Absalom’s Attack

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: Absalom is to be exiled from Jerusalem. If he dares step foot in my city, if I so much as hear the hooves of his donkeys cross my gates, he shall die. Mark it, Benaiah. Let the walls know. He is banished. 00:00:18 Speaker 3: You mourn the living like the dead. 00:00:22 Speaker 1: Bring Absalom home and end this. 00:00:25 Speaker 2: And if I did, what would I say? Doesn't have to be poetry, David. 00:00:32 Speaker 1: Invite Absalom back. Then Absalom fell to his knees. He spread his arms wide, his face turned to the ground. A single tear traced his cheek as he whispered. Father, I am here. 00:00:52 Speaker 4: Forgive me. 00:00:54 Speaker 1: It was a perfect performance. 00:00:56 Speaker 2: I forgive you, my son. Welcome home. 00:01:00 Speaker 1: The stage was set. Let the game begin. The sun hung low over Jerusalem, painting the stones of the city gold. But the true light that day was Absalom. Glorious, charming, deadly. Absalom was at the gates waiting, searching for something, someone. He saw an old farmer approaching the gates and smiled wide. 00:01:40 Speaker 5: You there, traveler, where do you come from? 00:01:44 Speaker 1: The old man turned, startled, squinting beneath his hand. 00:01:49 Speaker 4: I'm a farmer from Shiloh, the tribe of Ephraim. 00:01:53 Speaker 5: Ah, yes, Ephraim, the ruby crown of Israel. Come, drink, my friend, water from the well of Hezekiah and wine to ease your legs. You've come a long way. 00:02:07 Speaker 4: Oh, well, yes, I thank you, my lord. But I must hurry. I have a matter for the king. 00:02:14 Speaker 1: Absalom tilted his head, feigning regret. 00:02:17 Speaker 4: Blast it! 00:02:20 Speaker 5: I'm afraid you've wasted the trip, my poor friend. You see, the king no longer sees petitioners. Too troubled, they say. Burdened with grief, sorrow, and age. 00:02:32 Speaker 4: But I. 00:02:34 Speaker 1: Absalom placed a hand on the man's shoulder. His brow was low and earnest, meeting the farmer's gaze with compassion. 00:02:43 Speaker 4: I'm a son. 00:02:44 Speaker 5: Perhaps I can be of service to you. 00:02:47 Speaker 4: You, the son? 00:02:51 Speaker 5: Yes, good fellow. I am Absalom, heir to the throne. Perhaps you've heard the name? 00:02:58 Speaker 4: Forgive me, my prince. I did not know. 00:03:03 Speaker 5: Oh, please, no apologies necessary. You've been toiling in the soil of Israel with your head low and heart sturdy. Of course you wouldn't recognize me. Now please, tell me your trouble. 00:03:19 Speaker 1: And so the man told his tale. Absalom listened with a deep frown, like a man burdened with sorrow for every wound in Israel. 00:03:30 Speaker 5: Oh, this is grievous indeed. 00:03:33 Speaker 1: I'm glad you brought this to me. 00:03:35 Speaker 5: Had I been king, you would never have needed to make such a journey. Every village would have had a voice in the court. Every voice would be heard. 00:03:45 Speaker 1: But alas, I am not. 00:03:47 Speaker 5: King David still sits on the throne, plucking his lyre and reading with the pampered Prince Solomon. 00:03:54 Speaker 4: I wish you were king, Lord Absalom. You're a man of the people. Perhaps we'd have justice if you were king. 00:04:04 Speaker 5: Yes, one day. One day the Lord may see fit to raise me up, for the people deserve a king who sees them. 00:04:13 Speaker 2: Until then. 00:04:14 Speaker 5: You know you have a prince at your side. 00:04:17 Speaker 1: The farmer left, and Absalom wore a tight grin on his face as he watched him leave. One of Absalom's guards tilted his head in confusion. 00:04:27 Speaker 2: My prince, why linger out here like a beggar? 00:04:32 Speaker 5: This is where I make my play for the throne. 00:04:35 Speaker 2: You already have enough men to storm the castle. Why talk to peasants out here? 00:04:41 Speaker 1: Absalom scoffed and shook his head. 00:04:45 Speaker 5: Because swords cannot cut what the heart holds dear. 00:04:49 Speaker 2: The throne is. 00:04:51 Speaker 5: Not one with blades alone. 00:04:53 Speaker 2: It is one with love. 00:04:55 Speaker 1: When the people no. 00:04:56 Speaker 5: Longer remember the feel of David's hand, but only the warmth of mine, then and only then will the city be ripe for the taking. 00:05:06 Speaker 1: Each morning, Absalom came to the gates and did the same thing again and again. He stood with his guards, his robes flowing, his smile ever ready. When men came to seek David, he told them the king was too busy to hear them. Then he'd listen. For four years he rose before dawn and sat in the shadow of the gates, a lion cloaked in lamb's wool. And the people, one by one, forgot the shepherd king and began to dream The wind whispered through the shuttered windows of Absalom's estate, carrying with it the chill of the oncoming winter. The room smelled of spiced wine and cedar logs burning in the fireplace. Absalom was ruminating over the hearth, eyes as sharp as a serpent's. The door creaked open behind him. Absalom knew who it was. A smirk twitched at the edges of his face. 00:06:18 Speaker 5: I knew you'd answer my call, Ahithophel. 00:06:21 Speaker 1: The elderly general slowly approached, his white beard glowing orange from the firelight. He was a regal-looking man, sturdy and stately. Ahithophel, the grandfather of Bathsheba. 00:06:37 Speaker 5: Sit, share a drink with me. We have much to discuss. 00:06:42 Speaker 1: Ahithophel sat. Absalom poured him a cup and slid it gently across the table. The two sat for a while in silence, staring into the fire. Absalom loved the game of politics. He was born for it. 00:06:58 Speaker 5: I've been wondering something. What was it like for you when David wed? I mean, you must have known something was awry when they united so soon after Uriah's... tragic death. 00:07:14 Speaker 2: What do you want, Absalom? 00:07:16 Speaker 5: The same thing you want, Ahithophel. 00:07:19 Speaker 2: David off the throne. So forward. So bold. You talk of treason so casually. What makes you think I want David. 00:07:30 Speaker 4: Off the throne? 00:07:33 Speaker 5: Let's agree not to insult each other's intelligence, hmm? I know you've wanted David off the throne ever since Uriah's death. I was there for the wedding. I saw the look of disgust on your face. You hate David, but even more, you love Israel. Two traits we share. Well, two out of three. 00:07:55 Speaker 2: And what's the third? 00:07:57 Speaker 5: We both know how the game is played. I can buy all the hired hands I need to storm the palace and seize the throne for myself, but you and I both know that's not enough. We need to sway the hearts of the people And the corpse. I've already done plenty of legwork for the former. It's the latter I need help with. Someone trusted on the inside. 00:08:21 Speaker 1: The old general stroked his beard and released a ragged sigh. One of resignation. He nodded, took a sip from the spiced wine, and winced as it burned on the way down. 00:08:35 Speaker 2: It can't look like treason. 00:08:38 Speaker 3: No. 00:08:39 Speaker 2: This must feel. 00:08:42 Speaker 4: Inevitable. 00:08:43 Speaker 2: As if the Lord himself handed you the throne. That's how David was able to ascend. But you, sir, don't have prophets anointing you with oil. No people singing songs about you. 00:08:56 Speaker 5: Perhaps it could be arranged. 00:08:58 Speaker 2: Write the script, and the city will play its part. Find yourself 200 men, chosen for their tongues, not their swords. They'll speak in every quarter, every alley, every house of meetings. They'll say the king himself has named his. 00:09:12 Speaker 4: Heir, Absalom. 00:09:15 Speaker 5: And what of the elders and courts? 00:09:18 Speaker 2: They'll think they've missed something vital. A meeting they weren't invited to. If enough people proclaim it, the elders will be too embarrassed to question it. 00:09:27 Speaker 5: I'll send them out at dawn. The king has chosen Absalom, they'll say. 00:09:33 Speaker 2: It is done. 00:09:34 Speaker 4: Rejoice! 00:09:37 Speaker 1: Absalom smirked. then jabbed at the fire with an iron rod, breaking the coals apart as if imagining David beneath it. 00:09:46 Speaker 5: And once the chant is loud enough, loud enough to drown out any truth, we strike. 00:09:54 Speaker 1: There was a bitterness in Ahithophel's tone, one that went beyond politics. Absalom caught it and raised an eyebrow. 00:10:04 Speaker 5: My, my, Ahithophel! You want him dead more than I do. 00:10:11 Speaker 2: He ruined my house, as she was my granddaughter. Her shame was my shame. Uriah worth ten of David. Let the Lord judge between us, but let David die. 00:10:26 Speaker 1: Absalom leaned back, considering. 00:10:29 Speaker 5: His advisors must fall with him. Benaiah, Jashubim, Abishai, Joab. Every pillar he leans upon must be snapped at the root. 00:10:38 Speaker 2: Then you should go to Hebron. Raise an altar, offer a sacrifice, make the people see your plenty. Make them see your holiness and reverence for the Lord. Once more, David will be pleased to see you worship. While they watch you with incense and prayers, we'll put the dagger in David's ribs. No one will suspect a man kneeling before the Lord to be the one wielding the blade. 00:11:04 Speaker 1: And so they plotted by firelight. In the days that followed, 200 men were sent, each carrying whispers like poison in their mouths. And the streets of Jerusalem, once loyal to David... began to murmur the name of Absalom as if it were already written upon the crown. And so the coup was not waged with swords or siege craft. It was built on words, on whispers. 00:11:36 Speaker 4: On belief. 00:11:40 Speaker 1: The moon hung cold and pale over Jerusalem. All was still, save for the faint crackling of coals in the hearth David lay in peace beside Bathsheba, their breaths rising and falling, with little Solomon between them. The great doors of his chamber burst open. David shot up, sword in hand, before his eyes were fully open. In the doorway stood Benaiah, wild-eyed and lit by torchlight. 00:12:11 Speaker 4: My king, arise! They're coming for you! 00:12:14 Speaker 2: What is the meaning of this? 00:12:16 Speaker 1: And then he heard it. Clamor. Distant at first, then closer. The pounding at the palace gate. The shouting. A name carried in the wind like a curse. Absalom. 00:12:30 Speaker 2: Who's out there? 00:12:31 Speaker 3: Absalom. 00:12:32 Speaker 4: The people have turned. 00:12:33 Speaker 5: They chant his name in the streets. 00:12:35 Speaker 3: He has declared himself king. 00:12:37 Speaker 1: David stood still, struck silent, and then realization dawned on him. 00:12:43 Speaker 2: He used the sacrifice as a decoy. He's been plotting this all along. A ghost or a lie? 00:12:52 Speaker 4: A mask? 00:12:52 Speaker 1: David sprang up and donned Jonathan's armor, weathered but still noble, and strapped Goliath's sword across his back. The weight steadied him. 00:13:03 Speaker 3: Are you going to fight them? 00:13:04 Speaker 4: No. 00:13:05 Speaker 2: I'll not see Jerusalem become a field of civil war. That's what Absalom wants. We flee now. Where's Joab? 00:13:15 Speaker 4: Gone. I don't know where. 00:13:17 Speaker 1: David nodded grimly. 00:13:19 Speaker 2: Then gather what men you can. Wake the servants. Escort my household to the brook Kidron. Solomon and I will be by your side. No, I'm too big a target. Go with Benaiah, my guards. Remain at their side. Solomon must live. He's the king to Israel's fortune. Benaiah, take my wives and children, the company of guards. We'll cross paths at the brook. 00:13:43 Speaker 1: The palace stirred with quiet panic as servants moved like shadows in the halls, rousing wives and children. The concubines remained behind, instructed to tend to the house. Absalom wouldn't harm them. David dropped from the window into the gardens below and mounted his horse. Hooves thudded on stone as they rode for the gates, but it was too late. Absalom's mercenaries had breached the walls. David drew steel, ready to fight them all himself. But before he could charge, two riders broke through the smoke and steel of the fray. Abishai and Jasherbeam, blades flashing in the firelight. 00:14:26 Speaker 5: Ride, my king! We'll cut your path! 00:14:30 Speaker 2: Be strong and courageous! 00:14:33 Speaker 1: David's eyes glinted with pride as his mighty men rode by his side. They fell on the mercenaries like wolves among cattle, carving a swathe through the chaos. Three of Absalom's men rode with spears poised to strike David. Jasherbeam threw a dagger at the man's eye, retrieved the spear, and used it to flail the second with one swift swoop. Abishai rode fiercely, leaped off his horse, and tackled the other to the ground. They scrambled before Abishai was able to gain the advantage with his knee pressed against his throat. The three of them rolled past the gates towards the brook Kidron. 00:15:17 Speaker 5: Just like old times, eh, Jash? 00:15:19 Speaker 2: Aye, this old man needs another adventure. 00:15:23 Speaker 1: David, battered and broken-hearted, rode from his own son, The king was fleeing, the usurper was rising, and war, once more, was coming to Israel. Under the hush of twilight, King David stood at the edge of the brook Kidron. Its course was steady, gentle, and tranquil. David looked out over the brook. The olive groves and tall trees lay before him, the place that would one day be known as Gethsemane. David then looked behind him, where his betrayers hoarded and conspired to kill him. He was fleeing for his life, but it didn't feel right. David's family stood behind him, ready to follow wherever he led. He stepped over the brook. Then, came a rustling from the trees. David turned, sword ready, but it was no enemy. The Kerethites, the Pelethites, the Gittites, foreigners and former exiles, servants of the king, they had come not to pillage, but to follow. David stepped forward, brow furrowed, amazed. Then there was more movement. Abiathar emerged from the trees, then Zadok, and behind them the rest of the Levites. Upon their shoulders, cloaked in reverence, rested the Ark of the Covenant. The presence of God had followed David into exile. 00:17:19 Speaker 2: Go back, serve the new king. There's only pain where I go. 00:17:23 Speaker 1: Abiathar, no longer a boy but the high priest of Israel, stepped forward. David stepped back, shaking his head with tears brimming at the sides of his eyes. 00:17:37 Speaker 2: We go with you. 00:17:39 Speaker 4: You are the Lord's anointed. 00:17:41 Speaker 1: David turned his face to the brook. Its silver surface mirrored his grief. He clenched his jaw and looked again at the ark. There was something small speaking within David, an inkling that the Lord was at work somehow. David turned to Zadok and Abiathar. 00:18:03 Speaker 5: No. 00:18:05 Speaker 2: Carry the ark back to the city. If I find favor in the Lord's eyes, he'll bring me home again to see it. 00:18:13 Speaker 1: But if not, here I am. 00:18:17 Speaker 2: Let him do as he pleases. Then we will remain in the city. We will send our sons. 00:18:22 Speaker 5: To bring you word. 00:18:24 Speaker 2: We will be your eyes and ears within the walls of Jerusalem. 00:18:28 Speaker 1: David embraced them, whispered blessings, and sent them back. Then he turned toward the forest, bleak and solemn under moonlight. The Mount of Olives awaited. His family waited at the base of the mountain while David pressed in further to be with the Lord. The sound of weeping faded as he found a solitary place. David, under the dancing shadows cast by moonlight through trees, prayed to God. 00:19:02 Speaker 2: This, this was the curse Nathan had spoke of. Violence and blood within my house. This is what I deserve. I ask, Lord, have mercy on me. 00:19:19 Speaker 1: Just then, a figure stumbled from the trees behind him. David drew his blade, but the face that emerged from the dark was no enemy. 00:19:29 Speaker 2: Hushai, is that you? 00:19:32 Speaker 1: One of David's most trusted counselors removed his hood. He was caked in dirt, his garments torn, and his breath ragged. 00:19:43 Speaker 2: My king, praise be to the Lord, you are saved. 00:19:46 Speaker 4: I thought Absalom had already struck you down. 00:20:02 Speaker 1: Filled with integrity nearly to a fault. It is what made the other counselors like Ahithophel hate him so much. It's why David needed him. 00:20:13 Speaker 2: Does the council know you've gone to be with me? 00:20:16 Speaker 3: Heavens no! Ahithophel has poisoned their minds. They have no idea where I am. 00:20:23 Speaker 4: Good. 00:20:24 Speaker 2: Then I need you to return to Jerusalem. 00:20:27 Speaker 4: No, no, my king. 00:20:30 Speaker 2: If you follow me up this mountain, You're but another mouth to feed. But if you go back, if you serve Absalom, you may yet be the blade in his counsel. 00:20:41 Speaker 3: You want me to spy for you? My king, I am no spy. Lying makes me so nervous. My hands stretch and I begin to stammer. 00:20:58 Speaker 2: I need you to focus, Ushai. Frustrate the Hithophelm. Feed him pleasant words. Learn Absalom's plans. Zadok and Ebiahar will send their sons to bring me what you discover. 00:21:10 Speaker 3: It will be done. 00:21:13 Speaker 2: Then go, clean yourself, and serve. 00:21:16 Speaker 4: The true king. 00:21:19 Speaker 1: Hushai vanished into the shadows, back toward Jerusalem, where chaos reigned. Half the city cheered for the traitor prince. The other half wept for the fleeing king. At his home, Hushai washed the dirt from his face. He looked into the mirror and saw not a fool as others claimed, but a servant of God and King. He tightened his belt, squared his shoulders, and went out to greet Absalom. War was coming, not of swords alone, but of whispers and masks and counsel in candlelit halls. And Hushai, would be the dagger in the dark. David's jaw quivered at the summit. It was cold and the air was unforgiving. He closed his eyes and fell to the ground. He clenched fistfuls of dirt and grass as he prayed vigorously to the Lord. Tears streamed down his wincing face. He lifted up his head to the skies and sang to God. 00:22:34 Speaker 2: O Lord, my foes are many, they're rising against me. They say to my soul there's no salvation for him in God. But you, O Lord, are a shield about me. You're the lifter of my head and my glory. You, O Lord, are a shield about me. You're the lifter of my head and my glory. I cried aloud to you and you answered me from. 00:23:04 Speaker 1: Your holy hill. David paused his singing and stood up, stretching his arms out to the Lord. He raised his fists in the air and sang with more fire and intensity than he had ever before. 00:23:24 Speaker 2: Arise, O Lord. 00:23:27 Speaker 1: Save me. 00:23:28 Speaker 2: Save me, O my God. For you strike all my enemies on the cheek. You break the teeth of the wicked. Arise, O Lord. Arise. Save me, O my God. Salvation belongs to the Lord. 00:23:47 Speaker 1: Arise. 00:23:48 Speaker 2: Arise. 00:24:00 Speaker 1: This PrayDog.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellevaga and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradok, Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Lashinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. written by Aaron Salvato, Brie Rosely, and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey.com productions on the Prey.com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate and leave a review.