Jonah & The Beast I

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People Years had passed. The fire was gone, the sword sheathed, the heads buried or rotted into the earth. Jehu's reign limped toward its end, not with trumpets, but with bureaucracy. 00:00:19 Speaker 2: You didn't serve the Lord, Jehu, not really. You served your rage. You heard the call of heavens. and used to feed the fire in your own gut. 00:00:31 Speaker 1: Golden calves still stood in Bethel and Dan, polished like heirlooms no. 00:00:36 Speaker 3: One remembered the origin of. 00:00:39 Speaker 1: He had done evil in the sight of Yahweh, and everyone knew it. 00:00:44 Speaker 2: Let me tell you this. 00:00:45 Speaker 1: Hearing God's voice isn't about knowing secrets for your own gain. It's about trust. The kind of trust that lets you act when he calls and stay silent when he doesn't. Jonah stood upon the shores of Joppa, his eyes fixed on the endless sea. The waves surged forward and fell back, ceaseless and restless. He breathed deep the salt and wind, savoring the moment of tranquility. Jonah was a man who guarded his peace jealously. He was a prophet in name, but his temperament was far from the likes of Elijah or Elisha. Jonah was loyal to the crown of Israel above all else, and dedicated to the ease of its kings. Jonah guarded his peace, often stealing away from King Jeroboam II's throne room to lounge by the sea. He was a man of comfort and convenience, and he hated disturbing the peace. And it was in such a moment that a voice emerged from behind. 00:01:59 Speaker 4: Oh there, Jonah! 00:02:01 Speaker 1: Jonah turned and rolled his eyes. Amos, another prophet, was a voice of constant doom and gloom in the courts of King Rehoboam. Jonah despised him. Amos had declared judgment against Israel and its kings, causing a. 00:02:19 Speaker 3: Ripple effect of dread through the royal halls. Amos was brash, bold and unyielding. Jonah hated him for it. 00:02:30 Speaker 5: Ah, Amos, I've come here to be alone and enjoy my lunch. Leave me in peace. 00:02:37 Speaker 4: You've had plenty of peace, dear Jonah. It's the duty of a prophet to disturb the peace. 00:02:44 Speaker 5: You do the king and Israel no good with all your negativity and doom. 00:02:50 Speaker 6: You should be giving the king confidence. 00:02:53 Speaker 5: Give our nation something to cheer for. 00:02:57 Speaker 4: I cheer for the holiness of our nation. share for justice to our poor, and repentance from the wickedness of our kings. 00:03:06 Speaker 5: You have a lot of terrible things to say about our king and our nation, but it could be worse. You know, we could be like those putrid and dirty Assyrians. 00:03:21 Speaker 6: I'd rather drown in the middle of the sea than spend one moment in that kingdom. 00:03:26 Speaker 2: You should be grateful. 00:03:28 Speaker 1: Amos shook his head at that and sighed. From Amos to Hosea, every prophet saw Jonah's potential. They saw his way with words, knowledge of the old law, and sharp mind. But Jonah couldn't find it in him to shake the boat, to make waves. But Amos sensed the Lord would press his potential out. 00:03:51 Speaker 3: Of him sooner or later. 00:03:53 Speaker 4: Well, Jonah, I can't say I agree with you. But it doesn't matter what I think. Your way will speak to you. I'm sure of it. 00:04:08 Speaker 5: Yes, yes, whatever you say. Now, lead me to my lunch. 00:04:14 Speaker 1: Amos descended the grassy hill leading down. 00:04:17 Speaker 3: To the shore. 00:04:18 Speaker 1: Jonah huffed, rolled his neck back, and tried to reclaim some peace. He breathed in deeply, drawing in breath from the salt air. The cries of gulls blended with the soothing crash of surf. Yet, there came another sound from behind. 00:04:37 Speaker 3: Jonah. Jonah jolted back in fury. 00:04:42 Speaker 5: Blasted Amos, I said leave me alone! 00:04:47 Speaker 4: Jonah. 00:04:48 Speaker 1: Jonah's eyes widened in fear. He recoiled, filled with awe, fear, and excitement. 00:04:58 Speaker 7: It's you, Amos. 00:04:59 Speaker 5: You're really speaking. You're really talking to me. What is it, Lord? 00:05:07 Speaker 7: Arise, Jonah. Go inland to the great city of Nineveh. Their wickedness rises before me like a stench. 00:05:19 Speaker 4: That's right! 00:05:20 Speaker 6: Those filthy Assyrians need judgment! Now we're talking. 00:05:26 Speaker 5: Shall I call down fire from heaven like Elijah? Only this time we'll burn that entire city to the ground. 00:05:35 Speaker 6: Cinders and ash. 00:05:37 Speaker 2: Yes, King Jeroboam will be pleased. 00:05:41 Speaker 7: You shall go to Nineveh to preach against their wickedness. 00:05:46 Speaker 1: Ward them. 00:05:47 Speaker 7: Call them to repentance. 00:05:52 Speaker 1: What? 00:05:53 Speaker 7: What? 00:05:54 Speaker 6: No, no, of course not. You have the wrong man. 00:05:58 Speaker 7: Never. 00:05:59 Speaker 1: Jonah's brow furrowed. Nineveh, cruel, violent, and hateful, was beyond redemption. Their atrocities were infamous, their wickedness legendary. Jonah despised them, and their destruction would bring him satisfaction, not sorrow. He would not play a part in their salvation. He would not deliver mercy to those who deserved none. 00:06:25 Speaker 5: Find yourself a bleeding heart fool like Hosea. He'll forgive any disciple behavior I hear. Just ask his wife. 00:06:34 Speaker 1: Jonah murmured bitterly toward the heavens. Turning sharply from the shore, he resolved in his heart to defy his God rather than betray his hatred. Jonah approached the docks of Joppa with a small pack around his shoulders. It took some searching to find a ship sailing far enough away to widen the distance between Jonah and God. He eventually found a ship bound for the distant shores of Tarshish, the edge of the known world. It was as far from Nineveh as a man could flee. He handed over silver to the genteel captain, his heart set on escape, rather than obedience. 00:07:20 Speaker 3: Interesting. 00:07:21 Speaker 8: We don't get many Israelites bound so far from their homeland. What business does a man of rag like you have in Tarshish? 00:07:31 Speaker 5: It's none of your concern. Just get me there in one piece. 00:07:36 Speaker 6: You're saltier than I am. 00:07:39 Speaker 1: Ah, fair enough. 00:07:41 Speaker 8: We'll get you to Tarshish. You have my word. By the great Yamnahar himself. I never lose a passenger. 00:07:51 Speaker 1: As the vessel sailed from the harbor, Jonah stood upon the deck, eyes fixed on Israel as it faded into a thin strip of land, and then nothingness. He had left behind the voice, the duty, and the intolerable burden of obedience. Below decks, Jonah lay in a hammock allowing sleep to claim him, certain he had outrun the relentless god. Yet above him, dark clouds gathered ominously, blotting out the sun. The wind rose sharply, roaring like a beast unleashed from chains. 00:08:33 Speaker 3: Lashing waves high against the hull. 00:08:36 Speaker 1: The sea turned fierce, boiling and churning, each surge striking harder than the last. Thunder crashed above, shaking timbers and bones alike. Lightning tore the darkness with jagged strokes, illuminating terrified faces as the sailors scrambled desperately upon the deck. Fear filled their voices, curses and prayers mingling into one. 00:09:02 Speaker 3: Cry against the storm. 00:09:04 Speaker 4: Below. 00:09:05 Speaker 1: Jonah slept, oblivious to God's call. 00:09:09 Speaker 6: The Lord was. 00:09:10 Speaker 1: Neither distant nor done with Jonah. The foolish prophet had believed he could evade him. 00:09:17 Speaker 3: But the Lord was in the wind and the waves, and the prophet's peace was seen shatter upon the stormy waters. 00:09:26 Speaker 1: The doors of the brig burst open with a violent crash, and the captain stormed inside, eyes wild, lanterns swinging madly in his grin. 00:09:34 Speaker 3: Oi, man of the writer! 00:09:36 Speaker 6: You must be a madman for sleeping in a storm like this! 00:09:42 Speaker 4: What? 00:09:42 Speaker 3: What's wrong? 00:09:44 Speaker 6: What's wrong? 00:09:46 Speaker 3: The easy ship. 00:09:48 Speaker 6: Is going down unless we appease whatever blasted god has done this! Come up on deck! 00:09:55 Speaker 1: Jonah followed the captain above to the deck. The sailors strained and... cursed as the storm raged, hauling ropes with calloused hands, muscles taut beneath sodden clothes. Sails whipped furiously, tearing like parchment beneath the storm's merciless fury. Waves crashed violently, sending torrents of icy seawater over the ship's rails, threatening to pull the vessel down into the black abyss beneath. Each sailor cried out to his own guard, prayers carried away by howling winds. Some clutched idols close. Others raised trembling hands skyward, begging mercy from unseen powers. 00:10:41 Speaker 6: Call upon your God. Perhaps he will be waiting for none of our ears to hear our screams. 00:10:47 Speaker 1: Jonah staggered as a wave struck like a fist, sending. 00:10:51 Speaker 3: Him sprawling into rain-slick wood. 00:10:54 Speaker 1: He pushed himself up again, gripping the railing, and stared into the tempest. It raged like a monster. 00:11:02 Speaker 3: Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook, or tie down. 00:11:07 Speaker 4: Its tongue with a rope? 00:11:08 Speaker 5: It makes the depths churn like a boiling cauldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment. 00:11:16 Speaker 6: Why, that better be a prayer for Murphy. 00:11:19 Speaker 7: Look! 00:11:20 Speaker 1: Another wave rose against the ship like a giant and crashed against the bow. Jonah lost his footing, nearly tumbling overboard. The captain caught him with his burly hand and hauled him back. 00:11:34 Speaker 3: Onto the deck. 00:11:35 Speaker 1: Lightning crackled, illuminating faces twisted by fear. Jonah knew in that moment, with dreadful certainty, the truth he sought to deny. The Lord had followed him. There would be no fight, no refuge, no peace. Jonah's rebellion had drawn the wrath of the Almighty, and this tempest was his relentless summons. The sailors gathered around in fearful desperation, faces pale beneath the glare of lightning. 00:12:08 Speaker 3: I've been out at sea long enough to know this. It's normal. This is anger. 00:12:14 Speaker 6: We'll cast lots to see who's to blame for such rage. 00:12:19 Speaker 1: The captain turned to Jonah, eyes wide with fear. 00:12:23 Speaker 6: You're a man, a prophet. Do you have a better way to consult the gods? 00:12:30 Speaker 1: Jonah shook his head, afraid to say anything. The captain huffed, then took the knuckle bones from his leather sack and cast them onto the deck. They scattered wildly as the wind roared. The crew watched breathlessly, praying silently to their deaf gods as the lods came to rest at Jonah's feet. Silence fell upon them all. Heavier than the storm itself. Every gaze pierced Jonah. The captain stepped forward, teeth clenched, voice shaking with fury and fear. He grabbed Jonah by the collar and shouted over the storm. 00:13:10 Speaker 6: Why has this evil befallen us? Speak, stranger! From where have you come? And what madness have you brought upon my sheep? 00:13:18 Speaker 1: Jonah stood in the eye of their wrath, lips trembling, chest heaving. Lightning painted him pale, a ghost of the man who boarded so confidently in Joppa. 00:13:32 Speaker 6: I'm a Hebrew. 00:13:34 Speaker 5: Your gods, they rule the sea or the earth or the skies, but my god, my god commands all of them. 00:13:43 Speaker 6: He made the seas. in the wind, and he made the land, and it's from him I flee. But he has found me. 00:13:54 Speaker 1: The men recoiled, cursing and murmuring among themselves, staring at Jonah as if he were plague-ridden. 00:14:01 Speaker 6: You fool! 00:14:03 Speaker 8: You would condemn us all to death, to outrun the gods, to hold the world! 00:14:10 Speaker 1: The ship lurched again under another wake, sending every sailor tumbling. Jonah looked up at the lightning. His throat tightened and his entire body tensed with fear and regret. 00:14:23 Speaker 3: What must we do to him? To appease your plot? 00:14:28 Speaker 1: Jonah staggered to the railing, gazing into the roiling abyss below. 00:14:33 Speaker 3: It bellowed like a great beast. 00:14:36 Speaker 1: Jonah shut his eyes, gathering what courage he could master, and faced the crew. 00:14:42 Speaker 4: You must. 00:14:43 Speaker 5: you must throw me in, pick me up, and hurl me. 00:14:48 Speaker 6: Into the sea. The storm will calm once I am gone. 00:14:52 Speaker 1: The men hesitated, horror etched across their faces. The captain shook his head vehemently, torn between fear of their doom and dread of shedding innocent blood. But as the ship groaned beneath them, timbers cracking, he knew the prophet spoke the truth. 00:15:11 Speaker 3: What is your God's name? 00:15:13 Speaker 4: Yahweh. 00:15:14 Speaker 1: The captain nodded, then turned his face to the raging skies. Lightning cracked, nearly striking him. 00:15:22 Speaker 3: The captain raised his voice. 00:15:24 Speaker 6: Yahweh, forgive us, Lord, forgive us. Do not hold this man's blood against us. 00:15:31 Speaker 1: With grim determination, they seized Jonah, lifted him above their heads, and with cries of anguish, cast him into the raging waters. Jonah plunged downward, the wind howling around him, rain lashing his skin. He struck the water, the ocean embracing him with icy cruelty. Salt and darkness consumed him, pulling him deeper into the heart of the storm. Jonah sank into the depths of the sea, back to the abyss, looking up as a sliver of light broke through the calming skies. Jonah began to lose consciousness as he sank deeper and deeper. 00:16:19 Speaker 5: Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me. Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me. Even the darkness will not be dark to you. The night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. 00:17:02 Speaker 1: Deeper and deeper he sank, his lungs aching, his limbs heavy, and his heart weary. The prophet closed his eyes, resigned, and accepted his fate. Even now, Drowning beneath the waves he had brought upon himself, Jonah felt relief, a twisted comfort. Far better this death than facing the salvation of Nineveh. Yet as a darkness overtook him, a vast shadow blotted out what little light remained. Jonah's eyes opened wide in horror, chest tightening as panic filled him. Something immense, ancient, terrible drew near, its great jaws agape. Jonah screamed soundlessly beneath the waves, thrashing in futile defiance. And then the jaws snapped shut, and Jonah was swallowed whole, sealed within a tomb of scales and darkness, lost to the world and the heavens alike. Jonah awoke to absolute darkness. He gasped for breath, but the air came foul and stinging. The stench of rot and acid choked him like poison. He moved, reaching out blindly, but his hands touched only slime and scaled flesh, walls of living muscle closing tight around him. Panic rose hot in his chest, his breath coming ragged and desperate. The sound of his gasps magnified horribly by the hollow void around him. Jonah was in the belly of the beast. He could not scream. He could not move. The prophet of God was in an underwater grave. 00:19:05 Speaker 3: This is worse than death. 00:19:08 Speaker 5: Help. 00:19:09 Speaker 6: Help me, Lord. 00:19:10 Speaker 1: Hours passed in agony, trapped in this underwater tomb. Jonah struggled, clawed and pounded against the walls of his grotesque prison, screaming prayers and curses alike, but the beast wouldn't yield. Jonah's strength waned, his body aching with hunger and thirst, his joints cramped and raw. In bitter despair, Jonah curled into himself, his spirit breaking beneath the weight of his own defiance. 00:19:44 Speaker 5: So you'll follow me halfway to Tarshish, but you won't answer. me here. 00:19:51 Speaker 1: Jonah wished he could end it. He could feel his skin beginning to peel from the acid. His breaths were short, only able to take in enough oxygen to survive, yet not enough to bring relief. 00:20:05 Speaker 5: I'm sorry, Lord. 00:20:09 Speaker 4: I was wrong. 00:20:11 Speaker 1: As time stretched slowly onward, hours turning to days, darkness unchanging, Jonah's heart began to quiet. He ceased fighting, surrendering to the endless shadow. And there, in the quiet of hopelessness, Jonah felt something stirring around him, softer than the darkness, gentler than the crushing despair. an unmistakable presence. God was there, even in the belly of this monstrous tomb. As Jonah lay curled and broken, something within him lifted. Laughter came softly at first, half mad yet oddly free. His laughter transformed into song. His voice echoed strangely, beautiful in its starkness, a melody rising from despair into praise. 00:21:12 Speaker 5: I called out to God in my time of distress, and he heard my cry from the belly of the grave. You cast me down into the deep, into the heart of the sea where your waves crashed over me. You drove me from your sight, yet still, I will look again to your holy temple. The waters closed over me to take my life. The abyss consumed me. Weeds tangled around my throat. Yet even here, O Lord, I will praise you. Even here will my thanks rise up from the darkness. 00:22:00 Speaker 1: For the first time, Peace came to Jonah, not in escape or defiance, but in accepting the painful truth he had fled from so desperately. He could not outrun the God who pursued him with both wrath and mercy. The scaly tomb was his judgment and his salvation all at once. It was miserable, yes, but also kept him from drowning. It was terrifying and uncomfortable but also drew his heart closer to the Lord and even though Jonah could not see it that swimming grave was moving him closer to his destiny. On the third day Jonah lay curled in the belly of his despair limbs aching body weak and numb from hunger and thirst. Suddenly A tremor surged through his prison, muscles contracting around him, sending shivers of fear racing up his spine. The fish heaved violently and Jonah braced himself, heart pounding once more. Hope and dread mingled as a strange glow pierced the unending darkness. A rumbling, roaring upheaval filled his ears, and the walls of flesh convulsed around him. In one fierce moment, he was expelled from his watery tomb, cast upward, surrounded again by the bitter waters of the sea. Water surged around him, filling his lungs and threatening once more to swallow him. Jonah was nearly overcome by primal and fierce panic, but then he looked up. Above him burned a beacon of golden light, glorious and warm sunlight calling him upward. Jonah clawed through the water, bones grinding, muscles screaming in protest and skin burning against the salt water. Yet he swam, each stroke bringing him closer to air, closer to freedom, closer to life. He burst through the surface, gasping violently, lungs burning sweetly with fresh air. Jonah opened his eyes to blinding sunlight, golden rays warming his skin. The shore stretched just beyond reach, inviting, comforting, and offering salvation. With trembling limbs he dragged himself forward, crawling through surf and sand until he collapsed upon the shore, the soft earth beneath him like a mother's gentle embrace. He lay there, broken but alive, laughter bubbling forth from his throat. Jonah let the gentle breeze brush softly against his face, savoring the warmth of sun and earth as if for the first time. His laughter faded into quiet sobs of relief and bitter joy. Yet even in this moment of deliverance, Jonah knew the truth he wished desperately to deny. He wasn't saved to escape and return home, but to fulfill a purpose he still feared and resented. The mercy of his God was relentless, beautiful, and terrible all at once. He was spared, yes, but only to face once more the burden he had fled so far to avoid. 00:26:07 Speaker 3: Arise, Jonah. 00:26:09 Speaker 7: Go to Nineveh. 00:26:16 Speaker 5: Is it too late to return to the fish? 00:26:23 Speaker 1: 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 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.