"Come into my lair.
Come take your pleasure.
Breath the perfumed air.
Leave behind your treasure."
"Pay the price for my soul.
Caress my naked skin.
Fill my empty hole
With the bounty of your sin."
Nights were my disgrace.
In the day I hid in shame
For all who laid at my place.
I am the only one to blame.
When they came to my door,
I thought "More customers with a demand."
Yet, they did not know I was a whore.
They were spies who had come to my land.
I knew of these spies and their reputation.
These were a feared people, powerful and mighty.
We could not stand against this nation.
I knew their god was Yahweh, the Almighty.
So I hid them in my lair
Asking them to save my kin,
For these men seemed to care.
In tears I repented of my sin.
"Tie a scarlet cord in your window sill
And you and yours will be spared."
When the soldiers came looking, my heart stood still.
I held my breath, My soul was scared!
When they left not finding the spies,
I knew Yahweh was with me.
He had heard my desperate cries.
From my sin, I was set free!
My life would be spared.
I knew in my heart this was true.
Yahweh assured me that he cared.
There was nothing more I could do.
The spies left in the dark of night.
Our king prepared for war.
The whole city lay awake in fright.
We could smell death at the door.
When the walls crumbled and gave way,
Not a person remained alive,
For all in fear and panic ran away.
Pursued by the enemy, they did not survive.
I was spared just as the spies had said.
Yahweh saw the cord of scarlet.
He washed white the sheets of my bed
And saved the life of this wretched harlot.
Author notes
Joshua 2
1 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove[a] to spy secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”
So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there. 2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the children of Israel to search out the country.”
3 So the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”
4 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you may overtake them.” 6 (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.) 7 Then the men pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.
8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9 and said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, 13 and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
14 So the men answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.”
17 So the men said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, 18 unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home. 19 So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20 And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath which you made us swear.”
21 Then she said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.
22 They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but did not find them. 23 So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over; and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them. 24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.”
In a list
A contest entry
- Word Prompt by Samplette.
700 points, ended October 11, 2007, 16 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
-
Thank you for entering the contest. Well written. The second stanza passes the g-rating in my eyes, but the piece is very well crafted.
Sam
-
excellent~
You have penned this excellent..
I remember reading about this and had all but forgotten it until I saw what you had penned..
Flowed smoothed...and rhymed excellent..
Best of luck in the contest...
Hugs
Susan~~~
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