Hammers & Swords

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. Jerusalem, once called the city of the great king, now lay bare like bones beneath the evening sky. 00:00:12 Speaker 2: You see, Lord, you see it all. This city bears your name. Restore her for your glory. 00:00:24 Speaker 1: Within days, the city came alive with a kind of holy fervor, Men who had once labored in vineyards turned their strength towards the carving of stones, while others who had once traded linens in the market now hoisted beams one upon another. They worked relentlessly, shoulder to shoulder, as rock cracked and wood splintered haphazardly. In time, they would refine their temporary crafts. They would sweat, their hands would callous, and their limbs would grow weary. Their own blood would seep into the very foundations of Israel's walls. But no effort was poured out in vain, for God's people were rising. The clang of iron and scrape of stone echoed across the ruins of Jerusalem. Her walls were rising like a forest floor discovering new life after a fire. Every corner of the city buzzed with the sounds of rebuilding, timbers being hauled into place, mortar slapped onto fresh stone, carts creaking beneath the weight of rubble cleared away. Dust hung in the morning air, warmed by the sun and stirred by constant movement. The walls were growing higher by the day. Nehemiah moved through the city with quiet intensity. His cloak caught the wind behind him as he passed from gate to gate, inspecting each section of the work. He rarely said much, but he saw everything. A dislodged stone, a sagging beam, a discouraged worker. Nothing escaped his notice. Children dashed barefoot through alleyways with baskets of pebbles. Elders blessed the hands of younger men. Families toiled shoulder to shoulder. The city was alive with construction, but underneath it all was the blossoms of restoration. Yet, even as hope swelled within the walls, unrest grew outside them. To the north, settled atop the sloping hills, a ramshackle encampment had formed. Men encircled the fire, which sat under a dangling pot of stew, gently boiling over the edges. But none of the men cared to pay the mess any mind. Their eyes lingered on the work in the distance. A sharp laugh broke the silence of the uneasy group. 00:03:10 Speaker 3: Look at them. 00:03:11 Speaker 1: Pathetic. 00:03:12 Speaker 3: They think they can restore what's been dead for a century? 00:03:16 Speaker 1: Sanballat, the Horonite, stood at the edge of the ridge overlooking the city. His armor gleamed gallantly in the sun. but his voice brimmed with the bitterness of a defeated man. 00:03:29 Speaker 4: They've toiled, but to what end? If even the smallest of foxes should spring up and dart along that wall, it would crumble beneath them. 00:03:39 Speaker 1: He chuckled at his own joke. No one else did, not even the soldiers nearby. They didn't speak it aloud, but they were troubled. The walls of Jerusalem were rising, and fast, and with it, the strength of the people within. 00:03:56 Speaker 4: It's not the wall that concerns me. It's their unity. Unity makes people dangerous. 00:04:03 Speaker 1: Despite the others' silence, Gishom's words were nearly inaudible. He feared even the mere mention of Israel's strength and subsequent danger might turn his worries into a reality. 00:04:16 Speaker 4: This is rebellion, treason, and they must be stopped. 00:04:22 Speaker 1: He spat into the dirt, then turned to his messenger. He gritted his teeth as he forced his next words out angrily. 00:04:31 Speaker 3: Spread word through Samaria, Ammon and Ashdod. Rally the others. Let them know Jerusalem is defying Persia's peace. 00:04:43 Speaker 1: Back within the city, Nehemiah climbed a section of the rebuilt wall. His boots kicked dust from the ledge as he stepped over a pile of stones and looked out beyond the hills. He could feel the threat, like a distant drumbeat, still faint but approaching. The reports had reached him the night before. Whispers of ambushes, talk of armies forming, and yet Jerusalem kept building. A voice called up to him. 00:05:15 Speaker 4: Word has spread, brother. 00:05:17 Speaker 1: Nehemiah turned to see his brother approaching, face strained, cloak dusty from travel. They say we rebuild to rebel. 00:05:26 Speaker 4: That this is no wall, but a declaration of war. Then let them see what we truly build. 00:05:33 Speaker 1: He closed his eyes, inhaled deep, and muttered under his breath. 00:05:40 Speaker 3: O God, you see their threats. You see our weaknesses. But you also see our purpose. 00:05:48 Speaker 4: Strengthen our hands! 00:05:50 Speaker 1: At dawn, Nehemiah gathered the leaders, a mix of elders, craftsmen, priests, and warriors, all summoned beneath the shade of the ruined tower near the fish gate. He addressed them without raising his voice, but every word carried weight. 00:06:09 Speaker 4: They plan to strike, in secret. When our hands are busy, and our backs are turned. 00:06:17 Speaker 1: A murmur rippled through the crowd. 00:06:19 Speaker 4: But we do not retreat. We do not pause. We prepare. 00:06:25 Speaker 1: He stepped forward. 00:06:27 Speaker 3: From this day forward, every worker will carry both a tool and a weapon. 00:06:33 Speaker 1: The silence that followed was thick. Then one man stepped forward, a bricklayer with a sword at his hip. 00:06:41 Speaker 4: Then let our walls be built with calloused hands and ready hearts. 00:06:45 Speaker 1: The others nodded, some nervously, others with quiet fire in their eyes. 00:06:51 Speaker 3: Half we'll build, half we'll guard, and all shall stand together. If the trumpet sounds, gather at its call. The Lord will fight for us. 00:07:04 Speaker 1: That night, the transformation began. Forges burned brighter than before. not just for chisels and hinges, but for blades and spear tips. Shield straps were repaired with leftover leather. Old slings were restrung. Mothers wrapped cloth around the wrists of their sons as they took up positions near the gates. Children learned to grind wheat while keeping one eye on the horizon. The next morning, Jerusalem looked different. A boy held a hammer in one hand and a dagger in his belt. An old priest mixed mortar with one hand while a staff leaned against his shoulder. Men who had never fought trained under the gaze of watchmen perched along the city's edge. Nehemiah walked among them all. He offered nods, short encouragements, silent prayers. Not a single threat had reached them yet, but the tension hung heavy in the air as if something unseen pressed down upon the city's shoulders. Outside the city, the coalition formed. Sanballat stood with Gisham of Arabia and Tobiah of Ammon. Behind them, hired swords, mercenaries, and opportunists loitered restlessly. 00:08:29 Speaker 4: Their walls rise faster than expected. We can't let this continue. A strong Jerusalem is a threat to us. 00:08:37 Speaker 1: All, Sanballat nodded grimly. 00:08:40 Speaker 3: Then we hit them where they're weakest, at night, from every side while they sleep. 00:08:47 Speaker 1: He drew his sword as the metal blade grated against the buckle of his belt. 00:08:52 Speaker 3: We'll crush their spirits before their walls ever reach the sky! 00:08:57 Speaker 1: But Nehemiah was no longer the timid cupbearer who once wept at the news of Jerusalem's disgrace. 00:09:04 Speaker 4: He moved through the. 00:09:06 Speaker 1: City by night, inspecting defenses, reinforcing watchposts, comforting the fearful. Near the water gate, he passed a young soldier with trembling hands. 00:09:19 Speaker 4: What is your name? 00:09:20 Speaker 2: Malchi, son of Joed. 00:09:23 Speaker 4: I haven't fought before, my lord. 00:09:26 Speaker 1: Nehemiah took the young man's spear and inspected it. 00:09:30 Speaker 3: Neither have many. But courage is not born on the battlefield. It's chosen in the dark, before the first blow falls. He handed the spear back, nodding once. 00:09:43 Speaker 4: Who denied, Markai? You do not stand alone. 00:09:48 Speaker 1: And indeed, they didn't. The night came, and with it, the whisper of feet in the hills. But the city did not sleep. Watchfires burned on every corner. tower. Eyes scanned the dark, ears strained for movement. 00:10:05 Speaker 4: And then, nothing. 00:10:08 Speaker 1: Sanbalat and his men had come close. While they had purposed with their hands to attack, their hearts were not so resolute. Menacing shadows cascaded along the walls under the light of torches. Swords glistened as flames danced about. Men of every background who labored by day now stood as an army of the night. Whether it was out of fear or reason, Sanballat and his men drew back at the sight of the Israelites. Inside the city, the trumpet never sounded. But nevertheless, the people of God were ready. Always ready. Weeks passed. The wall grew higher, stronger. But so did the threats. Sanbalad changed his strategy. No longer brute force, but fear. Doubt. Letters began to arrive. At first they remained unnoticed. More babble meant to distract the people from their honorable task, but over time, the volume could no longer be ignored. The worst came when a letter arrived unsealed, an invitation to spread rumors. 00:11:26 Speaker 4: It is reported among the nations that you and the Jews plan to rebel, that you are building the wall in order to make yourself king, Nehemiah. 00:11:36 Speaker 1: The people stirred, but Nehemiah's response remained the same. 00:11:42 Speaker 4: Lies. Nothing more. 00:11:44 Speaker 1: Nehemiah scratched at his chin and delicately closed his eyes. To fight the claims any further would err on the side of arrogant self-defense, the exact move that would fortify the false claims. But the poison had been sipped, and it now ran through the veins of Israel. Whispers began. Questions were raised. Hesitation in the work began to set in. As the sun beat down relentlessly overhead, Nehemiah climbed again to the top of the wall high above the city. He waited until many had gathered, until the murmurs faded. The people looked on with a curious intensity. They held their breath as he spoke. I am not a king. 00:12:35 Speaker 4: I am not a warrior. I am not a prophet. 00:12:39 Speaker 1: Nehemiah's humility spread across the concerned people like a blanket. Tense shoulders eased as Nehemiah swept his arm across the skyline. 00:12:50 Speaker 4: I am a servant of the God of Heaven. And this work, this wall, is his. 00:13:00 Speaker 1: His voice cut through the air like a blade. A few cheers rose up from the crowd. 00:13:07 Speaker 4: So let them mock me. Let them lie, let them plot in the shadows. 00:13:14 Speaker 1: As Nehemiah shone light on Sanballat's deception, the people grew nearer to one another in heart, soul, mind and strength. 00:13:25 Speaker 3: As for us, we will build. 00:13:28 Speaker 1: The workers roared in response. Nehemiah had done what he had set out to do. The people had once more remembered the faithfulness of their God and joined together to endeavor. 00:13:43 Speaker 4: For his glory. 00:13:45 Speaker 1: But Nehemiah also knew that despite this battle having been won, the war was far from over. When one of the enemy's schemes failed, another came. Paid spies, false prophets, threats inside and out. But Nehemiah saw through them all. Nothing could deter him from pursuing the building of the wall and the people it protected, because he had seen that which could not be extinguished, hope that was mending broken hearts, the spark of unity blazing into a wildfire of purpose, a city rising from rubble. And though the sword still hung by his side, It was the hammer in his hand that told the true story. Jerusalem was not just defending herself from annihilation. She was rebuilding, becoming whole again. Day by day, stone by stone, heart by heart. 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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