#firstborn sons

he that is hanged is accursed of God...

10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the Lord thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive, 11 and seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife; 12 then thou shalt bring her home to thine house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails; 13 and she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife. 14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not gmake merchandise of her, because thou hast hhumbled her.

15 If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: 16 then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: 17 but he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them: 19 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 and they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. 21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

Inspired by luciferesque ficlet reposted with permission

There’s this story— a story much older than murder and Nod. It’s a story about two lovers, or brothers depending; the small details have all been lost at this point.

Back when the world was perfect and it was just the two of them, and they roamed over the hills and through the piney forests so that they might come to know everything about this beautiful place.

And their love was a perfect love, pure and unchallenged; so intense than it was hard to find where one ended and the other began.

As the story goes, one day they sat against a pond watching the blue sky reflect perfect in this little mirror of water, when the younger spoke up in a voice earnest and true, ”You love me— you love my brightness and my warmth?”

And the elder replied, "Of course I do. You are the most beautiful thing in all this world, and your heart swells with a love even I can’t compare with.”

The younger nodded, drawing away from the edge of the water and asked, suddenly serious, "I want you to show me. Show me how much you love me.”

The words were heavy— weighted in such a weightless place, and the other was shocked, unsure of what to do. How could one prove their love? Wasn’t it evident already in how they held each other and pined for the other’s company?

The elder then picked a sharp rock from the little pool in front of them, and split the skin of his arm. Bright red sprung up immediately, and the elder offered a hand, "Do you see? This is how much I love you— I would bleed for you at your word.”

The younger nodded, seemingly satisfied. And when they elder’s blood splashed the ground— red, sweet smelling flowers sprung up in the wake of it.

“You even bleed beautifully for me,” came an enrapt sigh, as the small hand reached out to pluck the flower from it’s bush.

But there were thorns, and they tore at the hand that sought them, viciously protecting it’s beauty.