Song of Redemption by Lynn Austin

with him.
    “Come on—we’ve known each other a long time, Shebna.”
    “Yes, since you were a child.”
    “And ever since Hezekiah and I were children, you’ve made it plain that you don’t go along with all this religious stuff.”
    “King Hezekiah is well aware of what I believe. What is your point?”
    “Well, our king just announced in the meeting that all the key government positions will go to men who follow God’s laws. Doesn’t it strike you as strange that the very top position went to you—an unbeliever?”
    “Not at all. I have assured the king of my willingness to live by the laws of the Torah even though I do not profess belief in Yahweh or any god.” Shebna was definitely on his guard. Gedaliah decided to take a friendlier approach.
    “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. I’m on your side. So are a lot of others I can name. I don’t know what my brother is trying to prove with these religious reforms, but frankly, I think he’s becoming a fanatic. Now, if I were the king I wouldn’t do things his way. I’d let the priests handle the religious matters, and you and I would handle the government. In other words, Shebna, your thinking is more in line with mine than my brother’s. You know what I’m saying?” He had dropped the bait. He waited to see the response. Shebna stopped walking.
    “Yes, I know exactly what you are saying. And I think you have greatly underestimated my loyalty to your brother. Good day.” He turned to leave.
    “I’m not finished, Shebna.”
    “I am. I have nothing more to say to you.”
    “Well, I have something to say to you, and I think you’d better listen. I’m quite sure that Hezekiah doesn’t know everything there is to know about you.”
    Shebna faced him again, and his dark eyes bored into Gedaliah’s. “I have nothing to hide.”
    “Well, I wonder if Hezekiah ever heard the true story of how our mother died—or why.”
    Shebna turned his back so suddenly that Gedaliah didn’t have a chance to see if his expression betrayed guilt or fear. “We cannot discuss this out here,” Shebna said as he strode toward his room. Gedaliah hurried to catch up with him, then waited while Shebna dismissed all his servants.
    “Now, what do you really want?” Shebna said after he had closed the door. Gedaliah looked around at the rooms that had belonged to Uriah and felt his anger returning. This suite should be his.
    “What do I want?” Gedaliah repeated. “Let’s talk about my mother first. I was only a baby when she died, so I don’t remember her at all. But I’m sure that Hezekiah remembers her quite well. And I think you do, too, Shebna. Am I right?” Shebna didn’t reply, but he looked uneasy. “In fact, if Hezekiah were to learn the true story of her death and your involvement in it—not to mention the part you played in our grandfather’s long imprisonment—I think he might have good cause to hold you responsible. What do you think?”
    “All I did was tell King Ahaz that your grandfather was teaching Hezekiah. I was new to the palace; I had no way of knowing that the king would react the way he did.”
    Gedaliah saw Shebna’s fear and savored the power he held over him. “Oh, I believe you, Shebna. But the question is—will Hezekiah?” “I did nothing wrong.”
    “No … more precisely, you did nothing at all—not even when my father gave the order for my mother to be executed, right in front of you. It was all your fault and you did absolutely nothing.”
    “Ahaz was the king! How could I stop him?”
    “It was your fault that he found out what my mother and grandfather were doing in the first place, wasn’t it?”
    “Yes. But how could I have possibly known what Ahaz would do?”
    “Kings are mysterious creatures, Shebna. They have a way of doing whatever they please with people who double-cross them. So I guess it’s hard to know how Hezekiah will react, too—if he were to find out, that is.”
    Shebna looked pale.