Baara's Dreams

Chapter 8

When the girls went below, they were instructed to send Timna to the roof to confer with Maacah. She told the housekeeper to have the animal stalls searched for a pointed wooden instrument that could be used for an abortion, instructing her to make sure the rafters were carefully searched. She was then to report her findings to Maacah.

When Maacah returned to the lower level after receiving Timna's report, she went down the outer staircase and around the walls so she could enter from the front. Waiting nearby for her appearance was Rhoda, who had been sent by Timna to make purchases from the market. She was instructed to wait for Maacah on the outside without making anyone within aware of her presence. Once she gave Maacah the supplies, she was to enter the house by the back gate.

This was all part of the plan to keep Zipporah in the dark concerning the investigation into her behavior. Maacah had left for the market earlier in the day, taking a list of items Tirzah wanted. When Tirzah had summoned Timna, ostensibly to check on Zipporah's suitability as a nanny, Maacah had quickly filled Timna in on the situation and her part in the plan to expose Zipporah. Timna was to select a loyal slave to send to the market while Maacah took the outside stairs to the roof. Timna would obtain the list of needed items for the slave to purchase while Maacah spoke with Baara and Cozbi.

Timna was also told to search the women's quarters for the jar with the fetus and any medical supplies Zipporah might have hidden there. Before she did any of this, however, she was to send Mara on an errand to take a message to Naaman's parents. Since his parents lived a ways outside the gate, it would take her some time to complete the chore. She was also instructed to await a reply, further lengthening her stay away from the house. This action was a precaution taken because of Mara's part in the attack on Baara.

Now Maacah called out to the gatekeeper, Timna's husband Hegai, "Open." He immediately opened the gate and relieved Maacah of her packages, saying, "Salam, Mistress Maacah." Returning the greeting, she bade him set the packages under the olive tree so Tirzah could examine the contents. As she entered, her grandchildren flocked around her looking for goodies. Smiling she produced grapes, a seasonal treat, from the basket she still held in her hands. Then shooing the children away, she turned to her daughter-in-law.

"Tirzah," she said, "why don't you send Zipporah to the back to bring our evening meal. You and I can discuss how she fared with the children today while she is gone."

"Yes, mother," Tirzah replied, and then turning to Zipporah added, "Bring enough food to feed me and the three children. Baara will tend to mother's needs. Michal will send her maid to bring food for her and her family. We usually eat here together under the olive tree. You should bring enough for yourself as well, since you will be expected to help feed the children and later prepare them for bed."

"Yes, mistress," Zipporah said, a falsely humble smile on her face. While her countenance and stance may have been that of an obedient slave, anyone looking closely at her eyes would have recognized the gleam of triumph when she heard the words that implied she would be taking a permanent place in the family unit.

After she left, Maacah told Tirzah that all was ready to confront Zipporah. After the evening meal, Tirzah and Zipporah were to come to Maacah's room, supposedly to discuss Zipporah's change of duties as nanny. However, Maacah would be prepared to confront Zipporah with the evidence gathered that day. In a bag among the packages from the market, she had the jar with the fetus, Zipporah's winter cloak with herbs sewn into the hem, a wooden instrument retrieved from the rafters in the barn, and the fragment taken from Baara. The fragment fit perfectly in a place where a splinter had been torn from the shaft.

After Zipporah had completed her duties in getting the children into bed, she and Tirzah proceeded to Maacah's room. Maacah was seated on a pillow on the floor and motioned for the other two women to join her.