Miriam: Victim of Babylon

By Sam Richardson

In Jerusalem in 600 BC, Miriam is betrothed to Zoram, her lifelong love. He disappears on the same night that his master is murdered under mysterious circumstances, and Miriam is left confused and alone. In an effort to bring Zoram out of hiding, officials announce the eventual stoning of Miriam, calling her an accomplice.

She is to be abused and tormented but not until dead, for the officials need incentive to draw out her betrothed. There is one thing that could save her, though: marriage to the odious Murdus, who holds her life in his hands. She refuses, and when Zoram never returns, Miriam is left to face death while wondering if she’ll ever uncover the truth behind Zoram’s permanent disappearance.

Miriam is an inspiring story of a woman from Jerusalem who strives to take charge of her own life when faced with danger, death, and injustice. Underlying this dilemma is a story steeped in acts of pride, jealousy, and—ultimately—the power that forgiveness brings. Miriam’s fictional story is based on a setting in the Book of Mormon, a canon in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Very believable. Miriam was easy and fun to read.
I read it in less than a day.”
—Eva Bentley, Doctrinal Scholar

“Hard to put down; well thought out; a very good read. Very plausible and logical in relating to the events as they were recorded. I liked the flavor, the narrative, the research. It had a feel of genuineness to it.”
—Owen H. Richardson, Author and Artist

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Apr 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9781665754842

Sam Richardson

A Vietnam veteran, Sam Richardson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He went to Snow College, the University of Utah, and later, to Salt Lake Community College. He studied Design, Graphics and Desktop Publishing. He also took two different writers’ courses, one of them being the Famous Writers Course founded by Bennet Cerf and Rod Serling (though these two were not his private instructors), and the other from an award-winning Utah poet. He has illustrated many books and designed many covers (including the cover for this book). He has also done typesetting, editing and ghostwriting, much of it for two Utah-based book publishers. Mister Richardson’s enthusiasm for art has resulted in three features in Utah newspapers, namely: the announcement that he won second-place and three dollars in the Deseret News Buck Rogers drawing contest in 1956, an article in the Church Section of the Deseret News covering the unveiling of a painting he did of the Manti temple for the Snow College LDS seminary in 1967, and an article in the Arts Section of the Salt Lake Tribune covering a class he was giving on cartooning. Sam has written four other fiction books: Soul of Paradise, Carolee’s Shadow, a religious philosophy book called The Devil Loves the Goddess, and Kayleen, It’s Okay to Cry, based on a true story. His non-fiction work includes Becoming True Saviors of Men, Formulas to Move Heaven, The Spirit of God like a Fire Is Burning which contains true stories of miracles in the author’s families, and the families of his cousins with which he grew up and worked, and How to Make Your Own Lathe, Drill Press and Table Saw. Sam Richardson has also published a book of most of the poems he had written by the year 2013. He has published and will be marketing a book his sister—Nancy Petersen—wrote called Terra Magic. Mr. Richardson has taken passages from his journal to create a mini journal dedicated to his sojourn in Vietnam called Sam’s Vietnam. He enjoys many arts: Drawing and Painting, Music, Music Theory, Writing and Poetry. Sam is the widower of Clara Moya, has two children, seven grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

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Copyright © 2024 Sam Richardson.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Archway Publishing

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www.archwaypublishing.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-5483-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-5485-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-5484-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023924413

Archway Publishing rev. date: 04/15/2024

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Preface

1. Miriam

2. Miriam and Zoram

3. Labanyu’s Murder

4. Miriam and Murdus

5. The Arrest

6. The Abuse Begins

7. Ishmael, the Day of Miriam’s Arrest

8. Lehi, Forty-nine Days Before Labanyu’s Murder

9. The Four Brothers

10. Early Afternoon

11. Ishmael and Company

12. Nephi and Sam

13. The Caravan Moves Out

14. Murdus

15. Laman

16. Murdus’s Trap

17. Miriam and Nephi

18. Elot and Beyond

19. A Few Minutes Earlier

About the Author

Dedicated to my Sister

Hope R. Barrowes

A great literary teacher —

with whom I have studied, consulted and shared

our projects, endeavors, failures, problems and

successes in the wonderful world of literature.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful to professional beta readers Ana and Josie from Fiverr, who gave me sound advice on sentence structure and story strategy at defining points in the story. Significant also is Pat Coffey who served as initial beta-reader and editor. I would also like to thank her association, the Salt Lake Writers Meetup group for the invaluable training and constructive feedback they freely and lovingly offered: Norm Jenson, Janet Peters, Chase Raymond, Randy Richardson, Rachel DeFriez, Shawn Montgomery, Penni Cromar, and Anna.

I am also grateful to my cousins, Allen and Owen Richardson, who are twins. Their friendly twin jokes and banter gave me the inspiration for the interactions between Lyron and Hed, the twins in this story.

My daughter Jeni Anderson, a former schoolteacher and avid reader, spent hours giving me advice on both the cover design and its teaser.

PREFACE

This story uses a setting and characters from the Book of Mormon, a scriptural canon of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church). LDS doctrine states that the first part of the Book of Mormon was originally written on gold plates created by a man named Nephi. Hence, they were called the Plates of Nephi. The texts in those plates found in 1 Nephi Chapters 1-7 provide the backdrop for the drama found in this book, which includes the murder of Laban, a military governor who lived in Jerusalem around the year 600 BC.

The Plates of Nephi in the Book of Mormon are specific about who killed Laban but not about the repercussions of that murder. So, the author has taken the liberty to imagine the reactions of the people in Jerusalem over Laban’s demise. The Book of Mormon also explains why Zoram—Laban’s servant—disappeared on the night of Laban’s murder, but not about anybody that Zoram had left behind. So again, the author fills in those details with pure fiction to enhance the drama. The only names mentioned in the Book of Mormon are those of Lehi, his wife Sariah, and their four sons: Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. Ishmael’s name is also given, but his wife’s name nor any of their children were not named. Therefore, the author has given them his own names and has created their personalities. The jealousies between Laman and Nephi, and the stimulus for such from their father are lightly mentioned in the Book of Mormon, but the author has enhanced their interactions to add greater purpose to the final message.

Because of the interaction between Laban and Laman, the author has taken the liberty to change Laban’s name to Labanyu, thus assuring a clearer distinction between the two characters.

If thou faint in the day of adversity,

thy strength is small.

—Proverbs 24:10

1

MIRIAM

THE SETTING SUN over Jerusalem reminded Miriam of her sinking heart. It appeared that Ishmael, her father, was about to betroth her to a rich man—someone she did not love. The exotic food he had brought home today was evidently part of the mojar—the dowry—from a rich family. But the man she loved—Zoram—was from a poor family.

She prepared herself for another episode of the same scene that had played out four times during the last five years. Each time, Ishmael found a man from a rich family, presented him to Miriam, but Miriam fought with her father and refused. She had told him that she had known Zoram since childhood and would not be happy with anyone else.

Ishmael gently reminded her that she was going against Yahweh’s command to honor thy father and mother. But Miriam countered with—also gently and lovingly— Then I will renounce my belief in Yahweh. But I won’t renounce my love for you, my dear father.

Miriam knew that Ishmael didn’t have any ill feelings toward Zoram; he just wanted his family to enjoy the mojar from a richer family. But Miriam couldn’t bury the feelings she had nourished for Zoram through so many years.

It started when he was nine years old; his parents were killed in an accident. Having been very close to them, it hurt him deeply to lose them. He especially mourned his father who had taught him the secrets of swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and how to survive in a desert environment like a real man. Having visited the East many times, his father also taught him many things from their culture. By nine years of age, Zoram had begun to develop a confidence that took on an unrefined regal attitude. But Miriam could see that his sudden loss yanked at the childhood in him, and he fought to keep from crying. Miriam saw through his façade and wanted to comfort him. She could also see that his bereavement caused him to lose confidence in himself and to lose interest in his survival talents. She felt a great need to help him bring them to the fore again and took him under her wing. She pleaded with her parents, who in turn talked Zoram’s uncle into raising him, as Tomer (the uncle) was widowed with only one child, a boy named Emmet, who was five years younger than Zoram. Zoram had shown improvement in his personality as Miriam continually provided positive attention. This gave her great satisfaction and strengthened her resolve to help him further. And that continued help led to greater feelings of love. The satisfaction and love fed into each other until both emotions reached unquenchable proportions in Miriam’s heart. It appeared to Miriam that Zoram’s love for her also grew in great strides through the years.

While still young, Zoram had shared his survival techniques with Miriam, adopting the same patronizing teacher/student attitude his father had used. Miriam was more entertained by this attitude than offended, as Zoram’s mannerisms reflected his attempt to define his evolving self rather than to judge Miriam.

When they got older, part of his teachings had involved the art of relaxation. When you relax, he told her, you react more quickly. And your mind expands. Let me show you: He held a small stone between his finger and thumb and held his hand at chest level. When you see me drop the stone, try to catch it. Miriam failed to catch the stone each time he dropped it. Then he said, You drop the stone, and I’ll try to catch it. When Miriam held the stone, she watched him for a moment. He smiled and winked and twisted his mouth in an I don’t care attitude. He didn’t watch the stone; his eyes wandered from side to side as if thinking about something in another land. Miriam dropped the stone when it looked like he was not ready. But he caught it with a smooth swoop of his hand.

Two weeks passed with his lectures on relaxation, until he finally tried something new: He held the stone in front of him. Ready?

She nodded.

Then he tilted his head as if getting a new idea. First, he said, I want to ask you a question: Have you ever heard a baby talk to you? You know; with goo-goos and smiles? When she squinted her eyes to think, Zoram dropped the stone, and Miriam easily caught it. Her eyes popped open, and her mouth dropped.

I didn’t even try! My hand just moved to catch it!

Zoram grinned. See what I mean? When you’re fighting with someone, just relax. Practice relaxing when you’re talking, or when you’re walking. When you’re trying to solve a problem and you can’t find a solution, just relax for a while. In time, answers will come. New ways to solve problems will enter your mind. The details and dangers of the world and how to solve them will come more clearly to your mind.

Zoram seemed to have an endless store of similar hidden facts and insights into life. No other man brought such mysteries and wonders into her world. For this reason, Zoram was irreplaceable.

Zoram continued training in military and defense programs until he became the best in his field. This earned him the job of guard in the treasury of the military governor Labanyu. But his recompense from Labanyu was meager due to the greedy nature of the military governor.

To Miriam, Zoram resembled what she thought King Solomon looked like: Alert eyes full of wisdom, jaw strengthened with authority, lips that hinted at shrewd calculations, and a Greek nose that could smell danger. He also took on the murderous countenance of Abel’s brother Cain by merely placing a sword in his hand. His face—or better said, his persona—was versatile, depending on his words and actions, but handsome through it all.

The most recent war with Miriam’s father was a temporary acquiescence where Miriam’s resistance was at its lowest because of a small misunderstanding she’d had with Zoram. This brought her to within minutes of the final marriage ceremony, but at the last minute, she ran away.

This time there was going to be no hesitation. She was late into her twenty-first year. She had a good command of the spoken language. She was going to out-wit her father’s arguments and flatter him with her pure charm. She estimated she would win the battle in three minutes.

A spark from the firepit landed on her foot. Ouch! I hate you, came her automatic response.

The firepit was situated in the center of the courtyard. Miriam was seated on a bench to the east of the firepit, watching the three loaves of locust bread dough on the hot embers, occasionally fanning them with a flat wooden dish. To her left was a large wall with an arch revealing the rest of the city. To the west was the dwelling place she had known since childhood, built of Jerusalem limestone and connected to other neighboring abodes further west. This dwelling place—her father’s house—was divided into five main parts: to the west were two rooms at ground level, and two above, except the area above the room closest to her was an open area with a canopy draped over it for shade. The fifth part was the courtyard in which Miriam was sitting. The ground-level room closest to her was the kitchen, and the one further back was the sleeping quarters for her parents and her sisters. One-third was curtained off for her parents, and she and her younger sisters, Elisheba, Ashtoreth, Lyron, and Hed, used the rest.

The upper back room was also divided, one half used for Miriam’s older brother Yonas and his wife and son, and the other half for her younger brother Melek with his wife and baby daughter. That room was accessed by a narrow stairway hidden between Jerusalem’s northern wall and the kitchen.

Tobias, Miriam’s oldest brother—never married because of a slight mental retardation—had his stone bed in the south-west end of the kitchen which was next to the door that led to the courtyard where the firepit was. But occasionally, he slept in their father’s stone-cutting shop, which was situated just outside the northern wall—opposite the kitchen—and accessed through a short passageway under the stairway. When Tobias slept outside, he used a small lean-to that kept him warm and comfortable. Not knowing his simple mind, his family allowed him his changing sleeping preferences.

Tobias never feared being alone or outnumbered, maybe because of his large size. There was a time when someone broke through the gate of the shop to rob their father’s wares, but Tobias crashed out of the lean-to with a roaring growl, throwing abrasive powder at them from a bucket. Without a fight, they ran off. Since then, Tobias has been said to be their protective hero. He showed his appreciation for their compliments with his typical falsetto laugh.

Miriam’s father had always bragged that this abode with its shop was the most ideal place in all of Jerusalem since he was easily supplied with raw stones from the nearest quarry and could work them without leaving his family. He mostly did relief sculptures for wall decorations, door posts, or miniature stand-alone statues. His sons usually began each project, and he put on the finishing touches. The courtyard was lined with tables that displayed many of his smaller pieces, some of them finished and waiting for their intended buyers, and some of them resting hopelessly under a layer of dust, having been created under moments of speculative dreams.

Also lining the walls were many pots, bags, crates, and barrels, some containing different types of grain waiting to be ground up and others containing the finished flour or grit from the grindstones that sat at the east end of the courtyard.

Lyron and Hed, the twins, chattered and laughed behind her as they used two of those grindstones to grind up dried locusts and barley.

She marveled at their beauty. In fact, her other two sisters, Elisheba and Ashtoreth, were also very beautiful, all of them more attractive than she deemed herself to be.

She dipped the index finger of her free hand into a bowl of water she had set near the embers, then wrapped a lock of her hair around it, holding it tight for a while. Letting it go, she pulled the lock in front of her eye to make sure it curled sufficiently.

Yes, she had straighter hair than they and even smaller breasts. But despite her appearance, the richest men came to her father from every corner of Jerusalem to ask for her hand in marriage before limping off to their second choice.

It’s your regal presence, Miriam, your elegance, her mother had explained. The confident way you carry yourself. Your smile. Men tell your father they feel like kings when you smile at them.

But she didn’t care. She loved Zoram.

She knew she was getting much older than typical marrying age. Twenty-one was considered old these days for a single woman, long after child-bearing age. But she felt she knew the heart of Zoram, who continually verified he would wait for her, no matter how long it took for her father to finally endorse their union.

Miriam snatched up the browned loaves with their burnt spots and put them on the wooden dish. She entered the kitchen and drew in a long breath to prepare herself for another fight with her father.

Her two sisters-in-law looked up from what they were doing. Keturah—Yonas’s wife—was patching clothes, and Dinah—Melek’s wife—knelt at the low dinner table, breastfeeding her child. Ashtoreth, the third youngest of the women, came down the short hallway from the shop door carrying a water jug and some dippers. She shyly looked at Miriam as she set down her charges.

Miriam grabbed a knife and efficiently sliced off the burnt areas of the bread loaves. Since she had done this more than a hundred times, she scarcely concentrated on the task as she was thinking about the impending war with her father.

Elisheba, the sister just younger than she entered from her father’s shop, smiling with white-toothed confidence at nothing, the bare tops of her generous breasts bouncing to her sensuous movements. Big day today, ay?

Miriam rolled acknowledging eyes.

The sound of the shop’s front gate creaking closed came down the hallway from the stone workshop. The bell dinged as it was placed on the latch. The patriarch was going to appear any moment now. Miriam practiced her innocent but firm expression as she went to the shelves and grabbed some small dipping bowls. She wiped the limestone dust from them and put them on the table. She then snatched up the honey and vinegar and placed them next to the bowls.

Abigail—her mother—stirred the stew one last time while Elisheba and Ashtoreth took their places at the table.

What a spread! remarked Elisheba. Is all this for me?

Take it all, thank you! invited Miriam.

Ashtoreth looked at them and grinned shyly.

Tobias lumbered in, smelling of limestone dust mixed with perspiration. Melek followed. He was the youngest of the three brothers, but he was also younger than Miriam. Yonas came in behind Melek.

So, tell me the reverse of ‘wash with liquid soap,’ Melek said to Tobias.

Soap liqui—with—wash. Tobias’s powerful words from his large body were slow and purposeful.

Good! Now put it in a logical sentence. He waved to his wife, Dinah, while she fed their baby.

Uh, Soap that is—liquid will, uh—clean.

Well done, my brother!

Tobias laughed a falsetto Hee-e hee.

Yonas looked at him and scowled.

Miriam tipped her head at them. Practicing your Moses X?

Tobias flashed his open-mouth grin. Yah. Our—X form is being practiced. It’s talking backwards. Talking backwards.

We know what your Moses X words are, dear Tobias, said Miriam with a tolerant smile.

Yes. Backwards talking.

Being somewhat retarded, Tobias had a few strange mannerisms that he adopted, one of them being his desire to say words in reverse order. Melek decided to take him one step further and have him say the words in a more understandable way.

The men found their places at the low dinner table.

Abigail dipped stew into a few bowls, then looked around. Wiping her hands, she yelled out to the twins in the courtyard, The bread is ready!

Jareth—Yonas’s son—was in the upper bedroom playing with Caleb, a neighbor boy. Through the small open windows was heard the distant reply, Coming!

As Abigail filled the dip bowls with honey and wine, Lyron and Hed walked through the doorway, slapping barley dust and locust wings from their coats.

Lyron, entering behind Hed, manufactured a cough as she waved her hand in front of her mouth. Agh! If you had been more careful, you wouldn’t have so much dust all over yourself.

You pretend to be my teacher, Hed answered, turning back, with locust wings all over you that completely hide you from the world?

Miriam looked at Lyron and noticed only four or five broken pieces of wings on her.

Wings are different, retorted Lyron. They are prettier than barely dust, dear Sister.

Well, be sure to get them out of your hair, or someone will think I’m the messy one.

This will be perfectly acceptable to me… Lyron trailed off.

Children! came a soft reprimand from Miriam. Just find your seats in peace.

"We are not your children, Mirayah," Lyron said. She scratched her scalp with all ten fingers, whether to scratch or remove the locust wings or fluff her already wild hair, no one knew for sure.

Miriam distributed the dip bowls of wine and honey along the table, acting as if Lyron’s butchered name for her didn’t bother her.

"And we are in peace," Hed said as she found her place next to Dinah and smiled at her baby.

Jareth and Caleb entered from the courtyard, still talking about a subject they had started upstairs: I can befriend any camel, Caleb boasted.

How?

I understand them. Especially if I watch them for a few minutes.

How about mules?

Takes a little longer…