Rahab the Harlot

From Harlot to Heroine

Another story in a series of
Biblical characters

“Two men came to Jericho and went to the
house of Rahab”

From The Book of Joshua

The Scarlet Cord

Her house is small, sitting
High on the side of the city
Wall.
It has been a long night as
Soldiers sit about campfires,
Talking, glancing at the house,
Snickering and laughing.

Rahab the harlot lives here!

Dawn begins to break, as the
Last red glow of fire embers
Die to the earth.

She has had a hard time
Sleeping, and rising early,
She veils her face. For no one
Must see this woman of disgrace,
As she runs along the city wall
And down the stairs, into the
Cities’ streets.

Peering out her window,
A red rose hung the night before,
She is anxious, for she has a
special errand to run, to replace
This rose with a scarlet cord.

Dropping her few meager coins
Along the way, she leans down,
Clutching them as she runs over
Cobblestone streets, into the very
Heart of this city still asleep.

The blue glow of the horizon gently
Fades in the distance, as light
Softly appears. She is heading for
the market place just before dawn…

There had been men in her city
Just the night before,
They came from another land, a
Large nation, who had been led
By God’s own hand…

The noise is loud, people selling
Their goods, people praying,
Children crying, animals brawling.
This day she quietly slips through
The crowds, going to market, to
Secure a cord of scarlet.

Tables laden with fruits, pomegranates
In rich red hues, spices from the
East, dates and raisin cakes, amongst
Onions and leeks. Lentils and beans
And loaves of bread, colorful skirts,
Sandals and shoes, young girls
Dancing to fiddles and flutes.

But these things are not what she is
Looking for, among all of these wares,
A simple ribbon of colorful threads
Is her desire and prayer…

“The woman, who had taken the
two men and hidden them on her roof
among the stalks of flax…
then she hung a scarlet cord from
her window, that they could escape.

“Tighter yet, holding her veil
Against her head,
She slowly drifts from table to table”

Quietly bearing the shame of
Her reputation.
The best threads must be
Purchased to fill this need,
Threads of scarlet interwoven
With gold…even as a little girl,
Watching her mother do her
Trade, she had wanted
Something better.
When she had become older
She had continued what had
Been handed down from
Mother to daughter…
Looking down, one table
Catches her eye, there lies a
Cord, just the right one, coins
Tightly held are released and
She hurry’s back home…
The sun is rising, the sleeping
City awakens, as she passes
Worshipers climbing steps to
Strange altars, bringing food to
Appease their gods.
Garlands of flowers to hang on
These idols, breads and fruits
To place by their sides…
She has never felt at ease, even
As a little girl, kneeling before
These gods with closed eyes,
Who cannot see, trying to please
Them with words and prayers
They don’t hear or believe.
Arriving home, the cord is
Placed in her window, that
Rahab and her family may be
Spared, when the city of
Jericho is surrounded by
God’s army!

This story is written in prose
and poetry by the author, from
Her book ‘The Scarlet Cord’
Available on Amazon