Copyright © 2014 by David Mason

Second edition, 2018

All Rights Reserved under International

and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

Nevertheless, should you wish to take a small segment of the book for quotation or teaching purposes, please feel free, since it is my hope that this book will be used to stimulate thought and discussion. I just ask that you don’t abuse this privilege and certainly not to use it as a way of distributing free or unauthorized copies, as I did work hard on it.

For further details on proper usage, please see The Ten Commandments, Commandment 8 (I believe for some Christians it may be Commandment 7. In any event, it’s the one about stealing. I’m not so concerned about bearing false witness, at least not in this context).

I feel like this is starting to ramble, but let’s face it, none of you are reading this page anyway. I’m certain my editor would have cut this way back, but of course editors, like readers, never seem to care about the copyright page. In fact, I think Amazon programmed my Kindle to skip right over this page entirely.

For more details, visit TheAgeofProphecy.com. Truthfully, you won’t find any more copyright information there, but it’s a really cool site and I think you’ll enjoy it.

For further permission requests, to place huge book orders, or just to say hi, contact me at Dave@TheAgeofProphecy.com.

ISBN: 978-1-62393-006-6

Cover Design by the amazing Juan Hernaz.

Check out his other beautiful works at JuanHernaz.com.

Map by the fabulous Erika Givens.

Check out her site at Gleaux-Art-Design.com

For Chana,

whose patience

was tried

many a time

by my six years of writing,

but who stuck by me

anyway

with undying support.

It wouldn’t have happened without you.

Acknowledgements

As a reader, I always marveled at how many people were mentioned in the acknowledgements of books. After all, writing a book seems like such a lone undertaking. As a writer, I’m struck by the huge number of people who played a role in making this book come about. First of all, both Mike and I want to thank our wives Chana and Karen for supporting us throughout. My son Aryeh Lev, with his love of stories and desire to deepen his understanding, was a constant source of motivation. And of course our parents, without whom, none of this would have happened.

The origins of this book go back to when I was learning the books of the early prophets with Rabbi Aaron Liebowitz and studying the inner workings of prophecy with Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Pupko, both at Sulam Yaakov in Jerusalem. Most of this book was written within the walls of Sulam Yaakov, and I’d like to acknowledge the entire crew there, specifically Rabbi Daniel Kohn, whose teachings have been crucial to the development of our understanding of many key points in the book, and David Swidler, whose encyclopedic mind filled in many a random fact.

I’d like to thank Barnea Levi Selavan of Foundation Stone for helping us understand the historical context, Yigal Levin of Bar Ilan University for helping us identify the ancient city of Levonah, and Shoshana Harrari of Harrari Harps for teaching us about Biblical instruments.

Thank you to our editors, Shifrah Devorah Witt, who edited an early draft of the book, and Rebbetzin Yehudis Golshevsky who edited the final two drafts.

I’m incredibly indebted to the dozens of readers who offered comments, corrections, and direction over the years. I can’t come close to mentioning them all. But I have to give special mention to: Rabbi Joshua Weisberg, Chaya Lester, Eliezer Israel, Michelle Cahn, Leia Weil, Beth Shapiro, Hadas and Gidon Melmed, Moshe Newman, David Shaffer, Jen Bell Hillel, Rachel Winner, Rabbi David Sperling, Rabbi David Fink, Eitan Press, Josh Fleet, Diana Maryon, and my uncle Sam Firestone.

Thank you all.

Two quick notes before you start reading:

1) We’ve created an introductory video for anyone who would like more background regarding the world you’re about to enter, available at TheAgeofProphecy.com/video.

This video can be viewed at any time. It’s not necessary to watch it before beginning. You’ll also find both written and video notes on the website providing sources for ideas discussed in the book and deeper insights into key concepts.

2) We are constantly striving to improve the quality of our work as well as the readers’ experience. The current publishing revolution not only provides authors previously unknown flexibility, but also allows readers to play a prominent role in the writing process. Accordingly, we’ve put a feedback form on our site at TheAgeofProphecy.com/feedback.

If there is a specific element for which you’d like us to provide an explanatory video, or if there’s a passage that you find confusing, or if you find (heaven forbid) a typo, please let us know.

Hillel said: If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And when I am for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?

Pirkei Avot 1:14

1

A Shepherd’s Inheritance

578 Years After the Exodus

The day before I was taken from my home, I grazed my uncle’s flock on a hillside overlooking the gates of Levonah. Sheltered from the early summer heat beneath a gnarled fig tree, I strummed my kinnor, the small harp that was my only valuable possession, while keeping one eye on the sheep and the other on the travelers approaching the town gates for market day.

This was before the breakout of war, when anyone could safely walk the King’s Road, regardless of their loyalties. Few travelers spared a glance for the young shepherd boy, and none stopped to talk until Seguv stepped off the shimmering road in early afternoon, leading his donkey up to my perch on the hillside. Seguv was only a few years older than me and spent half his time traveling the Kingdom with his brothers, selling their father’s dates from their estate along the Jordan River. They came to Levonah three or four times a year, but that day was the first time I ever saw Seguv alone. He approached me with a bounce in his step that told of news.

The sheep bleated—strangers spooked them. Seguv barely noticed. He untied one of his saddlebags and rummaged through a thick cushion of flax until he produced a tiny clay bottle. Its dust-colored exterior disguised the treasure within. His eyes sparkled.

“Is that it?” I asked, my eyes reaching toward the vial.

Seguv nodded.

I leapt to my feet. “Put just a drop my hands. I want to feel it.”

With a sly grin, he pulled the flask away. “A drop of this is worth more than one of your reeking sheep, and it would be worth my head if the King found out. I’ll let you smell it only.”