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Battle of the Kingless – Ch. 24 | KT OLLA

 WHILE Israel celebrated their final rest from alien oppressors, and the conqueror of those battles was about to take a breather… another war broke out.

But that battle didn’t come for Israel or her people. It came directly for the champion’s head.

It came to claim Jephthah.

Yet again, this attack wasn’t the kind from beyond the borders. It was a different kind of destruction calling.

They called her the Kindred Foe.

It had happened while Jephthah’s rival Elar was on exile in Ephraim, that the brother-enemy heard how great and famous his kin had become.

Then he began running here and there, in search of ways to ruin the man.

But all that running came down to nothing.

At first Elar was so sure he could win anyone to his side with talk, like he used to do. But no one from Gilead was ready to give him a listening ear.

The elders of his homeland had learned the hard way; so they weren’t ready to bank on Jephthah’s rival again.

Now Elar was left all alone, with no one to help him carry out his plans.

But that routed commander wasn’t giving up despite that. His father’s scepter and sword didn’t matter to him anymore. But he wanted Jephthah destroyed.

So, the exiled man chose to scheme with the elders of Ephraim instead. Then when he met with their council, he won their dogged support without a tussle.

Again, it was with words and talk.

Thus with the council on his side, Elar got the men of Ephraim to fight his calculated cause – while arming their militia with a façade of his real motive. 

Then that battle broke out in Israel.

It was by brother enemies.

◙ ◙ ◙

Clad with weapons and donned in wrath, the men of Ephraim matched out against Jephthah in his home country… in endless thousands.

They crossed the Jordan river to the region of Zaphon, then matched on to that target metropolis called Gilead, the great city from where Jephthah ruled.

A report of the invading militia reached the warlord that early hour of dawn, as the pack drew close to the city.

Then when he learned that the enemy bringing on the attack was a mob of Israelites, he wondered what they wanted.

But he didn’t wonder much. For soon that horde came into the city and met his army prepared. Then out from the lips of those invaders poured many grievances.

The leader of that fuming lot spoke up for them.

‘You crossed the border to fight the Ammonites; but you didn’t call the tribe of Ephraim to fight with you!

‘You didn’t involve us in that legend conquest that the whole nation now sings—why?!

‘Why, Lord of Gilead? Are you that desperate to own the glory alone?

‘Is Gilead the only defender of our fatherland, that you didn’t involve Ephraim? We being the beloved son of Jacob!’

Now as Jephthah heard where those men were from, he saw the hateful shadow of his brother behind them.

And behind the mask of their excuse, he saw a rival’s plot to have him destroyed while using Ephraim’s envy of him.

Jephthah saw everything and smiled. For he knew the truth that both his rival and the pawns were trying to twist to their advantage.

He took out an amplifying horn. Then he addressed his reply to all.

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