Elijah: Clash of Gods

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People. Well, if it isn't the Prophet of Fire. 00:00:08 Speaker 2: Hear the judgment of Yahweh. 00:00:11 Speaker 3: There will be no dew, no rain, not even a whisper of moisture upon this land until I say otherwise. 00:00:18 Speaker 1: Do you think I fear your God? You should. Careful, Prophet. 00:00:28 Speaker 2: Why? 00:00:28 Speaker 3: Why? 00:00:29 Speaker 2: Afraid she will hear. 00:00:31 Speaker 1: Queen Jezebel was not presence, but her presence permeated every room. Everyone knew her power, how it coiled around Ahab's decisions like a serpent. 00:00:45 Speaker 4: But you will learn. When the rivers crack into dust, when your fields shrivel and die, When the sky above you is as. 00:00:55 Speaker 3: Unyielding as iron, you will know that it is not Baal who commands the rain. 00:01:06 Speaker 1: Three years. Three years of sun hammering the earth. Three years of cracked ground and dried up rivers. Three years of watching Israel wither like an untended vine. The land stank of death, rotting cattle scorched fields and the sour stench of desperation. The people were past praying, past hoping. Even Baal's priests had stopped shouting to the heavens. Jezebel's altars were stained with blood, but no god had answered. The sky remained silent, empty, dry. Obadiah, however... made the earth beneath him damp with his sweat. He moved through the ruined streets of Samaria, keeping to the alleys, a sack of stolen food slung over his shoulder. His hands shook as he clutched it tighter. Too many people were watching these days. The prophets of Yahweh were still alive, hidden in caves, surviving on whatever scraps they could smuggle. But it was getting harder. The palace was restless. Jezebel's priests were sniffing out traitors. It was only a matter of time before someone talked. Obadiah turned down an empty road, exhaling shakily, then stopped cold. A man stood ahead, half hidden in the heat haze. His cloak was tattered, and his face was lined from sun and exile. But his eyes were unmistakable. eyes of fire and judgment. Elijah, is it really you? What are you doing here? 00:02:58 Speaker 2: I'm here. 00:02:58 Speaker 3: Ready to cause some trouble, huh? 00:03:01 Speaker 1: Now, go tell Ahab. 00:03:04 Speaker 2: Tell Ahab? 00:03:06 Speaker 1: Are you insane? Obadiah darted a glance over his shoulder, as if just speaking Elijah's name too loud would summon Jezebel's assassins. 00:03:18 Speaker 2: Do you know what you've done? 00:03:19 Speaker 1: Ahab's been hunting you for three years. He sent men to every kingdom, made. 00:03:24 Speaker 2: Them swear they haven't seen you under oath. If I go to him and say you're here and then you just vanish again, he'll kill me. 00:03:34 Speaker 3: I'm not going anywhere until people see the truth. 00:03:37 Speaker 1: Obadiah stared. the sheer audacity of it. Three years gone and now Elijah just stood there like he hadn't single-handedly shut down the sky, like Ahab wouldn't gut him on sight, like Jezebel didn't have a personal hit list with him at the top of it. Obadiah opened his mouth, then stopped. He knew that look. Elijah wasn't joking. Obadiah exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. 00:04:09 Speaker 2: You're going to get me killed. 00:04:10 Speaker 3: Tell him. 00:04:14 Speaker 1: Obadiah closed his eyes, muttering something under his breath. Maybe a curse, maybe a prayer, maybe both. Then took off running. The chariot stormed down the ruined road, dust billowing behind it. Ahab stood at the helm, eyes sunken, jaw clenched, hands tight on the reins. Three years of drought had eaten away at him, hollowed him out. His robes hung loose on his frame. His power had not saved him from hunger. His gold had not bought a single drop of rain. His sacrifices had not moved the heavens. And now, this. Elijah, standing alone on the road, arms crossed, waiting. The horse is weird as the chariot skidded to a stop. For a long, stretched moment, no one moved. Then Ahab laughed. It was sharp, brittle, empty. I see you're still alive. 00:05:24 Speaker 3: I see you're no longer fat. 00:05:27 Speaker 2: Still stupid, though. 00:05:30 Speaker 1: Ahab's smirk died, his grip on the reins tightened, fingers twitching toward his sword before he forced them still. Three years, Elijah. Three years. No rain, no crops, no food. 00:05:49 Speaker 2: Do you have any idea. 00:05:51 Speaker 1: What you've done? 00:05:54 Speaker 4: Why don't you tell me? 00:05:56 Speaker 1: You've ruined Israel. I have not ruined Israel, Ahab. You have. 00:06:04 Speaker 4: You abandoned Yahweh. 00:06:06 Speaker 2: You bowed to Baal. You led the people into this. 00:06:10 Speaker 3: And now you have the audacity to blame me? 00:06:15 Speaker 1: The men behind Ahab stirred. Ahab looked over his shoulder, then turned back to Elijah. His breath was sharp. Watch your tongue, prophet. Or what? 00:06:29 Speaker 3: You'll kill Have Jezebel's thugs string me up in the palace square? Does little Ahab need mummy to do his dirty work? 00:06:39 Speaker 1: Ahab's grip on the reins tightened. The insult cut deeper than Elijah could know. Except Elijah did know. The rumors had spread like wildfire. Jezebel ruled. Ahab obeyed. She treated him like a child, scolded him in court, and made decisions in his place. His own men whispered it behind his back, and now Elijah, standing alone in the dust, said it to his face. He had killed men for less, but not Elijah, not yet. Ahab wanted to savor that. Go ahead. 00:07:20 Speaker 4: Will that bring back the rain? 00:07:22 Speaker 3: Another sacrifice, another corpse for Baal? Is the blood of innocent children nothing? You think another kill will make Baal listen? 00:07:33 Speaker 1: The wind kicked up, swirling dust between them. Ahab had no answer, so Elijah gave him one. 00:07:41 Speaker 2: Gather the people. Every tribe, every elder, every priest. 00:07:46 Speaker 4: Meet me on Mount Carmel. 00:07:49 Speaker 2: Bring your... your prophets of Baal. All 450 of them. We'll settle this right here. 00:07:58 Speaker 3: Right now. 00:08:00 Speaker 1: Ah, competition. 00:08:05 Speaker 5: Sure. 00:08:06 Speaker 3: Call it a competition, if you like. It's not, but whatever will get you to stand on that mountain. 00:08:14 Speaker 2: One altar for Baal. One altar for Yahweh. One test. 00:08:19 Speaker 3: No fire from our hands. No tricks we call on our gods. And the one who answers by fire? He is declared the one true God, the Elohim of all Elohim. 00:08:33 Speaker 1: You're serious. 00:08:35 Speaker 4: Are you afraid? 00:08:37 Speaker 1: Of you? No, Ahab. 00:08:41 Speaker 3: Are you afraid of what will happen when Yahweh wins and the wrath of your wife is kindled? 00:08:48 Speaker 1: Ahab held his gaze. Then he exhaled, turned back toward his chariot, and climbed up without another word. 00:08:57 Speaker 2: We meet on Mount Carmel. One week. 00:09:01 Speaker 1: The whip cracked and the horses bolted forward. Elijah stood still as the dust rose as the chariot vanished towards Samaria. The sun burned in the cloudless sky. The God of Israel had thrown the gauntlet and Ahab had picked it up. The stage was set. The mountain was packed. Thousands had gathered, pressing against the rocky slopes, lining the ridges, standing shoulder to shoulder. Their faces were gaunt with hunger and sharp with suspicion. They had all heard the stories. Elijah had returned, and now he was standing against 450 of Baal's prophets. Ahab lounged at the edge of the scene, arms crossed, trying to appear unbothered. The priests of Baal stood tall in their crimson robes, lifting their hands, already murmuring their incantations. Elijah stepped forward. 00:10:08 Speaker 2: Israel, hear me! 00:10:10 Speaker 3: How long will you stumble like drunkards, wavering between two paths, pretending you serve both when your hearts belong to neither? How long will you hobble back and forth, torn between a god of silence and the god of all creation? How long will you let a slothful drunk and a witch queen make your decisions for you? 00:10:35 Speaker 2: If your way is God, follow him. 00:10:38 Speaker 3: If Baal is God, then bow to him fully. 00:10:42 Speaker 2: But enough of this cowardly, pathetic half-faith. You cannot serve two masters! This is the moment. This is the line. 00:10:55 Speaker 5: Choose! 00:10:57 Speaker 1: The people shifted, murmuring. No one answered. Of course not. It was safer to remain neutral. To pretend they hadn't noticed the famine. The silence of Baal. The altars slick with blood, but no fire. Elijah's mouth twisted. Fine. Cowards. Huh? 00:11:20 Speaker 4: We'll settle this now. 00:11:22 Speaker 2: A final test. Two bulls, no fire. The God who answers by fire, he is God. Agreed? 00:11:32 Speaker 1: Elijah gestured toward the two stone altars. One for Yahweh, one for Baal. The crowd murmured and nodded. It was fair. A public trial. Bold of you, Elijah. But what happens when nothing happens? 00:11:50 Speaker 2: When your Yahweh is just as silent as Baal? A fair question, Ahab. 00:11:58 Speaker 4: What is a better one, huh? 00:12:00 Speaker 2: Where's your queen? Ah, you talk of silence. Hers is absolutely deafening. 00:12:13 Speaker 1: Ahab's smirk faltered just for a second. His fingers twitched against the chariot's edge. 00:12:21 Speaker 3: Surely Jezebel would want to be here for this, to defend her gods, to stand by your side, huh? 00:12:29 Speaker 2: Oh, wait. 00:12:30 Speaker 3: She's not here, is she? Shouldn't Jezebel be here to hold your hand? Or does she not trust you to make the big boy decisions? Left you all alone to face the fire, huh? Maybe she doesn't think you're up to the task. Maybe she already knows how this ends. 00:12:51 Speaker 1: The crowd murmured, shifting uneasily. The king had no answer. Elijah didn't need one. The silence spoke for him. Meanwhile, the priests of Baal were confident. They took their bull, laid it on the altar, lifted their hands and began to chant. Rhythmic, loud, strong. Their voices carried over the mountain, echoing down the valley. Time passed. The chanting grew faster, more urgent. The priests swayed, arms raised, hands trembling. Hours rolled by. Nothing. Elijah leaned against a rock, watching, a smirk playing at his lips. 00:13:40 Speaker 2: Shout louder! 00:13:42 Speaker 6: Maybe your god is deep in thought. Maybe he has to step away to relieve himself. He certainly is full of doubt. 00:13:55 Speaker 1: A few in the crowd snorted, poorly hiding their laughter. Ahab shot them a glare. 00:14:02 Speaker 2: Maybe he's napping. You should wake him up. 00:14:05 Speaker 1: Wake him, almighty boar. 00:14:10 Speaker 2: What is she? 00:14:12 Speaker 1: That broke them. Their prayers turned frantic, voices ragged. They took knives from their belts, blades slashed across their arms, their chests, blood spilled onto the altar. Still, no fire. By late afternoon, the priests were on their knees, gasping, shaking, drenched in their own blood. Nothing, not a flicker. not a whisper of smoke. It was time. Elijah stepped forward. The people turned to him. The priests were spent, trembling. Ahab's smirk was fading. The moment hung thick in the air. 00:14:56 Speaker 2: You have seen their prayers. You have heard their cries. You have watched them bleed. And yet the sky is silent. No voice. No answer. No fire. 00:15:10 Speaker 3: Why? 00:15:12 Speaker 1: The people stayed quiet. 00:15:14 Speaker 2: Because Baal is nothing. Because Baal is a lie. Because Baal is a wooden idol. A creation of your own hands. No. A creation of an evil spirit. But even still, he's kicked and clawing at the throne of the Almighty. 00:15:34 Speaker 1: Elijah slammed his staff into the ground. 00:15:38 Speaker 2: But Yahweh is a lion. 00:15:41 Speaker 5: He is the God of gods, the King of kings, the Lord of all creation. 00:15:48 Speaker 1: The wind stirred. A ripple went through the crowd. Ahab dabbed sweat from his forehead. 00:15:55 Speaker 5: Come, Neil! 00:15:57 Speaker 1: The people pressed closer, whispering, watching as Elijah walked to Yahweh's altar, or what was left of it. Stones, broken and buried in dust, a forgotten ruin. Without a word, he began rebuilding. Twelve stones, one for each tribe of Israel, stacked with deliberate care. The murmurs grew. What is he doing? Rebuilding Yahweh's altar. I've been late for that. Elijah dug a trench around it, then raised his hand. Water. Servants with buckets appeared, pouring water over the bull, the wood, and the stones. The gasps were instant. He's wasting water. 00:16:50 Speaker 2: Drought. 00:16:50 Speaker 5: Drought. 00:16:51 Speaker 1: More buckets. The trench overflowed. The altar was drenched. Ahab leaned forward. Dramatic, prophet. 00:17:00 Speaker 2: But when nothing happens, you're going to look quite foolish. 00:17:05 Speaker 1: For once, Elijah ignored him. He closed his eyes, hands raised. All eyes were on Elijah. The silence stretched. Elijah's hands tightened. What if nothing happens? What if Yahuwah stays silent? A flash of fear. A moment of doubt. But then, memories flashed in Elijah's mind's eye. A stream in the desert. Water cool against cracked lips. The flutter of wings. The sharp cry of ravens. Food falling at his feet. A widow's hands shaking as she scraped the last of her flower. then gasping when she saw the jar once again filled. A small boy, pale and lifeless, his breath returning, his first word. Elijah opened his eyes, his heart settled. 00:18:08 Speaker 2: Yahweh always provides. 00:18:12 Speaker 1: His breath was slow, steady, but his heart pounded like a war drum. The mountains stilled, the people watched, their hunger deeper than drought, deeper than thirst. They had forgotten their God, forgotten who had shaped them, called them, carried them. Not today. Elijah lifted his hands, his face to the sky. 00:18:40 Speaker 2: Go away, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. Hear me now. 00:18:46 Speaker 7: Let it be known today, not tomorrow, not in another generation, not in whispers, but in fire, in power, in a way they cannot deny that you are God. 00:19:00 Speaker 1: The wind died. The crowd pressed closer. The bloodied and spent priests of Baal held their breath, and looked towards the sky. It was as if they too expected something to happen. Elijah took a step closer to the altar, his voice rising, a storm building in his chest. 00:19:23 Speaker 7: You are the God that spoke light into the void, the God who shaped a man from the dust and breathed life into his lungs, the God who watched as we turned away, the God who drowned the world in justice but spared one family a mercy, the God who split the seas before our fathers, who led them through the fire, who struck Egypt's. 00:19:45 Speaker 2: Gods low and broke Pharaoh's spine. Ha, ha, ha, ha. You fed us in the wilderness. 00:19:52 Speaker 5: You made water pour from a rock. You crushed our enemies before us. 00:19:58 Speaker 2: And now they have forgotten you. They bow to Baal! They cut themselves for a mute idol! They have turned from the only living God! 00:20:12 Speaker 1: A gust of wind rushed through the crowd. The sky remained clear. Elijah's voice shook the mountain. 00:20:21 Speaker 2: Answer me, Yahweh! Show them! Wake them! Drop them to their knees! Let them see with their own eyes. 00:20:30 Speaker 7: Let them know without a doubt that you alone are God. 00:20:42 Speaker 1: The sky ripped open. The heavens roared. Fire erupted, crashing down, blinding, consuming. In an instant, the flames consumed everything. The bull, the wood, the very stones of the altar, the trench water that had moments ago mocked the idea of fire, and then kept going. The dirt beneath the altar became molten, The heat struck the people like a physical blow. The entire crowd beheld the truth. Baal was nothing. Baal was dust. Baal was a name they had used to justify self-indulgence and disobedience. But the Lord was real, undeniable, uncontainable, an all-consuming fire. There was no room left for wavering, no middle ground. You were either bowing before the one true God or standing against him. And to stand against him was to be consumed. The people collapsed. Ahab staggered back. His face was pale. His mouth was open, but no words came out. Because what could he say? the king who had let his wife turn Israel into a playground for foreign gods, who had filled Yahweh's land with shrines to nothingness, had just seen with his own eyes that he had been wrong, that all of Israel had been wrong, that the Lord had never left, had never been defeated, had never needed their loyalty to validate his existence. He had simply been waiting. Elijah turned, eyes like flint, searching the crowd, searching for the ones who had led Israel into blindness. The priests of Baal, pale, shaking, sweat dripping down their painted faces, their robes still damp with their own blood from the frenzy that had earned them nothing. They knew. In the way a man understands the ocean is real the moment it swallows him whole. Elijah spoke with a voice of iron. Seize them! 00:23:04 Speaker 2: For too long they perverted our minds with witchcraft. No longer! Not one escape! 00:23:11 Speaker 1: The crowd moved as one. Baal's prophets tried to run. They were tackled, dragged, and beaten, screaming. To the river. To judgment. One by one, they fell. The water ran red. The ground beneath Mount Carmel was still blackened from the fire. The people had begun to scatter, murmuring among themselves, their minds reeling from what they had seen. Ahab lingered by his chariot, shaken but trying not to show it. The sky was empty and silent. There were no clouds, no wind, just heat, still and smothering. The drought was still gripping the land. Elijah turned to Ahab. Go. 00:24:06 Speaker 5: Eat. 00:24:07 Speaker 2: Drink. 00:24:09 Speaker 1: The rain is coming. Ahab blinked, his mouth parting slightly like he wanted to argue, to scoff, to say something cutting. But he didn't. He had seen too much today. Instead, he swallowed, gave Elijah a final look. then climbed into his chariot and rode off toward the palace. Elijah exhaled and turned toward the edge of the mountain. He climbed higher, above the wreckage, above the watching eyes, until he found himself alone on the peak. Then he dropped to his knees. Yahweh, you have answered by fire. No answer left. He lifted his head slightly, squinting toward the horizon. The sky stretched bare and merciless in every direction. Elijah inhaled, closing his eyes. Again he prayed. And again. And again. Six times. Six long, stretched silences. Though his faith did not waver, his body was exhausted. His breath was slow. deep and controlled. The weight of waiting pressed on his chest. He lowered himself further, his forehead nearly touching the dirt. You are faithful, don't we? Elijah looked up toward the horizon. Clouds, dark, churning, ready. His lips curled into a grin. He pushed himself to his feet and turned toward the valley below where Ahab's camp sat. The king likely sat drinking his wine, thinking this day was over. Elijah laughed under his breath, shaking his head. He turned to one of his young men with a wry grin. 00:26:13 Speaker 3: Go, tell Ahab, hitch his chariot and ride fast. 00:26:17 Speaker 2: If he waits, the rain will stop him. 00:26:20 Speaker 1: The servant took off running. Elijah turned back to the horizon, watching. The small cloud shifted, swirled, spread. Then a wind. A whisper at first, then a howl, then a roar. The sky, which had been unyielding, suddenly ripped open. The first drop hit Elijah's skin, then another, then a thousand. The heavens collapsed. Water slammed against the earth, rolling in sheets, hammering the blackened altar, washing away the blood of the prophets, drenching the cracked ground that had not tasted rain in years. Ahab's chariot wheels lurched through the mud. The king was scrambling now, whipping the horses, urging them forward, but the road was already turning into a flood. Elijah ran, faster than the horses. faster than the chariot, somehow supernaturally fast. His legs were not his own. Ahab's face went white like he had just seen a ghost. There, racing past him, was Elijah, sprinting past the chariot like Yahweh himself was carrying him on eagle's wings. The king whipped his horses harder. Elijah did not slow down. Jezebel was waiting. Ahab's chariot tore through the city gates, horses panting, hooves splashing through the fresh mud. Servants scattered, startled by the sudden return. Ahab leapt from the chariot and stormed into the palace, through the darkened halls and ascending up the watchtower. Jezebel stood by the window, watching the storm from below. She did not turn when the doors burst open. She did not flinch at the sound of his soaked boots hitting the marble floor. Elijah has won. Jezebel exhaled slowly. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing against the storm outside. Did he? Ahab's mouth went dry. 00:28:52 Speaker 2: The prophets of Baal. 00:28:55 Speaker 1: All of them. Jezebel closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she finally turned to him, smiling. Not wide, not forced. Something cold, controlled, amused. She stepped forward. She reached out, fingers lightly brushing Ahab's soaked tunic. Her touch so gentle, it sent a chill up his spine. 00:29:24 Speaker 3: So? 00:29:27 Speaker 1: I love you. I love you. Mark my words, husband. By this time tomorrow, Elijah will be dead. Steve Gatina, Max Bard, Zach Schelleberger 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 Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna Pilcher and Mitch Lashinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. written by Aaron Salvato, Brie Rosely, and Chris Baig. 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