Joseph’s family just started a war they’re going to lose. Two days ago, his half-sister Dinah was kidnapped and raped by the prince of Shechem. Now Joseph is trapped between his brothers, clamoring for an attack on the fortress city, and his father, who knows they can’t win. Personally, Joseph would rather not die for a lost cause, however, he may not have much choice. When two of his brothers launch a vicious raid on the city to rescue Dinah, Joseph’s world is plunged into chaos. And as news of the treacherous attack spreads, his family find themselves hemmed in by enemies on every side. In desperation they flee south, to Bethel, risking the dangerous journey to reach a place where Joseph’s father believes God Himself will come to their aid. Except, there’s a reason they haven’t been to Bethel before. Jacob has his own secrets, a promise made to God before Joseph was even born that could come due at a terrible price. But they may not have a choice, because, as the smoke from the ruins of Shechem drifts skywards, God Himself is looking down on them. Watching and waiting. And He won’t wait forever. This is an adaptation of the story of Genesis 34 from the Bible. Excerpt Reprinted with Permission From Author Canaan 1900 BC The Grove of Oracles Dinah hesitated a moment outside the ring of low-hanging terebinth trees. "Come on!" Isnah glanced back with a grin as a gust of wind whipped her long skirt against her legs. "It's just through here." She ducked down into a gap between the thick bush-like trees and vanished behind the wall of green terebinth leaves. Past the foliage, Dinah could hear drifting voices, the noise of laughter and merriment. Still though, she couldn't avoid a spike of nervousness. She glanced over at Amaleigh, her gaze lingering a moment on the other girl's smooth linen gown, embroidered with little white roses on a field of red. Next to her friends, Dinah felt very out of place in her mom's thick yellow dress, even after the struggle she'd been through the last two days getting it fitted to her slim figure. Dinah bit at her lower lip. "Are you sure that-" "Oh, just come on." Amaleigh took her hand and tugged her towards the wall of trees and twigs. "You look fine. Besides, Isnah said we'd have a good time. You can't do that from out here." Dinah stooped and found herself in a tunnel of shadowed jade, leaves and twigs brushing at her shawl. Suddenly they were through, and she found herself standing amid a swirl of people. The clearing formed a wide, grassy circle. Despite the breeze outside, the air within hung still and heavy with the pine sweet scent of incense. In the center towered an ancient oak, with a gnarled trunk thicker than she was tall and broad branches that sprawled out in every direction. The lowest drooped towards the ground like the sagging arms of an exhausted giant, his hands gloved in vibrant greenery. It was majestic and... a little unnerving at the same time. She'd seen it often from afar, but up close, more than anything, the oak reminded Dinah of an old man with a half dozen freakishly long arms. Everyone else seemed perfectly at ease though, and she and her friends appeared to be the last of the wedding party to arrive. The clearing was swarming with men wearing the long tan robes and red shoulder sashes so popular in town, while women strutted about in a rainbow of gorgeous šaddīnu dresses and shawls. Meanwhile, most of the younger girls like Isnah wore simple dresses with the sky blue, virgin's sash around their waist. Over at the base of the oak, the happy couple stood surrounded by an eager crowd, the smoke from their incense spiraling higher in a hazy tendril. Apparently, burning puffs of incense to the sacred tree was the thing to do. Isnah was already halfway over, and Amaleigh spent a moment prodding at Dinah. "Come on, they say if you burn a leaf from the tree with your incense and breathe it in, you breathe in a bit of the wisdom of the ancients." Dinah hesitated a second, "You sure about that?" Her skeptical eyes followed Isnah, as she went about delicately preparing her own incense tray. Amaleigh followed her gaze. "Oh, Isnah doesn't really count," she scoffed. "She wastes her time trying to figure out who her future husband is, which... " Amaleigh grinned, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Well, let's not go there again." Yes, let's not, Dinah found herself silently nodding in agreement. "You really should burn a pinch of incense," Amaleigh continued. "For luck if nothing else. I'm not sure what the point of coming is if you don't." "I'm... fine, really," Dinah insisted. Truthfully, she knew her mom and dad wouldn't have approved, if they heard about it. Her family worshipped their own God. She still remembered when she'd been maybe five and they'd come from Harran. They had met... well, everyone called them messengers, sent by the God her family followed. Tall men with burnished armor and fine woven tunics so white they seem