Eli paused as if to gauge the reaction of his audience. Pekah looked at the general, who still appeared to be excited, and then Eli added, “It is also apparent to me that Manasseh’s refusal to comply with Jonathan’s sincere request, delivered through his messenger, cost him his life.”
Pekah flinched at Eli’s blatant statement of fact. He nervously watched Jasher and Amon, wondering if they were offended by Eli’s claim, but to his surprise, the general stepped forward and offered his hand in friendship. “I am Jasher of Bezek. I regret the actions of our emperor, which were unjust. I pray your forgiveness.”
Shocked by Jasher’s apology, Pekah hesitated, but then frankly forgave the man. He turned to see Amon’s mouth open as if he wanted to speak. All eyes fell on the captain in anticipation.
“I believe,” Amon said, “we will need to gather all those we can, and invite them to come and witness for themselves what has happened. I can only hope they will see and understand what we have seen. This truly is almost unbelievable. Had I not seen it with mine own eyes.. ”
Shaking his head, Amon stepped off the wooden platform and advanced to the closest group of onlooking soldiers. He said a few words to them, and directed them toward the platform. Pekah watched with interest as Amon continued around the plaza, gathering all who were nearby.
By the time Amon finished, there were over ninety Gideonite soldiers of various rank milling around the platform, talking in hushed tones. Many stared at Pekah. Some appeared to be afraid. Made uncomfortable by their gaze, Pekah turned away to see Jasher pull a wooden chair to the front, then climb upon it to address the crowd.
“Men of Gideon, you have witnessed a strange thing this day,” the general shouted in a commanding voice. “I mean to enlighten your minds with truth, that your hearts may be at peace. Captain Amon of Gilad is also a witness of all that I have seen and heard. The emperor is dead-not by the hand of any man, but by power from above, which I have seen and cannot deny.”
The crowd murmured. Jasher put up his hand to quiet them, then proceeded to tell the gathered troops all he knew about the arrival of the two messengers. As he told of the terrible and frightening force that leveled the building when light stormed from the heavens, filling the room with power and brilliance, many of the Gideonite soldiers sank to the ground with heads bowed low. Others whispered amongst themselves.
Jasher’s voice trembled as he told the gathered Gideonites of the dreams experienced by Pekah, Amon, and himself. He emphasized that the entire event had been foreseen. When Jasher stopped his narrative, a hush of profound silence came over the listening group.
Almost a minute passed. Not a soul moved. As if by coincidence, even the breezes of the summer morning stilled, giving loud punctuation to the news that the emperor was indeed dead. The silence was interrupted by the noise of several soldiers who entered the plaza escorting a captured Danielite woman. Her captors craned their heads over their shoulders at the strange scene near the wooden platform, but continued on their errand and disappeared down another narrow street. Pekah guessed the street led to the quarantined sector of the city where the prisoners were being corralled, similar to what he saw at Hasor before the Danielites were herded away.
Captain Amon approached Jasher and whispered in a tone just loud enough for Pekah to hear: “You will need to act quickly if you wish to maintain control of the situation. Otherwise, the army will disband.”
Amon’s quick assessment impressed Pekah. How will Jasher do that? Pekah wondered.
“Men of Gideon,” Jasher thundered, “I remind you-you have sworn yourselves to the service of Gideon and his people. The emperor is now dead, but his desire for war against Daniel and Uzzah will continue to be carried out until the armies of the Gideonite people have been led to different paths. You must choose the path you will take,” he emphasized. “Will you help me to end this war? Will you follow me on a path to stop bloodshed? Will you assist me in restoring peace to the land?”
Pekah felt hope well up in his breast as the idea was accepted by the troops. Where he had seen distrust and caution in the faces of those who listened, Pekah watched as a yearning for peace bloomed in their eyes. Many who had fallen to the ground rose to stand again before the general. A few of them offered their verbal pledges to Jasher. Several more put their right hand forward, and Jasher walked among them. He went from man to man, touching his outstretched palm to theirs in token. This covenant was eventually accepted by all but one soldier who stood apart from the rest.
Calling the man forward, the general placed a hand on the soldier’s arm and led him to the edge of the platform. “Do you see the dagger in Manasseh’s hand?” Jasher asked.
“Yes.”
“Manasseh tried to kill this man,” Jasher said, pointing to Pekah. “In fact, the emperor ordered me to kill him, but Pekah had done nothing worthy of death. I swear to you by the heavens that everything you have heard today is true. Will you not accept the signs you see before you as proof that my desire to end this war is just?”
The soldier looked at the emperor, then at Amon, and then again at the general. He nodded. “Yes. I will follow you.”
Jasher smiled and received the man’s pledge. Then he took his makeshift stand again, lifted his hands in the air, and addressed the group with excitement. “I can see you have come to the same conclusion I have. The war between the tribes must be stopped. I intend to end this war. All captains of ten, or captains of fifty, please stand forward!”
Eight men stepped closer to the platform, waiting to receive their orders. From his perch on the chair, Jasher gazed down at Amon with a smile, and then at Eli and Pekah standing nearby. He waved to them, as if to say that all would be well, then turned to the soldiers again.
“Men of Gideon,” he began again, “Rezon marches upon the northern cities of Uzzah, searching for the heir of Daniel. He has sworn an oath to Manasseh that he will not rest until the Heir has been killed, and the scepter of the tribe has been captured. Rezon is on a mission that he cannot be permitted to finish, else we as a people will incur the hot displeasure of the Great Creator, who has sent this man of Uzzah with one of our own brethren to plead for the end of this conflict. Rezon will not find the Danielite in the lands of Uzzah, for he is here, near the city of Ain, in hiding. Rezon also will not find the scepter of the Danielite kings that he seeks, for I have also seen the scepter, this very day!”
A rumble of noise went through the crowd as the news was assimilated. After the chatter died down, Jasher finished his plea.
“In grave matters such as these, I choose not to give commands which would be followed out of blind duty. Rather, I ask you to stand by me in joining the tribes of the Three Brothers once again together in peace. Will you march with me to find Rezon, that I may counsel with him, in hopes that his heart may be turned, as mine and yours have been?”
After a brief delay, a shout of commitment went up from the body of soldiers, saying, “It shall be done!”
Pekah was thrilled upon hearing the words, excitement filling him like the warmth of beams from Aqua and Azure breaking through the clouds. Amon saluted the general with both hands high in the air. Jasher stepped from his seat and motioned the eight leaders to come closer for specific instructions. Orders were given, but Pekah did not hear them on account of the commotion now coming from the gathered crowd. Separating into groups of ten and groups of fifty, the commissioned captains shouted out commands to secure the prison area and prepare it for the general’s arrival. Without another word, the crowd left in columns, down the same road previously taken by the prisoner escort.
His lips curled as if amused, Captain Amon patted Pekah on the shoulder. “You have delivered your message to us. Now we will deliver it to Daniel and Uzzah.”
“Thank you,” Pekah said, humbled by the acknowledgement.
“Please follow me,” Jasher invited, smiling.
Walking to the end of the platform where weapons had been stashed in a large wooden bin, Jasher stopped so Pekah and Eli could retrieve their belongings. With Jasher and Amon leading the way, the four of them then marched across the plaza, past the beautiful central fountain, and down the confines of the narrow city street where the soldiers had gone. Bordered by multi-storied buildings with wrought iron railings on balconies, the cobbled passage was the most colorful street Pekah had yet seen in Ain. In addition to flower pots hanging from some balconies, most of the stone walls had been painted bright colors-yellow, blue, green, and orange. He was cheered, simply walking down the street.
A few blocks later they turned onto a road which opened up into a small park, another beautiful fountain at its center. On the other side of the open area stood several of the Gideonite soldiers who had left them at the plaza, their captain yelling at prisoners cordoned off in the better part of an entire neighborhood. All the Gideonites
