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(Rachivel)
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THE ASTEROID HURTLED past Shab-tai in two pieces, Then the halves broke into chunks.
Those who dwelt on Kadur Ha'aretz, though, had no idea this was happening so far away from their own planet. But they were aware of the approach of Ma'adim, even when the storm clouds blocked or obscured their view of the red planet.
Fishermen and those who lived on islands or along the coastlands were vexed by the roaring and tossing of the sea. Diverse locations around the globe were plagued by quakes of increasing intensity. Few people understood that the proximity of the red planet was causing the disturbances they suffered. Most of them assumed that the war god (called Nergal in some languages) was steering "his" planet closer as a sign or warning. Some blamed the anger of him or some other god for the quakes, storms and tidal waves.
El Elyon had done incredible works for his people before, but the Yacovim still tended to doubt him...or at least forget. But it took them a while to forget how he halted the river for their crossing.
The frost bread stopped appearing the next day after they had stacked stones and pitched camp. Fruit was plentiful, growing in the wild. Moreover, farmers and villagers from the surrounding countryside escaped to hide behind the safety of Bet-Yariq's walls, leaving their crops free for the foraging.
With the river crossing still fresh in their memory, the tribes of Yacov remembered how the frost bread had fed them for so many years in the desert, when there was nothing to forage. That, and the sudden variety in their diet, reassured all of them that El Elyon had, and would, provide for them. That's why, when Y'hoshua informed them that they would remain in the camp in the sight of Bet-Yariq's defenders for several days...without besieging Bet-Yariq...they were confident their god would also protect them from any attack from the city.
The Yacovim men younger than Kalev and Y'hoshua, in all the years of their wanderings, had never undergone the Traditional Cutting which all the males were supposed to receive as infants. In reviewing numerous details in his mind, Y'hoshua decided it was time to resolve this issue before the first significant engagement with the enemy west of the Yarden. He didn't want to leave any room for offense against El Elyon, either in doing something they should not, or failing to do something they should.
The wisdom of having the entire army undergo this procedure just outside a powerful enemy city was, of course, questioned–by every soldier from the tribal commanders to the men in the ranks. Nevertheless, Y'hoshua insisted, and the order was carried out.
