Blood Money

Next Day.

On a hot and dry day, Yaqub was guarding the cattle.

"If it doesn't rain soon all the crops in Haran will be destroyed I pray to God to bless the city with rain," Yaqub said to a little boy of about 9-10 years old who was walking with him.

Many people were gathered in the Ishtar temple which was in front of Yaqub.

"What's going on over there father?" the boy asked Yaqub.

"It's an old custom of the people of Haran they throw Ishtar's enemies into the fire by catapult" replied Yaqub.

Some temple officers brought Faris tied in ropes to throw him in the fire.

"let me go what have I done...I didn't do anything" cried Faris.

"You look after the herd and I will see what is going on," said Yaqub to his son and moved towards the temple.

"let go of me, what have I done" Faris was still yelling.

"Have mercy on us let him go" cried the lady(Faris' wife).

"That is Yaqub, the shepherd and the nephew of the governor of Laban," said a man in the gathering seeing Yaqub.

Faris was laid onto the slate to be thrown into the fire, and the priestess burned up the fire.

Faris'wife was still begging for mercy.

"This is the punishment for blasphemy...death," said the temple officer's leader.

"Let me go" Faris begged.

"Poor Faris" Yaqub was looking at this horrible scenario.

"He must be punished," said the followers of Ishtar.

"Faris is an enemy of Ishtar, he attacked Ishtar with stones and called her an inefficient and incompetent goddess, according to the old tradition of the people of Haran those who insult the great goddess Ishtar shall be thrown into the fire by the catapult" announced the temple officer's leader.

Faris was brought closer to fire he kept shouting "have mercy, I am innocent, have mercy".

His wife also begged to let him go.

The priestess went closer to Faris and said "Don't shout in vain, give the blood money or you would burn to death".

"Please do not burn him" his wife screamed.

"How much is the blood money, I will pay his blood money" Yaqub declared

"No, no he himself is an enemy

of the Ishtar" yelled the priestess.

"You are an enemy of Ishtar you must pay your blood money first" the priestess moved towards Yaqub.

"Then arrest me... throwing me into the fire would be upholding our family's tradition, my grandfather Abraham was thrown into the fire on the orders of Nimrod" replied Yaqub calmly.

"You haven't been arrested so far because of the governor, because you're both his son-in-law and nephew" the temple's officer pointed his finger towards Yaqub.

"So people close to the governor and the authorities can insult the gods and not be punished?" asked Yaqub.

Upon hearing this the temple officer's leader lost his temper and ordered "Arrest him and throw him into the fire just like his grandfather".

His subordinates held Yaqub and tried to drag him, " Leave me alone " said Yaqub but they didn't listen.

A few men on horses came, and the one who appeared to be their leader said "What is going on here, let go of him and free the accused as well".

"Faris must be punished," the priestess said angrily.

"When Yaqub undertakes to pay his blood money you have no right to punish him," said the man on the horse.

The temple officer hinted that he understood, and the priestess moved to him and said "you must not let him go", he shook his head giving a negative response.

"Yaqub you must pay 500 dinars for Faris' blood money" the man on the horse addressed Yaqub.

"There is no problem I will pay 500 dinars," replied Yaqub.

The temple officer's leader ordered to release of Faris and went inside the temple with his subordinates and the priestess.

"May God bless you my good uncle Laban," Yaqub said to the man on the horse who was his uncle.

"How long must I watch you so you don't make a mistake" His uncle moved a little close to Yaqub and said in a low voice.

Yaqub smiled and gave a little shrug.

His uncle left. Faris was released... his wife went to him, and they looked at each other in surprise as they could not believe what was happening, they moved to Yaqub gratitude filled in their eyes, "Thank you, thank you" said Faris, he was about to touch Yaqub's feet but Yaqub stopped him and said, "What are you doing".

"Thank you, I will work for you until I have paid all the money back I promise, I promise," Faris said with tears in his eyes.

"You saved him," his wife said while crying with thankfulness.

The temple officers looked at all of this from the temple in dismay clenching his fists.

A few days later

Faris had been working with Yaqub.

Yaqub's wife saw him working hard and said

"He is a good man he works hard all the time".

"Ishtar has been receiving sacrifice from the people of Haran and Babylon for many years if your father Laban hadn't helped us we both have been burned to death" Yaqub paid gratitude to his father-in-law.

"Because of his survival, Faris must leave worshipping Ishtar and become a monotheist" Yaqub's wife put in.

"He already has Rachel, he's become a monotheist since he was rescued," Yaqub told.

Rachel smiled upon hearing this.

"When will our little traveler be born?" Yaqub asked Rachel.

"Soon, the prophet of God, he will be born soon" Rachel replied.

"I have been waiting for a baby from you for many years and if God wills this waiting will end very soon," Yaqub said hopefully.

Rachel looked down and smiled.

Next day.

Outside the Ishtar temple.

Yaqub was guarding his herd with his son.

An old man and his family were going inside the temple with offerings.

Yaqub saw them and approached:

"Greetings to you and your people"

"Greetings Yaqub the Shepherd" replied the old man.

"I want to thank you that you're taking offerings to Ishtar temple," said Yaqub.

"We must make the gods happy or there'll be no rain this year," said the old man's wife.

"Do you not think that you need those dates more than the gods?" asked Yaqub.

"Some people have been raged the gods by insulting them but we must pay for it," said the old man's boy in anguish

"Are you certain that it rains by the will of the

cold stony statues in Ishtar temple?" Yaqub questioned.

"Your blasphemy enraged him so much that he took away rainy clouds from the sky of Haran," said the old man.

"Do not insult the gods Yaqub" said the old man's wife and they went ahead to go inside the temple.

"Why do you oppress yourselves and leave the God Almighty and worship these cold and weak idols instead, why don't you give warmth to your withered heart by the light of God's faith?" Yaqub said in a loud voice.

A man who was looking like a foreigner gazed at him from outside the temple.

Yaqub went to his work with his son.