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Return of the Exiles · The Chosen People

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  Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People This wasn't just a conquest.
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  Speaker 1: It was uncreation. Genesis in reverse. The undoing of Sinai.
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  Speaker 1: It felt like the very end of the Covenant. The
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  Speaker 1: priests were slaughtered. The scrolls reduced to floating flecks of carbon.
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  Speaker 1: The temple, now just broken stone and melting gold. A
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  Speaker 1: God-shaped hole was carved into the city. In the city square,
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  Speaker 1: what remained of the people were bound in chains. Bakers, stonecutters, scribes, poets, singers,
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  Speaker 1: every voice that once defined the soul of Judah now
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  Speaker 1: herded like cattle toward a future they did not choose.
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  Speaker 1: The God who still holds the power to reverse every fate.
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  Speaker 1: Ash still covered Zion like a burial cloth. Bones still
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  Speaker 1: littered the valley. The temple was still gone. The king
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  Speaker 1: was blind. The ark was missing. The songs were faint.
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  Speaker 1: But hope, hope was eating dinner in Babylon. And the
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  Speaker 1: Lord was not done, not even close. In the years
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  Speaker 1: before Queen Esther's courage saved her people, the elders of
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  Speaker 1: Israel still carried the weight of the past, haunted by
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  Speaker 1: memories of their temple in flames and Judah's final king
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  Speaker 1: in chains. And then there were those who were born
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  Speaker 1: in captivity in the years of Babylonian exile who had
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  Speaker 1: only the stories, stories of the rolling hills of Judah,
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  Speaker 1: the famed walls of Jerusalem, Solomon's once golden gleaming temple.
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  Speaker 1: But it was all rubble and ruin now. The once
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  Speaker 1: great house of David had allowed their hearts to be
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  Speaker 1: led astray and the whole of Israel with them. Jerusalem
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  Speaker 1: had fallen, handed over to her enemies at last. But
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  Speaker 1: despite the years and years of decline, betrayal and abandonment,
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  Speaker 1: the word of the Lord did not fall. The words
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  Speaker 1: of prophecy, once whispered to the last kings in the
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  Speaker 1: stone halls of Jerusalem and now echoed through the hushed
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  Speaker 1: whispers of captives, became the frail hope of God's chosen people.
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  Speaker 1: The words of Jeremiah, almost 70 years to the day,
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  Speaker 1: hung in the air like the unrelenting force of fate,
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  Speaker 1: guiding the decisions of kings.
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  Speaker 2: Hear the words of your God, O Israel.
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  Speaker 3: When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will send
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  Speaker 3: for you.
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  Speaker 2: I will set you free and bring you back to
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  Speaker 2: this place. For I know the plans I have for you.
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  Speaker 4: Plans to prosper and not harm you. Plans to give
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  Speaker 4: you hope and a future. Then you will call on me.
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  Speaker 4: Come and pray to me and I will listen. You
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  Speaker 4: will seek me and find me when you seek me
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  Speaker 4: with all your heart. I will be found by you
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  Speaker 4: and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather
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  Speaker 4: you from all the nations and places where I have
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  Speaker 4: banished you, and will bring you back to my arms.
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  Speaker 1: And hope and seek and cling to the words of
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  Speaker 1: their long-dead prophet, the Jews did in the long years
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  Speaker 1: of their exile. They murmured them in the markets, whispered
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  Speaker 1: them in the fields, and when they cried or prayed,
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  Speaker 1: they became like a hymn, But the new king of
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  Speaker 1: Babylon did not fear their hymns or prayers. He saw
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  Speaker 1: them as tools for peace in his vast empire. When
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  Speaker 1: his name was uttered on the lips of their oppressors
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  Speaker 1: and his fame rose to prominence, the Jews were stunned
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  Speaker 1: at the truth of the prophecies of the famed Isaiah,
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  Speaker 1: who lived hundreds of years before the king called Cyrus
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  Speaker 1: ever ruled.
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  Speaker 5: The Lord says this to Cyrus, his anointed, whose right
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  Speaker 5: hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and
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  Speaker 5: disarm kings to.
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  Speaker 2: Open doors before.
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  Speaker 6: Him, and even city gates.
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  Speaker 4: Will not be shut.
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  Speaker 1: Cyrus had been a king and conqueror for over two
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  Speaker 1: decades before finally becoming the king of Babylon. and he
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  Speaker 1: did not become the most powerful ruler in the known
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  Speaker 1: world by happenstance or luck. He carved out and took
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  Speaker 1: the territories he desired, but then he also allowed his
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  Speaker 1: subjects to worship their gods, so long as they still
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  Speaker 1: observed Persian rule. Cyrus was not a true believer or
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  Speaker 1: follower of Yahweh, but yet he was stirred by him
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  Speaker 1: and answered his promptings, issuing a decree that would restore
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  Speaker 1: order and loyalty among his subjects. He sent for his
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  Speaker 1: scribes and issued a decree throughout his vast kingdom.
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  Speaker 2: I am Cyrus, king of Persia, king of Babylon, ruler
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  Speaker 2: of the four quarters of the earth.
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  Speaker 3: The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me
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  Speaker 3: all the kingdoms of the earth.
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  Speaker 2: And has appointed me to build him a house at
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  Speaker 2: Jerusalem in Judah.
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  Speaker 3: Any of his people among you, may his God be
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  Speaker 3: with you, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah
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  Speaker 3: and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel,
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  Speaker 3: the God who is in Jerusalem. Let every survivor, wherever
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  Speaker 3: he resides, be assisted by the men of that region
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  Speaker 3: with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill
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  Speaker 3: offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.
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  Speaker 1: Yahweh moved Cyrus, as he had once moved Pharaoh, to
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  Speaker 1: finally let his people go. The Lord did not turn Cyrus'
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  Speaker 1: heart to a true conversion, but instead used his political
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  Speaker 1: mind to act in the interest of the Israelites. He
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  Speaker 1: desired loyal and grateful subjects as opposed to a conquered
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  Speaker 1: enemy plotting to rise up against him. And it was
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  Speaker 1: through that policy that the Lord worked in his people's favor.
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  Speaker 1: Through every province and dusty outpost the scrolls of destinies
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  Speaker 1: were carried and read aloud in town squares, hope igniting
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  Speaker 1: like wildfire in a dry field. It spread and spread
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  Speaker 1: until finally it reached the heart of exile in Babylon,
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  Speaker 1: where the so-called Prince of Judah lived. The moniker mocked Zerubbabel.
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  Speaker 1: Born in captivity in the years of exile, he was
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  Speaker 1: the descendant of kings, but he was also a strategic
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  Speaker 1: hostage for the Persian government. He was appointed to lead
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  Speaker 1: his people and keep them subdued and assimilated to Persian life.
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  Speaker 1: Zerubbabel held the title of governor But the position boasted
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  Speaker 1: no real power, and he often wondered if he was
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  Speaker 1: truly made of the stuff of kings as his lineage proclaimed,
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  Speaker 1: or if he was just an empty figurehead. But then
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  Speaker 1: the scroll arrived, and everything changed.
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  Speaker 2: Read it again.
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  Speaker 7: Any of his people among you may go to Jerusalem
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  Speaker 7: and rebuild the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel,
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  Speaker 7: and let every survivor be supported by neighbors with silver
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  Speaker 7: and gold and goods and livestock.
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  Speaker 1: Zerubbabel gaped at Jeshua, a priest of Yahweh, as he
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  Speaker 1: read from the worn parchment in his hands. It was
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  Speaker 1: evident he had read and reread it dozens of times
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  Speaker 1: before he finally caught up to Zerubbabel. He had been
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  Speaker 1: on his way home from the city gate, where he
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  Speaker 1: had been listening to the disputes of his people, when
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  Speaker 1: Yeshua came huffing and puffing after him, a triumphant expression
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  Speaker 1: on his face.
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  Speaker 8: He said, we can go back and rebuild the temple?
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  Speaker 8: We can go home?
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  Speaker 4: Yes!
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  Speaker 6: Can you believe it? We'll finally see Jerusalem! We'll finally
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  Speaker 6: see the place the elders have told.
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  Speaker 7: Us about since we were children!
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  Speaker 6: We'll finally be able to worship our God in a
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  Speaker 6: house worthy of him, a proper temple, not those shabby
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  Speaker 6: altars hidden in corners or shared with false gods. No,
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  Speaker 6: we'll be able to teach the word of the Lord
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  Speaker 6: from the gleaming steps of Solomon's temple instead of in
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  Speaker 6: cramped workshops and alleyways. Can you imagine it? The days
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  Speaker 6: Jeremiah spoke of are finally here, and we're the ones
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  Speaker 6: alive to see it.
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  Speaker 1: Zerubbabel, usually stern and serious, felt his soul stirred by
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  Speaker 1: the earnest, heartfelt words of Jeshua. Too many thoughts to
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  Speaker 1: count flashed through his mind. The logistics, questions, doubt, fear,
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  Speaker 1: but also hope, triumph and joy. The Jews were permitted
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  Speaker 1: to go home at last, and it would all fall
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  Speaker 1: on him to get them there.
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  Speaker 6: Say something nice, my friend. I can see the wheels
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  Speaker 6: turning in that stoic mind of yours. I had to
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  Speaker 6: read it half a dozen times myself before I believed it.
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  Speaker 2: I can hardly believe it.
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  Speaker 7: This is what we've been waiting for all our lives.
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  Speaker 8: I can't wait to see everyone's reaction when they hear
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  Speaker 8: the news.
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  Speaker 1: Zerubbabel's face split into a wide smile to match the
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  Speaker 1: one on Jeshua's. Jeshua was slightly younger than Zerubbabel, and
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  Speaker 1: like Zerubbabel, he too had only known life in the
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  Speaker 1: gilded cage of captivity that was life in Babylon. It
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  Speaker 1: was said to be the grandest city in the world,
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  Speaker 1: It was a city of mighty temples and towering ziggurats,
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  Speaker 1: of hanging gardens and golden idols. Every corner steeped in
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  Speaker 1: the illusion of luxury and prosperity. But to the careful,
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  Speaker 1: watchful eyes of both Zerubbabel and Yeshua, they saw the
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  Speaker 1: allure of Babylon for what it was, yet another trap
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  Speaker 1: of idolatry for the Israelites to fall into. as if
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  Speaker 1: the slow decline and eventual collapse of their kingdom wasn't
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  Speaker 1: warning enough. Jeshua and his band of trusted priests had
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  Speaker 1: worked tirelessly to set up synagogues throughout the city and
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  Speaker 1: organized the reading and studying of the law so that
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  Speaker 1: the Jews would not be tempted to stray away from
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  Speaker 1: their God in the city of temptations. Zerubbabel admired Jeshua's
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  Speaker 1: fervent dedication over the years. And now that they were
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  Speaker 1: faced with the prospect of leading the people home at last,
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  Speaker 1: he would need men like Jeshua at his side to
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  Speaker 1: accomplish this sojourn.
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  Speaker 8: Gather the elders. Send word to the other priests and Levites.
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  Speaker 8: Tell them it's time.
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  Speaker 1: Word spread like wildfire through Babylon. At first, disbelief. Then, questions.
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  Speaker 1: Could it really be true? Were they really allowed to return?
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  Speaker 1: To rebuild? And memory can often be a double-edged sword.
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  Speaker 1: Some remembered the glory. Others remembered the ruins.
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  Speaker 2: Been seventy years.
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  Speaker 3: The city's gone. Foreigners have taken our homes. Bandits roam
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  Speaker 3: the hills.
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  Speaker 1: The hopeful Jeshua gawked in disbelief at the bitterness he
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  Speaker 1: was hearing from the gathered elders. and leaders of the Jews,
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  Speaker 1: but Zerubbabel was more measured. He could sense what the
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  Speaker 1: elders and other onlookers were not saying aloud. They were afraid.
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  Speaker 1: Though this was what they had been hoping for all
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  Speaker 1: these years, for many of them all their lives, it
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  Speaker 1: was still frightening to leave the world you knew. There
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  Speaker 1: would be unknowns and hardships on the road ahead. Zerubbabel
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  Speaker 1: gently placed a hand on Jeshua's shoulder, to quiet whatever
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  Speaker 1: hasty words were surely forming on his lips.
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  Speaker 8: Then we'll plant vineyards on those hills. We'll rebuild the
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  Speaker 8: ruins with our bare hands. And even if there's not
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  Speaker 8: a foundation left on the Temple Mount, we'll raise an
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  Speaker 8: altar because our worship need not wait on a building.
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  Speaker 8: We will go and praise the Lord for all that
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  Speaker 8: he will restore. And then we will get to work
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  Speaker 8: rebuilding Zion, the Holy One of Israel, the city of God.
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  Speaker 1: The elders took his measure then. They were all gathered
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  Speaker 1: in the modest Jewish quarter of Babylon discussing the king's decree.
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  Speaker 1: Perhaps this prince of Judah would lead them yet. Perhaps
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  Speaker 1: he was not just a figurehead of nobility installed to
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  Speaker 1: subdue them. The bent and aging elder who led the
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  Speaker 1: doubting majority sighed and inclined his head towards Zerubbabel.
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  Speaker 3: We will go. We will follow you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,
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  Speaker 3: grandson of King Jehoiachin, the last heir of the kings
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  Speaker 3: of Judah.
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  Speaker 1: The people stirred and similarly inclined their heads respectfully before Zerubbabel.
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  Speaker 2: He nodded and.
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  Speaker 1: Fought back the gnawing doubt that threatened to consume his mind.
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  Speaker 1: His distant heritage loomed over him like a dark shadow.
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  Speaker 1: His forefathers had failed and fell before their enemies, those
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  Speaker 1: from within and those from beyond their borders. Was he
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  Speaker 1: doomed to follow in their footsteps? As if sensing his hesitation,
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  Speaker 1: Yeshua turned and gave him an encouraging nod. And Zerubbabel
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  Speaker 1: then spoke to the fear in his own heart, assuming
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  Speaker 1: it would be the very same fears the people would
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  Speaker 1: have about the unknown.
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  Speaker 8: Do not be afraid. If the Lord is with us,
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  Speaker 8: even rubble can become holy ground. We go not to
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  Speaker 8: reclaim power, but to restore worship. That is where we begin.
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  Speaker 1: With that, men gathered their tools. Women packed their woven baskets.
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  Speaker 1: Elders dusted off family scrolls and whispered prayers of gratitude
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  Speaker 1: they hadn't thought would ever come. Children ran through alleyways wide-eyed,
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  Speaker 1: overhearing talk of a city they'd only ever heard of
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  Speaker 1: in stories. Jerusalem. As the day of departure drew near,
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  Speaker 1: neighbours and onlookers came forward with silver, gold, livestock and goods,
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  Speaker 1: just as Cyrus had decreed. Even Gentiles gave freely, moved
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  Speaker 1: by something they couldn't quite name. From dusty courtyards to
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  Speaker 1: market squares, families began to form clusters. Heads of households,
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  Speaker 1: sons of priests, Levites and servants, singers and gatekeepers. Every
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  Speaker 1: name remembered, every clan recorded. The list went.
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  Speaker 2: On and on.
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  Speaker 1: 42,360 people not counting the servants and livestock, every one
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  Speaker 1: of them stepping into history. The articles stolen from the
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  Speaker 1: temple decades before, silver basins, golden bowls, sacred vessels, were
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  Speaker 1: brought out of storage and placed carefully into the hands
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  Speaker 1: of Zerubbabel, the appointed prince of Judah, and entrusted for
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  Speaker 1: the journey. These treasures, once defiled, were returning home And
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  Speaker 1: so they departed, not as captives, but as pilgrims, not
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  Speaker 1: as the forgotten, but as the remembered, returning to a
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  Speaker 1: land they had only heard in stories, to become the
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  Speaker 1: next chapter in the story themselves. Steve Gatina, Max Bard,
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  Speaker 1: Zach Schelleberger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of
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  Speaker 1: The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced
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  Speaker 1: by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald,
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  Speaker 1: Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna Pilcher and Mitch Lashinsky.
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  Speaker 1: Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvato, Brie
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  Speaker 1: Rosely and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey.com productions
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  Speaker 1: on the Prey.com app, available on the Apple App Store
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  Speaker 1: and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People,
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  Speaker 1: please rate and leave a review.