
to be sacred?”
The man looks at Abram. “You are a stranger here, as
everyone in this town knows about the sacred fish.”
“I arrived yesterday!” says Abram. “We are many and the
King has granted our citizenship!”
“I see!” says the man. They both continue to stare into the
lake, with a few moments of silence. The man speaks again.
“The fish are considered sacred because they represent the
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PAUL JUSTICE
k
As the months pass by, the tribe of nomads becomes very set-
tled in Haran. Abram becomes very popular among the
natives and continues to tell his story about his quest and his
search for paradise in the land of promise. Many of the locals
are intrigued by what they hear and join ranks with Abram’s
tribe; this includes the man who yearns for his son lost in bat-
tle. Terah’s legs have healed and he is back on his feet, contin-
ually under everyone else’s feet as he is too old to partake in
most of the daily events. Lot has lost interest in his chickens
and has taken to the art of making wine. The flat plain of
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
Haran, with its unique, rocky and almost dry soil, is perfect
for growing the vine. Lot has purchased a piece of land for
this purpose and considers himself an expert in his field. Lot’s
wife and daughters spend their days making wine skins,
amongst other daily chores, and the family business is making
Lot wealthy.
Five years pass and the people who were once drifters are
now settled. Abram rarely mentions the Promised Land and
his thoughts toward his search for paradise have completely
left his mind. Everyone is happy in hospitable Haran.
Until one night, God approaches Abram in a dream
and reminds him of his responsibilities, and instructs him to
move on.
51
5
Leaving Haran
k
Late morning: The people have been informed that an
important meeting is to be held in the town square at midday.
They organise their families into groups, the people surge in
droves toward the centre of town, near the Palace Gardens.
Abram’s followers are joined by almost every resident in
Haran; they all stream toward the city square and curious to
hear the news. The time has arrived and two men assist
Abram to climb as he positions himself on top of a dome; this
gives him elevation over the masses. The rumble of human
voices deafens as they congregate around Abram. From his
elevated position, Abram can see that almost everyone is pres-
ent. As the sun soars intensely, high above his head, he feels
the need to proceed quickly.
He raises his arms above his head and calls for silence.
The sound of human voices recedes to murmurs before
silence prevails. Abram lowers his arms, but remains silent,
like any seasoned orator before he speaks, and the masses gaze
up at him in anticipation of his words. The man who lost his
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Late afternoon: Abram sits in his beehive home and relaxes,
while Sarai prepares a meal, assisted by Lot’s wife and
daughters.
“Where is Lot?” asks Abram.
Without turning a hair, Lot’s wife says, “Where he spends
all of his days, my lord – in his vineyard!”
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PAUL JUSTICE
covering a period of one year; this will buy you enough time
to repopulate the city, my lord!”
The King mulls it over in his mind, “Very well! Have the
treasurer check the register for every individual in Haran and
have him work out a cost in total, calculate a tenth of the total
and bring me a figure!”
“Yes, my lord!” says the Official and he leaves im-
mediately.
“Before you leave in the morning,” the King says to
Abram, “come to the Palace and meet with the treasurer, who
will issue you with a statement of compensation to be paid to
the King’s treasury. If you cannot meet the figure as present-
ed in the statement, the gates will remain locked and no one
may leave! Understood?”
“Yes my lord!” says Abram.
“Then you may leave!” says the King. Abram bows before
the King and turns to exit the Courtroom.
On arrival back in the community, Abram sees that
the people have already begun to prepare for their journey.
He rushes past them, and he hurries toward Terah’s house. He
enters, and he finds everyone is prepared to leave.
“We have until morning!” says Abram, as he stands in the
doorway and looks at everyone.
“Abram!” cries Sarai, as she runs to greet him. She leads
him by the hand. “Come and sit, you must eat!” Abram sits
upon a pile of animal furs while Sarai serves him with bread
and lamb cooked in the kiln, accompanied by a flask of Lot’s
homemade wine. Abram is starved and weak and digs into his
meal with keen enthusiasm.
At almost dusk, Lot arrives home from the vineyard, fol-
lowed by his two daughters. After he washes his hands in a
bowl, Lot sits opposite Abram and Sarai serves him a similar
meal. Lot chews the tender lamb, swallows and looks at
Abram. “I heard you were taken before the King. What was
his request?”
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PAUL JUSTICE
k
Morning: Most of the population of Haran has risen and is
packed ready to leave. The activities and voices of the people
flood into Terah’s home, while the family sleeps. The noise
from the hive of activity finally wakes Abram, who sits up,
yawns and stretches. As he shakes Sarai to wake her, some-
thing catches his eye. A short distance from his feet, Abram
sees a box placed on the ground, a box that was not there the
night before. He stares at it, bemused, and wonders, ponder-
ing over the possibilities as to how it may have gotten there.
He leans forward and gets onto his hands and knees. He
crawls cautiously toward the box, as if it might suddenly jump
up and bite him. He slides his hand over the smooth dark
wood. Abram is perplexed that the box has no marks or sym-
bols, no décor– it is just plain. Very carefully, Abram removes
the lid and looks inside. His jaw drops as he beholds the
sparkle of what appear to be many newly minted gold ashrafi.
A yellow glow covers Abram’s face as he stares into the box, as
his eyes reflect the brilliance of what lies within. He does not
touch its contents; instead he replaces the lid, picks up the box
and rises to his feet. He struggles with the weight of the box.
“I have the keys to the gates!” he calls out.
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Three months later.
Three months have passed since the mass exodus from Haran,
and this leaves the city virtually empty. Terah lives alone in the
original home and he struggles to pay his taxes, as the money
and valuables that were left for him by Sarai have almost dried
up. He is anxious and worried, as he has no substitute or
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PAUL JUSTICE
The King remains silent and the guards escort Terah from
the Palace.
Over the following sixty-five years, Haran becomes a
lucrative and bustling city, a centre for trade which attracts
people from far and wide. Although he never sees his sons or
daughters again, Terah remains in Haran, content and happy
for the remainder of his life. He dies at the age of two hun-
dred and five.
70
6
Between Bethel and Ai
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PAUL JUSTICE
k
Five hours pass. Abram sits and watches the movements of
the tribe as they go about their daily chores; the noise from
children as they play has assisted Abram’s cries for help to fall
on deaf ears. No one knows he is stuck on the mountain.
Abram notices a small stone lying on the ledge not far from
him. He picks it up and begins to doodle and scratch marks
onto the ledge. He thinks, I wonder if I can create a name for
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Sarai sits in her tent, and holds a conversation with Lot’s wife.
They both sew cloth, as Lot enters the tent.
“Where is Abram?” he asks.
Sarai shrugs her shoulders. “I assumed he was with you!”
She drops the cloth and rises to her feet. She walks over to
Lot. “Where might he be?” she asks.
Lot replies, “Did he not say anything to you, before he
left this morning?”
Sarai sniggers. “He tells me nothing, you know that!”
Lot stares at Sarai, then turns to leave. Sarai rushes out
after him, “Where are you going?”
Lot hurries away. “To organise a search!” he calls back
to her.
Sarai stands and watches as Lot runs from one tent to
another and gathers men. Lot informs six capable men that
they need to search for Abram; the seven begin their search.
They decide not to split up; instead they all group together
for the search and Lot suggests that they begin to search every
tent. From the tents, they move to where livestock is kept, but
both Abram’s and Lot’s herdsmen say they have not seen him.
Lot is perplexed as to where to look next.
“We have no option but to search the mountains!” he says
to the six.
As they reach the base of the mountains, they all begin to
climb the rocky incline. Abram looks down and, sees them,
cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Lot, up here!”
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Lot hears his faint cry and looks up to see Abram dangling
his legs over the cliff’s edge. Cups his hands around his
mouth, Lot shouts, “What on earth are you doing up there?”
“What?” shouts Abram.
Lot shouts up, “Do not move a muscle until we reach
you!”
The six men climb the mountain face and very soon they
reach Abram. Four stay beneath him to break a possible fall,
while the other two take hold of Abram’s arms to assist him
from the ledge. Once they have recovered Abram to ground
level, Lot seizes hold of him.
“When are you going to cease these dangerous escapades?”
he demands.
Abram, although weak and hungry, manages to reply,
“As your spiritual leader, I need to do these things!”
Lot quickly retorts, “Climbing mountains will not get you
closer to God; it will only get you killed!”
Abram pulls away from Lot’s grip, walks a short distance,
stops and turns. He says, “I appreciate your concern and the
help from these men; however, what you must understand,
Lot, is this: spiritual decisions are my concern!”
Abram turns and continues to walk, while one of the men
looks at Lot. “Why is he speaking in riddles?” he asks Lot.
Lot looks at the man, devoid of any expression, and with-
out an answer he hurries to catch up with Abram. The men
follow at a short distance, while Abram and Lot walk togeth-
er back to camp.
En route, Lot says, “I did not intend to usurp your
authority on these matters!”
Abram replies, “I understand, Lot, and I know that
you care!”
As they reach his tent, Abram turns and gestures a
thank-you to the six men, “Good day my friends, you will
be blessed!” He looks at Lot. “Say nothing to Sarai, even if
she asks!”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Mid afternoon: The large flat rock where Abram sits is burn-
ing hot from the midday sun, and he becomes impatient.
A lizard suns itself, laid over a boulder nearby. The noise of
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men who approach alerts the lizard and it swiftly darts from
the rock. Abram rises to his feet, then calls out, “About time!”
As the men arrive and drop the bundles of sticks, Abram,
stands on the plateau, points down at his artwork, and says
“Look! This is how I want the structure!”
Lot, stands opposite Abram, leans over and looks at the
art. “Why are four legs pointing up?” he asks.
“Because you just looked at it upside down, come around
this side!” says Abram.
Lot moves around and peers at the sketch from the new
perspective. “Yes, I see!” he says.
The group of men have gathered round to try to see the
sketch. Unable to make either head or tail of it, one of the
men says, “What are we looking at, exactly?”
Abram responds quickly, “We need more wood. Hurry,
we must have this built before sundown!”
The men oblige and return to the woodland. Lot remains
behind and helps Abram get a start on building.
Four hours later, the sacrificial altar is built exactly to
Abram’s specifications, even though Lot questioned the hole
in the centre, since the entire structure was only going to burn
to the ground. Word has spread throughout the entire camp
with respect to the sacrifice, and the people gather in droves.
Teenagers climb the rocks and nearby cliffs for a birds-eye
view, as they particularly enjoy the part where Abram pros-
trates himself before the flaming altar: this is something they
enjoy and they giggle as spectators. A seven-year-old boy
loosens the grip of his mother’s hand and runs toward the
cliffs. She runs after him as she screams, “No, too dangerous!”
The boy throws himself to the ground in a tantrum.
“Do you want to go back to the tent and miss the
occasion?” asks his mother. She takes a firm grip on the boy’s
hand and drags him toward the assembly. Two of the herds-
men approach and carry a pole over their shoulders. The calf’s
carcass hangs with its feet tied to the pole. The assembled
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
waits for some time and receives no reply, Abram rises to his
feet and turns to face the assembled people. In a loud voice,
he says, “Rejoice and let us celebrate, for today God Most
High has blessed us!”
The crowds begin to cheer. They all sing and dance; they
continue to praise God late into the night. As the night draws
on, many of the people become tired and begin to disperse
toward their tents. Lot approaches Abram with concerns over
the fire. He suggests that it be extinguished because of the
continuous smoke which rises. He also questions the name
Yahweh.
Abram fails to detect any problem and suggests that
the fire be left to burn itself out. He tells Lot that Yahweh is
God’s new name. As Abram has the final say, Lot decides to
retire for the night and leaves Abram alone to sit and gaze into
the dying embers. Most of the people have retired, when
Abram hears a soft female voice say, “My lord Abram, may
I sit with you?”
Abram looks over his shoulder and sees Alicia who stands
behind him. “Alicia!” he says, “I was deep in thought!”
She sits down next to Abram. “I am curious about these
festivities?”
“Oh?” says Abram.
“This God that you talk to, do you hear a reply?”
Abram smiles. “Sometimes,” he says. “Why?”
“I just wondered if this God was real,” Alicia says, “as
many of them are not, are they?”
Abram responds, “You are right my child, and what an
interesting observation on your part. Do you believe in my
God?”
Alicia answers, “The one the people call Elohim and the
one you call Yahweh?”
Abram nods in agreement and Alicia continues, “Not
sure! I mean, we never see anything or hear anything. Who is
this Elohim and who is Yahweh?”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
The Hittites are a band of vicious warriors who live in the
mountains which surround the settlement. The continuous
clouds of smoke which ascended from the plateau have not
gone unnoticed, and the Hittites intend to investigate. These
warriors prepare during the night until a band of archers are
ready and well equipped.
k
The Ambush
Morning: It is early. Some of the people in the settlement
are still asleep, while others have risen and work on their
daily chores. Abram sleeps with Alicia on one side and Sarai
on the other; the atmosphere in the tent is peaceful. The
calm is about to give birth to a storm, as the Hittites have
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89
7
The Great Oaks of Mamre
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
in from the hills in the west. The hills on the east side of the
camp crawl with Canaanites, who are also nocturnal hunters.
The Canaanites are a tribe of black-skinned head-hunters,
cannibals, who are particularly vicious. They are about to
stumble upon the settlement.
k
Dawn: The sun just begins to rise, and it creates an orange
glow which infiltrates the tops of trees. Lot sits cross-legged,
leaning over the ash of a campfire which has burnt out, in the
midst of a light sleep. A whizzing sound suddenly alerts him
and he opens his eyes to see a spear penetrate the ground near
his feet. He looks toward the mountains in the east and sees a
vicious band of Canaanites, armed with spears. Their fear-
some war cry unnerves him.
He cries out in a loud voice, “Abram! Abram! We are
under attack!”
Abram wakes in a panic, and stumbles over Lot as he
struggles to his feet. He stands, alarmed, and he swiftly
glances from east to west. An angry band of Hittites fast
approach from the west; with swords drawn, they release an
unsettling scream.
Abram shrieks at the top of his voice. “Everyone run! Run
for your lives!”
Some of the guards have fallen asleep, while others run
toward their enemy and wave their swords in the air. The
settlement is disrupted into sheer chaos; men and women
run from their tents and some carry their children. The
warriors advance and close in; they are about to strike without
mercy. The sun continues to rise above the trees as the
enemy begin to lash out at every man, woman and child, all of
whom continue to run for their lives. The screams from the
hunted deafens.
The Canaanites continue to throw their spears, only to
miss their targets. The Hittites wield their swords, without
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Dusk: The people have travelled for eight hours under
treacherous conditions. They arrive at a large plateau in the
mountains, surrounded by oak trees. Abram decides to call a
halt to the assembly near the Great Oaks in an area they call
Mamre, close to the city of Hebron. The people begin to
organise themselves into groups and, in haste, they are eager
to pitch their tents before nightfall, as many of them are com-
pletely exhausted from the trip. Abram retires to his tent early
that night, as he has plans for the next day – plans that are not
yet known to Lot and plans that are not going to make him
happy. The settlement is quiet and a full moon lights up the
sky over Hebron.
k
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
Lot responds, “To the east and over the mountains, it lies
deep within the valley and stretches for miles. It stretches
from the Jordan plain in the north, all the way to the Deep
South, as far as Siddim. It is overshadowed by mountain
ranges east and west. The place is well hidden; we would have
missed it completely had we continued to the Negev!”
Abram stands and stares at Lot momentarily. “You do
realise, Lot, that this discovery has come prematurely, and
that in no way at this point in time can we even attempt to
enter the Promised Land!”
Lot’s wife is shocked and steps forward, as she says, “Oh,
really? Why, my lord?”
Lot also quickly adds, with sarcasm, “Yes, indeed, why my
lord?”
Abram looks at Lot, devoid of any expression. “I believe
you trust me as your spiritual leader, am I correct?”
“Yes, go on!” says Lot.
Abram continues. “God has not instructed me to enter
paradise just yet; first we must continue in the mountains,
under cover from our enemies, and keep moving south toward
the Negev, a suitable place for everyone and with adequate
pasturage for our livestock!”
Lot lunges forward from his stack of skins and shouts at
Abram, with raised voice, “Nonsense! This is all about that
pyramid artefact. This has nothing to do with God and every-
thing to do with accumulating wealth, is this not the truth?”
Abram is shocked at Lot’s response and immediately
replies, “Is that what you think? And if you are going to con-
tinue in this tone and with that disgraceful attitude, then I am
leaving!” Abram turns to exit the tent and, as he leaves, Lot
calls out after him.
“Every move you make is taking you one step closer to
Egypt, is this not true...my lord?”
Abram ignores Lot’s final comments and hastily exits the
tent. Lot’s wife and daughters huddle together to one side
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
when dispute erupts, and after a few moments, Lot’s wife steps
forward and says to him, “Do you not think you overreacted?”
Lot swings his head around and glares at his wife. Lot’s
wife says, “Well, how are we supposed to enter paradise now?
Are you going to lead us?”
Lot replies, “I will if I have to!” Lot’s daughters look at
one another in disbelief and, without a word, the expressions
upon their faces reveal disapproval.
k
Two more days pass and it is late afternoon. Sarai is due back
from Hebron. The structure is complete and Abram collects
dry timber in preparation for the next sacrifice, which is cur-
rently unscheduled. Lot remains in his tent, as he sulks and
nurses his wounds, and he has not spoken to Abram since the
dispute in his tent. Lot’s wife and daughters have gone back to
their embroidery, as nothing else takes priority at present.
The young daughter hears a ruckus and jumps to her feet,
then rushes to exit the tent. As she reaches the exit, she stops
and peers outside. She hears her mother call after her.
“Where are you going, child?”
The daughter looks over her shoulder and says to her
mother, “It is Sarai, she has returned!”
She quickly exits the tent. As she hurries toward the two
camels, the young woman sees Sarai seated on one, with Alicia
seated on the other; men servants assist them down from
heavily laden camels. She suddenly stops dead in her tracks,
when she sees Abram approach from a short distance away.
The young woman stands and watches as Abram hugs his
wife, and she hears him say to Sarai, “I see you purchased
another camel?”
Sarai’s voice is full of enthusiasm. “Yes, my lord, the
market in Hebron far exceeds anything we have ever experi-
enced and the people trade with ease, as they are all willing
to haggle!”
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and the sun now sets over the horizon in the west. Abram
stands poised, with staff in hand, and waits for the noise of the
people to die down. He raises his staff above his head and he
calls for silence. A few moments pass and the crowds become
quiet, as they wait to hear Abram’s words.
Abram lowers his staff and surveys the crowd. A sea of
faces looks up at him, and they wait for his instructions. A few
moments pass and Abram begins his speech.
In a loud clear voice, he begins, “Murmurings and gossip
have passed through this camp like poison. The telling of tales
has issued forth and questions are raised about who should
lead us into the Promised Land. Well, let me tell you this,
people! God Most High is the one who will lead us into
paradise, and Yahweh’s instructions will be issued through
me, and only me. Has anyone here present heard the voice
of God?”
Silence remains among the assembly and Abram contin-
ues, “Well then, your silence confirms that Yahweh has not
spoken to any one of you. So, tell me please, why are some of
you questioning my authority concerning spiritual matters?
Whether to my face or in secret, Yahweh knows who the
guilty ones are. Rebellion will not be tolerated among His
people, so take this speech as a warning to you all. If gossip
continues, this will cause divisions among us, incite God’s
wrath and cause him to choose from a divided congregation.
I, for one, do not want to see disharmony among us. No, we
must stand united in our quest for freedom. Do we not have
enough enemies surrounding us, without fighting and bicker-
ing amongst ourselves?”
A man named Ussiah reaches out from the crowd and
shouts at Abram.
“If God is protecting us, then why did we lose so many to
the Hittites?’ Ussiah asks. “And why are we drifting like sheep
without a shepherd? And where is this promised paradise with
trees offering the gift of life?”
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With that said, Abram climbs down and the people begin
to disperse in all directions throughout the settlement. Abram
remains behind to hold a discussion with Sarai and Alicia,
while Lot’s wife and daughters make their way home toward
Lot’s tent.
Night has fallen and it has turned very cold. As Lot’s fam-
ily enter the tent, they talk to one another about the evening’s
events, and Lot sits alone in the dark. He suddenly speaks and
startles the women, who hold onto their chests, with hearts
pounding. Lot’s wife shrieks, “Lot, you almost scared us to
death. What are you doing sitting in the dark, moping or
something?”
“Calm down,” Lot says. “I stayed up to hear the news!”
Lot’s wife, still breathless, says, “Oh, you scared me so;
I thought you would be in bed asleep by now?”
With impatience in his tone, Lot says, “Well, are you
going to tell me or not?”
His wife takes a seat near him. “One moment please,
while I catch my breath!” she says. “Abram’s speech was
very much to the point; first he warned us against gossip
and explained the reasons why we cannot enter the valley
just yet!”
“Huh!” says Lot. “Notice how he links the two together;
he always was clever when it came to public speaking. Is there
anything else?”
“Why yes!” His wife responds. “He said we were leaving
for the Negev tomorrow!”
Lot quickly sits forward. “I told you, every move we make
he just gets closer and closer to Egypt!”
Lot’s wife rises to her feet and says, “Lot, what on earth,
are you talking about? Abram never mentioned Egypt once,
not once!”
In another part of the tent, Lot’s daughters dress for bed
and after they lie down together, the younger says to the elder,
“Do you worry about Father?”
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112
8
The Descent into the Negev
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PAUL JUSTICE
k
Late morning: everyone in the camp is ready to leave. Abram
rushes around with staff in hand, reminding everyone he pass-
es to keep children nearby and to look out for predators. He
moves away from the crowds, and Abram advances toward a
clearance in the mountains. He looks down toward their path
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Nightfall: Abram sits alone around a campfire that gently
crackles with each burning ember, when he hears someone
approach.
A voice says, “I heard what you said about dreams!”
Abram turns and looks up to see Lot who stands there; the
glow from the fire highlights his face.
“Lot, how are your legs?” asks Abram.
Lot sits down near the fire, so as to face Abram. “Better.
They have scabbed over so they must be healing!”
“Good!” says Abram.
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k
Morning: Abram remains curled up by the ashes of a dead
campfire, while a congregation of hundreds of people are busy
as they dismantle their tents. Lot approaches Abram.
“Abram, wake up! It is time to leave!”
Abram sits up and leans on one arm to look up at Lot.
“Is it time?”
“Yes, look. The sun rises in the east, and it looks like it is
going to be a glorious day. Come, breakfast is ready!” says
Lot.
He helps Abram to his feet and leads the way toward the
tent. On arrival, they both enter Abram’s tent, only to see the
tribeswomen grouped over a bowl; its contents resemble thick
lentil stew. The women dip their fingers in and consume the
red stew as though it were their last meal. Sarai looks up and,
after she swallows the red, she says, “My lord Abram, come,
you must eat!”
Abram gestures; with the tips of his fingers he touches his
forehead, bows, and approaches the women. The gesture has
gone unnoticed by most and misunderstood by others, and
Abram breaks a piece of bread and dips it into the stew and
eats. His face contorts.
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k
Mid morning: The people have congregated as they are now
packed and prepared to leave. Lot is up front with Abram and
is ready to assist to lead the people in their final descent into
the Negev. As they continue to negotiate every slope and
jagged rock which cascades down, the sun continues to rise,
high above them and the heat burdens all. With intensity, the
sun beats down and some of the people begin to weaken,
stumble and fall. The cries from children begin to increase.
Abram turns to Lot.
“I do not want the people exhausted like yesterday. By
midday, we will pitch tents and rest. We must get the children
out of the sun before the hottest part of the day!”
“Good, you are now trying to think of others!” says Lot.
Abram looks up at him and does not answer; he is a little
lower on the decline. The jagged slopes continue until Abram
notices level ground just beneath them, with mountains to the
west and cliffs to the east. The plateau is a suitable place to
rest. Abram and Lot are the first to touch down; they sit and
wait for the others to catch up.
k
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her tattoo. He starts at the base of her neck, runs the tips of
his fingers down the length of her spine and stops when he
reaches her loincloth. She giggles and stretches her arms out
either side of her body, which shows the tattoo of the eagle’s
wings that run the length of her arms.
She runs a circle around Abram, then laughs and flaps
her arms to replicate a bird in flight, while she skips and
dances around him. Abram watches, amused, while unable
to take his eyes off the young woman’s beautiful body. Her
slender thighs ripple with every skip, and her arms flap
continuously while the rest of her body glides with ease; her
firm breasts move with regular recurrence with every skip.
The woman charms and is happy to entertain, and she has
certainly bought Abram’s attention. He grins from ear to ear,
as he moves the torchlight and follows her every move. The
warm glow from the torch seems to accentuate the woman’s
beautiful bronze skin, which complements her pleated black
hair. Abram is transfixed. The young woman suddenly
stops dead in her tracks, turns to face Abram and offers her
palms to him, while she stares wide-eyed, in a soft voice she
says, “Come!”
Abram chuckles heartily, as her soft feminine voice and
strange accent have tickled him. She reaches forward and
takes hold of Abram’s hand and after she tugs, she leads him
deeper into the cave and into another cavity. This hollow is
even bigger, with more art on the walls. Abram waves the
torch near to the painted artwork and sees a different story
unfold. The woman rambles again, in an attempt to tell the
story, but Abram fails to listen, as his attention is fixed on the
art. The pictures themselves tell the story to Abram, as he sees
floodwaters teeming from the heavens and images of every
living creature drowning. He moves his torch across the walls
and advances upon more art, the likes he has never seen
before. Pictures of mammoths frozen in ice, fossils in various
shapes, animals he has never seen before, snow-capped
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Sometime later: just before dusk. The Perizzites are grouped
around an open fire near the entrance to one of the caves. The
carcass of a mountain goat turns on a spit over the flames of
the fire and Abram sits opposite the young woman who enter-
tained him all afternoon. She sits next to her father, who
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Abram finishes the last of his meat and cleans his hands.
“You said something about being attacked – by whom?”
The man rips meat from the bone and eats. “The
Canaanites, the Rephaim and the Edomites all occupy
the tropical plain. The Canaanites outnumber the rest of the
tribes and they have built five large cities, constructed with
huge walls, with the sole intent to keep everyone else out.
They hunt at night, creeping like chameleons, with their
black skin as camouflage. All you will see is the whites of
their eyes, and by then, it will be too late; they will have your
head on a spike, portrayed to warn others. It is not worth it,
believe me!”
The daughter looks up at her father. “What are you say-
ing, father?”
He strokes his daughter’s hair, smiles, and says in his
native tongue, “I was telling our visitor about the hidden val-
ley and paradise!”
The young woman becomes very animated and, in her
strange dialect, she says, “No, you must not go there, for the
valley of death will curse you and you will surely die!”
Abram smiles and looks at her father. “What did she say?”
The man smiles. “My daughter believes that the
Canaanites are black because they descended from the marsh-
land as demons who seek to inflict their curse upon others,
and because of this, the Gods have banished them to the
deep valley!”
“Your daughter is superstitious?” Abram asks.
“No!” replies the man. “She simply perceives everything
in literal terms and on neutral ground!”
Abram smiles and says, “Before you arrived, your daugh-
ter escorted me into the caves, and she showed me the paint-
ings and tried to explain them; however, I failed to understand
her dialect. How old are those drawings?”
The man responds, “Thousands of years old, since the
dawn of the Ice Age!”
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The man turns to his daughter and says, “Relate the sto-
ries again and I will translate to our friend!”
The young woman tells the tale with much enthusiasm;
her face beams and she is animated. Her father translates for
Abram:
“In the beginning of time and after the Ice Age, our ances-
tors were visited by creatures from another world. These enti-
ties were beautiful, more beautiful than man. So our women
married them and bore their children, but the children grew
up to be giants, towering above the trees. They were wicked
and began killing everyone in their path, and this angered the
Gods, who, in their wrath, deluged the earth with water, so
that the waters covered the mountains. Now, some of our
ancestors survived the flood, kept retained in a huge box made
from timber. After the waters subsided, our ancestors faced a
new world and they recorded the events on the walls of the
cave to inform future generations.”
Abram listens intently. “Your daughter fascinates me and
speaks with much conviction. I wish my people had as much
faith and enthusiasm!”
The man laughs as he listens to Abram’s comments.
Abram continues. “I noticed you all have an eagle tattoo
on your backs, why is this?”
The man responds, “After the deluge, when the waters
had dropped, the earth was strewn with dead bodies; bloated,
offensive, rotten flesh which could have brought forth disease
and pestilence. The Gods sent birds of prey, mainly eagles, to
consume the flesh quickly, to protect our ancestors. For this
reason, we honour the eagle, and for this reason we wear it!”
Abram is so intrigued over these tales that he has entirely
forgotten the time. Night has fallen, which has escaped his
notice, until the man speaks, “I thought you were only staying
until dusk?”
Abram looks away from the fire , looks over his shoulder,
and sees the blackness of night. He rises to his feet and picks
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
up his staff. “Forgive me, I did not intend staying this long,
however your stories intrigued me!”
The man rises to his feet and smiles. “It has been our
pleasure, and I hope you reconsider about your move into the
valley. It may be beautiful, but it is the most dangerous place
on earth!”
Abram thinks for a moment. “Thank you for the advice;
however, my God will tell me when the time is right!”
“Who is your God?” asks the man.
Abram raises his staff to the heavens and looks up.
“El Shaddi, creator of heaven and earth!” Abram says proudly.
Abram looks at the man, then bows with the tips of his
fingers placed against his forehead, and backs away slowly.
“May my God bless you, Perizzites, and grant you the land
that once belonged to your ancestors!”
Abram stops and looks up at the Perizzites, who all stare
at him with expressionless faces. “Farewell, my friends!” says
Abram, as he turns and walks off into the night. The
Perizzites stand together and watch him as he gradually dis-
appears into the darkness.
k
Early the next morning: Lot runs toward Abram’s tent and, as
he enters, he sees Sarai lying in bed alone. Alicia and three
other maidservants prepare breakfast, Alicia notices Lot stand
within the entrance. She approaches him and curtsies. “We
have prepared breakfast, my lord. Would you care to join us?”
Lot ignores Alicia, but looks at Sarai and asks, “Sarai,
where is Abram?”
Sarai opens her eyes, sits up in bed, and covers herself
with the bed sheet, “I assumed he was with you all night?”
Alicia feels her presence is unwanted and returns to pre-
pare the bread. Lot moves a little closer to Sarai, “He was with
me until late afternoon, and then the Perizzites turned up!”
“Who?” says Sarai?
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k
Five hours later: The sun is low over the mountain peaks, as
it is now late afternoon and creeps toward dusk. Within the
settlement, the people have been restless throughout Abram’s
absence and Sarai is beside herself with worry, although she
has been comforted and reassured by Lot’s wife all day.
Nevertheless, the entire congregation has lost one full day
toward their final descent into the Negev. Children play in a
clearance among trees, when some of them catch sight of
Abram and Lot return. A few of the children run toward the
settlement and shout, “Abram, Abram!”
Sarai runs from her tent, followed by Lot’s wife, and they
run until they meet up with Abram and Lot. Sarai throws her
arms around Abram as she reaches him, and she is complete-
ly breathless when she says, “My lord, what has happened to
you? You are covered in cuts and bruises!”
Abram replies, “I was attacked by jackals last night.
I thought for a moment it was all over for me, but I found a
place to hide!”
Abram drapes his arms over the shoulders of Sarai and
Lot’s wife, as they lead him toward his tent. Lot stands and
watches as they leave. The ten men who gave up the search
before noon approach Lot and one speaks, “I see you found
him, and found him alive!”
Lot keeps his eyes fixed on Abram and the two women as
he answers, “Yes, thank God!”
The man joins in and watches Abram and the two women,
“So had he been abducted?”
While he keeps his eyes on Abram, Lot says, “No, just
attacked!”
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k
Rebellion erupts
Two more days pass as the masses make their final descent
into the Negev. Abram and Lot take the lead up front, as men,
women, children, all accompanied by domestic animals, make
their way down the slopes and into the low plain. By the end
of the second day, the congregated people finally step foot
into the Negev, only to find that the land suffers from a severe
drought. Abram has taken another calculated risk and has put
the lives of hundreds of people in danger. The land is barren;
there is no grass, no foliage, and no water. The riverbeds are
dry, the trees are dry and brittle, parched bleached animal
bones decorate the cracked landscape, while the atmosphere
engulfs and diffuses deathly silence. Hundreds of people
have congregated amidst the desert plain. Abram and Lot
search the perimeters of the valley, but they quickly become
disillusioned as they behold what unfolds before them. Tired,
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Night: A clear sky full of stars glistens over the settlement,
which remains uneasy and silent. The only sounds are crack-
les from the fire and occasional noises from tethered animals.
Lot sits next to Abram, and while he prods the fire with a
stick, he stirs a conversation, “We must move on, first thing.
We cannot stay in this barren land!”
Abram replies, “Of course, I was thinking Egypt!”
Lot drops the stick and looks up at Abram. “Egypt! You
have had Egypt on your mind since we left Akkad almost ten
years ago!” Lot pauses momentarily. “Why Egypt?”
“Where else can we go?” Abram asks.
Lot says, “Why not the valley of Siddim? After all, this
entire mission was to search for the hidden valley, the land of
promise and the garden of God!”
Abram exhales a deep sigh, then looks at Lot as he says,
“It is too early to negotiate taking paradise from the hands of
vicious tribesmen. If we head east and try to enter the valley
from the south, we will meet with the Rephaim. If we get past
those, we will meet with the Edomites. If we get past those,
we could fall victim to the bitumen wells and if we survive
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The rest of the men rise to their feet and all seven of them
surround Lot. One of the men prods Lot’s chest with his fin-
ger. “Rumour has it that you found paradise weeks ago and
kept it to yourself, you pathetic scoundrel. We should be
enjoying our reward right now!”
Lot takes a few steps back, stretches his palms out, “No.
You are wrong. Abram will tell us when it is time to enter the
hidden valley!”
One of the men replies, “It is hidden, yes! Hidden from
us!”
The men close in on Lot and one reaches out and grabs a
handful of Lot’s tunic. Lot wriggles free, quickly turns and
flees the tent, but leaves his outer garment in the man’s hands.
He runs to Abram, who remains by the fire.
Lot calls his name as he runs. “Abram, Abram!”
As soon as he hears, Abram rises to his feet and looks at
Lot who runs toward him. Abram rushes to meet him. “What
is it, Lot?”
Lot rambles, breathless, “The men, they are conspiring
against you!”
Abram looks over Lot’s shoulder and sees seven men
emerge from the darkness; they all have angry expressions
upon their faces. Abram moves Lot to one side and steps for-
ward to face the men head on. The men stop a short distance
away and Ussiah steps forward.
“Why, Abram, why have you led us into the valley of dry
bones?” Ussiah demands.
“This was unintentional. The Negev flourishes during the
wet season!” Abram replies.
Ussiah responds, with sarcasm, “Well then, I guess this is
not the season?”
All seven men laugh scornfully. Ussiah continues, “Look,
Abram. We all have wives and children. We can no longer
allow you to lead us to our peril. If we keep following you,
we will surely die, all of us, and we are not going to let this
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the rebels are ready to leave on foot, they carry on their backs
everything they own. They set off for the valley of Siddim, a
journey that may take them the better part of five days to
reach, maybe seven days, as this depends on how the people
cope with the sudden change in leadership. As for Abram, he
commends the people that remain with him, and they number
eight hundred and eighty nine, this includes livestock and all
of Abram’s family, and Alicia. After he praised his congrega-
tion, Abram also warned them, he tells the people that rebels
will always be expelled from the camp and that the incidents
that have just occurred must never be spoken about again, as
gossip is also condemned. Abram clears the air, and he con-
tinues to instruct the people to prepare for a few weeks jour-
ney, as they need to leave the Negev before their supplies
deplete to dangerous levels. So the people dismantle their
tents and follow Abram to Shur in the West Country.
141
9
The Rephaim
move, and this allowed boiled fluids mixed with lumps of tar
to rise to the surface, filled each pit with a lethal gunk. The
odour rose from the swamp and could easily stifle one’s
breath, as the smell was potent and vile. The night air cools
the surface of the bitumen wells, and this allows a thin crust
to form; to anyone unfamiliar with the area, it would appear
to be solid ground. The slightest weight would crack the
surface, and allow the lethal substance beneath to claim
another victim.
k
Ussiah, the rebel, leads his people toward the valley of Siddim
and they have not the slightest inkling about the hell they
are all about to face. They have been en route now and have
travelled for six days; they are all tired, weary and weak and
their supplies are low. It is the close of the sixth and it is night.
The people have pitched tents in the hills and they are only
half a day’s journey from Siddim. Their intentions are to rise
early and storm the land which was promised to them by
their God through Abram. They have all failed to realise that
God is not with them, nor will He protect them. Very early
the next morning, Ussiah is quick to rise and rouses the peo-
ple. Men, women and children gather their things together
to get ready for the journey. Ussiah climbs high upon a hill
and stretches his palms up to the sky as he calls out to his
God, “My Lord, Sovereign of the Universe, may your humble
servant lead your people into the land which you have prom-
ised us. For today, we plan to take it and reap our reward. May
we press forward with your blessing and see the fulfilment of
our dreams?”
Ussiah stands, with a brisk wind which buffets around
him…he waits…and he waits…but no reply descends from
the heavens above. Ussiah assumes that he has God’s blessing
and climbs down the hill to meet with his people congregated
below. As Ussiah reaches the people, he calls out to them,
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
“God has sent his blessing to you all; today we will experience
the fulfilment of our dreams. Come people, let us press for-
ward and reap what is ours!”
Ussiah continues to lead the people and, by sunrise, they
are well on their way; they make their descent into the valley
of Siddim. The people rejoice and believe that God was
with them.
k
Noon: The people have gathered in the low hills, surrounded
by trees, and the low plain beneath them is lush with vegeta-
tion. They spy out the land and struggle to see through the
leaves of trees, which are large and thick. The atmosphere is
humid and dense throughout the land and large mosquitoes
swarm in to torment this lost group of people. Ussiah looks
over the cliff’s edge, to see large vines creep over the entirety
of the cliff face. He turns to the people and says, “This is our
way down to the valley. We will use these vines to climb
down!”
“Is it safe?” asks a man from the crowd.
Ussiah says, “The vines are plentiful; each man carry a
child upon his back and the women will follow!” The people
begin to organise themselves for the descent, and each child is
secured to a man’s back by a length of cord. The men go first
and climb down the rock face, followed by the women. It is
now the hottest part of the day and the sun burns without
mercy. The descent is strenuous, but the vines are strong and
assist the people to the ground. Insects bite and persist, but no
one dare loosen their grip for a second. The deeper they
descend, the more humid the air becomes, makes breathing
difficult. By the time they reach the ground, they are all
breathless and lathered with sweat. On the ground, the chil-
dren are cut loose and many tear cloth from their clothes to
wipe moisture from their faces. The people are congregated at
the base of the rock face and all of them begin to survey the
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area. They look all around, and they see enormous fruit trees,
tropical plants in abundance and various green leaves and
shoots, the likes of which they have never seen before. Ussiah
looks at the crowd of people and says, “See how beautiful a
land this is! God has truly blessed us as every patch of this
is ours!”
A woman from the crowd steps forward “Why is every-
thing so large, even the fruit look, they grow so big!”
Ussiah looks at the fruit trees. “It is the climate which
affects them. This is a lost paradise and we have found it. Just
think what the climate will do for us. We may even live for
eternity?”
“Are you sure? We have not investigated the entire val-
ley!” says a man from the crowd.
“Fear not, for God is with us. Come, we must press on
deep into the valley before sundown!” Ussiah replies.
Ussiah leads the way, heading north, and the congregation
follows him. They press forward, but the underbrush makes
progress difficult and the sun continues to beat down upon
them. They continue to push large leaves aside, but some of
the people begin to stumble and fall, while children are unable
to see above the brush. Some children are carried on the
shoulders of their fathers. It is late afternoon and the people
are tired and hungry, although determined to press on, until
the sound of wood that cracks and snaps, together with
thumps to the ground that causes vibrations, makes them
freeze in their tracks. The noises continue and they can feel
the earth beneath their feet tremble. Motionless, the people
stare ahead, while terror encapsulates their faces.
Suddenly, two large hands cleave the vegetation on either
side, as one abnormally broad face peers in at the crowd of
people. Ussiah screams out at the top of his voice,
“My God, no! The Rephaim, everyone run for your lives!”
The petrified congregation disperses in every direction, as
screams of terror fills the air, except for Ussiah who is numb
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
with fear; his legs become weak and he drops to his knees and
stares up at the giant. A large hand seizes his body and Ussiah
is lifted skyward. The giant rips the clothes from Ussiah until
he is almost naked, sinks its teeth into his shoulder, tears
Ussiah’s flesh and begins to eat him. Ussiah screams momen-
tarily, before he blacks out. The blood still clings to the giant’s
lips when he loosens his grip on Ussiah’s limp body, then
allows it to fall to the earth. The body hits the ground with a
thump, and releases sounds of broken bones, but Ussiah is still
alive. His heart continues to pump blood, so that when he
regains consciousness, the plight of his agony will overwhelm
him before he dies.
Men, women and children run, terrified, clueless as to
where to go, other than back where they came from. More of
the Rephaim close in and grab hold of those who cling to the
vine. There is no escape from the valley of Siddim, and the
giants treat it as a sport, as they hunt down every last person
before they gorge themselves on the victims’ flesh. The peo-
ple’s screams for mercy go unheard and no one is able to help.
The giants rule until God decides to become tired of them,
but at this moment in time, the bullies continue as there is no
assistance, not even for the sake of the children. A group of
children between the ages of eight to twelve, and they are
seven of them in total, have temporarily escaped the Rephaim
and have run north toward the Jordan plain. They fight their
way through large leaves and brush, and they eventually make
it to a wide-open clearance. Something the children see caus-
es them to stop dead in their tracks, and they all stand and
stare, dumbfounded.
The cities gleam in the sunlight and huge walls tower into
the heavens from a child’s perspective, and they are mesmer-
ized. The children, four boys and three girls, turn their atten-
tion to the sea of Arabah. How it ripples ever so gently and
glistens like a bed of diamonds as though to reflect sunlight.
The vegetation which surrounds the body of water is lush and
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PAUL JUSTICE
plentiful and the trees bear every fruit imaginable. The chil-
dren are so focused on their discovery that they fail to notice
or even feel that the ground beneath them melts away. Up to
their knees in bitumen, the children begin to struggle in
silence, as they dare not scream. They struggle profusely,
which accelerates their plight, and in a short time, the chil-
dren have sunk to their waists.
One boy says to the others, “Stop struggling!”
A girl replies, “So how do we get free?”
Another boy says, “One of us should pull against another
to get free, and then pull the others out?”
Another girl says, “But the one pulling will sink quicker!”
A sudden pound to the ground brings a swift silence to the
children, and they all stare at one another, gripped with fear.
Moments later, one of the Rephaim emerges from among
trees. He carries two naked women, one under each arm, and
the women hang limp, lifeless, with loose flesh that hangs
from their arms. The giant approaches the children and sits
down on the ground, some distance away from the bitumen
pits. After he lays the women on the ground, he just sits there
and stares at the children. One of the girls calls out to the
giant. “Help us, big man?” she says in her dainty sweet voice.
The giant laughs, the depth and volume of his voice scares
the children even more, this causes two of the boys to strug-
gle and the girls scream. The Rephaim enjoy their play with
children, in the same context as a cat plays with a mouse, with
every intention to kill and eat it. So the children are doomed
either way, but what appears to be a glimmer of hope is when
the giant rises to his feet and approaches the bog, while he
keeps to the perimeter. The giant gets down on one knee and
lifts one of the boys out of the tar pits. He looks at the boy
momentarily, as an expression of sadness spreads over the
giant’s face, before he utters a deep sounding “Ah!” He rises
to his feet, with boy in hand and looks down upon the chil-
dren who continue to sink, he looks up into the sky, and his
148
SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
149
10
Entering Egypt
150
SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
The fifth day and it is noon. Abram calls a halt to the
assembly, as they arrive in the hill country which overlooks
Egypt to the west and the Red Sea to the south. The sun
soars above them and it is hot. With staff in hand, Abram
climbs a hill to achieve an elevated view, and as he reaches
the top, he stands and looks over the valley which faces
west. He holds his staff with his left hand and with his right
hand, which bears cloth, he shades his eyes from the sun.
He looks out over Egypt, turns and looks down the hill
and whistles through his fingers to draw Lot’s attention. Lot
looks up and Abram waves to him, gestures for Lot to come
up and see.
Lot climbs the hill, reaches Abram and asks, “What is it?”
Abram puts his right arm across Lot’s shoulders, as he
points with his staff, “Look at those pyramids. Look at the
way they gleam in the sunlight!”
Lot shades his eyes with his right hand. “Yes I see, and
your point is?”
Abram replies, “They are beautiful; they glisten like dia-
monds in a bed of sand!”
“I fail to muster the same enthusiasm, Abram,” Lot says,
“You are obsessed with pyramids and this is not good!”
“Nonsense!” says Abram. “Remember my words. People
will marvel over these for thousands of years to come!”
“Really?” says Lot.
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
Abram pats Lot on the back and says, “Come, let us press
on and we may be entering Egypt before sunset!”
Lot assists Abram down from the hill and they rejoin the
assembled tribe, who wait patiently beneath the midday sun.
Before they continue, Abram says, “One moment, I need to
have a word with Sarai!”
Lot rolls his eyes. “If you must, but hurry!”
Abram rushes around the perimeter of the assembled
crowd, looks for Sarai. He finds her; she sits on a camel and
looks as beautiful as ever. He advances toward Sarai and
looks up, “Sarai, what have you done to your eyes? You have
excelled yourself, woman!”
Sarai laughs and says, “I used a much darker eye shadow!”
“Outstanding!” says Abram. “Remember what we agreed:
you are my sister. Please make no mention of wife!”
Sarai responds, “Trust me, my lord, you have my word!”
Abram nods in agreement and hurries up front to join
Lot. The entourage starts to move and the journey toward
Egypt continues. After some time and travel, Abram turns to
Lot and says, “What do you think happened to the ten spies?”
Lot shrugs his shoulders, “No idea,” he says, “Maybe they
lost their way?”
“Or their lives!” says Abram.
Lot looks at Abram, frowns, as they continue to walk.
It is late afternoon by the time they reach Egypt in the low
plain, and everyone is tired and hungry. Surrounded by palm
trees and foliage, Abram is keen to pitch tents, but Lot is not
as sure, as this is civilised territory and he remains apprehen-
sive. So Abram decides to take the entire congregation on a
tour of the pyramids and Lot is furious. Hundreds of people,
exhausted from the trip, drag their feet as Abram leads them
to the base of one pyramid after another; they all follow
Abram’s steps before he leads them toward a very large sphinx,
fashioned in the image of a panther. As all the people gaze up
at the sphinx, a group of Egyptian men on horseback, carry
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PAUL JUSTICE
Abram and Sarai follow the Official down a long path with
rows of sphinxes which decorate both sides. The Palace gar-
dens are adorned with palm trees and mixed foliage. They
climb the ramp that leads to the entrance, see four guards who
stand, two either side of the doors. The guards open the doors
to allow entrance and not a word is spoken, as the Official, fol-
lowed by Abram and Sarai, pass through. Centrally located in
the Palace is a large pool, rectangular in shape, and the walls
are decorated throughout with hieroglyphics. From the pool,
the Official leads them through corridors which lead to the
Royal Chambers, where the Pharaoh’s throne is situated, adja-
cent to the sunken gardens.
As they enter the room, they see a man of large stature
seated on the throne. The atmosphere within is tranquil and
calm. The Pharaoh is attended by servants who cater to his
needs, while two of them fan the air with palm leaves. At the
rear of the throne are four tall men of heavy build, who stand
with their arms folded and their faces void of any expression.
The wall lights burn gently, the flames dance, casts a glow
over the two sphinxes seated on either side of the Pharaoh’s
throne. Fashioned in red granite and feature the face of
Khufu, the sphinxes complement the Majestic Ruler, as he sits
on his throne overlaid with pure gold.
The Pharaoh’s clothes are the purest of white, bear an ele-
gant gold trim. The headdress, which drapes his shoulders,
features an array of colours similar to a prism as it reflects
light. The symbol which covers his forehead is fashioned in
gold and silver. Such a contrast against his dark skin is the
Pharaoh’s Imperial attire and the beard which protrudes from
his chin is cut square, while it embraces a silver mantle.
The Royal Official leads Abram and Sarai toward the
Pharaoh and all three kneel before him a short distance away.
The voice of Khufu reflects power, when he says, “Rise!”
All three rise to their feet and the Official steps to one
side. The Pharaoh sits, looks at Abram and Sarai and moves
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
The next morning, as the sun rises over the hills in the east, a
glimmer of light cascades over the settlement at the foot of
the mountains that separate the people from the coastline
of the Red Sea. Some of the people begin to rise and many of
them are excited over their new location, this includes the
children, as Egypt has a beautiful landscape with new territo-
ry for them to explore. Abram, however, rests in his tent,
exhausted from the previous day’s journey. Lot rests also, in a
tent near to Abram’s, and he is calm, now that he has accept-
ed the new arrangements. However, the vision of paradise
remains at the forefront of his mind, seated in his heart, is the
strong motivation to attain it. He sees Egypt as a temporary
plan, manoeuvred through Abram’s cunning diversion, and
that once the issue over the artefact is settled, and Abram
has received his reward, it will be time to quickly move on.
However, Abram has other plans – plans that could require a
prolonged stay in Egypt.
k
Mid-afternoon: The suns heat descends over the Palace in
Lower Egypt. Four men run through the courtyard of the
Palace Grounds; one of them carries the artefact. Four men,
who consist of two priests and two astronomers, quickly
approach one of the guards and converse with him. The guard
escorts the men to one of the Palace Attendants and more
conversation is shared between them. Finally, the Palace
Attendant enters the Royal Buildings and approaches the
throne where Khufu is seated. The attendant bows and
kneels before Pharaoh, “My lord Pharaoh, the priests and
astronomers are bearing news and they have solved the arte-
fact mystery!”
“Rise and show them in!” says Khufu.
The attendant responds quickly and alerts the four men.
The priests and astronomers approach Pharaoh, bow before
him, the one who holds the artefact says, “My lord Pharaoh,
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k
The next day: it is late morning. The settlement near the
base of the mountains is a hive of activity, as the people tend to
daily affairs. Children run, play and laugh. Abram sits near the
entrance to his tent and talks to Lot, when he sees a large crowd
of Egyptians approach, accompanied by a vast array of animals.
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into his tent and Hagar makes a final leap, as she flies into the
tent behind him. Alicia stands and stares at them both, wide-
eyed, and Abram asks, breathlessly, “Where is Sarai?”
Alicia says, “To the rear of the tent, my lord!”
Alicia smiles at Hagar as Sarai approaches. “My lord
Abram, you have returned!”
She notices Hagar and says, “Who is this? She looks like
a Princess.”
“She is Hagar, from the Palace,” Abram explains. “Sarai
listen...”
Sarai butts in, “Have you stolen her? Is this what the panic
is over?”
Alicia giggles, then quickly covers her mouth with her
hand.
“Sarai listen,” Abram pleads, “Remember what we agreed
upon, about you hiding the fact that...”
Before Abram has time to finish the sentence, the
Pharaoh’s Officials enter the tent.
“We are here by order of the Pharaoh. Abram, where can
we find your sister?”
Sarai steps forward, “It is I, my lords, and my name is Sarai!”
One of the Officials says, “Come with us; the Pharaoh
requests your presence!”
Sarai looks at Abram, who tries to talk to her with his eyes,
as he rolls them around his head, which makes him look
ridiculous. Sarai stands and frowns, while one of the Officials
says to Abram, “What is wrong with your eyes?”
Abram blinks fast. “A fly… I…I have something in my
eye, my lord!” The Official looks at Hagar and Alicia, and he
looks at Abram, “The girl’s will take care of it!” Both Officials
escort Sarai from the tent and take her to the Palace.
k
Mid morning: the next day. Abram and Lot discuss the alloca-
tion of animals received as gifts from the Pharaoh and their
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
The months roll by: Abram remains concerned over the issue
with Sarai, while Lot enjoys the prosperity in Egypt. The
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Evening in the Palace: Centrally located in one of the Royal
Chambers sits a large sunken pool which features beautiful
mosaic tiles. Each tile features a unique symbol of hiero-
glyphics and the water is crystal clear. Torches hang from each
wall with gentle flames that cast a warm glow over the pool.
Water splashes, the sound of which fills the hollow room, as
two attendants stand nearby, they hold robes, wait for their
Pharaoh to finish his bath. The two very young and beautiful
women hold Khufu’s attention, while they play and bath with
their King. With the occasional echo of feminine laughter,
Khufu relaxes as he is more than entertained. After some time,
an unusual chill enters the room and Khufu becomes over-
whelmed with goose-bumps as he shivers. He looks up at the
two attendants who stand and hold robes while they stare
ahead, and he notices how their breath is visible, like a fine
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mist. Khufu’s sudden abrupt exit from the pool startles the
girls and one of them responds with a serious expression. She
asks, “What is wrong, my lord Pharaoh?”
The attendants drape the robes over Khufu’s shoulders
and he makes a hasty exit from the room. Both attendants
look at the girls in the pool, as though they were to blame
for the Pharaoh’s alarmed behaviour. And the girl’s simply
stand side by side, naked, shiver and remain speechless. The
Pharaoh hurries through the Palace corridors, leaves a trail of
water droplets behind. The shadows on the walls depict two
figures which move at speed, even though Khufu is alone and
only one of the shadows belongs to him. He reaches his bed-
chamber, and two maidservants dress his bed with clean
sheets. They see their King stand in the doorway, so they stop
work and bow. Khufu looks at the slaves and says, “Go and
alert the guards that we may have an intruder!”
The slaves quickly respond and exit the room. The
Pharaoh stands alone in his bedchamber; he feels cold and
unsettled and the atmosphere in his room is chilled. He
hears footsteps in the corridor and jumps with fright as
two guards suddenly enter the room; they bear swords. The
guards bow before the Pharaoh and one of them says, “The
maidservants tell us that you think there may be an intruder,
my lord?”
Khufu says, “I was bathing, when suddenly, I sensed a
presence. The attendants and bathers were with me; only,
I felt there was another. Search the entirety of the Palace and
find him!”
The guards acknowledge and quickly exit the room. The
Pharaoh searches his bedroom, looks under drapes and under
his bed; he searches everywhere, only to find no one. He sits
on his bed and looks all around. The room is luxurious and
plush and the wall lights flicker, and casts shadows throughout
the room. The Pharaoh sits and waits for quite some time,
suddenly he hears the guards return. They enter the room and
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
bow before Khufu, and one of them says, “We have searched
everywhere, my lord Pharaoh, and there is no sign of anyone
other than who we know!”
The Pharaoh rises to his feet and paces the room, thinks;
looks at the guards, he says, “A King needs his wife in times of
stress. Have one of the attendants bring Sarai to me and make
sure she is dressed appropriately!”
The guards acknowledge and exit the room. The Pharaoh
removes his robes and climbs into bed to lie and wait.
Watches shadows dance on the walls from the torchlight,
this makes him feel drowsy. He almost falls to sleep, when
the voice of his attendant wakes him. “Sarai, my lord
Pharaoh!”
The attendant exits the room. Khufu rolls over in bed and
rests his head on his arm, while he stares at Sarai, who stands
a short distance away. Khufu smiles. “Your beauty takes my
breath away!” he says admiringly.
Sarai stands motionless and looks at Khufu. The torches
behind her shine through the light cotton gown, which makes
it translucent. Pharaoh follows the contours of her body with
his eyes. His eyes rove over her breasts which protrude with a
firmness usually associated with a much younger woman.
Khufu rolls back the bed sheets and pats the bed, as he beck-
ons for Sarai. She approaches his bed with a slow idle swank,
before she slips under the covers and lies on her back. She
remains very still. Khufu leans over her body to peer into her
beautiful face, dark eyes and deep red lips. He moves in close
and kisses her, for the first time. Suddenly, he feels an awk-
ward prod in his back, which startles him. He swiftly turns and
expects to see someone by his bed, only to find there is no
one. He turns his attention back to Sarai; she lies and stares up
at him with a serious expression. Khufu looks at Sarai admir-
ingly, while he gently strokes the side of her face, and sud-
denly he withdraws his hand and sits back. He watches with
disbelief as Sarai morphs into something hideous. Her face
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contorts into a mass of ugly warts and breasts deflate and fall
to the sides, while her arms and legs wrinkle like prunes.
Infected skin hangs from her arms and she reaches out to him.
In a deep manly voice, Sarai says, “Come to me, my lord!”
The Pharaoh jumps out of bed and runs from the room, and
he screams at the top of his voice. He runs through corridors
naked; he continues to run through the Palace, trips, falls and
bumps off walls. Finally, two of the guards see the Pharaoh’s
dilemma and run to his aid, and as they reach him, they
remove their cloaks to cover his nakedness. One of the guards
says, “What is it, my lord?”
Khufu says, “Something hideous is in my room!”
One of the guards remains with Pharaoh, while the other
rushes off to his room to investigate. On arrival at Pharaoh’s
bedchambers, the guard rushes in with a sword, only to find
Sarai, who sits on the end of the bed and looks as beautiful as
ever. The guard approaches her. “Is there something hideous
in this room?”
Sarai looks up at the guard and shrugs her shoulders. The
guard swiftly replies, “Stand on your feet when I address you,
woman. What have you done to the Pharaoh?”
Sarai replies, “Everything is fine; he just suddenly ran
from the room screaming, my lord!”
The guard’s reaction shows he does not believe her and he
begins to search throughout the bedchamber, he finds noth-
ing. He returns to Sarai, “I suggest you return to your quar-
ters and talk about this to no one!”
Sarai curtsies and exits the room. The guard returns to the
Pharaoh and says, “I have searched thoroughly, my lord
Pharaoh, and I fail to find anything that we could consider
hideous!”
Khufu says, “What about Sarai?”
The guard says, “Yes Sarai was there, my lord Pharaoh,
but she is far from hideous, if you do not mind me saying, my
lord Pharaoh!”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Another week has passed since the haunting began and
Khufu has commissioned twelve priests to attend his throne
for a briefing. The priests prepare by shaving their heads
completely bald and they dress in attire that distinguishes
them from everyone else. It is mid-morning by the time the
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twelve arrive. They all approach the throne and bow before
the Pharaoh. Khufu tells them to rise.
The Pharaoh addresses them all. “Pestilence, disease and
supernatural phenomena have ripped through this Palace like
a torrent, and I want to know why. I have my suspicions, as
this all began after the arrival of the Sumerian artefact. I want
you all to work on this and get to the bottom of it!” the
Pharaoh demands.
The one who acts as spokesman says, “What exactly
would you like us to do, my lord Pharaoh?”
The Pharaoh responds, “Investigate, research, travel to
Babylon if you have to. I want to know about the Sumerian
culture, how they lived and why they mixed with their Gods.
For all we know, the artefact may be cursed?”
The spokesman responds, “My lord, people are sick and
dying; a journey to Babylon would take months, even on
horseback!”
Khufu jumps to his feet, raises his voice and shouts, “Do
not remind me about people who fall sick, I have concubines
who swim in their own vomit and faeces. I do not care how
you do it, just get me some answers!”
The priests all bow before the Pharaoh and exit the room.
Khufu beckons for one of the attendants to approach and says,
“Get me a bowl of water and a cloth!”
“Yes my lord Pharaoh!” says the attendant and leaves,
quickly returning with the bowl. After the Pharaoh freshens
up, he summons six Officials to accompany him to the con-
struction site of the great pyramid and they all leave the
Palace by noon. On arrival, the Pharaoh sees some of the
foundation stones are already in place and progress is better
than expected. As he walks around the perimeter, followed by
his Officials, he stops and watches one of the builders shave a
huge sandstone with a copy of the papyrus by his side for ref-
erence. He moves a little closer. Khufu notices sweat drip
from the man’s brow and drops hit the papyrus which causes
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Later that afternoon, the Pharaoh sits on his throne and waits
for the priests, a slim pottery vase gripped in his hands. The
sound of voices in the corridor outside the doors disrupts him
as he sits and thinks, and two priests, accompanied by two
Officials, enter the room and bow before the Pharaoh. One of
the priests has the artefact in his hands.
“Rise!” says Khufu, “Roll out the papyrus and lay it on the
ground before me!” The priest removes the papyrus and lays
it out on the ground before the throne near the Pharaoh’s feet.
Khufu says, “Tell me, what will happen if a pour acetic
acid?” He says this while he holds the vase of vinegar over the
papyrus.
One of the priests says, “It will destroy it, my lord
Pharaoh!”
Khufu places his thumb over the narrow spout and
allows a few drops to fall onto the centre of the papyrus.
As the liquid hits, it beads and rolls over the surface, causes
no damage.
Everyone present is amazed and Khufu says, “I watched
one of the builders today and his sweat destroyed a copy of
this, and here acetic acid does not even touch the original.
This is not papyrus; so tell me, what is it?”
The priests look at one another and one speaks to the
Pharaoh, “My lord Pharaoh, without extensive tests, we could
not possibly know!”
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Khufu rises to his feet and says, “I pay you men to solve
riddles and here I stand, puzzled over the unknown?” Khufu
points down to the artefact plan and says, “Take this and find
out what it is!” The priests all bow, and one gathers the plan,
and they leave together. The Pharaoh spends the remainder of
the day with his Physicians, being updated on the state of
everyone’s health, as more and more of the people who work
in the Palace fall sick.
k
Mid morning, the next day: The Pharaoh is seated on
his throne, with two priests who stand before him. One
holds the artefact and the other holds the drawing rolled up
in his hands. The one who holds the artefact speaks to the
Pharaoh.
“My lord Pharaoh, first we ran tests on the artefact and we
found it to be crafted of red cedar and all four sides have
scribed letters chiselled in Sumerian symbols. The removable
tip is crafted in pure gold and this is symbolic!”
“Symbolic? Explain!” says Khufu.
The priest who holds the plan unravels it and begins
to explain, “My lord Pharaoh, the drawing depicts the tip of
the pyramid separated from the body and this is after comple-
tion. We believe the tip hovers by some force capable of defy-
ing gravity, while the body of the pyramid represents the
landing base!”
Khufu laughs momentarily. “I am looking for proof, not
imaginary tales. The drawing: what is the substance matter?”
He replies indignantly.
The priest who holds the drawing responds, “The sub-
stance matter is unknown, my lord Pharaoh. We tried to burn
it and it will not burn; it heats and recoils from the corners
and, after it cools, the sheet becomes brittle!”
Khufu says, “Recoil, you mean like a serpent?”
“Yes my lord!” says the priest.
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
The Pharaoh sits and he thinks for some time. “We are
solving nothing here, so we may have to bury the artefact in
the desert for some other victim to find!”
One of the priests speaks up, “May I make a suggestion
my lord?”
“Yes, speak!” says Khufu.
The priest continues, “The construction project for the
great pyramid progresses well, my lord. Surely, if the artefact
were cursed work would be hindered, would it not?”
Khufu replies, “If you assume correctly, then why does
strange phenomena haunt this Palace?”
The priest answers, “My lord, I speak on behalf of the
priesthood, Officials and guards when I say this. We all
believe the problem lies not with the artefact but with the
messenger who delivered it!”
“You mean Abram?” Khufu questions.
“Yes, my lord Pharaoh,” says the priest. “Abram is a
scoundrel and a liar, my lord Pharaoh, and we feel he is hid-
ing something!”
Khufu asks, “Do you have any proof?”
“My lord Pharaoh, if you were to question Abram, we
believe you would have all the proof you need!” the priest
reassures him.
Khufu sits back in his throne and meditates over the infor-
mation. He looks at the priests and says, “Very well, alert the
guards and have him brought to me at once, and bring his
side-kick, in case he knows anything!”
The priests acknowledge and bow before they leave. The
Pharaoh gets the attention of one of his attendants.
“Go to my harem and collect Sarai; bring her here!”
Khufu says.
“Are not the women sick, my lord Pharaoh?” the atten-
dant asks.
Khufu says, “You will find that Sarai is the only one not
sick. Go!”
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pyramid and you will not witness its completion. Now get
back in line!”
Abram bows and recedes back until he is behind the
leader’s horse. The sun is about to set over the hills; by the
time the entourage of almost two thousand people plus
animals, reach the outskirts, it will have set. With a beaten
path which leads toward the hills in the east before them,
the Official in charge calls a halt to the assembly. He steers
his horse almost full circle, then he beckons for Abram to
approach.
As Abram approaches, the Official says, “You lead your
people from here and make sure you are in the hills before you
pitch tents for the night!”
Abram bows and acknowledges, then turns to approach
the congregation to instruct them, Abram hears the Official
say, “One moment!”
Abram turns to face the Official, who now leans forward
on his horse, and he says to Abram, “You are fortunate to face
eviction after your acts of deception; I would have had you
killed!”
Abram acts out one of his peculiar bows and places the
tips of his fingers to his forehead, then he turns and walks
away. He approaches the crowds, and Abram calls out to
them, “To the hills, people! Follow me!”
Abram leads the way toward the beaten path and the
congregation begins to move; they surge forward and follow.
The Officials sit and watch as the masses move out and their
watch continues till dusk, until the people are completely out
of sight. They whip their horses and the Officials make their
speedy return to Egypt.
From the first night after Abram and Sarai’s eviction,
the supernatural activity in the Palace stops. As the weeks roll
by, the pestilence and sickness leaves the Palace and the peo-
ple return to a fullness of health. Throughout the eight
months that Sarai resided in the Pharaoh’s harem, twenty-five
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182
11
The Return
Two months have passed since the eviction from Egypt and
the huge assembly is now settled in the low plain of the
Negev, camped near streams of water, now that the wet sea-
son has returned. Pasturage is sparse, even though the earth
replenishes rapidly. Abram remains unsettled, despite tribe’s
people who show a keen spirit to cultivate the land and rework
the red soil mixed with sand and sediment. Abram is crouched
down, as he pokes at the ground and spreads particles of red
soil between his fingers Lot approaches, sits on the ground
next to Abram and says, “Why is the soil red?”
Abram, who does not bother to look at Lot, says, “This is
no good; the soil is weak; a few blades of grass for the animals
are the best we can expect!”
Lot stands up and assists Abram to his feet. “Maybe it is
time to travel into the valley of Siddim?” Lot suggests.
Abram stands, thinks, and looks at Lot. “Siddim is out of
the question; I will not speak on this subject again!” Abram
says furiously.
He walks away and Lot calls after him. “Why?” Lot asks,
while he throws his arms in the air.
Abram ignores him and continues to walk toward his tent
while tribespeople wish him good day as he passes and chil-
dren get under his feet. On arrival at the tent, Abram enters
to find that Hagar stands half-dressed, being measured by
Lot’s daughters for new clothes. Abram is surprised, so he
says, “Hagar, why are you wrapped in cheap cloth?”
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as you have with Alicia; only, please do not allow your feelings
to cloud your judgment.”
Abram stops and raises his face, he looks at Sarai with
a serious expression. “Very well, as you are appointed to
lord it over the women folk, it shall remain your decision,
and please pardon me for my intrusion!” Abram says a little
curtly.
Abram gestures with his unusual bow, fingertips to the
forehead.
Sarai bows in return. “Your pardon is accepted, my lord!”
Abram turns and makes his exit. En route toward Lot’s
tent, Abram passes children play; he pats a boy on the top of
his head as he drifts on by. As he reaches Lot’s tent, he enters
to find him in a discussion with his wife about the valley of
Siddim. Abram interrupts, “Pardon my interruption, Lot.
I need to speak with you in private!”
Lot gestures for his wife to leave and she quickly rises to
her feet and curtsies before she leaves the tent. As she steps
outside, she briefly glances over her shoulder to look back at
Abram and Lot. She pretends to walk away and quickly dou-
bles back, to crouch by the side of the tent and she listens
from outside. Inside the tent, Abram sits next to Lot and says,
“Sarai is wielding authority over the women and we have
barely settled!”
Lot says, “Is this not her position, my lord?”
Abram says, “Why yes, only she has demoted Hagar to
position of slave!”
“Oh, what was she before?” Lot asks.
Abram looks at Lot seriously and says, “This is no time to
be facetious, Lot. If Sarai keeps lashing the whip without
cause, we will have a revolt on our hands!”
Lot begins to conceive of the seriousness and says, “Have
you spoken with Sarai about this?”
“Yes and she was quick with sharp answers; more or less
told me to bow out!” Abram says with concern.
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Lot sits with his head down, thinks, and after some time
he looks up at Abram and says, “So what are we going to do?”
Abram smiles, as he half expected a revelation from Lot.
“We should alert the people to be ready to leave here by
dawn!” Abram advises.
“And go where?” asks Lot.
Abram answers, “Up into the mountains, heading north
toward Bethel!”
Lot swiftly replies, “Bethel again, it will take months to
get there!”
“Exactly!” says Abram.
“What do you mean, exactly?” says Lot.
Abram looks at Lot and says, “Think about it, we will
move through the mountains in stages, absorbing much of our
time. Sarai will be too tired to cause disruption among the
women. She will be too busy trying to survive!”
“I am not sure about this. Would it not be easier to
remove Sarai’s authority over the women?” Lot muses.
Abram responds negatively, “Huh no, that would create a
whole new heap of problems to have to deal with. Besides,
could you do Sarai’s job, dealing with touchy women all day?”
“I get the point!” says Lot.
A few moments of silence pass between them, then Lot
says, “The idea of climbing those mountains and covering old
ground; it is daunting and this time we have many more peo-
ple and animals to lead!”
“It will not be as bad as you think,” Abram says. “Come,
and let us alert the people before sundown!”
Outside, Lot’s wife scurries to the back of the tent and
hides before she can be caught and Abram and Lot exit the
tent, unaware that the woman heard everything.
The next day, as the sun peaks over the mountaintops.
The huge assembly gathers their belongings in readiness for
their gruelling trek into the hill country. Abram and Lot dis-
cuss and make final decisions over the best route to take and
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Morning on the tenth day: Abram rises early and leaves his
tent before breakfast and hurries over to Lot’s tent. As he
enters, he sees Lot sleep, lying next to his wife. Abram whis-
pers loudly, “Lot, wake up!”
After several attempts, Lot sits up and rubs his eyes. He
looks at Abram, while he squints and asks, “What is it?”
“We need to meet with the herdsmen,” says Abram.
“There is trouble over the animals!”
Lot rises from his bed and gets dressed. Abram sits
down and waits. After he collects a bowl of fruit and a flask of
water, Lot sits down opposite Abram and they begin to share
the breakfast. As he eats a fig, Lot says, “The return to Bethel
has reminded me of something I have always wondered
about!”
Abram sits and picks seeds from a sliced pomegranate and
asks, “Wondered about what?”
Lot replies, “I know you like to create names for people
and groups, and it was here that you conjured up the name
Yahweh and pinned it on God. Why?”
Abram removes a seed and eats it. “You are probing
again, Lot!”
Lot continues to eat and says, “I am curious and I fail to
understand. Why not keep with tradition and address God as
Elohim, in line with our forefathers?”
Abram brushes seeds from his beard and says, “The name
Elohim identifies the family of God, and God and Lord are
titles. I wanted a name to identify God Most High. So I shuf-
fled some consonants around in my head and came up with
YHWH, so I now call Him Yahweh.”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
Lot takes two steps back and says, “If you are going
to burn those oxen, you can start by sharpening all those
swords and knives ready for the Hittites, Canaanites,
Girgashites, and anyone else who comes teaming over those
mountains!”
Abram’s eyes widen as he feels a rage build within, he pulls
his staff from the ground and points it toward Lot. “Step
back!” Abram says angrily.
Lot begins to move away slowly, while he keeps his eyes
fixed on Abram.
He stretches his staff at arm’s length, so that the tip touch-
es the ground, Abram begins to drag the rod in a circular
motion so that a deep line is carved into the dirt. Now Abram
stands in the centre of his circle, with his staff in his right
hand, and he calls out to Lot.
“Lot, do you have the faith and conviction to cross this
line and enter my space?” Abram says, with authority in his
tone.
Lot becomes fearful and says, “What do you mean, my
lord? You know I hate riddles?”
Abram stands fast and is clearly enraged when he shouts,
“This is no riddle. Either you are with me or you are not. You
decide!”
Lot begins to back away further, turns, and runs back to
his tent. Abram stands and watches as Lot leaves the scene.
One hour later, Lot sits near the entrance to his tent with
his head down, almost between his knees. The ground near
his feet darkens, as someone stands and overshadows him. Lot
looks up, teary-eyed, and sees a blurred image of Abram as he
looks down at him. He hears Abram’s voice, in gentle tone,
say, “Come, I have something to show you!”
Lot rises to his feet and brushes the dust from his cloths;
he walks with Abram toward the mountains in the east. En
route, Abram says to Lot, “The congregation is too big and
there are no trustworthy men to appoint as leaders. The
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k
Night: The oxen are ablaze and flames leap into the night sky;
as the carcasses burn they illuminate the entire encampment.
The people celebrate and they are happy as even the children
dance in circles and hold hands. As the people rejoice the wine
flows and the beef is tender between their teeth. Lot is the
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shortly and I think you should attend!” She looks at her hus-
band momentarily and storms from the tent, Lot calls after
her, “If you see Abram, tell him I want half the wages, half the
silver and gold he has stashed away!” Lot’s wife walks fast and
does not answer. Lot looks down on the chunk of beef on the
floor and in his rage, he stamps on it with his foot, which caus-
es fat and juices to squirt in all directions.
Outside the tent, Lot’s wife sees that Abram has taken a
position of elevation over the masses and people everywhere
close in and gather around Abram. The fire has burned low
and a faint glow spreads over the settlement. Abram stands
and holds torchlight over the people closest to him for visibil-
ity. Lot’s wife approaches the crowds and keeps to the outer
fringes, she looks for her daughters but she cannot see them
anywhere. A silence falls over the congregated people as they
wait to hear their leader’s words.
A few moments pass and Abram begins to speak, and in a
loud clear voice he says, “This congregation has grown insur-
mountable for the greatest of leaders to handle. So Lot and
I have decided to split the assembly into two parts. We have
agreed to allow you the people, to chose who you want to fol-
low. So you may continue following me or you may follow Lot
into the Jordan plain!”
A hum of voices can be heard and mutters among the
people. Abram continues, “If you choose to follow Lot then
you must be prepared and ready to leave soon after sunrise
tomorrow. You will travel east over the mountains before
making your descent into the hidden valley where paradise
flourishes!”
Cheers erupt from some among the crowds. Abram con-
tinues. “Those among you who choose to stay with me must
remain in your tents tomorrow. Do not leave your tents until
you are instructed otherwise. Those of you who choose Lot
must congregate near his tent tomorrow to signify your
choice. Beasts of burden will not be allowed, as all livestock
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
remains with me. So, your journey will be on foot and your
belongings you will carry on your backs!”
Another gust of mutters erupts from the crowds. Abram
concludes, “Choose wisely people and may Yahweh bless
you all!”
After the people hear these words, they begin to disperse
and move in groups toward their tents. They are all steeped in
conversations as they walk and the noise from voices fills the
air. Throughout night, many people struggle to sleep as they
anxiously consider the best decision for their futures.
k
Morning of the next day: Abram rises just before dawn and
makes his way over to Lot’s tent. As he enters he is surprised
to see Lot and his family have risen and are busy as they pack
their belongings. Abram approaches Lot.
“Lot, are you prepared for the journey?”
Lot avoids eye contact with Abram. “Almost!” he says
abruptly.
Abram can sense tension. “How is your family taking
this?”
“Ask them,” says Lot, and after a pause, he looks at Abram
and says, “As I am leading half of the congregation, I think
I am entitled to half the wages.”
“What do you mean?” asks Abram.
“I want half of the silver and gold you have stashed away!”
Abram prolongs his stare. “Lot, why this animosity?”
Lot stares straight back at Abram and remains silent.
Abram says, “So be it. Meet me in my tent when you are
done and we will split the treasure in equal measure!”
Abram turns and quickly exits the tent. Lot’s wife, who lis-
tened, approaches Lot and says, “Is this wise, my lord?
Leaving Abram with bad blood?”
Lot does not bother to look at his wife, and says, “Finish
the packing, while I collect my wages!”
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200
12
Sodom
Several weeks have passed since Abram and Lot parted com-
pany and the arrival of the masses in the Jordan plain has not
gone unnoticed by the Canaanites. They watch from the
underbrush, and the Canaanites are curious as to why such a
vast number of people have pitched their tents on the out-
skirts of Sodom. The land is a paradise – hot and humid and
flourishing with thick abundant vegetation which includes
numerous trees, and the palm trees that decorate the coastline
of the sea of Arabah are dense. It is easy for the Canaanites to
disguise themselves in their home territory, as they stealthily
creep without a sound, watching and planning their moves.
They decide not to attack; instead they plan to use scare tac-
tics at night to unnerve their victims. For six nights, the pred-
ators lie in the underbrush and hide among the trees, as they
make strange vocal sounds that carry in the stillness of night.
Each night the people stay in their tents, afraid, and it is the
unknown that fuels their terror. The period of scare tactics
weakens the people until they all become mentally and physi-
cally drained. Tension arises among them, and this causes
them to argue and fight, while the Canaanites remain hidden
and watch and enjoy the display.
Lot is troubled and the concern he had for the people
diminishes rapidly, as now he feels resentment and plots in
his mind to get rid of them. The once heightened euphoria
experienced by the masses as they entered paradise has sadly
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k
Morning after sunrise on day seven: All of the people are in
their tents. Exhausted from lack of sleep, they sit around and
mope over their dilemma, while children whimper and babies
cry. Lot is beside himself with anguish and he has had enough.
He looks at his wife, his two daughters and Alicia and says,
“I have had enough of this insanity, I am leaving!”
Lot’s wife and the women watch in silence as Lot rises to
his feet and exits the tent. Outside, Lot stops dead in his
tracks, as he is shocked to see that a large crowd of Canaanites
have silently surrounded the settlement. The warriors stand
motionless and quiet, while they stare at Lot. Their dark faces
are devoid of any expression. Lot’s eyes rove over the men as
he stands, gripped with fear. He can smell their sweat mixed
with humidity in the damp air as the sun continues to rise, and
it sends a heat which stifles. The men are barely dressed and
wear no clothing; only animal bones decorate their wrists,
biceps and ankles. Necklaces of bird skulls decorate their
necklines and human skulls, tied to their waists, cover their
crotches. The bones are bleached white, a contrast to their
black skin, and purple dye decorates their eyes.
What Lot sees before him is a tribe of hunters and canni-
bals and he begins to wish he had listened to Abram. Lot can
feel the sweat as it trickles down his back and his stomach is
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empty, and this makes him feel sick. One of the men
approaches Lot and stops a short distance away. He asks,
“Why do you people defecate our land with your dung?” The
hunter says this in a deep, slow and deliberate voice.
Lot drops to his knees and pleads with the man, “We did
not intend to trespass, my lord. I promise we will be gone
before sundown!”
The warrior shouts at Lot, “On your feet, you are a weak
liar!” Inside the tent, Lot’s wife and the girls huddle together,
terrified.
Lot rises to his feet and faces the hunter. “My lord, I am
rich and I wish to offer you silver and gold!”
“Where is the silver and gold?” asks the hunter.
Lot points to his tent and says, “May I bring it, my lord?”
The man nods in agreement and Lot hurries into his tent,
and moments later he backs out of his tent, and drags a large
box, which he places at the feet of the leader.
The warrior looks down upon the box and says to Lot,
“Open it!”
Lot opens the box and its contents sparkle. The leader of
the clan crouches down and peers into the box; he takes hand-
fuls of the jewellery and throws it to his men, who begin to
fight amongst themselves to retrieve some precious item of
value. The commotion and noise has alerted many through-
out the settlement, who peep from their tents, too afraid to
come out. As the men are occupied, their leader turns to Lot
and says, “Come, I will take you to see Bera!”
Lot follows the Canaanite and, en route to Sodom, Lot
looks up at the man, who is tall and asks, “Who is Bera, my
lord?”
The warrior looks ahead. “Bera is our God whom we
worship; you may be alarmed when you see him!” the warrior
says.
Suddenly, fear of the unknown grips Lot and his legs
weaken. The two men continue to climb the hills and finally
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they arrive outside the city walls, which are huge and tower
towards the sky. They move onward toward the city gates,
and they pass a large sphinx which bears the face of Bera.
As they reach the gates, Lot stops and looks up. He shades
his eyes, as he sees rows of human skeletons which hang
from the tops of the walls and bleach in the rays of the sun.
He looks up at the warrior, “Who are they? Are they crimi-
nals?” Lot asks.
The man laughs and says, “No! They were previous
visitors!”
Lot looks at the man to see if he may suggest a joke, but
the man’s face quickly resumes a blank stare. Lot gulps and
becomes apprehensive and the man says, “Come, we are
almost there!”
They pass through two large solid stone gates that were
opened at dawn, and Lot gazes all around as they enter the
city, he is enthralled at what he sees. He feels dwarfed, like an
ant in a large box. A short distance from the entrance, Lot sees
a watchtower the height of the walls with a very large base. On
either side of that are square mud houses with flat roofs –
homes for the poor. He notices that the inner walls are lined
with poor people who appear to be starved, as their ribs pro-
trude through their skin. They continue on. Lot follows the
man toward large stone steps that run the width of the city. As
they climb the steps, he sees that the houses ahead and to
either side of him are more elaborate and fashioned in stone,
with gardens on the roofs. As they approach the centre of the
city, Lot sees a huge ziggurat that dominates its space and
stands prominently, soaring toward the sky. The monument
consumes most of the inner city.
They walk through the streets of Sodom, Lot sees
prostitutes – both male and female – who are desperate for
money; they lure from alleys between houses, day and night,
like permanent fixtures. Finally, they reach a mound of high-
ly polished stone steps with the appearance of white marble,
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
Lot slumps to the ground, sobs, and the two women look
at him directly, as it arouses them to see a frail human plead
before their God. Bera looks down on Lot and says, “Look at
me and tell me your name?”
Lot looks up at Bera, tears stream over his cheeks, and his
voice quivers. “Lot, my lord!” Lot says with a high pitch tone.
And Bera responds, “Lot, do you have any family?”
Lot raises his arms to Bera and as his hands tremble he
says, “Yes, I have a wife and two daughters, my lord!”
Bera says, “Very well, I will give you this much in return,
you may keep your wife and two daughters!” Even though Lot
is relieved over this shard of mercy, he slumps to the floor and
weeps bitterly.
Bera turns his attention to the Canaanite and says,
“Servant, remove this wreck of a man and house him not far
from the Palace, collect his wife and daughters and take them
to him. After which, you must gather your men and round up
the people; you will imprison them all within the temple and
prepare them for my inspection!”
The servant bows before Bera and says, “Yes, my lord, my
God and my King!” The servant walks over to Lot and lifts
him from the ground. He serves as a prop for Lot as they
make their exit, and Lot drags his feet and is weak. The slave
women watch as Lot is removed and with heads tilted back,
they roll them over their shoulders while they gently bite their
bottom lips, for the whole experience has aroused within them
passion and lust for their God.
k
The next day mid morning at Lot’s house: Lot’s wife and
daughters search the house, which is fully furnished from pre-
vious occupants; they look to familiarise themselves with their
new home. From the living quarters are stone steps which lead
to a first floor, with two large bedrooms adjacent on either side
of the steps. Each room contains a large bed fashioned in
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bronze and overlaid with fine linens. The walls are draped
with plush cloth, dyed purple, as the Canaanites are obsessed
with their unique purple dye. A few contrast colours are used
in various locations, and mainly consist of reds and greens.
From the master bedroom, stone steps lead to the roof of the
house which features botanical gardens and these grow every
plant used for medicinal purposes, this includes sleep-inducing
sap for those with insomnia. Even cannabis grows prolifically.
A regular supply of water is channelled from the mountain
springs to the roof of the building, and the city of Sodom is as
much a paradise on the inside as in the valley outside the walls.
Lot’s wife and daughters are delighted with their new
home and they hurry down the steps to tell Lot about their
discoveries. Lot sits in the living quarters upon a mound of
luxuriant fabrics which bear mixed colours, and he sits with
his head lowered, as he wallows in sadness with his face devoid
of any expression.
His wife hurries toward him, “Are you sleeping, my lord?”
Lot fails to answer and keeps his head lowered. She gets down
on her knees, looks up into Lot’s face, which appears blank.
She takes hold of his hand. “What troubles you my Lord?”
she says in soft voice.
He stares past his wife and does not answer. His daughters
approach slowly and the elder daughter says, “Mother, what is
wrong with Father?”
His wife rises to her feet and leads the daughters away.
“Leave him be, he will come round in his own time!”
The younger daughter says, “Why? What is wrong with
him?”
The mother shakes her head. “My daughter, I truly do not
know!”
k
Late afternoon that same day: A group of Canaanites lead
their King Bera toward the temple ziggurat, and many of the
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
faces the ceiling. Two priests stand on either side of her, and
the two priests are Canaanite women, their clothes are white
cotton skirts which hang from their hips, drape their feet and
split full length on both sides. The priests massage olive oils
into Alicia’s body and the only light in the room is from four
torch stands which burn in each corner.
Alicia’s eyelids begin to flutter and as she opens her eyes,
she says, “Where am I? What are you doing to me?”
“Hush, my child!” says one of the priests.
Alicia still feels drowsy and becomes alarmed over her
nakedness. She tries to leverage herself up and calls out, “Let
go of me, please, let me go!”
One of the priests takes a piece of cloth from tucked in her
skirt and quickly presses it over Alicia’s nose and mouth,
which sends her back to sleep within seconds as the cloth is
soaked in a sleep inducing serum. One of the priests takes
hold of Alicia’s legs and the other her shoulders, and they turn
her body until she is face down on the slab. One of the priests
massages the oil into the woman’s back and buttocks, while
the other cuts Alicia’s hair to the scalp. By the end of the
evening, Alicia is dressed in a white cotton gown and every
hair on her body has been removed, and the odour of her skin
is sweet.
k
The virgin sacrifice.
Two days have passed and it is the night of the full moon.
Alicia is drugged, shaved and not entirely aware of what is
going on, although she is semi-conscious. Four male priests
carry her above their heads; climb the many steps of the zig-
gurat to the top. She is dressed in a white robe and her entire
body is bald. Alicia feels sick to her stomach as she is carried
and each time she opens her eyes and looks at the night sky,
she sees two moons cross from side to side, as a result of her
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stupor. As they reach the top, Alicia is lowered to the floor and
she stands, sways from side to side, and almost everyone from
the city has gathered around the slab of granite that sits cen-
tral at the top of the ziggurat.
King Bera, who sits in a stone throne at the head of the
slab, holds a bowl fashioned in gold. Even the steps which sur-
round the temple are littered with onlookers who did not
arrive early enough to get close to the sacrificial stone. The
priests remove Alicia’s robe so that she stands exposed and
naked and they lift her; she is placed upon the slab so she faces
the night sky. The priests spread her arms and legs and tether
her wrists and ankles. With Alicia’s head close to Bera’s throne,
she tilts her head back to look at the giant. She tries to focus
upon his great stature, which proves difficult as her vision is
blurred; she is so highly subdued with drugs that none of this
makes any sense to the woman who is about to die.
The King hands the bowl to the priest, who holds the
knife. He presses the bowl against Alicia’s neck, he thrusts in
the knife and severs her artery; the blood squirts for some dis-
tance and spatters the priest. The sight of blood throws the
crowd into frenzied hysteria. The people begin to chant in
meaningless rhythm as evil spirits infuse their bodies and the
bowl gradually fills with the woman’s blood. The priest lifts
the bowl high above his head, while he offers it to his God,
and Bera takes the bowl. The King rises to his feet, he raises
the bowl high in one hand, calls out in a thunderous voice,
“Here in this cup is the substance of life and for those who
drink – it brings immortality!”
The King lowers the bowl to his lips and drinks Alicia’s
blood while it is yet still warm. On sight of this, the masses of
Canaanites who have gathered prostrate themselves before
their God, mutter in undertones, and their droning voices fill
the night air with a foreboding hum.
As Bera sees the people worship him, he stretches his
arms toward the heavens and with blood stained teeth,
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Time shift
One year later. King Bera has consumed almost half of the
prisoners in ceremonies similar to Alicia’s, repeated over and
over. This included men, women, children and babies. The
giant believes that to consume human blood and to eat their
raw flesh will bring him eternal life. Lot’s wife and daughters
have settled in Sodom and somehow have managed to ignore
the atrocities and acts of sorcery which surround them, and
they have closed their minds to reality; they have fooled them-
selves into thinking that so long as they avoid the temple, they
will be fine.
Lot, however, has become a recluse and his experience
with Sodom has destroyed him; he is no longer the man he
used to be. He sits on the roof of his house most days and
nights, watches the revellers in the city streets below, while he
smokes his pipe and drinks hard liquor. Cannabis and barley-
corn are readily available in Sodom’s market square. The pipe,
however, Lot designed himself from a length of palm wood.
Over many days he carved and fashioned the pipe to be long,
and carved Abram’s name into the wood with Akkadian letters;
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216
13
Five Cities Under Siege
217
PAUL JUSTICE
of highly skilled men and women who were born for war, and
each of the Kings agreed to take four thousand of each from
among their platoons. The combined army of sixteen thou-
sand, and this includes the four Kings, were made up of four
thousand horses with swordsmen who charge in for the final
onslaught, four thousand men with spears on foot for inter-
mediary attack, four thousand men on foot with bow and
arrow who serve the front line and four thousand women
with sling-shots who move in first because of their stealth and
agility. The occupants of the five cities of the plain and sur-
rounding areas appeared to be doomed to annihilation.
k
Dawn breaks and the sun rises in the east: The four Kings and
their armies have camped overnight in the mountains which
overlook the Jordan plain, and they are positioned strategic-
ally in preparation for the attack. Chedor-Laomer and Arioch,
with their forces, are in the mountains on the east side.
Amraphel and Tidal, with their forces, are in the mountains
on the west side and overlooks the five cities. The two Kings
on the east side send two thousand women with slingshots to
the low hills close to the plain. Their plan is to cripple the
Rephaim, before the swordsmen charge in and finish the
giants. The women wear light armour which consists of boar
hide as breastplates; this leaves their arms and shoulders free.
Their skirts consist of strips of hide, which barely cover their
thighs, and their sandals are strapped up to the knee. The
forearm, which bears the slingshot, is protected with hide,
as the armband and the sling are one. The women’s hair is
pleated and pulled tight to the scalp and tied at the back, so
nothing restricts their line of vision. The women are light,
agile and lethal. Gathered among the rocks in the low plain
the women load their slings and wait for the signal, when the
four Kings blow the rams horns. King Arioch remains in
the hills on the east side positioned just above the women. In
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
the western hills, the two Kings have sent two thousand men
on foot with bow and arrow to position themselves in the low
hills which overlook the five cities. King Amraphel oversees
the archers.
Both Sodom and Gomorrah have watchtowers, with four
men posted at the top of each one. The men rotate in shifts,
and survey the valley day and night. Four thousand horsemen,
who bear swords and shields, are positioned in the north
plain, behind Zeboiim, and they wear heavy amour with
bronze breastplates. They spread out among the trees on both
sides of the Jordan River, ready they wait to ambush anyone
who may attempt to escape the valley. Tidal has oversight of
these men. Four thousand men with spears have spread
out and surrounded all five cities; they keep crouched and
close to the cities walls and wait for the occupants to flee
before they attack. Chedor-Laomer, accompanied by two
thousand archers positioned at the southern tip, beyond the
marshland in the valley of Siddim; the archers will take out
those who manage to escape the bitumen pits. Two thousand
women with slingshots stand in line at the edge of the marsh-
land, face the city of Zoar, so that anyone who flees south
to escape will fall into the bog-trap, as the women move to
one side or another. The Sea of Arabah is centrally located in
the battlefield and anyone who flees into it has no guarantee
of survival.
k
The sun rises and the traps are set. Chedor-Laomer sounds
the horn, followed by Arioch, Amraphel and Tidal, until all
four Kings sound the signal. As the trumpet sound fills the
valley, the watchmen in the towers of Sodom and Gomorrah
begin to sound the alarm to their inhabitants and Amraphel
signals for his archers to take them out. Waves of arrows strike
down the watchmen, followed by a second volley of arrows
which descend into the five cities. The women on the east
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PAUL JUSTICE
side swirl slings above their heads, and the sound from two
thousand slingshots creates a whirring noise that fills the val-
ley. The Rephaim are bemused, look all around. They see the
women and they charge toward them; the giants crush trees
and vegetation in their haste to reach the enemy. The women
release their shots, and send a hail of smooth stones at the
speed of bullets. Kneecaps crack and pop as the giants fall to
the ground, while some of the Rephaim continue injured and
they hobble toward their enemy. The women quickly reload
and a second hail is flung at the giants who clumsily approach,
and as one huge man reaches the base of the hills, one of the
women reloads with a large smooth stone and swings it above
her head until it gathers tremendous speed. The whirring
increases and she aims for the giants head. She releases the
shot, the stone shoots through the air at great speed and
embeds in the man’s eye socket, and as the blood oozes from
around the stone, the giant crashes to the ground face down.
The women reload and continue to pound the giants.
On the west side of the valley, archers fire wave after wave
of arrows into the five cities and some of the Canaanites have
perished, this includes men, women and children. Even with
the cities in complete chaos, with people panicked as they run,
Lot stands on the roof of his house while arrows whizz past,
as if he were indestructible, and he watches people die in the
streets below. Not until an arrow whooshes past his ear, which
causes him to feel the draught and jars him to his senses, does
Lot run into his house and join his wife and daughters, who
hide under their beds. The city gates of Zeboiim open and the
Canaanites stream out. Many are cut down by the men who
throw spears. Men and women carry children and run toward
the sea of Arabah, and some fall with spears in their backs.
The giant King flees the city and heads for the western hills,
takes monstrous strides and manages to escape. The gates of
Admah open and its King is the first one out. He too flees to
the western hills and escapes.
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
As the Canaanites run from the city, many of them are cut
down by spears. Zoar’s gates open and Giant King Zoar
emerges with two shields, one on each arm. The warrior
women have formed a long line at a distance and have loaded
their slings with smooth stones. The whirring begins and
King Zoar gets down on one knee and shields himself as thou-
sands of stones hurtle through the air at high speed. The noise
deafens, as some of the stones ricochet from Zoar’s shields.
While the women reload, the giant makes leaps and bounds
toward the hills in the east, only to be faced with another
shower of stones, which he shields. He keeps his head covered
and he flees into the mountains.
As the Canaanites flee the city of Zoar, the archers posi-
tioned in Siddim release two thousand arrows into the sky,
which clear the women on the front line and fall upon the
Canaanites. This kills most of them; some of them escape
toward the west. The gates of Sodom and Gomorrah remain
closed, as these are the largest of the five cities and most dif-
ficult to penetrate. Tidal, King of the Goiim, who is posi-
tioned north, releases the first wave of horsemen; these
number two thousand, who charge the valley on both sides of
the sea of Arabah. A thousand of them charge on the east side
and a thousand of them charge the west and they storm in,
and they wield their swords. The Rephaim who drift injured
are finally cut down by the sword and some of their heads are
lopped off at such speed they appear to spin in midair before
they drop to the ground. However, some of the Rephaim have
made it as far as the hills in the east and they climb and grap-
ple at the women with slings. Some of the women are caught
by the giants, who mercilessly bite off their heads and hurl
their bodies down the mountainside.
King Arioch signals a retreat and the women begin to
climb the hills and cliffs. The Edomites, who hid themselves
in the mountains on the east side, begin to show themselves in
support of the Rephaim and some of the Edomite men begin
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to drop boulders onto the female warriors who climb the rock
face. The men release large rocks to roll down the cliffs and
this makes the women’s climb lethal. One woman looks up a
split second before a boulder takes half of her head clean off
and yet her body still clings to the rock face. Arioch signals for
backup and the men with swords dismount their horses and
charge the mountains in the east, strike down many of the
Edomites. Tidal, in the north, releases the second wave of two
thousand warriors on horseback, who charge through the val-
ley, to strike down the Rephaim, the Canaanites and the
Edomites; this includes men, women and children.
The war is now in full battle and the Babylonians have the
upper hand; only Sodom and Gomorrah remain protected
with their high walls and heavy gates. So Chedor-Laomer
sends one thousand archers to surround Gomorrah and one
thousand archers to surround Sodom. He commissions six-
teen of his horsemen to open the gates, eight he sends to
Gomorrah and eight he sends to Sodom. The gates of Sodom
are solid stone, twenty feet high and twenty feet wide, the
width of each gate is ten feet and three feet thick. A row of
four huge alloy rings are attached to each gate with large
chains which hang from each ring. The soldiers fasten the
chains to eight horses and command the horses to bolt, but
the animals struggle with the weight, rear up with a horse’s cry
and snort through their nostrils. Soldiers whip the horses
repeatedly and Chedor-Laomer insists they continue to drive
the horses and the gates begin to move with the sound of
stone as it grinds upon stone, yet the movement is marginal.
The gates begin to quicken the pace as Bera pushes them from
inside the city, and he emerges from between the gates, holds
a huge sword and shield. Chedor-Leomer is awestruck at
Bera’s immense size, as he is the largest of the giants. The
Babylonian King signals for his archers to release their
arrows. The giant pushes the horses to one side and blocks the
hail of arrows with his shield. He charges the archers before
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
they have time to reload and he hacks them to pieces with his
long sword, which cuts through flesh and bone like a hot knife
cuts wax. Bera has wiped out almost five hundred men in less
than a minute and as Chedor-Leomer sees this, he runs into
the city to escape Bera.
The giant turns his attention to the southern tip between
Sodom and Zoar, and he sees thousands of soldiers with
swords and spears in the low plain who strike down
Canaanites and Edomites. He strides into the battlefield and
with his long sword he begins to cut down the Babylonians.
The length of his sword cuts four men in two with one swoop.
Bera hears the whirring of the slingshots and looks at the
women in battle formation. As he turns to face them, they all
release simultaneously and Bera raises the large shield and
blocks most of the stones. As the women reload, Bera charges
toward them and wields his sword. The women wait until he
is close before they create a divide. Half move left while half
move right and they create a large gap between them. The
giant’s momentum leads him to plunge into the tar pits, where
he becomes trapped. The women regain their positions in line
and the whirring begins. Birsha, the King of Gomorrah,
appears from behind the city walls of Sodom. He is complete-
ly spattered in blood after he cut down the archers who sur-
rounded Gomorrah. He surveys the plain with a large sword
in one hand and a large shield in the other, and he runs, tak-
ing long strides toward four horsemen. The four soldiers on
horses charge toward Birsha, who charges them, and the point
of collision with the giant proves fatal for them. One swoop of
Birsha’s sword removes four soldiers’ heads in a split second
and as horses rear up, the giant swings his sword around a sec-
ond time and cuts the horses in two. Suddenly, a hail of stones
target Birsha and hurtle toward him at speed. He lifts his
shield in the nick of time to block them, although some have
grazed his scalp. Blood trickles down Birsha’s face and he
looks furiously at the line of women. Within a second, he
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Lot and his family are escorted from the house and
taken to the city square. By the time the four Kings, their
armies and the hostages leave Sodom, the sun is low in the sky
over the horizon. The armies regroup with those who have
pillaged Gomorrah and they all head north. They leave the
Jordan plain, follow the river and plan to camp out in the
hills before nightfall. Their resources are depleted and so are
their numbers; the four Kings have lost over eight thousand
soldiers in battle. Their bodies decorate the plain. The five
cities have been reduced to a third of the populace, by the
time their survivors return. It will not be the community
which thrived over former times, even though the five cities
remain intact.
k
Night: A partial moon reflects a pale blue light over Sodom.
A man by the name of Zekk, around mid thirties, has hidden
himself in a cavity beneath the sacrificial block on top of the
temple. As the prisoners were set free and while a ruckus pre-
vailed, this man managed to slip through the net and escaped
to the top of the ziggurat. Now alone, cold and afraid, he sits
and listens to the howls from the jackals of the plain as they
feed on scattered flesh. Sodom is devoid of the living, other
than evil spirits who parade the streets and gloat over the
dead. Zekk can feel their presence as an eerie chill cascades
the length of his spine, which causes the hairs of his neck to
tingle. Gripped with fear, he feels an urgency to escape the
city. His teeth chatter and clip his fingernails, as he stares out
into the cold night. He musters courage and creeps on hands
and knees from beneath the slab, then rises to his feet. He
walks to the edge of the ziggurat and looks down into
the streets. A low mist clings to the ground, which makes vis-
ibility poor. Zekk takes a deep breath before he attempts his
descent. He runs down the flight of steps that seem to never
end, eventually the mist rises to meet him. He loses track of
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his foothold and trips and stumbles over the last few steps.
After he realises he is laid on his back over a corpse, Zekk
quickly jumps to his feet and peers through the mist, as he
attempts to find his bearings.
He locates the gates and begins to walk slowly toward the
exit. The mist slows him down and the damp air smells musky.
As he proceeds toward the gates, he precariously steps over
the dead, until he feels the hand of an evil spirit brush past his
cheek. Like an icy breeze, it wafts near him; it jolts his fear. He
panics and runs, while he steps on the dead and continues to
run until he is clear of the gates and close to the sphinx. He
crouches over, with his hands on his knees, and allows time to
regain his breath before he looks all around and surveys the
area. He looks toward the mountains in the west and begins to
run toward the hills, to get away from Sodom.
k
Bera and Birsha are stuck in the swamp and try to free them-
selves, without success. Bera repeatedly stretches his arms full
length, while he holds onto his sword across the bog, to try to
pierce solid ground. Unable to reach, he roars in anger, now
that he has sunk to his waist. Birsha has sunk to his thighs and
has thrown his sword which has stuck into solid ground, but
now he cannot reach it.
Bera looks at Birsha. “Fool, you threw too far!”
Birsha retorts, “At least I made an attempt!”
Bera tries to turn in the goo, but he feels nothing beneath
his feet. He says to Birsha, “Lie back on the swamp, so that
I can leverage over you and grab that sword!”
Birsha says, “No, you lie back over the swamp!”
Bera shouts back, “Fool, the sword is behind you!”
Birsha leans forward and begins to wrestle with Bera over
his sword. He wins the sword from Bera and throws it over
Bera’s head, so that it sticks into solid ground behind him.
Birsha bellows, “Now, the sword is behind you!”
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k
The next morning after sunrise: The man Zekk sleeps in a
cave in the mountains on the west side of the valley. The cry
of a falcon which hovers in midair wakes him, before the bird
swoops to the ground. He rises and looks outside the cave; the
sun blinds him and it is hot. He feels parched and hungry.
Zekk wipes his dry mouth with the back of his hand, then he
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k
God watches and listens and ponders in His mind the conse-
quence of Abram, who is about to put himself in harm’s way,
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
under the moonlight. She screams out, “Why, why, what have
I done?” Naked men run from their tents, while others fall
over themselves as they try to dress as they run. Chedor-
Leomer appears from his tent and he wears little other than
the sword in his hand. He marches directly toward the woman
and looks her over, before he charges into the women’s tent.
As he stares over the mass slaughter, he says quietly, “She has
lost her mind!”
He quickly exits the tent and without hesitation, he
plunges the sword into the woman’s back and the blade
bursts out from between her breasts. He withdraws his
sword; the woman’s body drops to the floor in a heap. Six
men with knives in their hands stand and watch Chedor-
Laomer murder their co-worker and without hesitation,
they charge the King and begin to stab him repeatedly; his
stab wounds are close to one hundred as his body hits the
earth. Ten men with swords in hand have witnessed their
King’s murder and without hesitation, they attack the six men
and the swords have punctured their bodies several times as
they fall and bite the dust. Twenty female warriors from
another tent who have stood and watched the ten murder
the six, with slingshots they hurl stones repeatedly until they
have killed all ten men. This scenario continues throughout
the camp until the Babylonian army is reduced to a few hun-
dred men.
Abram and his army stay hidden in the hills and watch
as the Babylonians slaughter one another. Abram turns to
Eshcol and says, “See, this idea of mine has paid off; their
numbers fall!”
Eshcol says, “Abram, how did you know this would
happen?”
“Just a hunch!” says Abram, then ducks his head down and
continues to watch. The slaughter continues well into the
night and the plateau below the hills is scattered with the
dead.
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Four days later in the camp of the Babylonians or settlement
of the dead: Lot and the other hostages who remain tethered
to trees, all choke from the stench of decayed flesh, as the birds
of prey flock. The persistent sun beats down and this adds to
their misery. One woman sits and retches with nothing in her
stomach to eject. Lot looks at her and says, “This is just typi-
cal of Abram, he comes to the rescue, then disappears for days.
He will chase them to hell and back, just to prove a point!”
The woman looks forlornly up at Lot and says, “Would
you stop talking, please!”
Lot turns his face away from the woman and in his tem-
per, he tries to kick a buzzard, which tears at flesh near to his
feet. He looks at his wife and daughters tied to another tree
not far from his.
Lot says, “Could Abram not have left a few men behind to
cut us loose?”
Lot’s wife sits with her head down and does not bother to
answer. Suddenly, the birds take to the air in a huge flock and
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the noise from the wings deafens. Abram and his men have
returned.
As they enter the encampment, Abram and his men
gather around the hostages and Abram stands up front with a
sword in his hand. Lot slowly raises his head and tries to focus
on Abram, but the sun reflects from the blade of Abram’s
sword and blinds him and he is unable to make clear Abram’s
features. Lot says, “So you decided to return?”
He hears Abram’s voice, “So you are happy to see me
then?”
“Of course my lord am I not always?” says Lot in a dry
tone.
Abram approaches Lot and cuts the straps that tether his
wrists behind the tree. Lot sits and removes the remnants of
the restraints from his wrists. Abram helps Lot to his feet.
“We are going to gather the booty and head down to Salem in
the valley of the King and maybe stay there for one night!”
The Word, who is still present, listens to Abram and
remains undetected. When He hears Abram’s words, He
immediately leaves the group and heads for Salem. Lot, who
is weak and hungry, agrees with Abram’s plans. So, Abram
turns his attention to his men and he instructs them to cut free
the hostages and give them all refreshment before the journey.
Eshcol, Aner, Mamre, Zekk and Lot are to help Abram collect
all of the booty which belongs to the people.
Abram sends Aner and Mamre to search a portion of
tents and Zekk and Lot to search another portion of tents,
while Abram and Eshcol search the remainder of the tents.
One hour passes, as the men collect the treasure. Suddenly a
ruckus erupts inside one of the tents and as Abram exits a tent
and looks in the direction of the trouble, he sees the fabric of
the tent which moves from side to side, almost to the point of
collapse. So Abram hurries toward the tent. As he enters, he
sees Zekk and Lot who grapple on the floor and hurl fists at
one another.
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Three days later: Abram and all the people descend into the
valley of the King and arrive in the city of Salem (now
Jerusalem). The Word waits in Salem for Abram to arrive and
He plans to make an appearance. As Abram and the large
crowd follow him into the city, the Jebusites who occupy the
land are busy and they trade in the market square; locals and
their children are occupied with daily affairs. The people
notice the large crowd walk through the city and assume they
are here to trade. The temple is a large building that features
pillars of stone with many steps which lead up to the entrance.
Inside, it is dim, with limited light and the atmosphere inside
is cool and refreshing. Outside the temple, the heat continues
to rise.
As the people arrive at the foot of the steps, Lot looks at
Abram and says, “Abram, why are we here?”
Abram says, “So all the people can give a tenth of their
wealth to the house of God!”
Lot frowns. “Is this wise my lord?”
Abram looks at Lot and says, “Wise, no. The word you
are looking for is righteous, and the answer to your question
is yes, it is righteous to give a tenth of your wealth to the
house of the living God!”
After saying this, Abram climbs the temple steps and Lot
quickly follows him,
“Can you never give a straight answer, my lord?” Lot asks.
“It would be so much easier for all of us.” he adds.
Abram stops suddenly on the top steps and Lot stops with
him. They stand together and stare into the temple, as they
watch as a man approaches them from the dark interior. The
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
shoulders. The High Priest dries the tears from Lot’s face,
lays his arm across his shoulders, then he points into the tem-
ple and says, “Go inside and rejoice!”
As Lot leaves the High Priest, he feels enlightened and
joins Abram inside where he stands near the banquet.
Melchizedek looks down the steps and calls to the people,
“Come you people, there is food for all!”
The people cheer and run up the steps. The High Priest
laughs joyfully, as he is delighted to see them happy. The peo-
ple rush past the High Priest and into the temple and quickly
gather around Abram and Lot. Abram hands bowls filled with
bread, olives, figs and various fruits to the people, and Lot dis-
penses the wine. Melchizedek remains at the top of the steps, as
he watches an old man left behind. The old man is crippled
with arthritis to the joints, but he struggles to climb the steps.
As he reaches Melchizedek, he kneels at his feet. The old
man looks up into the High Priest’s face and takes hold of
Melchizedek’s hands to gently kiss the backs of them. The old
man feels God’s spirit as it permeates his entire body, so that by
the time he rises to his feet he is healed. He rises to his feet and
stands; the man hugs Melchizedek with his head pressed into
his chest. “Thank you my lord!” he says with gratitude.
The High Priest speaks softly to the old man, “No, not I.
Thank God Most High!”
The old man rejoices, skips and runs to join the others in
the temple. As Melchizedek watches him, He laughs with
delight. Now, the High Priest enters the temple and joins the
group who eat, drink, laugh and celebrate their victory over
the Babylonians. Abram has never seen Lot so happy. The
High Priest walks among the people and rejoices with them,
until He is positioned central among them. He raises his arms,
with palms facing up, and He calls out in clear voice.
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of
heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High for putting
your enemies into your clutches.”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
as they approach the gates of Salem. As they all pass the mar-
ket square, Lot notices a man who sits and counts his money
after a lucrative day. Lot leaves the crowd and hurries over to
the local, as his curiosity has overwhelmed him. As he reach-
es the man who sits and counts his coins, Lot says, “Excuse
me, young man!”
The man stops and looks up at Lot. “When was the elab-
orate temple built?” Lot asks.
The man says, “What temple?”
Lot says, “The temple where we just met Melchizedek,
the High Priest and King of Salem?”
The man frowns, “Who?”
Lot points to the crowd who are about to exit Salem,
“Over there, the tall man next to…?” Lot suddenly stops, as
Melchizedek is no longer with them and all he sees is Abram
who leads the people. Lot’s face is serious when he looks down
at the man.
The man looks up at Lot and laughs. “You may be suffer-
ing from heat stroke, my friend. I suggest you get out of the
midday sun!”
Lot turns and looks in the direction of the temple and
all he sees are hills and the sun soars high above. Lot is
alarmed; dread overshadows him and his knees become
weak. Lot turns and looks at the man who sits on the ground
and he has returned to counting his money. Bewildered,
Lot runs to catch up with the others who are just about to
exit Salem. As he catches up with the others, he is breathless
and retains his secret to himself. And moments later, the peo-
ple congregate outside the city while Abram stands up front.
He surveys the valley to figure out the best route to take back
to the oaks of Mamre. Suddenly, screams erupts from among
the women, as they see giant King Bera of Sodom, as he
pounds the ground on his approach. Abram is furious when he
sees him.
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
241
PAUL JUSTICE
between them, then he turns and faces the people who are
huddled in a group, and they look terrified. Abram calls out
to the assembly, “Do not fear the giant, as you will never see
him again!”
The people rejoice as they hear this good news; however,
Abram does not yet realise that Lot and his wife and daugh-
ters plan to return to their home in Sodom.
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14
The Vision
k
Three hours have passed since Abram alerted the herdsmen
with respect to the requested livestock. Abram now stands on
top of the sacrificial structure, as the men arrive with the
appropriate animals. The men hand the animals up to Abram,
one at a time, and Abram splits them down the middle with a
sharp knife and lays them upon the altar as instructed. Birds
he leaves whole and lays them out. Now the selected animals
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are laid out, ready. The herdsmen assist Abram down before
they leave. As soon as the men are out of sight, Abram pros-
trates himself on the ground and cries out to his God, “My
Lord, Yahweh, I have done just as you have requested!”
The sun sets, as Abram lies face down, spattered with ani-
mal blood, and he lies and he waits.
Sarai appears from the entrance to the tent and cries out
to him, “Dinner is ready my lord!” She quickly disappears
back into the tent.
Abram lies with his face in the dirt, and he thinks, that
woman, her timing is impeccable! Abram lies on the ground,
waits for a response but none is forthcoming, so he cries out
to his God a second time, “My Lord, Yahweh, the sacrifice
you requested is ready!”
Still no reply! Abram hears birds flap their wings and the
cry from birds of prey. The birds swoop down over him and
they cause a tremendous draft. He looks up and sees birds of
prey hover over the sacrifice and he is furious. He steadies
himself to his feet, takes hold of his staff and beats the birds
with it, which chases them off. This continues for some time
as the sun sets over the horizon. After Abram has chased away
the birds, he walks over to the great oak nearby and sits with
his back against the trunk to reflect over the day’s experiences
and to consider the good news of the promised heir.
Now, as the dusk creeps in, a deep dark dread overshad-
ows Abram and he becomes fearful. He sits and stares with
empty eyes as he slips into a trance. In his mind, he begins to
experience the sensations of falling. He loses consciousness of
all reality, then begins to experience a dreadful black, as
though his mind had plummeted into the deep abyss. From
the hollow realms of empty space within the depths of his
mind, Abram hears a voice call him. The voice says, “Know
this for certain, that your descendants will be exiles in a land
not their own, and be enslaved and oppressed for four hun-
dred years. But I shall bring judgment on the nation that
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enslaves them and after this they will leave, with many pos-
sessions.”
The voice pauses for a few seconds before it continues,
“For your part, you will join your ancestors in peace; you will
be buried at a happy old age.”
The voice pauses again, momentarily. “In the fourth gen-
eration they will come back here, for until then, the iniquity
of the Amorites [tribe of giants] will not have reached its full
extent.”
As soon as the voice finishes these words, a flaming pot
appears beneath the altar and a flaming torch passes over the
animal pieces, which causes a burnt aroma to ascend to the
heavens. This continues until the animal pieces are com-
pletely devoured. Then the voice returns in the depths of
Abram’s mind. “To your descendants I give this country, from
the River of Egypt to the Great River, the River Euphrates.”
After Yahweh speaks these words, the spirit of God leaves
Abram and his recovery begins. Abram feels himself rise from
the epitome of darkness, as he emerges from the abyss within
the recessions of his mind, which has left him numb and he
feels empty. As he opens his eyes, he feels drugged, as though
he emerges from the skilled techniques of an anaesthetist. And
after some time he tries to focus, he gradually realises that it
is now night, the two large oaks appear to him as black sil-
houettes with dark leaves which rustle in the cold night
breeze. Abram begins to steady himself to his feet and almost
immediately falls to the ground again, and his head remains
woozy. Abram sits on the ground with his head down and his
arm propped up on one knee, and he reflects over the infor-
mation transmitted as though it were buried in his own mind.
And yet, he reasons, how could I possibly know these things?
He mulls it all over in his mind, and he tries to connect
the two very different experiences: the vision that brought
him light and the trance that brought him darkness. He thinks
he has worked it all out and begins to mutter in an undertone,
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
251
15
Hagar
Ten years have elapsed since Abram and the clan first entered
the land of Canaan. Since the split, their numbers have dimin-
ished. This leaves Abram disenchanted about the promise of a
great multitude. The issue of a son included in the promise
puzzles Abram, now that he is eighty-six years old and Sarai in
her seventies. Sarai is bitter over her barren condition and
plans to take matters into her own hands, now that her men-
strual cycle has ceased.
k
It is morning in Abram’s tent and he and Sarai have just fin-
ished breakfast. Sarai looks at Abram and says, “I wish to talk
to you concerning Hagar, my lord?”
Abram says, “Hagar, what about her?”
Sarai says, “You know, my Lord Yahweh has prevented me
from having children. Well, I was thinking that Hagar could
bear a child for me and on my behalf?”
“What are you saying, Sarai?” asks Abram.
Sarai exhales deeply, “I will present my slave-girl Hagar to
you as your wife, and you will sleep with her every night until
she conceives. As soon as she is pregnant, you may return to
my bed. This will constitute a service to you and to me, while
fulfilling God’s promise. What do you think, my lord?”
Abram thinks and he sighs, “So, what you are saying is, we
are using a slave-girl to fulfil Yahweh’s promise, and after
which she remains a slave?”
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k
Four hours later, it is mid afternoon and hot outside, where
the people gather for the wedding. Abram has bathed and he
feels refreshed as he sits and combs his beard, which has
fluffed up like white ducklings. He rises to his feet, and he
wears under garments of white while two men-slaves arrive
with his best tunic, a plush fabric of sienna with gold embroi-
dery. They place it over his shoulders and it drapes below his
knees. With his headdress of gold fabric which drapes his
shoulders, he looks elegant; he resembles a King.
Sarai is in the slave-women’s tent, and she prepares Hagar,
who is dressed entirely in white. She drapes white lace over
her nose and mouth to complete the ceremonial attire. Hagar
looks gorgeous with her beautiful dark eyes which peer over
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k
Three months pass and it is clear that Hagar is pregnant and
Sarai is delighted. One day Sarai sits in her tent and sews, as
she makes clothes for her unborn child. She periodically
glances over at Hagar who reclines and does nothing, other
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than hold her womb and wipe her brow with a damp cloth.
Sarai’s fury builds and suddenly she looks at Hagar and says,
“What is wrong with you woman? You are pregnant, not
disabled!”
Hagar puffs and blows before she says, “It is the heat
Sarai, so stuffy in here!”
Sarai stops work on the clothes and looks directly at
Hagar, “Perhaps you should go for a walk. We are running
low on goat’s milk; you could walk to the herdsmen and check
on the goats?” Sarai suggests.
“What?” replies Hagar in raised voice, “The heat is worse
out there, besides perhaps you should send a slave to check on
the goats?”
Sarai keeps her eyes fixed on Hagar and says, “You are a
slave woman. How dare you?”
Hagar sniggers and says, “No, you made me Abram’s wife,
have you forgotten?”
Sarai rises to her feet and raises her voice, waves her
finger at Hagar, “How dare you speak to me in such a
tone! You are being insubordinate and rebellious! I am your
mistress!”
Hagar looks up at Sarai and says, “You were my mistress;
now you are my equal as we are both Abram’s wives and we
serve the same master!”
Sarai cannot believe her ears, she screams at Hagar, “Get
out, get out of my tent!”
Hagar rises to her feet and shouts at Sarai, “This is
Abram’s tent and so that makes it my tent!”
That said, Sarai hurries from the tent, furious, and goes in
search of Abram. Like a wild woman, she stomps around and
stops passerby, asks if they have seen Abram. One man says he
saw him with the herdsmen, so Sarai hurries to where the ani-
mals are kept. She sees Abram in a discussion with one of the
herdsmen, who repairs one of the pens, and she hurries
toward him at speed, her clothes blow behind her in the
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k
First night: Hagar hides in a cave and she is alone, cold
and afraid, while her imagination heightens her anxiety. She
sits huddled in the dark and listens to night stalkers, animals
and birds driven by their nocturnal instincts, and the noises
they make create torment for Hagar, as she sits gripped
with fear. She ponders in her mind, and she has doubts con-
cerning her survival and wonders if she will ever make it to
Egypt. She hopes in earnest to make it to her homeland
under a new identity, have her baby, and settle among her
kinsmen. These thoughts play over in her mind repeatedly
until eventually she drops off to sleep, physically and mental-
ly exhausted.
The next morning as the sun rises, Hagar wakes to the
sound of birds singing, as they welcome in the birth of a new
day. She sits up, stretches, yawns, and her body aches from the
cramped sleep and cold harsh unforgiving damp floor. She
crawls on her hands and knees as she exits the cavity and the
sunlight catches her eyes, which causes her to squint. She rises
to her feet, and she looks out over the valley below, tries to
coordinate her bearings. She realises, after a glimpse of the
Eastern Desert in the far distance, that she has actually trav-
elled too far east and needs to re-route toward the west. After
she eats a couple of figs she has packed, Hagar begins her
descent from the hills toward the low plain. She struggles for
hours, and she begins to realise the descent is longer than
anticipated, but the sun begins to set long before she reaches
level ground. Hagar thinks she is going to have to spend
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Five days later and it is noon: Abram sits just outside of his
tent and he is deep in thought, as Hagar has been on his mind
constantly. He thinks his mind plays tricks when he suddenly
hears her voice call his name. He looks up and sees her, and
she rushes toward him from among the oaks. He rises to his
feet and hurries to greet her, and he does so with open arms.
As he reaches her, he embraces her tightly. “Hagar, where
have you been, I have suffered sleepless nights with worry!”
Hagar looks up at Abram and her face beams; overjoyed,
she says, “God rescued me in the desert, so I have returned,
my lord!”
Sarai is in the tent when she hears the commotion outside,
so she hurries to the entrance and looks out and in an under-
tone she says, “Oh no, she’s back!”
Sarai stands and watches as Abram and Hagar approach
the tent, and she is fuming inside, as Abram walks with his
arm around Hagar’s waist. As they reach the tent, Abram calls
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264
16
Abram’s Inauguration to
Abraham: A New Beginning
265
PAUL JUSTICE
k
Abram’s tent mid morning: Abram sits and wears his best
attire, the sienna tunic with gold embroidery, since he
received the news from Yahweh at sunrise. Hagar stands
behind him and braids his hair as she has already braided his
beard; his appearance is completely transformed from that of
an unkempt old man to one fit for royalty. Now Sarai, who
currently milks the goats, is completely unaware of the new
arrangements, and she is in for a big shock. The large clay ves-
sel is almost full and Sarai asks one of the herdsmen to carry
the vessel as it is heavy. The herdsman lifts the jug up onto his
shoulder and follows Sarai to the tent.
As they enter the tent, Sarai is shocked to see Abram all
spruced up and horrified to see Hagar involved, so she tells
the herdsman to place the jug in the entrance to the tent, after
which he may leave. Sarai looks at Hagar and points her fin-
ger. “You, out!” she orders in abrupt tone.
Abram stops Hagar and says, “No Sarai, Hagar needs to
hear this too!”
Sarai places her hands on her hips and says, “Hear what?
Why are you dressed up in royal attire? You look like a
Babylonian King with your hair braided as they do, what is
going on?”
Abram says, “Sarai, you need to calm down and sit down,
as this news is important!”
Sarai sighs deeply and sits down opposite Abram, she lis-
tens intently as Abram says, “This morning, as the sun rose,
I walked among the oaks when suddenly, Yahweh spoke to me.
I immediately dropped to the ground face down and listened
to every word!”
Sarai interrupts, “After all these years, what did He
say?”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
assist with preparations and clean and Hagar will cut and
stitch!”
Sarah looks up at Hagar and says, “I thought you were
calm about this, you know you will have to cut Ishmael?”
Hagar says, “Yes Princess Sarah, I am aware!”
Abram speaks up, “Time is pressing and we have a lot of
work to do. Come, we must inform the men!”
The three of them exit the tent together and go their sep-
arate ways, and they spread out throughout the camp, inform
everyone about the news.
k
Noon: The settlement is in disruption. Pandemonium reigns
throughout the camp as men run from one tent to another,
panicked, and inform one another of the news. Abram is in his
tent and helps Hagar and the slave-women prepare for the
mass circumcisions, while Sarah prepares food for the cele-
bration to follow. However, disgruntled men gather around
Abram’s tent and they call his name. Abram hears them and he
appears at the entrance to his tent, looks out.
One man calls out to him, “Have you lost your mind, old
man? Yahweh would never ask us to mutilate our own bodies,
nor damage our sons!”
And another man calls out, “Why are you creating dis-
ruption with this insanity?”
And yet another says, “You have disunity in your own
household, is this not enough for you, you want us all to suf-
fer, is that it?”
Abram steps forward and says, “Listen men, you do not
understand the implications here. Yahweh has made a covenant
with me to establish a dynasty of Kings with far reaching bene-
fits, and all He asks is a tiny clip of skin, a mark in the flesh to
validate the covenant, and for us to demonstrate our obedience!”
The men who surround the tent all begin to laugh, and
one of them steps forward and says, “Dynasty of Kings, is this
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why you are dressed as a King, which one are you, Nimrod the
Mighty?”
Again, laughter ripples through the crowd of men and
another man shouts out, “He even looks like Nimrod, look at
the pleats in his beard!”
The laughter continues, and Abram raises his arms to
silence the men, then says, “If you are not for change, and if
you do not wish to enter this covenant with Yahweh, you are
all free to leave, but you must be gone before sundown today,
otherwise you may incite Yahweh’s wrath upon yourselves and
your families!”
The men begin to back away and one of them calls out,
“Do not worry old man, we are tired of your insanity!”
The men disperse and run to their own tents. They gath-
er their families and belongings together, and one man with
four sons is one of the first to leave. Throughout the after-
noon, families exit the settlement; some head north toward
Haran and others head east toward the Jordan plain. Long
before sundown, two-thirds of the men have left with their
families, and this includes sons and daughters.
Sarah stands next to Abram as they watch the people
leave. Sarah looks up at Abram and says, “See, I told you!” she
says with sarcasm.
Abram ignores Sarah’s comment and she moves back
inside the tent. Abram’s group now consists mainly of women.
The male population has been reduced to less than two hun-
dred men and boys. A far cry from when they left Egypt.
Abram’s ranks shrink and Sarah is concerned; she too thinks
he may be losing it.
Mid afternoon and everything is prepared for the mass
circumcision to be performed in Abram’s tent. Abram double
checks knives are sharp before they begin. Men and boys
queue outside the tent to the number of one hundred and
eighty three, two of which are babies held by their mothers at
the front of the queue. The first mother enters the tent and
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hands her baby to the slave-women who bathe the child over
a bowl of water; the baby is handed to Hagar who performs
the circumcision.
As the baby screams, the men who queue look at one
another and feel apprehensive. They see the mother exit the
tent; she carries her bloodstained baby and weeps. Now, as the
afternoon progresses, Hagar has cut around half of the men
and boys and those who remain in the queue become more
and more apprehensive, as some of the men shout out because
of the painful procedure. Some stagger from the tent and hold
blood stained cloths against their crotches.
Ishmael, who stands next to his father in the tent and
watches the operations, looks up at Abram and says, “Father,
must we do this? There is such a lot of blood!”
Abram rests his arm across Ishmael’s shoulders and hugs
him tightly. “Yes Ishmael we must, this is very important!”
Abram explains.
Ishmael looks up at his father with a look of concern on
his face. Now, the men who continue to queue, they become
agitated and some begin to slip away from the queue and run
toward the hills at speed, and they do not look back. Ten of
the escapees are slaves without families and the other six run
to their wives. Abram loses another sixteen men that after-
noon. Next to Hagar is a bowl almost full of foreskins and she
is covered in blood. As the sun begins to set, Hagar looks out
of the tent to see how many men remain, and there are only
ten, plus Abram and Ishmael. Hagar says to Abram, “Let me
cut you and Ishmael while there is sunlight, after which I will
finish the ten.”
So Abram agrees and tells Ishmael to go next, and as soon
as he is circumcised he goes and lies down at the rear of the
tent. It is dusk when Hagar completes the circumcisions and
she stands in the entrance to the tent, then looks out under
very subdued light, with wide dark eyes which peer over the
blood-spattered veil. Her right hand still holds the knife and
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her hands are drenched in blood, and likewise her tunic. She
resembles an assassin on a mission more than a Physician.
Abram sits on the ground outside the tent and gently rocks to
his pain, he stops and looks up at Hagar, who stares into the
dusk. Abram says, “Why do you still hold the knife and stare,
as though you were in a trance?”
Hagar looks down at Abram. “I feel sick, weak and tired.
Never ask me to do this again, my lord.” she says in a low
tone.
Hagar drops the knife and slowly walks to her tent. Abram
watches her leave. Sarah appears at the entrance of the tent,
looks out. She looks at Abram and asks, “Is the genital mas-
sacre over, my lord?”
Abram does not bother to look up at her. “We do not need
your sarcasm, Sarah!” he says abruptly.
Sarah laughs and says, “Good, I will bring out the food
and wine and the celebrations may begin!”
The slave-women assist Sarah to bring out the bowls of
food and the wineskins, and all the tribeswomen begin to
gather toward the centre of the settlement for the celebra-
tions. The men however, remain in their tents, to lie on their
backs and nurse their wounds, and the last thing they want is
to celebrate. So the women eat, drink and dance and Sarah
leads a group of twenty in singing, and as the women enjoy
themselves and continue distracted, Abram takes a slow walk
towards Hagar’s tent. He is crouched and holds his crotch
while he walks. On arrival, Abram silently enters the tent and
sees Hagar naked as she baths over a large bowl, and the water
in the bowl is red. Abram watches her clean her arms with the
cloth, her breasts hang over the bowl and almost touch the
water. She sees Abram and gasps. Startled, she quickly grabs a
sheet and covers herself as she feels uncomfortable. Abram
speaks, “You are beautiful Hagar and you look sensual!”
Hagar forces a half-smile and looks bashful, “What brings
you, my lord?” She says in surprised tone.
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Celestials Visit
be telling tales concerning our guests, and you must not fear
them. When in their presence keep your heads covered
and low.”
And the three women curtsy with heads bowed, “Yes my
lord!” They all say in unison.
Abraham exits the tent and approaches the visitors out-
side. He stands under the large oak near to the guests and
keeps his head lowered. Soon after, Hagar appears from the
tent, followed by the three slave-women and they all carry
bowls of food with contents of bread and olives. The women
serve the guests, and keep their heads bowed low. They place
the bowls on the ground by the visitor’s feet and return to the
tent. The guests begin to eat the bread and olives. Michael
looks up and with inquisitive tone he addresses Abraham,
“Where is your wife Sarah?”
Abraham raises his head slightly to respond. “She is in the
tent, my lord!”
Yahweh looks at Abraham directly. “I will return again
this time next year, and by then, your wife Sarah will have
a son.”
Now Sarah hides just inside the entrance to the tent, hides
behind cloth and listens to the conversation outside, and when
she hears Yahweh say she will have a son, she smiles and
laughs inwardly. She ponders in her mind, Now that I am past
childbearing and Abraham is old, am I to be pleasured again and yet
behold my very own son? And again she laughs in secret.
A few moments later, Ishmael arrives with the succulent
roast in a clay vessel from the kiln, and he grips it with cloth,
as it is hot. Sarah greets him, “Boy, give the roast to me!”
They grapple over it and Ishmael is vexed. “Father said
I could serve the tender calf!”
Sarah tugs and her face shows annoyance, “Yes, but first
I need to carve the meat so it is presentable, foolish boy!”
Ishmael loosens his grip and allows Sarah to take the
roast. Hagar stands nearby, and she watches. Sarah now
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the exit and she is tearful. Abraham sees Hagar as she stands
just inside the entrance, and he heard Sarah’s screams, so he
makes a move toward the tent. Yahweh stops him and stares
directly at him, “No Abraham, it is for her own good, she will
come around when she is ready!” He advises.
That said, the three guests rise to their feet and thank
Abraham for his hospitality, and as they leave the sun is about
to set. Abraham decides to go with them. Hagar sees them
leave so she says to the slave-women, “We can collect what
remains of the food, the men have left.”
So the women exit the tent and begin to gather food, but
to their surprise it appears as though the food has not been
touched. One of the slaves says to another, “Did we not watch
them eat?”
And the other slave says, “Hush, the more they leave, the
more there is for us!”
So the women continue to collect the food and take it
into the tent. As they enter the tent, they see that Sarah has
retired to her private quarters and that Hagar has begun to eat
some of the tender beef, and the women are keen to partake
of the same.
k
Night and the men have arrived in the mountains to the east
which overlooks the Jordan plain. Their position looks over
the southern tip with the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah and
Zoar near the foot of the mountains, so Abraham and the
celestials congregate to discuss their next move. The guests
think that Abraham should return home.
So Michael and Gabriel leave and make their descent
toward Sodom, and Yahweh stays with Abraham in the hills.
Abraham walks to the edge of the cliff and looks down into
the valley, but the darkness restricts his vision, as all he can see
are distant city lights and the moon reflected back from
the surface of the sea of Arabah. A cold wind buffets around
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side with such force that it bounces off rocks and plummets
over the cliff’s edge. He can hear its screams as it cascades over
jagged rocks to its eventual death. The other dogs see this,
and jackals in the hills above begin to retreat. Abraham stead-
ies himself to his feet, and although shaken from the incident,
he composes himself and continues on his way. He reaches the
low hills, the settlement comes into view; he feels encouraged
and he hurries to reach the low plateau.
Abraham is tired, scuffed, bleeding, and his soiled clothes
are torn, but he reaches base. He emerges from between the
oaks and he staggers toward his tent and almost falls through
the entrance. He looks at Hagar and Ishmael, who have wait-
ed up for him, worried sick.
Abraham sighs and in gravelly voice, croaks, “Lot’s life is
in danger.”.
Hagar and Ishmael rush over to him and throw their arms
around him; they hug him tight.
Hagar says, “Where have you been, my lord? We thought
you would be safe with those men, and as the night pro-
gressed, we worried.”
Abraham wraps his arms around each of their shoulders
and calmly says, “My assumption was wrong about the visi-
tors; they are here as assassins to destroy Sodom!”
Ishmael’s face lights up with enthusiasm as he looks up at
his father. “Assassins, father?” he says joyfully.
Abraham looks down into his son’s face and wearily
answers, “Ishmael, this is no time to be joyful, thousands of
people are about to die, including my nephew Lot!”
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flames from the wall lights do little to guide their way, so Lot
leads the men by a familiar route to his home. They pass
through the streets and structures that house the poor, men,
woman and children approach and lurk in the darkness; they
surround Lot and the Angels. The men of the city reach out
and grab hold of the visitors, and they grope at their clothes
and mutter, “Have you come to save us?”
Lot attempts to push them back, while the women dance
provocatively and rub themselves against Michael and
Gabriel, and with their sexually charged voices, they attempt
to lure the Angels, “Such beautiful, erotic sexual beings;
come and have intercourse with us, my lords!” the women say
invitingly.
Lot lashes out and strikes one of the women across the
face and the woman snarls and spits upon Lot. Michael grabs
hold of Lot’s wrist and in authoritative tone, demands, “No,
Lot, now lead the way!”.
Lot pushes the children to one side and continues to walk.
The children are particularly vicious, they run circles around
them and hiss and spit like wild cats. Beggars come and crawl
from the dark corners of streets. Naked and on hands and
knees, they crawl like skeletons overlaid with infected skin;
they cry out like lepers. “Spare what you have and give to us!”
they plead.
The celestials become tired of these pitiful creatures and
as a sense of urgency prevails; they take hold of Lot and press
forward toward his home, followed by a malicious entourage
of savages. They reach home and Lot enters his house, fol-
lowed by the Angels, who close the door behind them. As the
angry crowd is greeted with the thud of solid oak, they quick-
ly disperse throughout the city and spread the news about the
two Angels.
Lot and his guests stand against the door on the inside
of Lot’s house and wait for the angry crowd to disperse. Now,
in the peace and tranquillity of his home, Lot introduces the
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Lot rushes to his feet and heads for the door; he gathers a
torch to light his way and leaves.
Lot wanders through the streets of Sodom for almost an
hour; he still has not found them. It is very late, and Lot is
tired, cold and loses heart. He just wants to go home and
sleep. Finally, he sees the sons-in-law who sit by the well near
the entrance to the city; they also see him. One says to the
other, “Who is this approaching waving a torch?” to which
the other one says, “I think it is crazy old Lot.”
Lot rushes over to them and says, “On your feet, we
must leave the city before dawn, the Angels are going to
destroy it!”
The men burst out with laughter and begin to mock Lot,
“You old fool, that white light has affected your mind.”
“White light?” questions Lot, “What do you mean?”
One of the men continues, “Have you not heard the
rumours? A white light has caused blindness to some who
were at your house tonight. People are terrified; they hide in
their homes.”
Lot becomes suspicious and continues to question, “Were
you both at my house tonight, among the crowd?”
The men begin to sneer at Lot while one answers, “Yes we
were there, and we left after you offered your daughters to
Bera, you crazy old fool. What were you thinking, offering
your only daughters’ lives, our future wives?”
The men are clearly furious and want Lot to leave, Lot’s
persistence just fuels their wrath and hatred for him, and he
can see in their faces that the situation is hopeless, so he excus-
es himself. “Time is pressing I must leave now,” he says.
To which one of them says, “Please do!”
Lot’s torch has almost burnt out, so he drops it and runs
home as fast as he can, stops for no one. By the time Lot
reaches his home, the dawn is almost upon him. The night’s
experiences have left him exhausted. All he wants to do is
sleep. Lot enters his house, and sees his guests who wait for
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him, and they are anxious over time. Lot stands, pants and
catches his breath, while at the same time he struggles to
speak, “They, they did not believe me!”
He staggers toward his guests and drops to the floor. The
Angels look at each other and remain silent. Lot’s wife and
daughters sleep, and enough time to reach safe distance is
about to reach its limit.
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Lot is laid on the floor and he sleeps, while the guests feel a
sense of urgency as the dawn closes in. Michael kneels before
Lot and shakes him awake. He says, “On your feet, we must
leave the city now for fear you may be swept away with it,
wake your wife and daughters, we must go!”
Gabriel hurries up the steps to wake Lot’s wife and daugh-
ters. The situation is tense. Lot’s family are sleepy and they
procrastinate about the need to leave the house. After a
stretch and a yawn, one of the women complains, “It is yet still
dark outside, why are we up so soon?”
Michael is agitated and his tone is urgent, “Wake up!
We do not have time for this, we must leave now,” he
demands.
Lot struggles to gather himself together, while his wife
responds, “But I need to gather a few things together for the
journey.” She points toward her bedroom while she says this.
The patience of the Angels has now expired. Gabriel takes
hold of Lot’s hand and the hand of his wife; he forcefully drags
them from the house and leads them through the streets of
Sodom, heads toward the exit. They are followed closely by
Michael who leads Lot’s daughters by the hand. The tension
rises as they flee the city, and their swift exit has not gone
unnoticed. The Canaanites run from their homes and shout,
“There they are, kill them all!”
A vicious crowd assembles and gives chase, hot on their
trail with murderous intent. The Angels run at such speed
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that Lot and the others struggle to keep up, and they almost
lose their grip. The younger of the two daughters finally
loosens her hold; she falls to the ground with a thump, creates
clouds of dust on impact, and scrapes the skin from her
arms and legs. Michael senses this, releases the other daugh-
ter, who continues to run for her life. As Michael turns to look
back, a malicious band of henchmen scream and advance
toward him. Although some distance prevails, they close in
fast. The young woman weeps as the Angel crouches down
to pick her up. Michael scoops her up in his arms, and he rises
to his feet and holds her in a cradle position. Again, he looks
at the angry vicious crowd of Canaanites who fast approach.
The Angel contemplates how he needs to slow them down,
and he uses a form of telepathy, he commands the scorpions
of the ground to attack the vicious band of killers. The scor-
pions immediately advance in vast numbers, crawl from the
dust of the ground and fall from the crevices of the walls,
they gather like a large army. The scorpions shimmer like a
carpet of black satin, move in waves toward the towns’ people,
cling to their ankles and climb up their legs. The scorpions
inject a venomous sting from their tails. The people scream in
pain, while others fall to the ground, some hop from one
foot to another while they try to persist. As the vicious clan
of Canaanites, eager to advance, press forward, the venom
seizes their bodies. Paralyzed, they fall to the ground, one
after another.
Satisfied with the result, Michael turns and continues to
run toward the city’s exit. The young woman carried, gazes
admiringly into the Angel’s face; she smiles and rests her head
against his chest. Gabriel and the rest of Lot’s family have
pressed on and they are now outside Sodom. Lot and his wife
and daughter stand next to the Angel, not far from the sphinx,
they look down over the Jordan plain, when Michael exits the
city with Lot’s young daughter cradled in his arms. They join
the others, and Michael lowers the young woman to her feet
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goes back for his wife. Lot’s wife is now up to her waist and
sinks; she continues to cry for help. By the time Lot reaches
her, she is panic-stricken and wriggles, which makes the situ-
ation worse.
“Keep still!” Lot shouts. As he gets closer, he reaches out
with the stick, which just falls short. “You have waded out too
far!” he says. Grunts and complaints issue from Lot as he
reaches a little closer, Lot tries again with the stick, this time
it not only reaches but hits her on the side of the face. Lot
continues, and instructs, “Keep tight hold on the stick, and
I will pull you out!”
Lot grunts, puffs and blows and he continues to pull with
all of his strength, as he finally leverages his wife to solid
ground.
Now that she is free, she embraces her husband with grat-
itude and keeps tight hold of his hand, and Lot leads her to
solid ground. As the family congregates by the oak tree, Lot
looks over to the east and sees the sun peek over the mountain
range; he turns to his family and says, “Hurry! We must press
on as the sun is about to rise.”
They all run toward the city of Zoar without an attempt
to look back, as the sun rises and illuminates the ground
behind them. As they reach Zoar, they continue to run,
through the gates and into the city of refuge, just as solar rays
chase the ground behind them and almost touches their heels.
They stop as they reach the square, now that they have
entered the city. Out of breath, they take a few seconds to
recuperate, before Lot looks up to see some of the people of
Zoar, who stand and stare at them.
k
Zoar: The city of refuge
Lot has made a poor decision to come here and his wife knows
it. Lot and his wife and daughters have composed themselves
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k
While all of this happens, Bera and his Royal Guards, along
with a few of the townspeople, wander around the streets
of Sodom, and grope their way, still blinded. Bera raises
his face to the sky, his eyes are opaque white, and he sees
nothing of what occurs, and he only hears the thunder. He
lifts his arms to the sky and calls out to his Gods and pleads
fervently in a loud voice, “Where are my healers? Father, what
is happening?”
Bera lowers his arms, drops to his knees and lowers
his head, in a low defeated tone, he says, “I have been
forsaken!”.
The storm clouds continue to roll across the sky, with
flashes of light and bangs of thunder. An earthquake ricochets
throughout the Jordan plain, which causes some buildings to
tumble, while others split under the ground’s movement. In
Zoar, Lot and his family roll under the earth’s movement,
tossed this way and that. The giant King Zoar stands and
gazes into the sky, while he tries to keep his balance under the
earth’s movement. The noise is loud as the earth splits open,
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and this gives way to cracks which appear in the walls of the
city. The people run and scream, to look for cover; some are
buried under fallen rocks as the earthquake continues to
strike. After a period, the earthquake subsides. Soon after,
pure white crystals begin to fall from the sky and dark swirling
clouds yield forth toxic salt, which descends to the earth like
pellets. Although small in size, these crystallized pellets of
salt sting the flesh of the people on impact. The salt covers
the entirety of the Jordan plain and within one hour, the
Canaanites which dwell inside the five cities, wade knee-deep
in salt crystals and the fumes which rise from the toxins choke
the people.
Zeboiim’s people flee from the city for fear they might
be completely buried alive. They plod knee-deep and carry
their children. In the city of Admah, the people climb the
ruins to avoid the rise of salt; most of their houses have
shaken to the ground during the earthquake. Gomorrah grad-
ually disappears, due to the devastation caused by the earth-
quake and the high levels of salt. Some of the inhabitants
of Gomorrah who have survived the earthquake attempt to
flee to the mountains in the west, but as the hail falls and the
pellets sting, the people continue to fall, only to be buried
alive. Sodom has withstood the earth tremors, apart from
a few cracks in the walls of houses, but the hail of salt gradu-
ally builds up against the city and its inhabitants struggle
to survive.
Inside Zoar, Lot and his family try to gain access to one
of the buildings and they have wrapped strips of cloth around
their heads so that only their eyes show, because of the toxic
gases which rise from the salt. They come across a large
building with double doors and Lot is anxious to gain entry.
They all try to pull on the doors, but the doors are wedged
shut and the salt continues to rise against them. The family
pull with all of their strength, until the doors weaken to the
sound of crack. Finally, they manage to open one of the doors
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slightly and the gap is just big enough for them to squeeze
through. Lot’s elder daughter goes through the gap in the
door first, followed by her mother. Lot looks to see if anyone
is around. His younger daughter squeezes through the gap
in the door, followed by Lot. Inside, the building is dark and
as their eyes adjust they begin to see they have entered a large
storehouse full of sacks and containers piled to the roof. Lot
looks at his daughters and says, “We may have just found the
perfect place to hide!”
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Lot’s Wife and
the Fall of Salt
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PAUL JUSTICE
k
Back in the storehouse: Lot and his daughters search among
sacks and wooden crates. While they rummage in the dark,
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they have found sacks full of grain and fruit, while crates full
of clay vessels contain water and some contain beer. Lot has
discovered a pile of flasks fashioned in hide which contain
wine, next to a large pile of empty sacks. Lot looks at his
younger daughter and muffles through the cloth which wraps
his face, “Tell your mother what we have found!”
His daughter climbs over crates, leans on a pile of sacks
and peers through a gap between crates. She looks toward the
doors, but she cannot see her mother. She climbs out from
among the store of goods, and searches the storehouse, while
she gropes in the dark. With eyes that peer over the cloth
which wraps her face, she calls in a quiet muffled voice,
“Mother, we have found food and drink, where are you?”
She approaches the doors and peers through the gap,
looks outside, and she sees that the salt has ceased to fall. She
turns and hurries toward the gap in the crates; she pulls the
cloth down from her mouth and calls out in a tone of urgency,
“Father, mother has gone and the salt has ceased!”
Lot emerges from the dark and faces his daughter. He
muffles, “What? Where is she?”
His daughter shrugs her shoulders. Lot pulls the cloth
from his face and looks over his shoulder. He calls out to his
elder daughter, “Get three empty sacks and fill them with
food and drink! We are leaving!”
Lot looks at his younger daughter and says, “You wait
here and I will hand the sacks over!”
She nods in agreement, then watches her father recede
into the dark. Soon after, her father reappears with the first
sack filled with fruit and pouches of grain and nuts. His daugh-
ter takes it and lowers it to the ground, and this is shortly fol-
lowed by the second sack filled the same. As his daughter takes
hold of the third sack, her arms are almost wrenched out as the
sack hits the floor, as Lot has filled it with flasks of wine.
Lot and his elder daughter climb out from behind the
crates. Lot approaches the doors and peers through the gap,
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they cough and choke, with eyes that stream. They all have
doubts with regards to their survival. They reach the base of
the mountains and the daughters stop to rest, while Lot goes
in search of a low incline. He finds a suitable spot and he
waves for his daughters to follow. All three begin to climb.
The higher they climb, the tougher it gets, as the hills steep-
en. After the climb continues for some time, and now reason-
ably elevated from the valley, Lot rests and clings to the rocks,
as he waits for his daughters to catch up. When his daughters
reach him, they cling to the rocks like limpets on either side
of him. Lot looks up and sees a ledge high above them, so he
looks at his daughters, then gestures with his head for them to
look up. After they have looked up, he gestures again to signi-
fy their point of reference and his daughters nod to concur.
Lot continues the climb and his daughters follow. He climbs
higher; they are now just under the ledge and Lot tries to
reach it. Strenuously he reaches out with the remainder of his
strength; he just touches the fringe of the ledge and he needs
to get closer. The ledge is elevated from his point of view; he
needs to hoist himself up. Lot precariously shuffles a little
closer, until he has both hands firmly fixed on the ledge. He
tightens his grip, and with all of his might, he pulls himself up,
grunting all the way. Finally, he makes it onto the ledge and
flops face down, as he pants and wheezes. Lot raises his eyes
and sees the mouth of a cave which stares straight at him.
Thank God he thinks to himself.
Meanwhile Lot’s daughters are stuck on the mountain
face, exhausted and fearful they are not going to make it. Lot
rises to his feet and stands, then looks over the edge. The
wind blows around him and his headgear smarts as it flaps
against his cheek. As Lot peers down upon his daughters’
struggle, he thinks of ways to assist them. He removes his fab-
ric belt, wrapped several times around his waist, as he thinks
this may help. He finds that it only flaps violently in the
strong wind. He twists the fabric as tightly as he can, then ties
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21
Abraham’s Lament
be returning with Lot and his wife and daughters and maybe
more, just as Yahweh has promised!”
Abraham hastens, does not wait for a reply, and swiftly
exits the tent. He hurries east toward the mountains, as
he intends to return to where he stood with Yahweh on the
previous day. He reaches the hill country, where he begins
his difficult climb to the top. The sky continues to darken,
which makes visibility poor for Abraham’s ascent. He stops
on occasion to look into the sky, but continues, perplexed
at what he sees: clouds flare flashes of light with intermittent
streams of fork lightning which strike out. The claps of thun-
der instil a foreboding dread and spark his imagination into
fear of the worst. Abraham continues to climb, as he wonders
if Lot is ever likely to make it out of Sodom alive.
He uses the staff he has brought with him to find crevices
in the rock face and to secure footholds throughout his climb.
He remembers how the visitors took an easier route the
day before.
Suddenly, an earthquake erupts in the Jordan plain,
which sends out shock waves that penetrate the mountains
on either side. Rocks stream down toward Abraham from
above. He tries to cover his head, but loses his grip and
tumbles. As he falls, he watches as his stick streamlines past
him with such grace and ease, compared to the clumsy
thumps and thuds Abraham himself elicits on the way down.
Finally, a convenient ledge breaks his fall. He lies on his
back, and looks up into an eerie sky, while earth tremors
continue to loosen rocks that head straight for him. He rolls
over on the ledge and packs himself tight against the rock
face, terrified. He remains in this position until the tremors
have stopped.
Some time passes and eventually a calm silence prevails.
Abraham rises to his feet and continues his climb, now with-
out the aid of his staff, which continues on its effortless jour-
ney. He climbs and eventually finds an easier incline, which
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helps his progress and makes up for lost time. Abraham hur-
ries on his way.
He hears what sounds like torrential rainfall. When he
looks up into the storm clouds, he sees white pellets descend
into the valley, their whiteness almost illuminates the moun-
tain peaks. Unaware that the valley is being consumed in toxic
salt, Abraham continues his journey. Almost at the top, the
incline steepens where it leads to the place where he stood the
day before with Yahweh. As Abraham continues his climb and
finally reaches the top, he clambers over to the spot where he
had been previously. He stands and looks over the cliff’s edge
while the wind buffets around him; when he looks down into
the valley, he is dumbfounded. He thinks no one could possibly
survive this! He walks away and sits down among the rocks; he
feels devastated and sick to his stomach. He again worries
about Lot, as he thinks, I hope he has found somewhere to hide
until this passes! He decides to sit and wait, in case Lot is some-
where in the mountains and perhaps he may climb in
Abraham’s direction. But he waits and he waits, and finally he
begins to lose hope. His countenance falls, and he sits with his
head tucked into his knees. He begins to rock to and fro, as he
mutters nonsense under his breath.
Suddenly, the continuous hiss and the noise from the fall
of salt ceases. Abraham raises his face and looks up. Although
the storm clouds still gather, he rises to his feet and walks over
to the cliff’s edge and peers into the valley. The white glow
hurts his eyes, as he stands, squints, and surveys the area. He
sees no sign of Lot.
Abraham turns and wanders forlornly away from the edge,
with head and shoulders stooped. The feel of hopelessness con-
sumes him as he lowers himself to his knees. He begins to weep.
k
Abraham crouches to the ground, as he grieves his loss. He
continues to weep, but a sudden loud bang of thunder jolts
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
316
22
Lot’s Cave
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PAUL JUSTICE
his attention to the Sea of Arabah and sees steam rise from the
surface. The water itself is milky in colour, so dense with salt
and ash. A beautiful body of water, once full of life, is now a
dead sea. Lot looks up into the sky, sees that the storm clouds
have cleared but the sky is so thick with smoke that the sun’s
rays are blocked. The sun itself appears opaque, while it strug-
gles to give light.
Lot begins to ponder the situation over in his mind and
wonders what to do. He begins to imagine that he and his
daughters are the only survivors and that this same scenario
may have been repeated throughout the land. He thinks for a
while and returns to the cave and crouches down at the
entrance, then crawls in toward his daughters. He shakes
them. “Wake up, we have work to do!” he says.
Lot’s elder daughter opens her eyes slightly. “Work?” she
questions.
The younger daughter rolls onto her other side, and just
moans. Lot shakes her again. “Come on, wake up!” he repeats.
The young daughter sits up and looks at the mouth of the
cave. “Father, you have removed the stones.” she says, alarmed.
Lot says, “Yes and I have looked into the valley; every-
thing is dead. We may be the only ones alive.”
Lot’s daughters stare at him with expressions of shock and
concern.
Lot says, “I will go up into the mountains to search for
dead wood; we will need a campfire tonight. You clear these
rocks out of the cave to give us more room.”
The daughters nod in agreement and Lot leaves. A little
time passes and Lot’s daughters sit together, as they try to wake
up; they sit with their heads down and look at the ground.
After a while, the elder daughter suddenly looks up. “Only
ones alive, what are we going to do?” she says, concerned.
The younger looks up and says, “No idea!”
The elder looks at her sister. “How can you be so relaxed
about this?” she questions.
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
Her sister says, “We cannot, we will grow old and barren,
never having the pleasure!”
The elder says, “Why would God do this to us?”
Her sister sighs, “Who knows? When God gets angry, His
rage soars. Maybe He strikes and thinks after He realises the
blunder?” She says.
“Hmm, maybe!” says the elder. Suddenly they hear a
noise outside and the younger says, “Hush, listen!”
Lot pokes his face into the cave and says, “Did I scare
you?”
His daughters laugh but do not reply. Lot crawls into
the cave, drags a bundle of sticks behind him, then he shuffles
around in the cramped space, organises himself before he
piles up the sticks just outside the mouth of the cave, with the
idea to keep smoke out and the heat in. He tears a few fibres
from one of the sacks to assist ignition. He rubs wood against
wood near the fibres; it is not very long before he has a camp-
fire ablaze, which gives a warm glow throughout the cave.
Now dusk, Lot and his daughters huddle together and sit near
the fire and they search among the sacks for food. They share
it among one another and eat a selection of fruit, grain and
nuts. Lot says, “Bring out the wine as this is a time for cele-
brations!”
As the elder pulls out a flask of wine, the younger looks
excited. “What are we celebrating Father?” she asks.
Lot takes the flask from his daughter. “Think of it as a
new beginning: the three of us sit here on the threshold of a
new world. We are celebrating the loss of the old world, to
welcome in the new,” Lot explains.
The elder daughter is curious. “What will the new world
be like, Father?” she asks.
Lot says, “It will be what we make it, as there is no one
else!”
His elder daughter lowers her head and begins to mull
over Lot’s words. Lot finally gets the flask open and takes a
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
human not like animal. Abram and I looked at each other and
we turned and ran, we ran and ran without looking back and
we just ran as fast as we could.” Lot stops temporarily to take
another drink of wine; his speech becomes progressively
slurred as he advances through the story.
His elder daughter asks, “Was this giant like Bera?”
Lot slurs, “No this one was ugly and much bigger; it had
teeth like a horse and very long hair.”
“Err, it sounds horrible!” she says, with her face all
scrunched up.
Lot continues the story: “Anyway, Abram and I just ran
until we saw the clearance ahead of us, Abram shouts “Run for
the hills!” So we ran until we reached high ground and
because these creatures clumsily advance and they are poor at
running, this gave us the advantage to get away.” Lot puts his
head back, raises the wine skin; and in his mouth, he catches
the last few drops of wine from the empty flask. Lot sits and
thinks, with his head down.
“Is that it?” says the elder daughter.
Lot continues to think, with a prolonged stare, and his
younger daughter asks, “Do you miss Abram, Father?” as she
watches a single tear trickle down the side of his nose.
“What?” says Lot, as though he had not heard. Lot watch-
es his elder daughter build up the fire with more sticks, and
she turns to look at her father and confirms, “This should last
most of the night. Father, you look shattered; you should
sleep now?” she suggests.
Lot nods in agreement and struggles to get undressed,
then falls to one side. Both daughters rush to him, help him
get undressed; they place a bundle of clothes for his head,
then Lot lays his head down. Within minutes, his snore
echoes in the cave.
The younger sister informs the elder, “I will sleep over
there away from the firelight!” She points toward the back of
the cave and moves to the rear. Lot’s elder lays down a short
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PAUL JUSTICE
distance away from her father and watches him sleep. She
props herself up on one arm, then she lies and looks at her
father’s nakedness, as he lies on his back, with an orange glow
from the fire which illuminates his body. She thinks, “I wonder
what he meant by a new beginning? Could this be an invitation for
us to share our bodies and copulate, how else could they be a new
beginning, I wonder?”
She looks to the rear of the cave to see if her sister
sleeps, after which she turns her attention to her father
and thinks, “Yes I have decided, we must preserve our line of
descent and bring forth a new generation, for the birth of a new
world.”
She checks again to see if her sister sleeps, she gets
undressed, and she moves over to join her father. Lot’s snores
have stopped and as he breaths lightly, she lies over him, after
a few brisk minutes, she leaves. He appears to be unaware. She
sighs and gets dressed, checks on her sister who is sound
asleep. She lies down next to her sister and within minutes she
drops off to sleep.
k
The next morning in Lot’s cave: Lot wakes first and his head
thumps as he winces from the pain. He slowly sits up and
looks toward the mouth of the cave and sees burnt out sticks
and ash, and he turns his head and looks for his daughters who
sleep at the rear. His head thumps from back to front as he
mutters, “Ooh!” As he thinks a brisk climb into the hills will
help him recover, he begins to get dressed and leaves the cave.
A while later, the elder wakes and she immediately wakes her
sister, and after they have both sat up and complained about
the hard floor, they begin to rummage in the sacks and look
for food. After they select overly ripe figs, which are squishy,
they begin to eat.
As they eat breakfast together, the elder blurts out, “I cop-
ulated with father last night and I hope to be pregnant!”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Three months later: Lot’s daughters are visibly pregnant, so
Lot begins to hunt for animals to provide food and skins to
make a tent. Once the tent is complete, they leave the cave
and move up into the mountains, then settle in a clearance
surrounded by trees and foliage. His daughters give birth to
two boys and over time Lot copulates with his daughters until
they give birth to females, as their sons will need wives. As the
326
SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
327
23
Leaving Hebron
Abraham has been in his tent for ten days in solitude, and he
has fasted and grieved over his loss. Finally, on the morning of
the eleventh day, he emerges from his tent. His appearance is
frail and weak. He wanders like a lost soul over to the sacrifi-
cial altar and as he reaches it, he drops to his knees. He
searches his mind for answers, only to find none, and his God
Yahweh remains silent. Suddenly, startled by a shrill cry which
calls his name, he looks up to see Sarah who runs toward him,
with open arms, and he drops his head, disillusioned. Sarah
reaches Abraham and throws her arms around him. “I have
been worried sick, my lord!” she says.
Abraham looks up at Sarah and with tears in his eyes he
says, “Why? I do not understand! Why did Yahweh destroy
paradise after He promised?”
Sarah looks at him with a pitiful expression and reassures,
“Surely it is beyond our knowledge, come! Let me help you,
as you need refreshment!”
Sarah helps Abraham to his feet; she walks with him slow-
ly, guides his steps toward Hagar’s tent, where Hagar has pre-
pared food. As Sarah enters the tent with Abraham, Hagar
rushes over to help them. They find a comfortable place for
Abraham to sit, while they serve him with freshly baked bread,
olives, fruit and fresh water to drink.
Abraham eats and feels a little revived. He says to Hagar,
“Listen Hagar! I want you to go to everyone in the camp and
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
333
24
Same Old Dog,
Same Old Tricks
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
taken the box of jewellery to the treasurer, and that the con-
tents are highly valuable. He bows before the King, “Will that
be all, my lord?”
The King gestures, waves his hands for the General to
leave, as he is preoccupied as he thinks about Sarah. As the
General leaves, Abimilech thinks and smiles and after a few
moments he chuckles to himself as thoughts of Sarah tickle
him. What Abimilech does not realise is that Sarah is five
weeks pregnant with Isaac, and the King is in deep trouble
with God. Yahweh will protect His very own at any cost.
339
25
A Supernatural Dream
instructions, and the General says, “As for the rest of you
men, spread out throughout the city and gather all of the men,
bring them to the Palace Courtyard to hear the King’s words,
this is urgent now go!”
The soldiers immediately saddle their horses, ready for
the task ahead, and the Commander returns to the Palace.
Abimelech and the Commander enter the Palace courtyard
and walk side by side, a large crowd of men have gathered and
their mutter while their conversations fill the air in the Palace
Grounds. The sight of their King and the General, who stand
together, causes the humdrum of verbal noise to subside into
silence. In the centre of the courtyard is a platform of eleva-
tion with steps which lead to a level top, as Abimelech walks
toward it the crowds part to the sides and allow the King
access. He walks through the crowd of people who are filled
with anticipation, before he climbs the steps to the top of the
platform. As he looks over the crowd he sees many faces peer
up at him and, filled with expectation, they wait to hear his
words. The King speaks in a loud clear voice:
“Men of Gerar, I have called you here today for I have
urgent news. Last night I had a dream, and in this dream God
spoke to me and said, “You and the subjects of your Kingdom
are as good as dead!”
The gathered men erupt and deafen with the sound of
panic and confusion. The King attempts to regain order, but
the crowd does not listen to him. The Commander, who
stands near the Palace Doors, withdraws his sword and raises
it above his head and vertical into the air. The sun’s rays
reflect light from the blade and the glint catches the eye of the
soldier positioned in the watchtower. The General draws his
attention and gestures for him to sound the horn. The sound
produced from the horn far exceeds that which ascends from
the crowd; within minutes, order is restored and the soldier
stops the horns note. Now that calm and silence prevails, the
King continues:
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
348
26
The Conclusion
Outside the Palace Doors, angry men pound their fists against
red cedar, and they cry out in one voice, “Kill Abraham! He is
a liar and a cheat!”
The soldiers struggle to regain control and to establish
order in the grounds of the Palace. Some of the soldiers lash
the men with their swords, then strike them across the backs
of their legs, and cause them to fall to the ground. As the
injured men roll on the ground in agony, they hold onto
their wounds while blood pours from the lacerations on their
legs. As they see this, many of the men become fearful and
begin to run off in all directions before they run for the
gates. The military gives chase and as the men exit the court-
yard; the soldiers lash out with their swords and inflict
wounds upon some as they fall near the gates. A dispersed
crowd of angry men continues to run; occasionally some look
back to see if the soldiers endure the chase. When the sol-
diers return to the courtyard, they find injured men have lit-
tered the Palace Grounds and groan with pain as they
struggle in their attempts to stand up.
The soldiers who gave chase have sheathed their weapons
and begin to point and mock, as they watch the wounded men
flounder. The soldiers walk in amongst the men and laugh as
they push them back down to the ground, and they turn a
potential blood bath into a game of cat and mouse. The Palace
Doors open and out steps their Commander, who is furious at
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PAUL JUSTICE
k
Night: The Palace in Gerar remains relatively quiet, with the
exception of an occasional whimper which drifts in from the
women’s quarters. The women are anaemic and weak from
blood loss. Eunuchs who serve the King’s harem have worked
all day to clean blood from the cracked stone floor of the liv-
ing quarters; they have used countless vessels of clean water
while doing so. Even after hours of hard labour, that men-
strual odour still lingers in the air and continues to rise into
the King’s bedroom. The humid night air aggravates the
aroma that drifts through the passageways of the Palace.
As the King lies on his bed, he is restless and uncomfort-
able. Stricken with insomnia, which prolongs his agony,
Abimelech turns from one side to another, as his nightgown
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PAUL JUSTICE
sticks to him with sweat. Finally, after he tosses and turns for
hours, the King gradually drifts off into a deep sleep. All
remains quiet throughout the Philistine Palace and the atmos-
phere is still. Abimelech lies on his bed, alone in a dark room.
Only a little light reflected from the moon peeps in from the
veranda. The King becomes restless and irritable in his sleep,
as the spirit of God permeates his room while it brings a sick-
ness. The King’s temperature begins to rise to dangerous lev-
els as the sting and itch from a feverous rash spreads over his
body like an army of red ants. He is lathered from head to foot
in his very own sweat, which infuriates the rash. As his body
swells, the King struggles to breathe, and his skin lifts with
boils and blisters, which give way to lesions and weep blood
and bodily fluids. Engulfed in a burning fever, the King sud-
denly sits upright in bed and his eyes have become wide and
stare into the darkness as though in a trance. At the foot of his
bed, Abimelech sees the shadowy figure of Abraham, who
dances jovially and laughs like his very own jester.
The King has slipped into delirium and hallucinates,
almost like a mirage this ghostly image of Abraham is pro-
jected from the King’s mind before he flops back onto his bed.
Abimelech is extremely ill and as his fever soars, he screams
and calls out to God, “Why? What have I done?”
His screams continue throughout the night. The two
night watchmen, who parade the adjacent Palace walls which
overlook the Courtyard, hear the King’s screams and immedi-
ately run to his aid. They run up the steps to the King’s quar-
ters. As they enter the room and approach the King’s bed,
Abimelech convulses with wide eyes that stare, void of any
expression.
The men slowly back away and one says to the other,
“The King is possessed by devils!”
The other answers, “No, he has a fever; look his flesh
crawls with disease. Quick! Run and seek the Physician while
I wait and watch over the King!”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
One of the guards runs for the exit and hurriedly seeks
help from the Palace Physician. As the night watchman stands
near the King’s bed, he senses a presence in the room; a sud-
den chill surrounds his body, which causes the hairs on the
back of his neck to tingle. The watchman backs up slowly
toward the veranda and draws his sword. He says, “Show
yourself, who are you?”
The absence of a reply gives way to the sound of hurried
footsteps on the stairs leading to the King’s room. The
Physician enters the room and runs to the King’s bed, fol-
lowed by the other night watchman. The Physician leans over
Abimelech and tests his pulse. “This man is smitten with
infectious disease!”
“Infectious?” says one of the guards.
The other says, “The King shook when we arrived!”
Abimelech tries to speak from a dry mouth, and though
his mutters are barely heard, the Physician lowers his face
with his ear close to the King’s mouth.
Abimelech speaks into the Physician’s ear and with a low
croak in his voice, “There is a spirit of vengeance in this room,
and it will harm you.”
The Physician immediately looks at the two guards, who
peer close from the foot of the bed, and one of the guards
enquires, “What did the King say?”
The Physician answers, “He is delirious! I need a good
supply of cold clean water and clean cloth; we must get his
temperature down, hurry!”
The night watchmen quickly exit the room. The
Physician rests his hand on the King’s brow to find that his
skin is hot and burns; he continues to examine his entire body
to find fluids leak and ooze from his sores. Abimelech is clear-
ly about to die. As the Physician sits by the King’s bed, he
ponders over in his mind various ways he may be able to assist
the King, the temperature of the room gradually drops to
almost freezing. The Physician shudders and hears very
355
PAUL JUSTICE
and thinks they may heal. After he dressed the King’s sores
and inflamed areas of skin, the Physician finally rests by
Abimelech’s side and thinks about the night’s activities before
he drifts off into a restful sleep.
The atmosphere in the room remains chilled, which helps
with the King’s temperature and all remains calm and quiet.
The Physician has only been asleep for a relatively short time,
when the sun begins to rise, then just peeks over the moun-
tains in the east and sends its rays which shimmer over the
surface of the Mediterranean ocean. Sea birds swoop to catch
some small creatures abandoned by the tide and a beautiful
scene encapsulates the ancient city of Gerar on the birth of a
new day.
k
Morning: The Physician dreams in a light sleep when he
hears the words from a stern voice, which causes him to
jump almost out of his skin when the voice shouts, “Wake
up!”
He opens his eyes to see the General of the Military who
stands before him with his hands placed on his hips.
The General says, “The King asks for a drink of water,
I suggest you give it to him!”
The Physician rises to his feet and collects one of the ves-
sels of water, and while he offers a drink to the King from
water poured into the palm of his hand.
The Commander says, “I hear there was a stranger in this
room last night?”
The Physician looks at the Commander, “Yes General,
strange man who wore a hood.”
“Strange man, what do you mean?” says the General.
The Physician lowers the vessel of water to the ground
and stands to face the General, “Well, it was very dark and I
could not see his face. I remember his dress was unusual, a
dark cloak with a large hood, maybe Egyptian?”
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SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
The young man says, “In his tent, as his wives prepare
food my lord!”
The general says, “Then go and alert him quickly as my
patience wears very thin!”
The young man responds, “Yes, my lord!” Both men run
to Abraham’s tent and as they reach it, they rush inside to find
Abraham reclined and relaxed, while Hagar feeds him grapes
from the bunch.
Abraham pushes Hagar’s hand away and looks at the
young men, “Why the intrusion?”
With urgency in the tone of his voice one of the young
men says, “My lord, hurry! The Philistines are here; a whole
army of them and their leader is furious!”
Abraham clambers to his feet and says to the young men,
“Lead the way!” The men turn and leave the tent followed by
Abraham; the young men rush two paces ahead of him as they
lead Abraham to the assembled Philistine army.
As he runs toward the military, one of the young men calls
out, “Look General, the man approaches!” The General sniggers.
Abraham finally reaches the General’s horse and breath-
less he tries to regain his composure before any attempt to
speak. He looks up at the General, “I thought our business
was complete General?” The General’s facial expression
changes as his eyes widen, for he cannot believe Abraham’s
cheek and the irony in his question.
The General says to Abraham, “I now know of your true
identity; you are a liar and a cheat, a charlatan full of tricks.
You infiltrate your way into Kingdoms which possess wealth,
in order to feed your greed!”
Abraham is furious and takes a few steps back. “This is
preposterous slander! Did not your King himself offer me
some of his wealth willingly?”
The General says, “Why yes! And in return you have
smitten the King with deadly disease, after you received pay-
ment in full!”
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PAUL JUSTICE
enters the tent and finds Sarah, Hagar and various maidser-
vants have prepared a spread of delicious food. Abraham com-
ments on the good smell from the food and instructs, “After
you have eaten, I want you all to alert everyone in the camp to
congregate on the beach, and within one hour!”
As Abraham turns to leave, Sarah calls out, “Stay and eat
my lord!”
Abraham ignores her and continues to walk; he heads
toward the herdsmen on the outskirts of the camp. As he
approaches, one of the herdsmen runs to greet him and as
Abraham arrives, he says, “Where are the cattle and sheep
which arrived yesterday?”
The herdsman responds, “In a separate pen, my lord,
away from the others!”
Abraham says, “I want you to choose one of each from
among the cattle and the sheep and choose the best. Inspect
them thoroughly for parasites as these animals must be fault-
less. They are to be used as a sacrifice so make a careful selec-
tion, and bring them to the beach within one hour. Alert the
other herdsmen to attend!”
The herdsman says, “Yes, my lord!” And he hurries
toward the appropriate animals. The tide is out for some dis-
tance when Abraham arrives on the beach, and steam rises
from the wet sand which gives an indication of the heat which
bears down on Abraham.
He walks out toward the sea and inspects the area while he
gravitates toward large rocks covered with shells and seaweed.
Abraham struggles to climb a large rock and occasionally slips
on seaweed and grazes his shins. He reaches the top of this rel-
atively flat rock and notes that he has good elevation; he can
see for some distance. He looks toward the settlement and sees
people in droves walk toward the beach: men, women and chil-
dren and many of them approach hand in hand and in family
groups. As he sees them all united, Abraham is touched, as he
thinks about how he may have endangered their lives through
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PAUL JUSTICE
altar. The men pull the animal’s legs apart, break its ribcage so
that all of its internal organs are exposed and face the heavens.
They repeat the same process with the sheep, so that two of
the finest animals are spread evenly as sacrifices. Abraham
pulls a few strands of fibre from his cloths and uses this, cou-
pled with a piece of dry wood and friction, he manages to
cause the cloth to smoulder and eventually lights the fire. In a
short period of time, the sacrifices are ablaze and smoke
ascends to the heavens.
The people see the flames of the fire, and those who have
spread out along the coastline now return for the celebrations,
as they do not want to miss Abraham do what he does best,
communicate with God. The people congregate around the
fire as the smell of burnt flesh is carried in the sea breeze, and
they watch as Abraham prostrates himself face down in the
sand not far from the altar. They listen intently as Abraham
cries out to his God in a way that could not be replicated by
anyone else. The assembled people begin to witness why
Abraham is the only one who can intercede with the creator
of heaven and earth. As they listen to the intensity of his
prayer, his very being screams out as though in agony. For it
moves onlookers and sometimes disturbs others, as children
hide their faces parents cling on to them with intensity.
Abraham concludes his communication with his God and lies
on the ground as though exhausted, and the assembled crowd
keep watch in anticipation of a favourable result.
An unusual silence permeates the coastline, even the
sound from crashing waves is barely noticed and the tide
creeps in unawares to everyone present. A few minutes have
passed when Abraham hears a voice in his mind and it talks to
him softly with a calm influence, “Abraham, I have heard your
cries and seen your anguish so why are you afraid? Abimelech
is soon to be healed, and my people will no longer be threat-
ened by the Philistines. Rejoice, for I will heal and comfort my
people!”
366
SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
k
Morning: Abimelech wakes from a restful sleep and his eyes
rove around the room as he contemplates how much better he
feels. He sits up in bed and looks over his body and an expres-
sion of amazement enraptures his face, as he sees the disease
has left him. The King leaves his bed and immediately bathes
before he gets dressed into his finest attire kept for special
occasions. Abimelech stands on the veranda with a beautiful
sea view and he looks out over the ocean, and the King sees a
glorious day which brims with potential. Two of the Palace
Guards enter the King’s room full of excitement and carry
good news, and one of the men approaches the veranda,
“My lord and King we have good news to declare, your
concubines are healed and ready to meet your requirements!”
Abimelech turns to face his men with a smile that beams
from a countenance that glows, “I know and it is wonderful,
look at me, I generate more health than ever before and I feel
better than I did in my youth!”
The men stare at the King flabbergasted before one of
them speaks, “My lord what has happened to us, everywhere
in the Palace people are ecstatic with new found vigour!”
The King laughs with enthusiasm, “Can you not compre-
hend it? We have all been touched by the living God as a ges-
ture of good will for my obedience!”
The two guards look at each other and frown. The King
continues, “Go to the treasurer and have him bring my crown
369
PAUL JUSTICE
and jewels to the throne, and alert the General as I would like
to speak with him too!” The guards respond, “Yes my lord!”
before exiting the room.
k
One hour later: Abimelech sits on his throne and mulls over
in his mind the changes he is about to implement into the
revived Kingdom. While the King sits and thinks, the treas-
urer approaches the throne and carries elaborate cloth which
bears the Kings crown and jewels. He kneels before his King
and presents the Royal Emblems. Abimelech says, “Rise and
dress your King accordingly!” The treasurer rises to his feet
and places the crown upon Abimelech’s head, before he places
a necklace of jewels over the King’s shoulders.
The treasurer bows before the King, “Does this please the
king?”
The King responds, “It does and as from today your
wages will be doubled. You may leave and tell everyone who
works in the Palace that they too will receive an increase in
wages!”
The treasurer bows again, “Thank you most kindly, my
lord, I will see to it that the others are informed!” The treas-
urer leaves the King’s presence and exits the room.
A few moments pass before the General enters the room
and kneels before the King, “It is good to see that you are
well, my lord!”
The King smiles, “On your feet, General, as I have impor-
tant news!”
The General stands and faces the King, “What is this news,
my lord? As the King’s attire suggests a special occasion?”
“Special occasion indeed!” says the King. Abimelech con-
tinues, “As from today, I am implementing new rules to be
obeyed by everyone throughout my Kingdom. I require you
and your army to enforce these rules as from today!”
The General bows, “Of course my lord!”
370
SODOM: FIVE ANCIENT CITIES
372