The Holy Book

Isaiah 7 ~ The Longest Night

1
In the second half of Century 32. That's the 32nd one since Ada lived in Eden with Ava, Ahaz was king. King of Judah. King of the Jews. The Melech Yehudi. 15th Jew king. Son of jolly King Jotham. King Uzziah's grandkid.
A very bad grandkid indeed, sadly. Made a selfish, wicked, evil job of being king, he did. Never followed the holy way. Led himself and everyone else astray.
His enemies were watching him like wolves. Two main ones were on the prowl:
King Pekah of Samaria. Remaliah’s boy, you know the one. Lord of the ten northern tribes.
Rolling now with Rezin Rex of Syria.
The pair rolled up in war wagons. Shot down every Jew they saw.
Knocked with waves of flaming arrows at the door. Could not get through.

2
A guard ran to the throne room, huffing. Saw the queen, all the nobles of the court, and on the throne, the king: "Ahaz, they has joined forces. Samaria to the north of us + Syria to the north of them. Both now knock for us in unison, with bloodthirsty blades!"
All trembled at the guard's blustery report, like a ring of trees on a windy hilltop.
"Men, with me!" Said the king to his men, and rushed out to the Pillar Pool to see how long their water supply would last.

3
The prophet, Izzy, was at home reading scrolls, when an angel tapped on his window and said: "Fancy a walk? Go see Ahaz and what nobles are left.
Follow the water duct from the Pillar Pool to the road outside the Fuller's Yard. You'll find them there.
Take your baby, Jashub, to remind the king new blood still beats in the kingdom...

4
...Ahaz has been pretty bad. But you know how patient I am, don't you, Isaiah? So tell him: "Keep your cool. Don't feel faint. Even though the night is long. Lines of smoking torches flicker orange in the dark of night, like tiger eyes on every side, thirsty and remorseless...

5
...Yet fear not, as I'm not on their side. They've ignored all my advice is why. Plotted your demise all by themselves, not asking me...

6
...I hear them chat behind your back: "Let's gang up on Judah. Tear the region apart, city by city! We'll split the plunder 50/50. Then pop a puppet king of our own in the holy capital: The wandering prince, Tabeel. His claim to the throne will keep sticklers happy. Yet he'll work for us in secret."...

7
...Yet El Jah promises this: "Ain't gonna happen. Their plan will flop like a halfbaked cake...

8
...The heart of Syria is Damascus. The heart of Samaria, Shechem. In 65 years, their hearts will be crushed by King Tiglath of Neo Assyria.
Well, he will be king by then. Now he's only three. Oblivious to his destiny.
That newgrown baby king and his militants of fury, chariots charging like swirling thunder, will turn their cities all to ash, in an orchestra of flames. Half the dwellers swept off to a foreign land in chains. A kingdom no more. No longer a threat to the Jewish crown...

9
...Have faith these words from the Don are true. If you don't believe, he won't believe in you...

10
...Jah sends a second message too...

11
...Wants you to ask him for a sign. A sign to prove what I've said is true. Atop a hill. In a verdant vale. Ask from anyplace you choose."

12
Ahaz dithered: "The scrolls say: "Never test the Don. Don't ask," they say. "Just listen."

13
"Yeah. Don't ask off your own back. But if the Don says ask, you can."
Ahaz whined: "Don divine. Please send your holy king a sign."
Isaiah's eyes began to shine, as El's vibes rippled like a torrent through his mind:

⭐️
"This will be your sign: A pure-hearted lady will have a baby. Like little Jashub here. Ain't he cute?
Itta be her first. A firstborn son. So by law, he'll get the lion's share. To his family fortune, he'll be the heir.
Folks will say of him: "He's like a living god. Sent by Jah. Every word is magic. Like speaking to El himself."
So they'll give him the nickname "Manny." What folks at times call me. Or any soul with gifts of prophecy.
As I'm filled with the Holy Spirit of El and speak El's words, it lets you know he's with you. That's what Manny means: "El is here with us."...

15
...He'll live on longlasting ration food when he comes of age. Like dry meat and butter. Or everlasting honey. Tough times...

16
...But as a kid, before he's fully grown, and his brain warps into Malkuthian mode, and waxes aware of right and wrong and sin and all that hocus, the lands of those two kings you loathe, Samaria and Syria, will be abandoned by El's angels, for a season or so...

17
...El will lay on them - the ten northern tribes, your own dear cousins, Jacob's kin - war of the like not seen since days of yore, led by the Neo Assyria king. They'll wish they never split from you, two centuries ago...

18
...Then Jah's wrath will turn on you, Land of Judah, too, if you lot don't start being good. His whistling wind will call disgusting pets from distant shores. Like plague flies and killer bees from southern lakes and eastern seas. Not to mention armies marching from those foreign realms as well...

19
...They'll overrun the land. Every nook and cranny. They'll live in the valleys, mountains, forests and fields. Where sweet flowers used to grow, no one now will want to go...

20
...Folks will beg for enemy blades to shave their groins and scalps to stop lice biting. The enemy will shave them. Then enslave them. Take them far away from everything they've ever known. Though those who dodge the chains won't fare much better...

21
...The land will be so infested with filth, no crops will grow. The earth will be too dry. So no bread or cakes or stuff like that. No pasture for the herds. They'll have to live on scraps of meat and cheese...

22
...Dark times indeed. Like the longest night. It'll seem the sun will never rise, and eyes will never see the light.
Everyone from north to south, in all the land, will live on little more than curd and honey. It's all that will be left. All anyone can find. They'll get sick of it. Quite literally...

23
...In the lushest vineyards folks would pay a thousand silver shekels for, there'll be nothing but briers no one would touch if you paid them a thousand shekels. As money will be worthless. There'll be nothing to buy or sell...

24
...Folks will hunt with arrows and bows, like cavemen. As thorns will be uncuttable as iron. Dirt as tough as stone. When farmers whack it, their tools will snap! So they'll swap their hoes for bows...

25
...Itta be back to the wild for all of them. They can wave goodbye to their picket fence farms. Their slices of heaven on earth. Itta be dark times for all. Dark as the longest night."