A Frightened Mama Bear

I put my paw out to stop my cub from walking any further. “Sh…” I warned him, “I hear humans.” I crouched in the trees near the Jordan, being as still and quiet as possible, and I couldn’t help but overhear. “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” […]

Jephthah’s Daughter, 2nd Edition

You know that moment when you realize you’re totally screwed? When you realize that, no matter what you do, it’s not going to go well for you? When my father left to lead the Israelites in battle against the Ammonites, I thought that he might die, but not the women he’d left at home. But […]

Haman the Agagite

I am Haman the Agagite. Likely, when you hear my name you automatically associate it with the word, “villain.” I am known for convincing the king to sign an edict spelling death for all the Jews in Persia. I am hated, remembered forever as a heinous villain. But I didn’t start it. When Saul was […]

Jephthah’s Daughter

I was an only child. No brothers or sisters. All of my friends had lots of brothers and sisters. They would ask me, “Aren’t you lonely?” I would say, “No.” My best friend was my dad, Jephthah. He was my hero. When he was younger, he had been driven out of his family because he […]

Proverbs of a Strange Woman

The proverbs of a strange woman, loved and condemned by Solomon, king of Israel, and the wisdom tradition credited to him: Prologue For learning about wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight, for gaining instruction in wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity; to teach the poor, ignored, and shamed; to acknowledge those hurt by […]

One Soul, Part 7: David

My nights spent hiding in the field were torturous. I wanted to know what was going on. I needed to know that Jonathan was okay. What if King Saul took his rage against me out on his son? I would never forgive myself if Jonathan had been hurt. On the morning of the third day, […]

One Soul, Part 6: Saul

Nobody had seen or heard from David since my last failed attempt to end his life. But certainly, he wouldn’t miss the new moon feast. This would give me opportunity to learn of his whereabouts and prepare my next attack. This time, I would not fail! On the first day of the feast, David was […]

One Soul, Part 5: Jonathan

My life felt as if it was ending. Seeing David marry my sister Michal was bad enough. My stomach boiled with envy thinking about the two of them together. And now David was gone. He had to flee because my father was paranoid about losing the throne and wanted to kill him. He wanted his […]

The Cyclical Nature of Violence

I was a concubine. A Levite man kept me for his sexual pleasure without giving me the rights that a wife would have. I was treated as nothing more than a body. So, I ran away. I went back to my father’s house to escape sexual abuse. But the Levite stalked me. He came to my […]

One Soul, Part 4: Michal

I couldn’t believe that my older sister Merab didn’t want to marry David. He was amazing! So strong and talented – even more so than my father! When my father said he was going to offer me to David in marriage, I was amazed at my fortune. Instead of being pawned off in some politically […]