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Daniel & The King’s Dreams · The Chosen People

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People. Jerusalem had fallen, a city
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: once radiant now reduced to smouldering ruin. Babylon had descended swiftly, mercilessly,
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: and precisely, its armies as vast as a storm sweeping
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: relentlessly across the land. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah walked closely
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: behind Daniel, ropes cutting rawly into wrists.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: I am Ashpenaz.
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: King Nebuchadnezzar, in his wisdom, has summoned select men, young
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: of body and sharp of mind, to serve his courts.
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: You will learn our ways, master our language, unravel our mysteries,
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: and if you survive, You will stand among his greatest
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: advisors and govern your people on his behalf.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: Over ten days' time, the contrast between the four companions
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: and the other youths was stark.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: You are the one they call Daniel, yes?
• 1:08
  Speaker 4: Yes, great king.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: So, it was you who refused my generosity.
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: Yes, great king.
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: Strong arms, sharp minds. These are the pillars by which
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: I shall build this kingdom to outlast the others. Your
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: insolent challenge to our ways turned out to be a revelation.
• 1:36
  Speaker 4: It is in the law of Moses, great king. Our
• 1:39
  Speaker 4: people have endured because of our great God.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: I see. Then I shall inquire more about this law.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: and the god you claim gave it.
• 1:54
  Speaker 4: It would be my honor, great king, but be warned.
• 1:59
  Speaker 4: You have subjugated his people. Many kings have tried to
• 2:02
  Speaker 4: do the same, and the Lord has sought them out. Yes, yes.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: Well, then, I have decided on your new name, Daniel. Belteshazzar,
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: for it is you who shall protect me from the
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: wrath of your God.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: The air in the royal chamber was thick with the
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: perfume of cedar oil and myrrh, clinging to the silken
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: drapes that swayed in the heat. Nebuchadnezzar slept on a
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: bed carved from single slabs of cedar, its frame inlaid
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: with gold and lapis. His breathing was deep at first, measured,
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: but somewhere in the shadows of his mind a door opened.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: It began as a flicker, a soundless flash of gold
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: against a black horizon. Then a shape emerged in his mind.
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: He saw it tower above him, an image of a man,
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: yet not a man. Its head blazed like hammered gold
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: in the sun, so bright his eyes watered. Below that,
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: a chest and arms of silver caught the light. Its
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: belly and thighs were bronze, then iron legs descended, unyielding
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: and brutal. Finally, its feet, oddly fragile, were a mingling
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: of iron and clay. The king squinted at the feet,
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: seeing cracks in the mixture already forming. A cold wind rose.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar wanted to move, to flee, but his feet felt
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: fixed to the earth. Then he heard a sound. Not
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: the slow roll of thunder, but the sudden crack of
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: stone breaking. His eyes darted to the side. A boulder
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: was hurtling toward the image. It was perfectly round, not
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: cut from human hands. The stone struck the feet of
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: the statue with a force that made the earth shudder.
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: The clay exploded into shards. The image swayed, groaned, and then,
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: like the walls of a besieged city, the image collapsed.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: The king shielded his face from the cloud that rose.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Nothing remained of the statue. The stone that destroyed it
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: began to grow, slowly at first, then swiftly, until it
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: became a mountain so vast it swallowed the horizon. Then,
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: a terrifying voice broke through the chasms of his mind.
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: It is final.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: The king woke with a strangled gasp, the sound tearing
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: itself from his throat. For a long while, Nebuchadnezzar simply
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: sat where the dream had left him. He was half
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: upright in the bed, breath ragged, hands trembling against the
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: embroidered linen.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: Would a dream really rob me of my resolve?
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: He swung his legs from the bed, the chill of
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  Speaker 1: the marble floor biting at his bare feet. His eyes
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  Speaker 1: searched the chamber for some anchor in the present.
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: Wine.
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  Speaker 1: The servant who had been standing in the shadow of
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  Speaker 1: the doorway scurried forward, silver pitcher in hand. Nebuchadnezzar took
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: the cup and drank deeply, letting the burn fill his chest.
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  Speaker 1: For a moment he thought the heat might drive out
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: the cold gnawing at his spine.
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  Speaker 2: It did not. Summon the magi.
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  Speaker 1: The servant hesitated just long enough for the king's head
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  Speaker 1: to lift sharply.
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  Speaker 5: Now!
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  Speaker 1: When the servant was gone, the king rose and moved
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  Speaker 1: toward the lattice windows. Outside, Babylon sprawled beneath the moonlight.
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  Speaker 1: The city's walls were thick enough to withstand a siege
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  Speaker 1: from the greatest armies of the West. He was the
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  Speaker 1: most powerful and feared man in the ancient world. So
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: why did he feel fragile? He gripped the carved frame
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: of the window, his knuckles whitening. Somewhere in his mind,
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: the great image from the dream still towered over him.
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  Speaker 1: It had felt like a judgment. But whose judgment? Nebuchadnezzar
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  Speaker 1: sat at the center of his throne room, high upon
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: his carved ebony throne. One by one, the magi, astrologers,
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  Speaker 1: and Chaldean interpreters filed in. The eldest, Bel Tashur, a
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  Speaker 1: Chaldean scholar with hair like white river foam, stepped forward
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  Speaker 1: as the spokesman.
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  Speaker 5: O king, live forever. Tell your servants the dream, and
• 7:25
  Speaker 5: we will declare its interpretation.
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  Speaker 1: A lesser ruler might have taken comfort in the ritual
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: of these words. Nebuchadnezzar's eyes did not soften.
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  Speaker 2: No. No. If you are what you claim, you will
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  Speaker 2: tell me the dream itself and its meaning.
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  Speaker 1: The words fell into the chamber like a slab of
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  Speaker 1: stone into deep water. The ripples of shock were small
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  Speaker 1: at first, an exchange of glances, the faint shift of
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  Speaker 1: weight from one foot to the other.
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  Speaker 5: Oh, king, no ruler has ever asked such a thing.
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  Speaker 5: The dream belongs to you. The interpretation to your servants.
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  Speaker 5: Give us the first, and we will give you the second.
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  Speaker 2: If I tell you the dream, you will speak whatever
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  Speaker 2: pleases me. No.
• 8:22
  Speaker 5: Such divinations are unheard of, my king. We cannot... You.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: Will tell me both, or you'll be torn limb from limb,
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: and your house is reduced to heaps of ash.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: Gasps broke the measured quiet. Several of the younger interpreters blanched.
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: One's mouth fell open before he caught himself. Belteshur stepped forward, lecturing.
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  Speaker 5: Oh, king, there is no diviner on earth who can
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  Speaker 5: do what you ask. No king, however great, has demanded
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  Speaker 5: such a thing of any magus or enchanter. Only the
• 8:59
  Speaker 5: gods could reveal it, and they do not dwell with men.
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: The final sentence hung in the air. Nebuchadnezzar nodded to Ariok,
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  Speaker 1: the captain of the guard. He dutifully nodded and stepped forward.
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  Speaker 2: Immediately.
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: Ariok drew his sword and lopped off Belteshur's head. It
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: hit the floor with a sickening thud before his knees
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  Speaker 1: crumbled down after it. Everyone in attendance panicked, stirring and
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  Speaker 1: ready to run.
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  Speaker 6: Hear this decree, for it is law the moment it
• 9:42
  Speaker 6: passes my lips!
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  Speaker 2: Let all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed! This
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  Speaker 2: is the word of King Nebuchadnezzar, the god of Babylon!
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  Speaker 1: The soldiers at the edges of the horse moved immediately.
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: The magi recoiled, voices breaking into protests, prayers, and denials.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: But the king did not look back at them. He
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: was already descending from the throne, the order burning in
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: his mouth like fire he had been waiting to breathe.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: The crack in his composure had become an open fracture.
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: From the palace gates, the order spilled into the streets.
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  Speaker 1: All the wise men of Babylon would die before the
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: sun set. By mid-morning, the sound of soldiers' approach reached
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: a quieter quarter of the city, a walled compound where
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: four young Judean exiles lived and studied. Ariok himself stepped
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  Speaker 1: through the gate. He had been there before to seek
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: the counsel of the Judean four. Daniel, seated at a
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  Speaker 1: low table with parchment spread before him, looked up. Behind him,
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: Hananiah and Mishael had been tending the garden, while Azariah
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: sorted clay tablets under the shade of an olive tree.
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  Speaker 1: The captain's expression was grim, but there was no malice
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  Speaker 1: in it.
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  Speaker 4: Ariok, is everything all right?
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  Speaker 7: Belteshazzar, son of Judah... By the order of the king,
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  Speaker 7: all wise men of Babylon are to be put to death.
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  Speaker 7: That includes you and your companions.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel rose slowly, searching the captain's face.
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  Speaker 4: Then why not barge through and impale me without this pretense?
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  Speaker 4: Your sword isn't drawn. Your soldiers aren't behind you. Is
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  Speaker 4: there something you wish to say?
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  Speaker 1: Ariok hesitated. He had been given orders. But he knew
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  Speaker 1: the king wasn't in his right mind. He also knew
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  Speaker 1: that Daniel and his companions possessed a different, deeper wisdom
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  Speaker 1: than the other Chaldeans. Perhaps, perhaps they could help.
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  Speaker 7: The king is consumed with a dream, and none of
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  Speaker 7: his enchanters, priests, or soothsayers can interpret his dreams.
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  Speaker 2: Right. Why don't they just make something up, like they
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  Speaker 2: always do?
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  Speaker 1: Ariok clenched for a beat, but Daniel filled in the gaps.
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  Speaker 4: The king wants them to tell the dream, doesn't he?
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  Speaker 2: Interesting. This must mean... The.
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  Speaker 4: King is beginning to doubt conventional Babylonian wisdom.
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  Speaker 1: Azariah turned to Daniel, a mixture of excitement and dread
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  Speaker 1: on his face.
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  Speaker 4: This is what we've been praying for, Daniel.
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  Speaker 7: You mean to tell me you prayed for the king's madness?
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  Speaker 4: No, no, quite the opposite. We've been praying King Nebuchadnezzar
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  Speaker 4: would see the truth. Though he is worshipped as God,
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  Speaker 4: there is one God of gods, the Lord of lords, Yahweh.
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  Speaker 7: And it's this Yahweh who has plagued the king with dreams?
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  Speaker 4: Yes, and it's Yahweh who will provide the king his interpretation.
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  Speaker 1: The weight of the words settled on them like the
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  Speaker 1: desert sun. Hananiah bit his fingernails and paced the room.
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  Speaker 7: If we go before the king and fail, we die.
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  Speaker 2: If we do nothing.
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  Speaker 4: We die.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel glanced at each of them in turn, his own
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  Speaker 1: heart thudding like the tread of the approaching soldiers. He
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  Speaker 1: was no stranger to fear. It whispered to him now,
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  Speaker 1: urging caution, retreat, silence. But beneath it ran another current.
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  Speaker 1: Steady and stubborn.
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  Speaker 4: Ariok, go and tell the king that I will stand
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  Speaker 4: before him to tell him the dream.
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  Speaker 1: Ariok studied Daniel for a moment, the barest flicker of
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  Speaker 1: surprise crossing his features. Then he gave a curt nod.
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  Speaker 7: I will take you to him, but know this. His
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  Speaker 7: mood is like dry grass in the summer.
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  Speaker 4: One spark.
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  Speaker 1: He left the rest unsaid. The captain turned. the clink
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  Speaker 1: of his armour echoing against the courtyard walls. Daniel followed,
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  Speaker 1: head high, not in pride, but in seeking a knowledge
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  Speaker 1: higher than his. The morning sun had barely crested the
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: palace walls when Ariok led Daniel through the great gates.
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  Speaker 1: The air was heavier here, every sound muffled by the
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  Speaker 1: weight of protocol and fear. Ariok walked quickly, his armor
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  Speaker 1: whispering against itself with each step. At last, they reached
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  Speaker 1: the massive doors of the throne room. Two guards, spears
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  Speaker 1: in hand, stood like statues. With a nod from Ariok,
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: they swung the massive doors inward. The hall yawned before Daniel,
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: its ceiling lost in shadow.
• 15:11
  Speaker 7: Great King! I have found among the exiles of Judah
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  Speaker 7: a man who claims he will make known to you
• 15:17
  Speaker 7: your dream and interpretation.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar's gaze did not leave Daniel.
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  Speaker 2: Belteshazzar, are you truly able to do this? Or are
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: you stalling so your friends might escape my wrath?
• 15:34
  Speaker 4: You are wise enough to know I am not a liar,
• 15:37
  Speaker 4: great king. Nor would any of my attempts thwart your will.
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  Speaker 2: Tell me how do you speak with such confidence in
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: my halls.
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  Speaker 4: No wise man enchanter or magus can declare to the
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  Speaker 4: king the mystery you have asked but there is a
• 15:57
  Speaker 4: god in heaven who reveals mysteries he has made known
• 16:01
  Speaker 4: to you oh king what shall be in later days.
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  Speaker 1: And what does your god have to say Daniel drew
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: a deep breath, then looked over to Ariok, who refused
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: to meet his eyes. Fair enough. Daniel was on his
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: own now. He paced around the massive raging cauldron and
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: addressed the king.
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  Speaker 4: I saw your dream. You, oh king, were watching. And behold,
• 16:31
  Speaker 4: an image. A great image. Its appearance was dazzling.
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  Speaker 5: Terrible.
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  Speaker 4: Towered before you, casting a shadow that swallowed the earth.
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  Speaker 4: Its head was of fine gold. The chest and arms
• 16:47
  Speaker 4: were of silver. The belly and thighs were bronze. The legs, iron,
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  Speaker 4: and the feet, part iron, part clay, fragile and easily fractured.
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: The king's lips parted slightly, though he said nothing. Daniel's
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: tone deepened, gathering force.
• 17:09
  Speaker 4: You watched it in horror. And then you saw a
• 17:12
  Speaker 4: stone cut, not by human hands, hurtling towards the image.
• 17:18
  Speaker 4: It struck the feet of iron and clay with such
• 17:21
  Speaker 4: force that they shattered.
• 17:24
  Speaker 8: The whole image swayed, cracked, and collapsed. The gold, the silver,
• 17:31
  Speaker 8: the bronze, the iron, the clay. broken into pieces so
• 17:36
  Speaker 8: small that the.
• 17:38
  Speaker 4: Wind carried them away like chaff from the threshing floor.
• 17:44
  Speaker 4: Nothing remained, not a fragment, not a single speck of grain.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: Around the hall, courtiers shifted, glancing between Daniel and the king.
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar's fingers curled over the arms of his throne. Daniel
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: stepped closer. His voice almost a whisper now.
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  Speaker 4: And the stone that struck the image grew. Slowly at first,
• 18:11
  Speaker 4: then swiftly. Until it became a great mountain. And that
• 18:17
  Speaker 4: mountain filled the whole earth. And you were terrified. Although
• 18:22
  Speaker 4: you didn't know why. For the first time perhaps in
• 18:26
  Speaker 4: your life, you felt small.
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  Speaker 2: Fragile.
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  Speaker 4: And that feeling fills you with more dread than a
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: thousand armies. The feeling that perhaps you are not the
• 18:39
  Speaker 4: most powerful king in the world after all.
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  Speaker 1: Daniel let the quiet stretch, not out of hesitation, but
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: to let the truth settle into the cracks it had
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  Speaker 1: just found.
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  Speaker 2: And what does it mean?
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: The court leaned forward without meaning to. Even the guards
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: at the pillars seemed to stand a little taller.
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  Speaker 4: You, O king, are the head of gold. The God
• 19:12
  Speaker 4: of heaven has granted you dominion, power, strength, and glory.
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  Speaker 4: Into your hand he has placed all mankind.
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  Speaker 1: A flicker of pride and satisfaction passed across Nebuchadnezzar's face.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: This was language he knew. Daniel's tone shifted, though. He
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: refused to flatter the king.
• 19:35
  Speaker 4: But no man is immortal, and no empire lasts. After
• 19:41
  Speaker 4: you shall arise another kingdom, beautiful but inferior to yours.
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  Speaker 6: Silver.
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  Speaker 4: Yes, then a third of bronze, which shall rule over
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  Speaker 4: the whole earth. And a fourth kingdom shall be strong
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  Speaker 4: as iron.
• 20:01
  Speaker 2: But then there will be another after it, one of
• 20:05
  Speaker 2: silver and clay.
• 20:07
  Speaker 4: Correct. Correct. A divided kingdom. It will have some of
• 20:12
  Speaker 4: the strength of iron, but the brittleness of clay. They
• 20:16
  Speaker 4: will mix with one another, but will not hold together,
• 20:20
  Speaker 4: just as iron does not bind to clay.
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: Nebuchadnezzar's fingers drummed against the throne arm, the sound sharp
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: in the hushed hall.
• 20:30
  Speaker 4: And in the days of those kings, the God of
• 20:33
  Speaker 4: heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed.
• 20:37
  Speaker 4: It will not be left to another nation. Break in
• 20:41
  Speaker 4: pieces all the kingdoms of the earth and bring them
• 20:45
  Speaker 4: to an end. And his kingdom shall stand forever.
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: The words hung in the air like a drawn bow.
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: Daniel let the silence stretch before adding the final stroke.
• 21:00
  Speaker 4: The stone that you saw, cut from the mountain without hands,
• 21:05
  Speaker 4: that is the kingdom of the living God, not built
• 21:08
  Speaker 4: by man. nor toppled by man. It will grow until
• 21:13
  Speaker 4: it fills the entire earth.
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: The court was still. Even the torches seemed to burn
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: without flicker. Nebuchadnezzar leaned back slowly. His eyes stayed on Daniel,
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: not in rage, but in something more dangerous to his pride, wonder.
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: This man spoke to him as no one else dared,
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: not as a servant to a master, but as one
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: who feared a higher throne. The king's mouth curved in
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: the faintest shadow of a smile, not of amusement, but
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: of recognition, and perhaps a hunger for more. The king
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: rose slowly from his throne. Every rustle of his robe,
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: every step down the dais, was magnified in the silence.
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: Courtiers lowered their heads, some in reverence, others in fear
• 22:12
  Speaker 1: that the next words would unleash fury. When he stopped
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: before Daniel, the two men were eye to eye.
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: Truly, your God is God of gods, Lord of kings,
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: and revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: reveal this mystery to me.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: The words were not surrender. Nebuchadnezzar was not a man
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: to yield so quickly. But there was a crack in
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: the marble, small yet undeniable. He turned to the court,
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: his voice rising.
• 22:50
  Speaker 6: Clothe Belteshazzar in fine garments. Place a chain of gold
• 22:54
  Speaker 6: around his neck. Let it be known, Belteshazzar shall be
• 22:58
  Speaker 6: chief of the wise men of Babylon and ruler over
• 23:02
  Speaker 6: the province.
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: Gasps rippled through the hall, followed by hurried bows and
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: murmured assent. Servants moved quickly to obey, draping the foreigner
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: in silks, the gold chain catching the firelight. But while
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: the court marveled at the king's generosity, Nebuchadnezzar studied Daniel
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: with something else in his eyes, a restless curiosity. This
• 23:31
  Speaker 1: was not the gaze he gave his gods of stone
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: and gold. This was something almost like respect, and in
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: the deepest corner of his heart, the faintest spark of longing.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: For the first time in years, the great king of
• 23:49
  Speaker 1: Babylon had met someone who did not fear him more
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: than God. And though he would not admit it, not yet,
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: that encounter... would haunt him far longer than the dream itself.
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: This Pray.com production is only made possible by our dedicated
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Schellebarger
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: and 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,
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  Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradok
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  Speaker 1: Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Lashinsky. Music by
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  Speaker 1: Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvato, Brie Rosely, and
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  Speaker 1: Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey.com productions on the
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  Speaker 1: Prey.com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google
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  Speaker 1: Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate
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  Speaker 1: and leave a review.