Page 360 - Four Thousand Years Ago by Geoffrey Bibby

fringe of the desert to ri:c casx u
Moab, the powerful kingdoms A'nth cl lib' I'»'<ld >*<»••» u lj|i L .<>/

long had held the c.esext ri'.bcs m cucck VU\I (|h'\ ll<ld » Hill* hill

of the desert into the Anc.c'.rie je.ngdcm ot |a..n In I Im inn Hi of
Moab. In a pitched battle the\ had defeated I Im I. hip, j,M,,

and captured his capita., b.esc.lx'n . and a uuuduu ot hiiiiuiind
ing towns. Stopping cn.v to y.unc. e: and bum lh<» towing lli« /

had passed on to tne no: tn. ano. at Vdvei had iu<’l mid d«
feated the king of Baskan. the '.and Sin.*; to the east <»l thu S* u •A

Galilee. Thev now held all the '.and to the east ot |<»idiin lioui
the Sea of Galilee to the hVid Sea. and ihex had relumed •«»itihz

laden with plunder, to euoatnp nst north, ot the Pead Sen, ncrow
the river from the ~eat fortress citv ot 'evicb.o. I'heir intention of

crossing the river oraan ana mo ao.r.tC tne lands between the

river and the sea was yainnmy o ?vf ous.
There was oonstsmmricn in As cm on and the other cities of

the coast, ihcuzh ’crime was ill of mtv miles awax\ there was no
armv in the hill c-cmmr* oarchle of checkin*! the redoubtable

Israelis if once thev esriahhsheb c beachhead across the river. And

while Es^mt wmcla mfmctenv see co it that the coast road re-
mained in their haras, the Err Ear garrisons were far from

strong enough to rcaranie-e me safem cf the ports, still less of
the cities or me interim. It utcr consolation that the

Egyptian armyvmma temmmy cem- er ana revenge them.

In tne nc_s me arm re: mane feverfth preparations for de­
fense. and. ammst mrgtt mem femm with each other as they

sought alhes agmnm me m ater m Jericho the fortifications

were hasmy mrengmemen. inc me peop.e of tf/c 'jirrounding
farms mace teary m renme m.m me mm t.n-e nooroerd thorn was
any sign that the Irnaeh: •