Jezebel, Wicked Woman of the Bible

Book excerpt: From the pages of Biblical history comes a story of power, pride, evil, and good told with great vividness and suspense by Dorothy Clarke Wilson. Few women have equaled Jezebel's combination of beauty and wickedness, and few have been as successful in seducing the men in their lives. As a young princess, Jezebel, rides with her wedding train through the parched hills of Israel, and realizes there is more to be gained from her impending marriage than political and economic advantages. Steeped in the mood and spirit of an ancient culture, Jezebel uses flattery and deceit to lure her husband, King Ahab, and the people of Israel away from the worship of Yahweh, a just and fair god, towards allegiance to Melkart, a god of war and human sacrifice. With cunning, she cultivates the ambitions of her husband and breeds intrigue within the palace. She plots her own son's death, murders her enemies, betrays her husband and his people many times over. But Jezebel finds it a more difficult task to influence the prophets of Israel and, thus, sets off a classic struggle between the forces of good and evil.