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King Xerxes & The Exiled Queen · The Chosen People

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  Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People The city of David had
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  Speaker 1: fallen silent, covered in darkness, hope flickering feebly beneath the ruins.
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  Speaker 1: Rough ropes bound the children of Israel as they stumbled forward,
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  Speaker 1: each step a grim reminder of their stolen freedom. This
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  Speaker 1: is what we've taken in five years.
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  Speaker 2: Saris, Ekbatan, Asusa, from the mountains to the sea my
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  Speaker 2: armies have marched.
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  Speaker 1: Mercy hides in margins. The god who once thundered from
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  Speaker 1: Sinai knows how to set a table, even in Babylon.
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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 heart
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  Speaker 1: of the world's greatest empire, power was not whispered. It
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  Speaker 1: was shouted from palace rooftops and poured into ornate goblets.
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  Speaker 1: And King Xerxes was not a man of half measures.
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  Speaker 1: For 180 days he wined and dined the nobles and
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  Speaker 1: officials of his empire, impressing them with his wealth, his
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  Speaker 1: dominion and his unstoppable might. Almost 15,000 of the most
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  Speaker 1: important men from King Xerxes' 127 provinces in the Empire
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  Speaker 1: of Persia, from India to Kush, came to feast with
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  Speaker 1: the king. The banquet was endless. For nearly six months,
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  Speaker 1: the capital city of Susa saw the glorious wealth of
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  Speaker 1: King Xerxes' kingdom on full display. Decadence abounded. Politics and
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  Speaker 1: treaties were discussed over broiled meats, hot baths, fine wines
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  Speaker 1: and palace prostitutes. It was power on display. Xerxes was
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  Speaker 1: a man of indulgence, yes, but also a man of
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  Speaker 1: remarkable tact. He used these events to test loyalties, securing
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  Speaker 1: alliances and collect rumours. When it was all done and
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  Speaker 1: the officials from the far corners of the empire had
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  Speaker 1: gone home, King Xerxes invited the people of Susa, the
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  Speaker 1: great and the small, to join in the revelry for
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  Speaker 1: another seven days of feasting. Silk banners billowed in the
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  Speaker 1: warm summer air, their edges catching the glow of intricately
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  Speaker 1: hammered bronze oil lamps. Solid gold couches adorned with plush
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  Speaker 1: cushions lined the palace gardens, nestled beneath twisting vines and
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  Speaker 1: the fragrant blooms of imported flowers. A menagerie of exotic
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  Speaker 1: animals roamed freely, captivating the guests. Brilliant birds with iridescent
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  Speaker 1: plumes and stilt-like legs flitted through the trees, while pygmy
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  Speaker 1: deer and docile reptiles meandered about. It was a marvel,
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  Speaker 1: it was a show, it was power on display. And
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  Speaker 1: at the center of it all, drinking in the admiration,
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  Speaker 1: sat King Xerxes himself. Surrounded by his admirers and his
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  Speaker 1: seven loyal eunuchs, he basked in his own greatness, utterly
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  Speaker 1: assured that nowhere, for thousands upon thousands of miles, was
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  Speaker 1: there anyone, Who would dare question him?
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  Speaker 3: Have you seen such a kingdom? Such splendor? Such a king? No, no,
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  Speaker 3: not a king.
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  Speaker 4: A god!
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  Speaker 1: The applause washed over him. Satisfied, Xerxes leaned back. stretching
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  Speaker 1: lazily upon his throne. Then, suddenly, he straightened as a
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  Speaker 1: thought struck him.
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  Speaker 3: My friends, you have seen my wealth, you have seen
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  Speaker 3: my empire, but you have not yet seen my greatest treasure.
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  Speaker 1: He smirked at the men around him, both prominent and plain.
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  Speaker 1: Being king came with many advantages, but there was one
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  Speaker 1: that was perhaps the most advantageous.
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  Speaker 3: Of all, Bring me Queen Vashti.
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  Speaker 1: Surprise rippled through the nobleman. As king, Xerxes could have
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  Speaker 1: any woman he desired. Men tripped over themselves to offer
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  Speaker 1: their most beautiful daughters. Every nobleman was eager for the
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  Speaker 1: power a royal marriage would bring. Queen Vashti was more
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  Speaker 1: than a renowned beauty. She was a strategic match. Her
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  Speaker 1: family was powerful. and wealthy, but Xerxes was no ordinary husband.
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  Speaker 1: He was the king of the greatest empire on earth,
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  Speaker 1: and it was this thought that inspired his next.
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  Speaker 3: Tell her to wear her royal crown. Let my guests
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  Speaker 3: behold the jewel of Persia.
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  Speaker 1: There was a dangerous frivolity to this request. Emboldened by
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  Speaker 1: the wine, the men hollered and laughed like teenagers at
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  Speaker 1: the thought of the Queen of Persia parading before them
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  Speaker 1: in her crown. Across the palace, a similar, albeit more subdued,
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  Speaker 1: banquet was being held for the women of Queen Vashti's court.
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  Speaker 1: Queen Vashti was seated slightly above them all. She was regal, composed.
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  Speaker 1: a woman accustomed to power. Vashti's keen, politically savvy senses
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  Speaker 1: picked up on approaching footsteps down the hall from their gathering.
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  Speaker 1: They were heavy and authoritative. Queen Vashti arched a brow
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  Speaker 1: as she turned her head and saw that her suspicions
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  Speaker 1: were confirmed. A messenger from the king slowed his pace
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  Speaker 1: as he approached the knot of noble women around Queen Vashti.
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  Speaker 1: The man hesitated, as if unsure of how to proceed,
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  Speaker 1: and the other women hushed as they took notice of
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  Speaker 1: his approach. The messenger bowed.
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  Speaker 5: Your Majesty, the king summons you. He's demanded you come
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  Speaker 5: at once.
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  Speaker 1: Queen Vashti assessed him in her severe and exacting way.
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  Speaker 1: Though she didn't indicate that she noticed, she reveled internally
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  Speaker 1: at the man. struggling not to shrink under the intensity
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  Speaker 1: of her gaze.
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  Speaker 6: To what end? Why so immediate?
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  Speaker 5: To display your beauty before the noblemen, and to wear
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  Speaker 5: your royal crown.
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  Speaker 1: The words assaulted Queen Vashti like a slap to the face.
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  Speaker 1: A concubine was acquired for beauty and spectacle, but not
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  Speaker 1: a wife, not a queen. The request was beyond insulting
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  Speaker 1: to Vashti's noble birth and royal status. Her eyes narrowed,
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  Speaker 1: and anger thrashed against her carefully crafted mask of indifference.
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  Speaker 6: My husband asks that I parade the symbol of my
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  Speaker 6: status before the court?
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  Speaker 1: The messenger winced at the undercurrent of anger in her non-question.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, your majesty.
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  Speaker 6: My husband would. Your Majesty.
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  Speaker 1: Vashti's most loyal handmaiden placed a gentle hand on her elbow. Hetak,
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  Speaker 1: Vashti's advisor, gave her a stern look of warning as well.
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  Speaker 1: The king's words were law over customs and etiquette, but
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  Speaker 1: Vashti's pride was too wounded and her anger too stoked
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  Speaker 1: to turn back now. In her mind, she could see
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  Speaker 1: the entire room of drunken men jeering and gawking, and
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  Speaker 1: her standing there, crown on her head, stripped of dignity.
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  Speaker 1: She might as well parade in there naked and dance
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  Speaker 1: on their table. The blood roared in her ears. She
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  Speaker 1: fixed the messenger with a lethal, predatory stare and gave
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  Speaker 1: her answer.
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  Speaker 6: Tell the king no.
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  Speaker 1: The air in the chamber shifted. The messenger flinched as
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  Speaker 1: if struck.
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  Speaker 5: My queen.
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  Speaker 1: Vashti met his gaze, unwavering, unshaken. She heard more than
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  Speaker 1: saw her handmaiden's gasp and shrink back in fear.
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  Speaker 6: My answer is no.
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  Speaker 1: The messenger lingered, uncertain. Then, realizing there was no room
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  Speaker 1: for negotiation in her answer, he turned and hurried from
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  Speaker 1: the chamber. The doors closed behind him. The air in
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  Speaker 1: the chamber remained tense, but Vashti's closest handmaid plucked up
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  Speaker 1: her courage and asked the question they were all thinking.
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  Speaker 6: Your Majesty, what will the king do? What will happen
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  Speaker 6: to you?
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  Speaker 1: Vashti inhaled deeply, steadying herself for the fallout to come.
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  Speaker 1: Her husband was not a man who was accustomed to
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  Speaker 1: being denied anything. Vashti and Xerxes had that in common.
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  Speaker 6: If the king is so eager to parade me like
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  Speaker 6: a spectacle, then reason has left him. I will not
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  Speaker 6: be degraded to the status of a concubine, or a
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  Speaker 6: common entertainer he can summon at will. I am the
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  Speaker 6: queen of Persia, and if my husband wishes to strip
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  Speaker 6: me of that title, he can come and take the
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  Speaker 6: crown from my head himself.
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  Speaker 1: And with that, she made her choice. a declaration of will.
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  Speaker 1: But there was only one will that ruled the day
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  Speaker 1: in Persia, and Vashti had just challenged it. Choices in
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  Speaker 1: Persia came with consequences. The mood had soured in the
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  Speaker 1: king's banquet hall and the laughter had faded. The crowd
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  Speaker 1: of men stood transfixed on the messenger kneeling before Xerxes,
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  Speaker 1: his head bowed low.
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  Speaker 3: Say it again.
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  Speaker 1: The messenger swallowed audibly and desperately tried to suppress his fear.
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  Speaker 1: She refuses, my king. Xerxes slammed his goblet down on
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  Speaker 1: the table. Anger sharpened his wine-dulled senses. Wine spilled across
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  Speaker 1: the gleaming surface dripping onto the floor mimicking the king's
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  Speaker 1: rising anger. The man avoided his gaze. No one dared breathe.
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  Speaker 1: The weight of silence was heavier than gold. She refuses.
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  Speaker 1: The queen refuses me. Once filled with revelry, the room
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  Speaker 1: now trembled under the weight of the king's fury.
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  Speaker 3: This is insubordination. This is humiliation. In front of my court.
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  Speaker 5: In front of my kingdom!
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  Speaker 1: He rose too quickly and his chair scraped against the marble.
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  Speaker 1: His hands curled into fists, trembling with rage. A murmur
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  Speaker 1: rippled through the gathered nobles. But where others panicked, others
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  Speaker 1: saw an opportunity. Memucan stepped forward. He was one of
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  Speaker 1: the king's eunuchs, one of his inner circle of wise men.
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  Speaker 1: Long ago, the kings of Persia and neighboring nations put
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  Speaker 1: into practice castrating the young men who served them so
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  Speaker 1: they would have no illusions of starting their own dynasty.
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  Speaker 1: But where they could not start a dynasty of their own,
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  Speaker 1: they could still bend them to their will.
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  Speaker 2: My king, your anger is justified.
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  Speaker 1: This is an outrage.
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  Speaker 4: The woman has forgotten her place.
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  Speaker 1: Xerxes' eyes narrowed, and the other men around the king
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  Speaker 1: piled onto Mamucan's inflammatory comments, seeking the king's favor. But
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  Speaker 1: there was another in the shadows of the court. Haman,
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  Speaker 1: an Agagite noble, stood silently observing. His rise had been swift.
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  Speaker 1: In Haman's visits to court, he had found the eunuch
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  Speaker 1: Mamucan useful. A whisper here, A subtle nod there, and
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  Speaker 1: the puppet strings tugged, and Mamukon performed out Haman's schemes.
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  Speaker 1: Haman's gaze lingered on the king's flushed face, calculating. He
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  Speaker 1: knew unstable men were easily directed, even kings. Haman leaned
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  Speaker 1: over to Mamukon in the chaos and whispered in his ear,
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  Speaker 1: so only Mamukon could hear.
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  Speaker 5: Remind him who rules.
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  Speaker 1: His house, or sue. Mamucan's spine stiffened at Haman's words. Then,
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  Speaker 1: a slow smile crept across his face. Mamucan stepped forward
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  Speaker 1: again with new confidence.
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  Speaker 2: If her defense goes unanswered, what message does it send?
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  Speaker 2: If the queen can refuse the king, will not every
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  Speaker 2: wife in Persia refuse her husband?
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  Speaker 4: Your Majesty, what is a kingdom if the order of
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  Speaker 4: the home is broken? Chaos begins in whispers.
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  Speaker 1: And ends in ruin. A ripple moved through the Grand
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  Speaker 1: Hall and even out into the garden as news spread.
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  Speaker 1: Some nodded, others murmured. The suggestion took root, and Xerxes,
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  Speaker 1: ever influenced by the tide of opinion, noted the room's consensus.
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  Speaker 2: A decree must be made, one that ensures this defiance
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  Speaker 2: is never repeated.
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  Speaker 4: Let Vashti be vanished, or banished, that is to say.
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  Speaker 4: Let her name be struck from the annals of history,
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  Speaker 4: and let another more worthy.
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  Speaker 5: Take her place.
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  Speaker 1: Mamucan turned back to Haman, who gave him a smile
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  Speaker 1: and a slow nod. It was working. The king's pride
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  Speaker 1: was stroked. arousing a swell of anger and childish indignation.
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  Speaker 1: Xerxes exhaled sharply and stood. He slammed his royal scepter
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  Speaker 1: into the marble floor. Its echo was sharp.
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  Speaker 3: So it shall be. Queen Vashti shall be banished.
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  Speaker 1: And with that, the decision was sealed. Xerxes nodded to
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  Speaker 1: his guard, and they efficiently marched from the chamber, and
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  Speaker 1: toward the other side of the palace, Vashti's fate was
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  Speaker 1: sealed with each echoing footstep. When the doors to the
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  Speaker 1: queen's chambers burst open, Vashti did not rise. She did
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  Speaker 1: not speak. She did not fight. She did not need to. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: she lifted her chin as she was led from the palace,
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  Speaker 1: her silence her final act of power. And just like that,
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  Speaker 1: She was gone. The throne was empty, and a new
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  Speaker 1: search was ripe to begin. A search that would bring
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  Speaker 1: forth a new queen. A queen whose name would echo
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  Speaker 1: throughout the annals of history. A queen who would change
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  Speaker 1: the course of God's chosen people forever. And somewhere, far
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  Speaker 1: from marble halls and golden thrones... an orphan girl would
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  Speaker 1: soon step into a story no one could imagine. This
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  Speaker 1: PrayDog.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Schellewager and
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People,
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  Speaker 1: narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton,
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, You can
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