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Elisha & The Shunammite · The Chosen People

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People Tell me, Elisha, what would
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: you have of me before I go?
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: If I'm going to survive in this calling, this path,
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: please grant me a double portion of your spirit.
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  Speaker 1: The sky split open. A whirlwind of fire spiraled down
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  Speaker 1: from the heavens.
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  Speaker 2: Father!
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  Speaker 1: Father!
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  Speaker 2: Don't leave me!
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  Speaker 3: The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.
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  Speaker 2: It was the Lord who parted the waters, not I.
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  Speaker 2: He is the archer. I am just the arrow.
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  Speaker 1: There was work to do. Elisha walked on, but he
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: knew he did not walk alone. The house of Nariah
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: and Miriam was, in many ways, the heart of Shunem.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: It wasn't the largest house in town though, but still
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  Speaker 1: it was the house that people gravitated toward. The house
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  Speaker 1: where weary travellers found a meal without having to ask.
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  Speaker 1: Where the poor found a warm place to sit in
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  Speaker 1: the winter. Where the children of the streets found laughter,
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  Speaker 1: lessons and love when the world had otherwise ignored them. Miriam,
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  Speaker 1: the lady of the house, was gifted in hospitality. not
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  Speaker 1: for the sake of display or self-importance, but for the
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  Speaker 1: sheer joy of welcoming others. Her favorite place was at
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  Speaker 1: a table, surrounded by friends, watching the weight of life's
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  Speaker 1: struggles slip off their shoulders as they ate and drank
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  Speaker 1: and spoke of things both deep and silly. Naraya, her husband,
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  Speaker 1: was a man with sawdust in his beard and calluses
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  Speaker 1: on his hands. He was respected in Shunem for his skill.
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  Speaker 1: No one built sturdier homes, but he was beloved for
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  Speaker 1: his heart. He had never once refused to build a
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  Speaker 1: home for a family in need, even when it meant
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  Speaker 1: dipping into his own earnings to make it happen. And
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  Speaker 1: when they weren't feeding the hungry or housing the needy,
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  Speaker 1: they were gathering the town's orphans in their courtyard. telling
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  Speaker 1: them stories of Adam and Moses and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
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  Speaker 1: The children would sit wide-eyed, hanging on to every word,
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  Speaker 1: never fully realizing that part of the reason Miriam and
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  Speaker 1: Nariah did this, besides their own goodness, was because they
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  Speaker 1: had no children of their own. It was in this home,
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  Speaker 1: at this table, that Elisha often found refuge, and tonight
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  Speaker 1: was no different. The warm glow of oil lamps flickered
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  Speaker 1: against the walls, casting golden light over the wooden table,
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  Speaker 1: which was set with roasted lamb, fresh bread and a
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  Speaker 1: fragrant lentil stew. The air was rich with the scent
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  Speaker 1: of spice and smoke, laughter mingling with the sound of
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  Speaker 1: plates being passed and wine being poured. Elisha sat at
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  Speaker 1: the table, his simple robes worn from travel undone. His
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  Speaker 1: ever-present air of quiet intensity softened in the presence of
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  Speaker 1: these two. Across from him sat Gehazi, his long-term servant, who,
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: unlike his master, appreciated a well-made garment and had the
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  Speaker 1: expression of a man who fully intended to enjoy every
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  Speaker 1: bite of the meal before him. At the head of
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  Speaker 1: the table, Naraya leaned back in his chair, eyeing the
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  Speaker 1: prophet with a wry grin.
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  Speaker 3: I tell you, Prophet, you carry the scent of the road. Dust, sweat,
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  Speaker 3: perhaps a hint of donkey.
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  Speaker 2: Ah, the perfume of Yahweh's messengers. Perhaps one day he'll
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  Speaker 2: see fit to anoint me with something finer. Sandalwood, maybe,
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  Speaker 2: or crushed myrrh.
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  Speaker 4: Perhaps one day he'll see fit to give you a
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  Speaker 4: proper roof over your head.
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  Speaker 5: That's not a bad idea, you know.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha glanced up. as Miriam poured more wine into his cup.
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  Speaker 5: You pass through Shunem often enough. A man should have
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  Speaker 5: a place to rest.
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  Speaker 3: She's been hounding me about it for weeks, Prophet. Wants
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  Speaker 3: me to build you a room.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha raised a brow, setting his cup down. A room?
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  Speaker 2: A proper one.
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  Speaker 5: A place to sleep when you pass through.
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  Speaker 2: A bed, a lamp, a table.
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  Speaker 3: It'll be simple, but sturdy.
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  Speaker 2: That is more than generous. I could never ask that
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  Speaker 2: of you.
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  Speaker 5: Ask?
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  Speaker 3: Who said anything about asking? My wife has made up
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  Speaker 3: her mind. And once Miriam makes up her mind, there's
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  Speaker 3: no resisting. Think nothing of it. I'll have it done
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  Speaker 3: in two weeks, easy.
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  Speaker 1: Miriam smirked but said nothing, simply sipping her wine.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, master.
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  Speaker 4: Why fight it? We could use a place to sleep.
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  Speaker 4: It doesn't smell like camel.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha exhaled, shaking his head, but a rare, genuine smile
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  Speaker 1: flickered at the corner of his lips.
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  Speaker 2: Then I accept.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you. Miriam's eyes shone as she placed a hand
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  Speaker 1: over her husband's. The conversation moved on, and soon the
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  Speaker 1: room was filled again with laughter and stories. Miriam, as always,
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  Speaker 1: steered the conversation. asking about the places Elisha had been,
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  Speaker 1: the people he had met. She poured wine, cut bread,
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  Speaker 1: refilled bowls, making sure no one wanted for anything. Naraya, meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: leaned back in his chair, his presence steady, listening more
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  Speaker 1: than speaking, his enjoyment of the meal evident in the
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  Speaker 1: way he savoured every bite. Then, at a pause in
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  Speaker 1: the conversation, Miriam's tone shifted.
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  Speaker 5: There's been talk in the market, a story actually, of
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  Speaker 5: a widow, something about oil. They say you told her
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  Speaker 5: to gather all the jars she could find, that the
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  Speaker 5: Lord filled them to the brim, enough to pay her
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  Speaker 5: debts and save her sons from the creditors.
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  Speaker 1: Is it true?
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  Speaker 4: I told him it was madness, my lady. He was
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  Speaker 4: setting the poor woman up for a disappointment.
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  Speaker 2: You did, yes. And yet, here we are.
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  Speaker 4: The jars were filled. The widow was saved.
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  Speaker 2: And I looked like a fool.
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  Speaker 1: Naraya let out a deep chuckle, shaking his head. The
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  Speaker 1: Lord provides.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, yes.
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  Speaker 4: It's quite inconvenient for my skepticism.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha reached for his cup, his voice casual.
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  Speaker 2: Since we're discussing provision, tell me, how have things been
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  Speaker 2: for you both?
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  Speaker 1: The couple exchanged a glance, a small one, Barely noticeable,
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  Speaker 1: but enough for Elisha to catch.
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  Speaker 2: We are well.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha waited. The silence stretched. The weight of unspoken words
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  Speaker 1: filling the space between them. Nariah cleared his throat, looking
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  Speaker 1: down at his plate.
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  Speaker 5: We.
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  Speaker 3: We have long prayed for a child.
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  Speaker 1: It was the first true crack in their composure. Miriam,
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  Speaker 1: normally so poised, so in control, let her fingers tighten
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  Speaker 1: just slightly around the stem of her cup.
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  Speaker 5: It is the only thing we lack.
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  Speaker 1: Then we shall pray together. The tension in the room shifted.
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  Speaker 1: Naraya nodded, his jaw tight. Miriam swallowed, something raw in
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  Speaker 1: her expression. And Gehazi, ever the practical one, simply leaned
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  Speaker 1: back in his chair. watching his master with something that
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  Speaker 1: might have been skepticism, or something deeper. Faith, perhaps, was
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  Speaker 1: a slow thing to grow, but even slow things in
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  Speaker 1: time bear fruit. Several weeks had passed, and the room
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  Speaker 1: Nariah built for Elisha had already become something of a sanctuary.
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  Speaker 1: It was nothing extravagant, Miriam wouldn't allow it, but it
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  Speaker 1: was well-crafted, sturdy, with smooth beams and a door that
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  Speaker 1: fit perfectly in its frame, the mark of a master builder.
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  Speaker 1: The small table and chair sat by the window, and
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  Speaker 1: the oil lamp flickered softly in the evening air. There
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  Speaker 1: was a bed, simple, but far better than the ground
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  Speaker 1: Elisha had grown accustomed to. Tonight, Elisha sat on that bed,
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  Speaker 1: absentmindedly rolling a small stone between his fingers. Lost in thought, Gehazi,
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  Speaker 1: standing near the table, poured himself a cup of water,
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  Speaker 1: watching his master with an expression that could have either
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  Speaker 1: been amusement or frustration.
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  Speaker 4: You're thinking again.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha glanced up, smirking.
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  Speaker 2: You disapprove? Only because I know what follows.
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  Speaker 4: You get that look in your eyes. The same one
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  Speaker 4: you had when you decided to leave a perfectly good
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  Speaker 4: farm and a perfectly wealthy family to go live in
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  Speaker 4: the wilderness with Elijah.
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  Speaker 1: Elijah chuckled softly. He set the stone down, stretching his
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  Speaker 1: legs out in front of him.
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  Speaker 2: You think too much like my father.
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  Speaker 1: Gehazi leaned against the table, crossing his arms.
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  Speaker 4: Your father was a practical man.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, he was.
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  Speaker 1: A pause. Elisha picked up the stone again, turning it
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  Speaker 1: over in his hands, feeling the weight of it.
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  Speaker 4: You know, your father, he thought I was wasting my
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  Speaker 4: time looking after you. Thought you were foolish for leaving.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha's smirk faltered slightly. I'll remember when you were a boy.
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  Speaker 4: You wanted so badly to run off, follow every wind,
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  Speaker 4: chase every whisper. Your father, he thought if he kept
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  Speaker 4: you working, kept you grounded, you'd forget about all that.
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  Speaker 4: You'd learn to be satisfied with the life given you.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha turned the stone over again, staring at it.
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  Speaker 4: But you didn't believe that. I knew better than to
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  Speaker 4: fight the inevitable. I just tried to keep you alive
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  Speaker 4: long enough to get there.
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  Speaker 1: They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of
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  Speaker 1: years resting between them. Then Elisha exhaled, shaking his head.
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  Speaker 2: Miriam and Uriah, they've given us so much.
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  Speaker 1: They have?
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  Speaker 2: I wish there was something I could do for them.
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  Speaker 1: Gehazi let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, I don't know, master.
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  Speaker 4: What could possibly be given to the most generous people
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  Speaker 4: in Shunem? They have wealth, land, respect. They lack for nothing. Well,
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  Speaker 4: almost nothing.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha's brow furrowed.
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  Speaker 2: What do you mean?
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  Speaker 4: A child is the only thing they don't have. You
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  Speaker 4: remember when they told us at dinner? Weeks ago. They've
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  Speaker 4: prayed for years. But some things, it seems, even God
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  Speaker 4: chooses not to give.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha's expression changed. His eyes brightened. He sat up straighter.
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  Speaker 2: That's it!
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  Speaker 1: Elisha lowered his head. A breath. A pause. His lips moved. Silent.
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  Speaker 3: Brief.
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  Speaker 1: Then, slowly... He lifted his face again, and he smiled,
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  Speaker 1: a small, knowing smile, the kind Gehazi had seen before,
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  Speaker 1: the kind that meant Yahweh had spoken. Elisha rose to
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  Speaker 1: his feet, his movement steady, assured.
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  Speaker 2: Come, Gehazi, we have a message to deliver.
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  Speaker 1: Miriam was needing bread when they found her. The smell
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  Speaker 1: of flour and honey lingered in the air, and Naraya
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  Speaker 1: sat nearby, carving something into a block of wood. A
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  Speaker 1: small horse, perhaps, though unfinished. When she saw Elisha and
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  Speaker 1: Gehazi approaching, she wiped her hands on her apron, tilting
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  Speaker 1: her head curiously.
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  Speaker 5: Prophet, what brings you out so late?
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  Speaker 2: My friends, the Lord has heard your prayers.
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  Speaker 1: Naraya glanced up, Miriam's hands stilled.
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  Speaker 2: By this time next year, you will hold a child
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  Speaker 2: in your arms.
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  Speaker 1: The words hung in the air, trembling with weight. Miriam
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  Speaker 1: stared at him. For the first time in all their
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  Speaker 1: knowing of her, she looked unsure.
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  Speaker 5: Please, Elisha, don't give me false hope.
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  Speaker 2: I only speak what Yahweh has given me to say.
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  Speaker 1: A breath, a moment... Then Miriam swallowed hard, nodding. Behind her,
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  Speaker 1: Naraya exhaled, setting down his carving. His hand found hers.
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  Speaker 1: They said nothing else. For the first time in a
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  Speaker 1: long time, their prayers no longer felt like they were
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  Speaker 1: drifting into an empty sky. The years passed. The prophecy
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  Speaker 1: had come true. Miriam and Naraya had born a son.
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  Speaker 1: A beautiful boy, the light of his parents' lives. Asa,
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  Speaker 1: named for healing, for restoration, for hope renewed. He grew
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  Speaker 1: up beneath Nariah's strong hands, learning how to hold a chisel,
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  Speaker 1: how to shape wood. He spent his mornings in Miriam's kitchen,
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  Speaker 1: sneaking bits of bread dough when he thought she wasn't looking.
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  Speaker 1: He had his father's laugh and his mother's eyes. Elisha
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  Speaker 1: saw him often. He was always running, always moving, always laughing.
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  Speaker 1: Miriam was never seen without him, her hand on his back,
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  Speaker 1: ruffling his hair, kissing his forehead. And Naraya, the man
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  Speaker 1: who had spent his life building homes for others, had
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  Speaker 1: finally felt he was building something of his own. The
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: day had started like any other. The sun was high.
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  Speaker 1: Asa was running through the fields, his small feet kicking
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  Speaker 1: up dust, his laughter bright as he chased after the workers. Naraya,
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  Speaker 1: standing near the frame of a new house, turned at
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  Speaker 1: the sound of it, shaking his head with fondness.
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  Speaker 5: Then.
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  Speaker 4: Abba, my head, it hurts!
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  Speaker 1: It was small at first, a hand pressed to his temple,
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  Speaker 1: a slight wobble in his step. Then he staggered. Then
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  Speaker 1: he fell. By the time Naraya reached him, he was
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  Speaker 1: barely conscious. Asa?
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  Speaker 2: Asa, Asa, look, look at me!
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: The boy whimpered. Naraya lifted him, cradling him in his arms,
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  Speaker 1: and strode toward the house, his voice calling for Miriam
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  Speaker 1: before he even reached the door. Inside, she took him,
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  Speaker 1: holding him against her, whispering prayers, rocking him as if
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  Speaker 1: she could will the life back into him. For hours,
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  Speaker 1: she sat there, For hours she begged, but as the
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: sun reached its peak, Aesir's small chest rose one final
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  Speaker 1: time and did not rise again. Silence. The boy was gone.
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  Speaker 1: Nerea stood still, unmoving, his hands clenched so tightly they shook. Then,
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  Speaker 1: without a word, he turned and left the room. Miriam
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: didn't see where he went, didn't see him collapse outside,
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: pressing his fists to his eyes, shoulders shaking with silent,
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: broken sobs. She only knew what she had to do. Carefully, reverently,
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  Speaker 1: she carried their son's body to Elisha's room. She laid
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: him on the prophet's bed. Then she turned towards her husband,
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  Speaker 1: wiping the tears from her face.
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  Speaker 5: Send word for Elisha.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha had come as soon as he heard. The messenger
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: arrived breathless, dust caked to his feet, his words tumbling
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  Speaker 1: out between gasps. Asa has died. Miriam had laid him
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  Speaker 1: in Elisha's room. She and Nariah waited in silence, grief
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  Speaker 1: a black, leaden weight over their house. Elisha and Gehazi
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  Speaker 1: had left immediately, no hesitation, no wasted words. The journey
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  Speaker 1: to Shunem was a blur of sun-scorched roads and pounding hearts.
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: Gehazi ran ahead, the urgency pressing on him, while Elisha
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: walked with the slow, deliberate steps of a man carrying
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: something unseen but unbearably heavy. He had heard a story
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  Speaker 1: like this once, when he was younger, during his first
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: year as Elijah's apprentice. His master had told him about
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  Speaker 1: a woman in Zarephath, a widow whose son had died
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  Speaker 1: in her arms. I laid the lad on the bed.
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  Speaker 1: I stretched myself over him and cried out to the Lord.
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  Speaker 3: And he answered.
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  Speaker 1: Elisha had listened, fascinated. Now as he stepped into the quiet,
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: heavy air of Nariah and Miriam's home, the echoes of
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: that tale rang in his mind. But they felt distant,
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  Speaker 1: like something that had happened in another world, to another man.
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  Speaker 1: This was now. This was real. Elisha entered first. The
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: small room, so carefully built, so freely given, felt different now.
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  Speaker 1: The light from the single window was pale, muted. The
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: air was thick with silence. And there, on the prophet's bed,
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  Speaker 1: lay Asa. Small. Still. Gone. Miriam stood near the door,
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  Speaker 1: her arms wrapped around herself, as if trying to hold
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  Speaker 1: in everything that threatened to spill out. Noriah stood beside her,
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  Speaker 1: his hands clenched at his sides, the grief barely held
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: at bay beneath the tension in his jaw. Elisha barely
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  Speaker 1: had time to turn toward them before Miriam's voice cut
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  Speaker 1: through the silence, raw and shaking.
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  Speaker 2: Why did you come?
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  Speaker 1: Elisha froze. Her eyes were red-rimmed, wild with grief. She
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: took a step forward, her breath unsteady.
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  Speaker 5: I told you not to give me false hope.
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  Speaker 2: I told you. I didn't ask for a son.
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  Speaker 5: I didn't ask for any of it. I would rather
• 19:45
  Speaker 5: have been barren forever than feel this. Why?
• 19:49
  Speaker 4: Why?
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  Speaker 1: Why would God do this? Why would he give only
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: to take? Her voice cracked. Elisha let the words hit him,
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: let the weight of them settle. He could have rebuked her.
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: He could have told her to have faith. But what
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: did words mean in the face of this? Instead, he
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: stepped forward, slowly, gently, and he placed his hand over hers.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know.
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  Speaker 1: Miriam inhaled sharply, as if bracing for a second blow.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know why God does what he does. I
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: don't know why he allows grief to take root where
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: joy once bloomed.
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  Speaker 1: Her breath hitched.
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  Speaker 2: But I do know that he sees you. He sees this.
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  Speaker 1: His hand, warm and firm, stayed over hers.
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  Speaker 2: And I know he's not done yet.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: Miriam's lips trembled. Her body, once taut with rage, sagged.
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  Speaker 1: The fight in her was slipping away. Not because she
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: no longer felt it, but because she had no more
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: strength to wield it. Elisha squeezed her hand once before
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: stepping past her. toward the boy. Elisha reached the bed
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  Speaker 1: and placed a hand on Asa's forehead. This was a
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: moment where faith had to be more than words, a
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: moment where trust had to be something lived. Elisha exhaled,
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  Speaker 1: and then he did as Elijah had done. He stretched
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  Speaker 1: himself over the boy, hands to hands, eyes to eyes,
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  Speaker 1: mouth to mouth. A prayer tore from his lips, rough, raw, desperate.
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  Speaker 2: Lord, let his life return.
• 21:43
  Speaker 3: Nothing.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: He tried again.
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  Speaker 2: Yahweh, hear me!
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: The boy's body remained still. Elisha sat back, exhaling sharply,
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: his heart pounding. He closed his eyes. This wasn't working.
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: He had done what Elijah had done, and yet... his
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: mind flickered back to something Elijah had said once. It
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: isn't the words, Elisha. It isn't the method. It is
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: the one who moves. Elisha exhaled, and he leaned down again,
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: not as a man mimicking another, but as a man
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: surrendering to something far greater than himself. He prayed, and
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: this time it wasn't desperate. It was trust. Then, a shudder,
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: a gasp. Asa's body convulsed beneath him and suddenly he
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: was coughing, breath spilling back into his lungs like water
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: bursting through a cracked dam. His eyes shot open, wide, confused, alive.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: Elisha pulled back, breathing hard, his own chest rising and
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: falling with disbelief and awe. Elisha turned, eyes locking with Miriam's.
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: For a long moment, she didn't move. Then she let
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: out a sound, something between a sob and a laugh,
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: and suddenly she was across the room, her arms wrapping
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: around Asa, pulling him close, her hands tangling in his hair,
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: her tears hot against his skin. Elisha stood back, watching,
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: his heart pounding, his body light. This is... This was
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: Yahweh's work. This was grace. Miriam, still holding her son,
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: turned her tear-streaked face toward him. Her lips parted, but
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: no words came. Elisha only nodded and departed. Steve Gatina,
• 24:01
  Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Schelleberger and Ben Gammon are the executive
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna Pilcher and
• 24:21
  Speaker 1: Mitch Lashinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvato,
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: Brie Rosely and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey.com
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: productions on the Prey.com app, available on the Apple App
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People,
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: please rate and leave a review.