The Prophet: Amos Read Free Page A

perfect lamb when one bearing a spot will do just as well?”
    Ahiam’s wife, Levona, hung her head as she turned the spitted lamb over the fire. “What a waste to kill a prized ram that could reproduce itself ten times over!”
    For a moment, the only sound in the room was the pop and hiss of fat as it dripped into the burning coals.
    No one would meet Amos’s eyes. “Is our lamb perfect?”
    “Of course, it’s perfect!” Bani burst out. “Do you think we’d offer anything less?”
    “But what about those others? the weak ones from our flock?” Amos turned to his father, then to Bani and Ahiam. “The Law says only perfect lambs are acceptable as Temple sacrifices. But Joram brought the weak ones from Tekoa, and they are the ones you exchanged today.” Amos’s heart beat heavily as the tension built.
    Levona kept her eyes on the roasting lamb. Mishala, Bani’s wife, placed the bitter herbs on the table. Bani looked at their father, expression pained.
    Ahiam banged his fists on the table, making everyone jump. “Tell him, Father, or I will!”
    “Who decides if the Law has been fulfilled, Amos?”
    “God.”
    “And who speaks for God?”
    “The priests.”
    “Yes!” Ahiam glared. “The priests! The priests decide which lamb is fit and which isn’t.”
    His father sighed. “You saw who sent those people to our pens, Amos.”
    “The priests. But is this the way it’s supposed to be?”
    “It is the way it is.” His father sounded worn down, defeated.
    Fear filled Amos. “What will the Lord do? Is He satisfied?”
    Ahiam poured wine. “What sign do we see that the Lord is not pleased with what is given to Him? The priests get richer each year. We are close to paying off all our family debts. The nation prospers. The Lord must be satisfied.”
    Bani grimaced as he ate the bitter herbs. “You have been taught as we all have, Amos—riches are the reward of righteousness.”
    God said He would bless those who obeyed His commands, making sure those who loved Him would have lives of abundance. Amos’s father had taught him that meant a fine home, flocks and herds, orchards of fruit trees, olive trees, a vineyard, and lots of children. The priests had all of these things and more, and his father and brothers were working hard toward the same end. Should he question things he didn’t understand?
    Confused, disheartened, he fought against the thoughts that raced through his mind.
    When his father stood, Amos did also. Tunics girded, sandals on their feet, they ate the Passover meal standing in memory of God’s deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt.
    Where is God now? Amos wondered.
    “Eat, Amos.”
    “I’m not hungry.”
    His father dipped unleavened bread into the salt water that represented the tears the Hebrews shed while slaves in Egypt. Everyone ate in silence. When the meal was over, Amos’s father, Ahiam, and Bani sat while Levona and Mishala cleared the table and the children went into another room to play.
    Ahiam glared at nothing, a muscle twitching in his cheek. Bani sat with head down.
    Amos’s father cleared his throat and turned to Amos. “It is time you understand what we do. You must know the whole story to understand.”
    Amos’s heart began to beat loudly.
    “Your great-grandfather fell into debt. It was a time of war, and the priests levied higher fines on guilt and sin offerings to raise money for the army. Grandfather paid what he could, but each year, the interest increased and debt grew rather than diminished. When he died, my father continued to pay on the debt. By then, we owed so much that there was no hope of ever paying it off. When my father died, the debt fell to me. Heled came to me in Tekoa and offered me a way to pay off our family disgrace. Because I did not want it to fall upon your brothers or you or any of your children, I agreed.”
    Ahiam’s eyes darkened. “If Father had not agreed, we would all be slaves. Do you understand now, little