Sarai (Jill Eileen Smith) Read Online Free PDF

ground.
    “Greetings, my lord,” Eliezer said, dipping his head in respect to Abram. “I have secured the last of the items you requested—grain, herbs, blankets, fine linen, leather, knives, camp ovens, and skins of wine, plus gold, silver, and trinkets for trading. The items you sold brought a fair price.” He moved to the camel’s side and untied one of the sacks, pulled a pouch from it, and placed it in Abram’s hands.
    Abram undid the drawstring and poured the hefty weight of gold coins into his palm. He did a quick count and transferred them back into the bag, nodding his acceptance. Eliezer had proven his ability and his worth. His father had been right. He would make a good steward.
    “If it pleases you, Eliezer, I would have you come with us on our journey. I need wise servants and someone who will be capable of overseeing my household goods. If you are willing, I would make you my steward.”
    Eliezer drew a hand over his square, bearded jaw, then rested it on the camel’s neck. A young man in his early forties, Eliezer carried a sturdy, confident build and a character Abram had quickly learned to trust.
    “I would be honored to be your steward, my lord. I have nothing to keep me here.”
    “Good. You will be in charge of all necessary provisions and trade and keep a financial record of all I have. I will trust you to secure information of new territories before we enter.” Abram tied the pouch of gold to his belt.
    A shadow passed through Eliezer’s dark, intelligent eyes, and his gaze moved from Abram to something beyond him.
    “Does something trouble you, Eliezer?” Abram motioned for Eliezer to move from the sun to the shadow of the great spreading terebinth. “I would know your mind before we set out rather than have you change it along the way.”
    Eliezer bent his head and kicked a small stone with the toe of his sandal before lifting his eyes to meet Abram’s gaze. “There is something about me you must know. I wish to keep you from suffering my fate.” Eliezer’s face darkened, but his look remained unwavering.
    “Tell me,” Abram said, not at all sure he wanted to know the man’s story, but certain he must. “Sit with me and explain yourself so I may know all that is in your mind.”
    Eliezer nodded, waited for Abram to sit first, then sat a few paces away from him. “As you know, I am from Damascus. My wife and I grew up there and married several years ago.” A pained expression crossed his face, and he looked into the distance, in the direction of Abram’s house. “We were married three years, but Jerusha had yet to bear a child.”
    Abram rested his hands on his knees, all too aware of the pain of a barren wife. He tilted his head in a slight nod but held his peace.
    Eliezer’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he clasped his hands in front of his body. “One day my business ventures called for me to travel to Nineveh, and Jerusha wanted to come with me. She loved the idea of travel, and I had yet to take her outside of Damascus. I had heard the rumors of foreign kings and beautiful women, but I had not believed them, thinking no man would be so cruel as to steal the wife of his neighbor.” His gaze met Abram’s and held. “I was wrong.”
    Abram’s stomach sank like a stone dropped in a well. He said nothing, waiting, his mind whirling with ramifications and fear, knowing already what was to come. The rumors were true then.
    Eliezer seemed to find fascination with his feet, like a man ashamed of what he is about to say. “We went to Nineveh. I told Jerusha to veil herself, to hide from the perusal of men. But the king’s spies were everywhere, searching for beautiful women to add to his harem. They came in the night and stole Jerusha from my bed and took her to become wife to the king. They tried to kill me, but a friendly guard allowed me to escape with my life. My goods, my wife—everything I had taken with me but the clothes on my back—were lost.”
    Abram drew in a