Gods And Kings Read Online Free Page A

King Uzziah, and now … now King Ahaz is worse than all of the others. He has heathen altars on every street corner. He even sacrificed his son—” But that memory was too painful for Zechariah to bear, even through a numbing haze of wine. He covered his face with his hands. “It’s all my fault!”
    “God of Abraham, what can I do?” Hilkiah whispered.
    “I have the answer for King Uzziah now! I know what to tell him!” Zechariah said. “I would tell him that Yahweh commanded us not to worship Him the way other nations worship their gods because they do all kinds of detestable things that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods!”
    “You need to rest—” Hilkiah began, but Zechariah cut him off.
    “I followed the procession to the Valley of Hinnom today.”
    “No, Zechariah … you would never take part in—” “But I did! I went there!” He saw his friend’s horror, but he forced himself to face Hilkiah and confess his sins. “I watched them sacrifice my grandson Eliab to a heathen god, and I remembered what else is written in the Torah: ‘For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.’ Eliab died because of me, Hilkiah. Because I sinned!”
    Zechariah lowered his head to his knees, hiding his face in shame. “Punish me, Lord!” he begged. “Not my children. Let me die for my own sins. Let me die!”
    He felt Hilkiah’s hand on his shoulder. “Ah, my friend, how can I ever comfort you?” he murmured. “God of Abraham … how can he ever find peace under such a burden of guilt?”

2
    T HE NIGHTMARE JOLTED H EZEKIAH awake. He had dreamed of Molech again, the image so vivid that he’d felt the heat of the flames. He lay awake in the darkness, breathing hard, his heart pounding until his chest hurt. He listened for soldiers and distant drums, but the palace hallways were quiet.
    It was just a bad dream, he told himself. But when he gazed at Eliab’s bed, he knew that Molech was real. He hadn’t been dreaming on that terrible morning when they’d taken Eliab and thrown him into the fire. What if the soldiers came back for him?
    It seemed to Hezekiah like a long time had passed since Eliab had died. Uncle Maaseiah and his soldiers had all marched away into battle, but what would happen when they returned? Hezekiah wondered if they would throw him into the monster’s mouth the way they’d thrown Eliab. He remembered how the soldiers had picked him up as if he’d weighed nothing at all. He remembered their swords and spears… . A shudder passed through his body that jolted him upright. He was helpless. The servants who slept nearby wouldn’t save him. They hadn’t saved Eliab. Only Mama had tried to stop the soldiers. She would protect him.
    Hezekiah climbed out of bed and ran down the darkened corridors to his mother’s suite in the harem. Ever since Eliab died, she had allowed him to come and stay with her whenever he had a bad dream.And the nightmares had come nearly every night.
    Her door was unlatched. Hezekiah pushed it open and ran to her.“Mama! Mama, I’m scared!” he cried. She sat all alone on the cushioned window seat, gazing into the night sky, but she turned at the sound of his voice and reached to gather him into her arms.
    “Come here, my little one. Hush now, don’t cry.” Mama was warm and soft and very beautiful. Her dark hair flowed down her back in thick waves and smelled like flowers and myrrh. Hezekiah felt safe here. She would keep the soldiers away. She would stop the nightmares from coming. In the comfort of her arms, with his cheek resting against her shoulder, Hezekiah closed his eyes and fell asleep.
    The sound of voices startled him awake. He cried out in fright, terrified that the soldiers had returned, but only his father stood alone in the doorway. He seemed huge to Hezekiah, his face scary in the flickering