David Destroys Amalek

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People. 00:00:22 Speaker 2: The Philistine kings have gathered at Aphek. They march against Saul and Jonathan. 00:00:28 Speaker 3: Does Achish demand more from us? 00:00:32 Speaker 2: We'd be lucky if we made it out of Ziklag. So David has a choice to make. Does he shed Jonathan and Saul's blood on the battlefield, or doom us and our families to burn in our own fields? 00:00:46 Speaker 1: David gathered his men, all six hundred of them, and led them from Ziklag. The kings were already gathered, warriors in their own right, hard men with darker eyes. Lords of Ekron, Gaza, Ashdod, and Ashkelon. I say he goes back. 00:01:06 Speaker 3: Send him back to whatever dirt hole you gave him. 00:01:10 Speaker 1: Go back to Ziklag. 00:01:12 Speaker 2: When we've defeated these Israelite dogs, some will likely run to our borders. 00:01:19 Speaker 1: I'll have you snatch them up. 00:01:25 Speaker 3: That smoke, it's coming from our village, our homes. 00:01:30 Speaker 1: And then they saw it. Ziklag was burned to a crisp. Charred timber lay scattered like bones. The Amalekites. 00:01:42 Speaker 3: You made us march away from our families. The Amalekites never would have attacked if we had been here. 00:01:55 Speaker 1: David remained motionless. He had not moved in hours. Not since they arrived, not since the fire-scarred earth had screamed its accusation with every fallen timber and scorched stone. His men hated him. His lies had forced them into an impossible situation. All of these men were forced to march away from their families to join the Philistine army. Thankfully, they had been spared from fighting, but when they returned, their village was reduced to rubble. The Amalekites had stolen everything, including their families. Benaiah was the most indignant of them all, bereaved of his wife and daughters, who were now in the clutches of an Amalekite horde who knows where. 00:02:48 Speaker 3: Their blood is on David's hands. 00:02:52 Speaker 1: Benaiah's voice echoed from the distance as David sat apart from the others. They all murmured in agreement. Even Jasherbeam kept his distance. David felt their ire stabbing into his chest. It was all his fault. He thought of their families, especially Abigail. Oh, Abigail, I'm so sorry. He thought of what the Amalekites would do to her and the others. They'd be made slaves or worse, used, abused, killed, all because of his recklessness and arrogance. David hated himself, and that hatred threatened to consume him entirely. David sat there, the charred village behind him and the vast plains before him. The wind bit at his tear-streaked face. That's when Abishai approached from behind. He was the loudest voice of criticism when they marched to Aphek, but had since been silent. The boy sat beside David, and for a while he said nothing. He just remained there, content to soak in the defeat with David. Then, with strength in his chest, Abishai broke the silence. 00:04:17 Speaker 2: I was too young to be in the ranks of Saul with Job. but he'd return with stories. 00:04:23 Speaker 1: David didn't look at Abishai, but he could tell that his smile creaked on the edges of his face by the way he mused. 00:04:31 Speaker 2: There was this one day, he returned to tell me about a boy who faced a giant. Saul wavered. Abner didn't step forward. Not even Job rose to the occasion. But this shepherd boy, stupid and filled with righteous resolve, stood where others trembled. It should have surprised me to hear it was you, but it didn't. We all knew you had the heart. 00:04:56 Speaker 1: Of a shepherd. David said nothing, his eyes tracing the constellations above. Their quiet order was a cruel contrast to the chaos below. Abishai looked up with him, straining to find the right words. 00:05:13 Speaker 2: I know you, David. I know you more than most of these men. I've observed you my whole life. That's why it's so infuriating to see you lead us with lies and compromise. 00:05:26 Speaker 3: It wasn't you. 00:05:27 Speaker 1: You're no wolf. 00:05:29 Speaker 3: You're a shepherd. 00:05:30 Speaker 1: A good shepherd. Abishai turned toward him, laying a hand on his shoulder. His grip was firm, not as a soldier to his king, but as kin. 00:05:43 Speaker 2: You were a shepherd before you were a giant slayer, and a shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 00:05:50 Speaker 1: Abishai stood and walked away, leaving David alone in the ruin. David watched Abishai vanish into the gloom and then turn toward the valley where the sheep once grazed. The scent of ash had faded and the wind swept over him like a breath from the heavens. He lifted his face to the stars. He stretched out his hands, trembling. His voice broke the silence, first as a whisper, then a roar. He cried aloud into the night, not with the weeping of despair, but the fury of awakening. 00:06:28 Speaker 2: But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the. 00:06:34 Speaker 3: Lifter of my head. 00:06:37 Speaker 1: He praised the Lord with clenched fists and heaving breath, pleading for grace, for strength, for redemption. And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon him like a hammer on iron, rekindling fire from cold steel. 00:06:56 Speaker 3: I am the anointed of the Lord. 00:06:57 Speaker 4: I am not the abandoned son of Jesse, nor the fugitive hiding in caves. I am the shepherd of God's people. 00:07:06 Speaker 1: David fetched Abiathar the priest. They consulted the ephod and inquired of God's will. David knelt in the dirt with his eyes closed, prayers earnest. 00:07:19 Speaker 4: O God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, shall I pursue the Amalekites? Shall I overtake them? 00:07:30 Speaker 1: The answer came. not as thunder, not as fire, but clear and unmistakable. Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and rescue all. David opened his eyes, and the flame in them could have kindled torches. In the open air, he donned the armor once given to him by Jonathan. He fastened Goliath's sword across his back, a blade heavy with memory. From his pack he retrieved his worn sling, turning it over in his hands, not as a trophy but as a shepherd's tool, as it had always been. He remembered not the Philistine champion but the lion that came for the lamb. He stepped out into the camp where the fires still smouldered and men still sat in stunned silence. Benaiah looked at him approaching with a scowl. Jashabim and Uriah barely looked his way. David clenched his jaw and raised his voice for all the men to hear. 00:08:36 Speaker 3: I'm going after them! 00:08:39 Speaker 1: Heads turned. Eyes blinked up at him, hollow and red. 00:08:44 Speaker 3: Alone. If I must. 00:08:48 Speaker 1: With that, he turned and strode into the darkness, his form swallowed by the land. The others didn't move. They sat in the silence, torn between despair and awe. The wind had quieted and the cricket's song had faded into the hush that comes just before dawn. The sky hung dim and colourless, the stars retreating one by one behind a veil of grey. David pressed on, alone. His breath was steady, his strides long. Two hours he had run, driven by desperation and fire. The Amalekites were days ahead, dragging wagons full of spoils and prisoners, and it would take more than strength to catch them. He stopped upon a hill and drank from the skin at his side. His legs ached and his heart thudded like a war drum in his chest. He scanned the horizon gauging the land and sky there was no sign of the enemy only the sun creeping above the ridge setting fire to the morning clouds then he heard the sound of marching David turned the light broke fully over the crest of the hill behind him and there they were crowned in gold by the rising sun 600. His men. Abishai led them, face set like iron. Jasherbeam was beside him, grim and weathered. Benaiah followed close, spear in hand, jaw clenched. And behind them, every last one. The weary, the grieving, the wounded. Yet not one had stayed behind. David's legs nearly buckled. His hands, scratched and bleeding, trembled at his sides. He bowed his head and tears rolled from his eyes into the dust. They had come. 00:11:02 Speaker 5: Not because they were commanded, but because they were his. He climbed to them, the morning wind curling through his hair. 00:11:14 Speaker 2: We will follow our shepherd to the bitter end. 00:11:22 Speaker 1: The chase had begun. By dawn, The trail was gone. The winds of the desert had swallowed the prints and scars of the Amalekite caravan. The sand lay undisturbed and the sky gave no answer. They searched the hills, called to one another, and walked in widening circles. Still, nothing. Even worse, two hundred of the men couldn't make it across the river. They were dwindled, weary, and losing all sense of direction. Benaiah climbed a ridge beside David. His face was pale from thirst, his mouth cracked and bleeding. 00:12:09 Speaker 3: Should we turn back and retrace the path? 00:12:11 Speaker 1: David did not answer at first. He stood at the summit and gazed out over the waste, stone, sun, and emptiness. His jaw was tight and his knuckles were white on the hilt of his sword. 00:12:27 Speaker 5: No. 00:12:28 Speaker 4: If we turn back, we surrender Tyenna. 00:12:31 Speaker 3: And time is a blade in our children's throats. 00:12:35 Speaker 1: As David and Benaiah stood atop the ridge, debating whether to retrace their steps or press on into nothingness, a voice cried out from below. 00:12:46 Speaker 3: David, come quickly! 00:12:48 Speaker 1: The two men scrambled down the slope. In the basin below, the warriors had formed a loose circle around someone. Uriah knelt at the center, his spear laid flat beside him. David pushed through the ring and saw a boy sprawled across the sand. The scarred brands along his neck marked him for what he was, a slave. David dropped to his knees and unfastened his water skin. The boy groaned, his mouth parting just enough to take in slow, trembling sips. His eyelids fluttered. Then he looked up. Thank you. At David's command, one of the men handed over a piece of bread, a fig cake, and two clusters of raisins. The boy ate with the desperation of the starving, barely pausing to breathe. 00:13:44 Speaker 4: Where are you from? 00:13:46 Speaker 1: Egypt. 00:13:47 Speaker 2: I was taken from the Nile when I was young. Sold, branded, given. 00:13:54 Speaker 1: To an Amalekite. Benaiah reached for his sword. His gaze darkened. 00:14:00 Speaker 3: It could be a trap, David. The Amalekites could be ready to pounce. 00:14:05 Speaker 4: I'm not so sure. The trail's gone cold. It seems this boy's been abandoned for days. 00:14:12 Speaker 3: Isn't that right, son? 00:14:14 Speaker 2: I fell ill during the march from Ziklag. My master had no use for sick cattle. 00:14:21 Speaker 1: He left me here to rot. David leaned forward, his voice lowering. 00:14:27 Speaker 3: Do you know where your master went? I do. 00:14:32 Speaker 4: Will you take us to them? 00:14:35 Speaker 1: The boy hesitated, long enough for the wind to shift, long enough for doubt to flicker in David's chest. Perhaps it was a trap. Then the boy looked up with tears glistening in his eyes. 00:14:49 Speaker 2: Please, sir, I know you don't owe me anything, but swear to me, swear by your God, swear you won't kill me or send me back, please. Swear it. 00:15:02 Speaker 1: David reached out and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. His eyes softened. 00:15:08 Speaker 4: You have my word. Lead me to them, and your life will be your own. Whether you flee to Egypt, stay in the wilds, or join us, the choice will be yours. 00:15:21 Speaker 1: The boy nodded. David turned to his men and raised a hand. 00:15:27 Speaker 3: Let's move. 00:15:28 Speaker 1: The men all saluted in response. They moved. Dust billowed beneath their boots as they followed the boy, weaving through ravines and rocky passes, over sun-scorched flats and between towering hills. And then, at last, nestled in a valley between two dark ridges, they saw it. The Amalekite camp. Dozens of tents sprawled across the plain. Fires burned and laughter echoed from below. David's hands curled into fists. He turned to his men, eyes gleaming with fury and faith. 00:16:09 Speaker 3: Ready yourselves. We strike at twilight. 00:16:13 Speaker 1: The Amalekites won't see them. The Amalekite camp roared with drunken laughter, echoing through the narrow stone canyons. Fires burned high and wild. Men drank from overflowing goblets, banged drums, danced with stolen women and shouted tales of plunder and conquest into the dark. They believed the gods had favoured them, but they knew nothing of the storm rolling quietly in from the east. David crouched in the shadows with his blade drawn, his breathing shallow. his eyes fixed on the revelers below. His men waited behind him in silence, crouched like lions in tall grass. The thought of their children pulsed in their ears. The sky had gone dark. The last splashes of orange bled from the heavens, swallowed by a velvet blue. Night had come. David rose without a word. They moved like ghosts. No war cry, no horn, no drumbeat. Only the sound of steel drawn from sheaths and the faint crunch of boots on sand. The first man to die never saw the blade that opened his throat. His eyes went wide and he dropped like a stone, clutching at nothing. David eased his body down, then pressed forward. Like the angel of death, they descended. The first wave was a silent slaughter. Throats slit, ribs pierced, skulls cracked open like ripe fruit. But blood has a scent, and screams are hard to hide. One by one, the Amalekites realized what had come for them. They poured from their tents, half-naked, drunk, stumbling for weapons. They were met by fury. David charged. He cut through flesh like parchment, his eyes fixed, jaw clenched, body dancing between blades. A man lunged. David spun low, his sword sweeping through both legs at the knees. Another came from the side. David turned and drove his blade under the man's jaw and through his skull. David did not speak. David did not scream. He killed, silently, methodically. Behind him came his mighty men. They howled as they struck, fury bursting from them like thunder. Steel met steel, shields shattered, bones cracked. Men died screaming like frightened children. One Amalekite, taller than the rest, charged David with twin axes. David parried the first strike and stepped inside the second, driving the hilt of his sword into the man's jaw. As the Amalekite reeled, David brought the sword down through his collarbone, splitting him to the breastbone. Still they came. David moved with the rhythm of a musician. He dodged and rolled, strumming his sword like a lyre. Blood soaked his curls, his arms ached, but he did not stop. The wolves had taken his sheep, and now they would pay. 00:19:50 Speaker 2: Pay. 00:19:50 Speaker 1: All through the long night, the battle raged. The Amalekites fought back, but their drunken limbs and scattered formation made them weak prey. By sunrise, only a few managed to flee on camels. And then, silence. The war was over. The Lord had given him victory. David saw the great tent where they had kept the women and children. No sound came from within. He approached slowly, each step heavier than the last. His hands trembled as he pushed open the flap. Light from the rising sun spilled in behind him, and there... huddled in the far corner with the women and children, his people, their faces pale, their eyes wide with fear. Abigail was among them, arms wrapped around a weeping girl. When she saw him, she rose and ran to him, tears streaking down her cheeks. She collapsed into his arms. 00:21:01 Speaker 3: Are you hurt? 00:21:04 Speaker 1: She shook her head. Only a few bruises around her wrists where they bound her. But from what David could observe, they couldn't have arrived a moment too late. The Amalekites were planning the worst for them. David held her close, sobbing into her hair. The weight of the days fell from him all at once. Abigail whispered to him, her hands in his hair, her voice like a balm. You did it, David. 00:21:35 Speaker 3: It's over. We're safe. 00:21:38 Speaker 1: Abigail cupped David's face in her hands and kissed him passionately. 00:21:44 Speaker 3: We all knew you'd save us. We never doubted you. 00:21:48 Speaker 1: And David wept some more. Not for the blood he'd spilled, but for the mercy that had been shown to him. He had lost all hope. But the Lord had restored it. This Pray.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Schellewager and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Colterfianu. 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.