Latest / The Chosen People / Nebuchadnezzar: The Beast King

Transcript

Nebuchadnezzar: The Beast King · The Chosen People

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Hear the decree of your king.
• 0:06
  Speaker 3: At the sound of the horn, the flute, the lyre,
• 0:09
  Speaker 3: the harp, the pipe, you are.
• 0:12
  Speaker 4: To fall down and worship the image I have set
• 0:14
  Speaker 4: before you.
• 0:16
  Speaker 5: Great Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in
• 0:20
  Speaker 5: this matter. We bow to the one true God of Israel.
• 0:27
  Speaker 4: Look around you. I built these towers. I gathered these armies.
• 0:34
  Speaker 4: I have the furnace to burn you all to a crisp.
• 0:40
  Speaker 4: There is no god here but me.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: The roar of the furnace was deafening now, a constant
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: ravenous bellow. Heat rolled across the plain in suffocating waves,
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: carrying the acrid tang of burning pitch. Nebuchadnezzar's eyes snapped
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: toward the furnace. Inside, where clothes should have blackened to ash,
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: where flesh should have been consumed in moments, the three
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: men were walking.
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: Walking.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: And then, there was a fourth figure in the flame.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Who... who are you?
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: The fourth man's eyes lit with a heavenly glow, and
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: from his mouth, a sword appeared.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: I am.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: For the first time in years, the great king of
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: Babylon had met someone who did not fear him more
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: than God, and though he would not admit it, not yet,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: that encounter would haunt him far longer than the dream itself.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: The moon hung low over Babylon, casting its pale light
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: across the palace gardens. Cypress trees swayed in the frigid
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: night wind, their shadows shifting over the marble colonnades like
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: restless phantoms. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled in
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: a slow, hollow call. Inside the royal chamber, Nebuchadnezzar lay
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: sprawled on his cedar bed. His breathing had been steady,
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: but now it caught. The muscles in his jaw twitched,
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: and his fingers curled slightly in the sheets. He was
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: having another dream. It began with the earth beneath his feet, warm, fertile, alive.
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: Before him rose a tree unlike any he had ever seen.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: Its trunk was thick, its bark streaked with gold-veined resin,
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: The crown of its branches spread wider than the walls
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: of Babylon itself, reaching upward until they touched the very
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: vault of heaven. Its leaves were a living emerald, and
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: its boughs, doves and ravens nested side by side. At
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: its roots, lions slept beside gazelles. All the kingdoms of
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: the earth seemed to find shade beneath it, and at
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: the base of the tree, A throne.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: His throne.
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar felt a satisfaction in his chest. A deep, wordless
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: certainty that this was his kingdom.
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: His reign.
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: His legacy stretching into eternity. But then, a shadow fell
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: over the sun. From above, cutting through the heavens like
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: a blade, a voice came. The voice of the Watcher.
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: Cut down the tree. Strip its leaves. Scatter its fruit.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: The sound shook the earth. The trunk splintered. Branches groaned
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: like the cries of dying men. Birds erupted into the air,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: wheeling in panic. Beasts fled. Nebuchadnezzar tried to shout, but
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: the words caught in his throat. The voice returned. Closer now,
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: so close it felt like it was speaking inside his skull.
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: Let the stump remain, bound with iron and bronze. Let
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: him be drenched with the dew of heaven. Let his
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: mind be changed from that of a man to that
• 4:48
  Speaker 3: of a beast.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: The words carved themselves into him like an iron brand.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: Pain lanced through his head. His vision swam.
• 5:00
  Speaker 6: As a beast he shall remain until seven times have passed.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: The great tree crashed to the ground, shaking the earth
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: until the throne at its roots splintered and fell. The
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: king woke with a strangled gasp, sitting upright, drenched in
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: cold sweat. For a long moment, the chamber was silent,
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: except for the pounding of his heart. His eyes darted
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: to the corners, half expecting to see a shadow lurking there.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: He reached for the goblet.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: His hand trembled as he drank, wine spilling down his wrist.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: A movement at the door. The servant posted for the
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: night shift.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: Peering in. Send for the Magi.
• 5:51
  Speaker 4: Now.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: The servant bowed. and vanished into the torch-lit corridor. Nebuchadnezzar
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: swung his legs over the bed, bare feet touching the
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: cold marble. He rose and crossed to the window, looking
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: out over the sleeping city.
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: It was his. All of it.
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: The ziggurats, the temples, the walls thick enough to stop
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: an army. And yet the dream's voice clung to him
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: like the smell of burning pitch. Somewhere beyond the reach
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: of his armies, beyond the glory of his reign, there
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: was a kingdom greater than his, and it was watching.
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: The Magi gathered before dawn, summoned from their beds to
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: the royal hall. Nebuchadnezzar sat on his throne, but not
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: in his usual regal stillness. His fingers drummed the carved
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: ebony armrest. His eyes fixed on the floor as though
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: he were tracking something only he could see. I.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: I have dreamed a dream. It has troubled me.
• 7:05
  Speaker 4: You will interpret it for me.
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: There was a rustle of uneasy movement among the magi.
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: They had done this dance before. The last time they
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: tried to interpret his dreams, many of them were beheaded.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: If it weren't for Daniel, none of them would be alive. Yet,
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: Daniel's name dare not leave their lips. To affirm his
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: gifts would be to affirm his God, and their pride
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: wouldn't allow that.
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: O King, live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: we will give the interpretation.
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar's eyes snapped up. For a heartbeat, there was something
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: wild in them. Nebuchadnezzar clenched his fists, drew a breath,
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: then released. His resolve was wavering. His anger, though still hot,
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: wouldn't burn the men before him. It was an internal smolder,
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: a flame that would only consume him. He sighed and
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: relayed his dream to the magicians.
• 8:14
  Speaker 4: This was not like other dreams. This was no figment
• 8:19
  Speaker 4: of wine and stress.
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: This one... This one came from him. The god from
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: beyond the veil. The one who haunts me. I.
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: I saw a tree.
• 8:36
  Speaker 4: My tree. Cut down at a command that was not mine. I...
• 8:41
  Speaker 4: I heard a sentence....
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: As the king relayed his dream, the magi shifted, their
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: eyes darting to each other. None spoke. When the king
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: was done, he buried his face in his hands.
• 8:59
  Speaker 6: Speak.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: What does it mean?
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: But their silence deepened. Some glanced at the floor, and
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: others fidgeted with their belts or beads. They were afraid.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: No dream of such terror could mean anything good for
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: the king. That much was clear. They dared not venture
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: into the waters of Nebuchadnezzar's rage.
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: You cannot tell me. O king, such a dream. Its
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: words are for the gods alone.
• 9:34
  Speaker 4: And they, they do not dwell with men.
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: The king rose from the throne, pacing like a caged animal.
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: The hem of his robe whispered against the stone floor,
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: the sound quickening as his thoughts darkened.
• 9:50
  Speaker 4: Then bring me the one whose God dwells with men.
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: Bring me Belteshazzar.
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: Daniel arrived not long after.
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: After.
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: He bowed low before the king, but when he rose,
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: his eyes met Nebuchadnezzar's without fear.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: Belteshazzar, your gifts are needed once more.
• 10:13
  Speaker 5: Have no gift, great king.
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: I have prayer.
• 10:19
  Speaker 5: And the god who hears them, tell me your dream.
• 10:22
  Speaker 5: If the god of heaven gives me understanding, I will
• 10:26
  Speaker 5: tell you what it means.
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar leaned forward, his voice low and deliberate.
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: I saw a tree in the midst of the earth. Great, strong.
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: Its top reached the heavens. Its branches gave shade to
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: the beasts and shelter.
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: To the birds. All nations fed from it. And then
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: a watcher came down from heaven.
• 10:56
  Speaker 4: And cried aloud, cut down the tree, strip its leaves,
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: scatter its fruit, but leave the stump in the earth
• 11:04
  Speaker 4: bound with iron and bronze. Let him be drenched with
• 11:09
  Speaker 4: the dew of heaven. Let his mind be changed from
• 11:12
  Speaker 4: that of a man to that of a beast until
• 11:16
  Speaker 4: seven times.
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: Pass over him.
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: The hall seemed to grow colder as he spoke the words.
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: Daniel's brow furrowed. He glanced away, not in confusion, but
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: in grief. Nebuchadnezzar caught the look.
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: You.
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: you know what it means?
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: Well?
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: Spit it out!
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: Damn it!
• 11:46
  Speaker 5: The tree, great king, is you.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: What?
• 11:52
  Speaker 5: Don't act surprised. Fanged ignorance is unbecoming of you.
• 11:57
  Speaker 4: Then my fate is that of the tree to be
• 12:01
  Speaker 4: stripped away?
• 12:03
  Speaker 5: Your greatness has grown. It reaches the heavens and your
• 12:07
  Speaker 5: dominion to the end of the earth.
• 12:11
  Speaker 4: As is my destiny. I am the king of Babylon.
• 12:15
  Speaker 5: You are too great in your own eyes and in
• 12:18
  Speaker 5: the eyes of men.
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: Who else matters?
• 12:23
  Speaker 5: The Lord matters, and he has seen you for what
• 12:26
  Speaker 5: you are.
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: And what am I? A beast! Why should I care
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: what this God thinks of me?
• 12:37
  Speaker 5: It is his people you captured, and his gold you
• 12:40
  Speaker 5: hoard in your vaults.
• 12:42
  Speaker 4: Would he judge an eagle for soaring or a lion
• 12:46
  Speaker 4: for hunting, too?
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: I do what's in my nature.
• 12:50
  Speaker 5: If that eagle turned its talons on the chosen people
• 12:54
  Speaker 5: and the lion devoured their children, then yes.
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: So I should just succumb to his prodding and beg
• 13:01
  Speaker 4: for mercy. Should I fear a god I cannot see?
• 13:06
  Speaker 5: You have seen him, Nebuchadnezzar. You saw him in the
• 13:10
  Speaker 5: flames that day.
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: The king recoiled at that. Flashes back to that moment
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: beside the furnace flooded his mind. He saw Shadrach Meshach
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: and Abednego hurled into the flame, yet unconsumed. Nebuchadnezzar closed
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: his eyes and remembered him, the fourth man in the flame,
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: the one shimmering brighter than the white-hot fire. The king
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: opened his eyes, softer now. He rubbed his temples and sighed.
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: What does this mean, Belshazzar?
• 13:47
  Speaker 5: The Most High has decreed that you will be driven
• 13:50
  Speaker 5: from among men. You will live with the beasts of
• 13:53
  Speaker 5: the field, eating grass like a wild ox, drenched with
• 13:57
  Speaker 5: the dew of heaven, until you acknowledge that the Most
• 14:01
  Speaker 5: High God rules over all the kingdoms of men and
• 14:05
  Speaker 5: gives them to whom he wills.
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar's jaw worked, but no sound came out. Daniel stepped closer,
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: his voice urgent.
• 14:16
  Speaker 5: Break off your sins by practicing righteousness. Show mercy to
• 14:21
  Speaker 5: the oppressed. Perhaps your prosperity will be prolonged.
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: For a long moment, the king simply stared at him.
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: Then a slow smile spread, thin and cold.
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: You think me a beast already, don't you, Berta Shazar?
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: Daniel didn't answer. Nebuchadnezzar leaned back. the smile never touching
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: his eyes.
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: A strong arm and a sharp mind. It is how
• 14:54
  Speaker 4: I've conquered. It is how I've won every battle.
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: I will vanquish your god like any other foe.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: But as Daniel withdrew, the king's gaze followed him, and
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: behind the steel of his pride, something restless paced. Something
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: with claws. A year passed. The doom Daniel had spoken
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: of faded from most minds, buried under the relentless churn
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: of Babylon's life. Nebuchadnezzar moved among his court as he
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: always had, issuing decrees, inspecting armies, reviewing tribute from vassal kings.
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: Yet there were cracks in the veneer. Small at first,
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: a shadow in his eyes when the wind caught in
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: the palace gardens and bent the cypress trees like supplicants bowing.
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: A sudden silence when a herd of oxen passed under
• 15:56
  Speaker 1: the gates, their heads low as they chewed the cud.
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: And always, in the quiet moments, he would hear it.
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: A howling from the same wolf, followed by the voice
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: of the watcher.
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: Let his mind be changed, transformed, from that of a
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: man to that of a beast.
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: One evening, after the day's business had been concluded, Nebuchadnezzar
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: wandered the hanging gardens. Lanterns glowed in the terraces, their
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: light catching the wet leaves and spilling into the pools below.
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: He stood at the highest level, the Euphrates winding in
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: the distance, and surveyed the sprawl of Babylon.
• 16:49
  Speaker 4: Is not this great Babylon which I have built by
• 16:52
  Speaker 4: my mighty power for the glory of my majesty?
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: The words felt good in his mouth, too good. A
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: wind rose suddenly, rattling the palm fronds. Somewhere in the dark,
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: a low growl sounded, too deep for a dog, too
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: near for a lion. The hairs on his arms stood
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: on end. He turned, and for the briefest flash, he
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: thought he saw something at the edge of the torchlight.
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: A shape, low to the ground, shoulders hunched, eyes reflecting gold. Then,
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: it was gone.
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: Only, only shadows.
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: But the growl remained in his ears. That night, the
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: king dreamt of the tree again. Only this time, the
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: axe didn't come from heaven. It came from his own hands.
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: He was swinging it with inhuman strength, roaring with each
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: blow until the trunk split and fell. When he stepped back, panting,
• 18:04
  Speaker 1: He saw his reflection in the water pooled at the roots.
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: It was not the face of a man. He woke
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: with a gasp, sweat slick on his skin, the taste
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: of dirt in his mouth. Weeks later, the king appeared
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: at the Ishtar Gate to review an arriving tribute caravan.
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: His court stood in orderly rows. As he walked the
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: line of goods, ivory tusks, cedar trunks, baskets of figs,
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: a flock of birds burst from the gate towers above,
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: startled by something unseen. The sudden movement pulled his gaze skyward,
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: and that's when Nebuchadnezzar saw it, the watcher from his dream.
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: High above the crowd, suspended in air as though it
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: were solid ground, the radiant being stared at him with
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: eyes like molten metal. Its voice shook the air.
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: Oh, King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken. The kingdom
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: has departed from you.
• 19:17
  Speaker 1: The crowd didn't react. No one else saw. No one
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: else heard.
• 19:23
  Speaker 6: You shall be driven from among men and your dwelling
• 19:27
  Speaker 6: shall be with the beasts of the field until you
• 19:31
  Speaker 6: know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men
• 19:35
  Speaker 6: and gives it to whom he wishes.
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: A ringing filled the king's ears. The world swayed. Then
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: a guttural tearing sound. the courtiers around him froze Nebuchadnezzar
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: turned from them suddenly aware that his skin itched unbearably
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: his joints ached and his teeth felt strange in his
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: mouth the city walls seemed to close in the air
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: felt too thick He walked away from the procession, the
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: walk turning into a stagger, the stagger into a lurch,
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: until he passed through the palace gates into the gardens,
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: and then into the dark fields beyond. Somewhere behind him,
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: shouts rose, torches flared, but the beast was already at
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: the surface. The gardens were quiet at first. Palm fronds
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: whispered in the wind, and moonlight dripped over the terraces
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: in silver streams. Nebuchadnezzar stumbled through them, breathing hard. He
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: clawed at the gold torque around his neck. It felt
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: too tight. The silk at his shoulders was suffocating.
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: What is happening?
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: He tore the robe from his body. Somewhere behind him
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: he heard voices, guards calling his name, sandals pounding the flagstones.
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: Then the moon shifted behind a cloud. The shadow fell
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: across his face, and with it came a heat in
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: his skull as if something inside was splitting apart. His
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: vision blurred and the colours deepened into strange, impossible hues.
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: His breath came faster and heavier. His fingernails thickened. His
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: spine cracked like splitting wood. Hair erupted along his arms
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: and his chest like feathers rising from his skin.
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: He dropped to all fours.
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: The guards found him at the edge of the gardens.
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: They stopped dead. A low snarl rolled from his throat,
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: deep enough to rattle the air between them. His eyes
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: glowed with a feral light. One guard reached for his spear.
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: The king's head snapped toward him and the man froze.
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar bolted into the night, into the wild fields beyond
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: the city walls. The court tried to hide it at first.
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: For weeks, proclamations went out in the king's name, signed
• 22:33
  Speaker 1: by trembling scribes, sealed with the royal signet. They said
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: he had taken to the country estates, that he was meditating,
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: seeking visions, communing with the gods. But the truth whispered
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: from servant to servant, guard to guard. The king lived
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: in the open fields now. He slept in the tall grass,
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: his skin blackened by sun and wind. His beard was
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: tangled with burrs, and his eyes were ringed in red.
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: He fed on wild herbs and roots, and his hands
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: and feet hardened like an eagle's talons. Farmers in the
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: outlying villages told stories of seeing him at dusk, crouched
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: by the irrigation canals. lapping water beside the oxen. Children
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: were warned not to wander after dark. The seasons turned,
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: the rains came and went, the king's hair grew like
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: eagle's feathers, his nails like the claws of a great bird.
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: His speech was gone, replaced by guttural sounds and the
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: occasional roar when startled. He belonged more to the beasts
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: than to men. Daniel came only once. It was late
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: in the seventh year, the grass high and green from
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: the spring floods. He found the king crouched in a meadow,
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: stripping bark from a sapling with his teeth. Daniel stopped
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: several paces away. He did not speak at first. He
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: simply watched. The most powerful man on earth reduced to this.
• 24:19
  Speaker 5: The Most High is patient.
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: The king turned at the sound of his voice. His
• 24:25
  Speaker 1: eyes were wild, but somewhere in them, a flicker of recognition.
• 24:31
  Speaker 5: Nebuchadnezzar, your sentence is almost served. The God who judged
• 24:36
  Speaker 5: you is also the God who restores. Lift your eyes
• 24:40
  Speaker 5: to heaven, O king.
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: The beast in him hesitated. The man in him stirred.
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar looked up. The clouds were breaking apart, sunlight spilling
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: through in bright shafts. And in that light, he felt
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: the old self. The self before the gardens, before the roar,
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: before the madness. His humanity rose within him. The Beast King,
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: crawling on all fours, stood on his hind legs and
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: turned his cheek toward the sunlight peeking through the clouds.
• 25:18
  Speaker 1: His breath, ragged and deep, began to slow and soften.
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: He slowly dipped to his knees, claws gripping tightly at
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: the grass and wildflowers beneath him.
• 25:32
  Speaker 4: I bless the Most High and praise and honor him
• 25:39
  Speaker 4: who lives forever.
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: The air shifted. The gnawing hunger in his gut eased.
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: The trembling in his limbs stilled. When he opened his eyes,
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: his hands were clean, his nails blunt, his skin smooth
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: beneath the dirt. The beast was gone. They brought him
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: back to the palace in a covered chariot. The streets
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: were silent as he passed. At the throne room, he
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: stood once more before the ebony seat. The robes they
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: draped on his shoulders were heavy, But they did not
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: choke him. The crown they placed on his head did
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: not burn.
• 26:22
  Speaker 4: Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the king
• 26:29
  Speaker 4: of heaven, for all his works are right and.
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: His ways just.
• 26:37
  Speaker 4: And those who walk in pride, he is able to humble.
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: His voice carried through the marble halls, not like a
• 26:49
  Speaker 1: man boasting of conquest, but like one who had been
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: conquered and lived. And though the empire roared on, the
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: king himself was quieter now, not tamed, never tamed, but marked.
• 27:06
  Speaker 1: In the still moments, he could still feel the grass
• 27:10
  Speaker 1: under his hands, the wind in his tangled hair, The
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: eyes of heaven watching. This PrayDogCon production is only made
• 27:22
  Speaker 1: possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
• 27:27
  Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Schellebarger and Ben Gammon are the executive
• 27:31
  Speaker 1: producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters
• 27:36
  Speaker 1: are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,
• 27:41
  Speaker 1: Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradok, Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna Pilcher, and
• 27:47
  Speaker 1: Mitch Lashinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvato,
• 27:52
  Speaker 1: Brie Rosely, and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey.com
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: productions on the Prey.com app, available on the Apple App
• 28:00
  Speaker 1: Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People,
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: please rate and leave a review.