Read Sarah: Women of Genesis: 1 (Women of Genesis (Forge)) for Free Online Page A

doubt,” said his visitor.
     
    “What about the sacrifice of my son-in-law’s uncle?” asked Father. “They can’t be going on with it, can they?”
     
    The visitor chuckled grimly. “Since his own chief god crushed him to death while he was preparing to conduct that very sacrifice, I think it’s safe to say that no one else is at all interested in going ahead and daring the gods again. No, there’ll be no sacrifices today. I hear that Abram has already fled the city and gone into the desert.”
     
    “Yes, now he goes,” said Father. “I tried to get him to do that days ago, but would he listen?”
     
    “If he had left when you told him to, Suwertu would not have been at the altar when the earthquake struck, and so he would not be dead, and so the human sacrifices would have continued.”
     
    “You think they’ll stop?”
     
    “He’s the one who got people back into that kind of worship when he was nothing but a priest of Elkenah. He showed everyone the danger of giving any man the power to kill his enemies in the name of God. No, I think that when the next priest of Pharaoh is chosen, it will be carefully explained to him what he may or may not do without the consent of the king of Ur-of-the-North.”
     
    “So,” said Father. “It looks like my daughter’s marriage will go ahead after all.”
     
    “If you still want to marry your daughter to the grandson of such a weak man.”
     
    Sarai perked up her ears.
     
    “It was not weakness for Terah to refuse to repudiate his own claim, even if it cost the life of his son,” said Father. “It was great courage and faith. More than I have. For I would never allow my own child to be sacrificed, as Terah was doing, just for the sake of preserving my own estate.”
     
    For the first time it occurred to Sarai: Isn’t that exactly what you did, Father, when you pledged me to Asherah the day I was born?
     
    Then, condemning herself for even having such a thought, Sarai bounded to her feet and ran once again to the roof. Behind her she could hear Father saying, with an irked tone, “Was she listening the whole time?”
     
    On the roof Sarai fell to her knees to pray again. “O God of Abram, I know thou art faithful to thy true servant, Abram. So I will keep my vow. I will not give myself to the service of Asherah. How could I, when I know now that thou art the only true and living God. Thou, O Shaker of Earth, art my God forever. For thou hast heard my prayer. Thou hast spared the life of Abram.”
     

Chapter 3
     
    In the spring, Lot finally came in person and married Qira under the gaze of their fathers—two kings without kingdoms. It was a joyful time, and Sarai was especially happy for her sister, for she was going to have everything she wanted: Lot seemed to be a kind man, he was even more handsome than Abram had been, and he promised to live in Ur for the near future, leaving his steward and servants with Abram out in the empty grasslands.
     
    For Abram did not return to Ur, even for the wedding of his beloved nephew. There were those in Ur—especially priests of other gods who had joined their cause with Suwertu’s—who would never forgive Abram for having humiliated them. Never mind that what humiliated them was proof that there was indeed a God who did not want Abram murdered. There was too great a chance that someone would try to finish the job—Abram would never enter Ur again.
     
    And I will never leave, thought Sarai. He will forget me. But I will never forget him.
     
    It took two years, but she finally persuaded her father that it wasn’t a whim—she was determined not to enter the service of Asherah. It was a delicate task, persuading him to release her from the vow, for by releasing her he was as much as confessing that he was not, in fact, king of anything, and so his daughter had no responsibilities to the gods. Father never quite admitted that openly. He found some pretext about Sarai’s unreadiness or