Samson Part I- The Prophecy

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. Before the breaker of chains came, the Lord would send lesser heroes, fractured and broken images of the Deliverer to come. They would be imperfect vessels in God's hands, crafted to lead Israel out of its self inflicted destruction. 00:00:22 Speaker 2: Would make no mistake. Brothers, we are all the Lord's men. 00:00:27 Speaker 3: Have I not commended you? The strong? 00:00:33 Speaker 2: Be courageous, for the Lord is with me. 00:00:38 Speaker 4: Rise you, men of Israel, Up a rise for the Lord. 00:00:44 Speaker 2: Edward Gideon. 00:00:45 Speaker 4: You have crowned this bramble, a king with no shade to give, no refuge to offer. He will devour you. He has devoured Gideon's sons. 00:00:57 Speaker 2: If the Lord grants me favor and lead you in the victory over the Ammonites, I will remain only dead. Chief. 00:01:06 Speaker 1: The judges of Israel grew darker and more twisted with each passing generation. Heroes became villains, and villains left Israel bound in sin. Yet the God of Israel would not leave his people forever. The sun sank low over the fields of Zorah, draping the land in hues of molten gold. The tall barley swayed in the evening breeze, a gentle rhythm that whispered secrets of the coming night. Priya stood at the edge of the field, her breath rising in small clouds in the cool air. She gazed westward, where the horizon devoured the sun. In slow, deliberate gulps. Her hands, calloused yet graceful, gripped the handle of her basket. With a sigh, She turned back toward the narrow path that led home. Her steps fell softly on the dirt, yet the sound seemed hollow. In her ears, she imagined smaller steps beside hers, the laughter of children weaving through the quiet, But the thought stung more than it soothed. Her womb, as silent as the path had borne her no fruit. Priya and her husband Manoah had long since ceased their lamentations for grief left unattended withers into a dull ache. Yet in her heart she still carried the echo of that unfulfilled longing. Priya's voice, soft and low, rose in song, a lullaby from her own mother's lips. As her melody wove through the step illness. Her voice clear, commanding and other worldly, spoke from behind her. 00:03:06 Speaker 4: Your barren womb shall from now on be cold blest. 00:03:10 Speaker 1: She turned sharply, her heart pounding against the fading sun. Stood a figure shrouded in radiant light. His face was hidden in the brilliance, but the air around him seemed alive, trembling with his presence. As he stepped forward, the light did not diminish, but followed him, wrapping him in a halo of glory. Praya fell to her knees, trembling, her eyes shielded by her hands. The Angel of the Lord knelt before her and gently drew her hands away, his gaze piercing but kind. 00:03:46 Speaker 4: Your barren womb shall from now on be called blest. For this day you shall conceive and bear a son. He is to be set apart for the Lord's purposes. Therefore, be careful and drink no wine, a strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. No razor shall come upon his head. But the child shall be a Nazarit guard from the. 00:04:09 Speaker 1: Wom Priya could not speak, nor could she look away. The Angel smiled a glimmer of divine warmth in the fading light, and helped her to her feet. 00:04:21 Speaker 4: Your son shall be a mighty warrior. He shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines. Who were you? 00:04:30 Speaker 1: But how when she looked again, he was gone. The last rays of sunlight spilled over the hills, as if they carried him away. Priya stood frozen, her basket forgotten. Then, like a spring uncoiled, she ran home. She burst through the door and into Manoah's arms, laughing and weeping in the same breath. Manoah startled, held her tightly. 00:04:58 Speaker 2: What's the meaning of this? 00:05:00 Speaker 1: Priya looked up at him, her love for him welling in her chest. 00:05:04 Speaker 3: A man of God came to me. His appearance was unlike any I have ever seen his words. Oh, man Ah, they cut through me like a blade and healed me in the same breath wombs. 00:05:20 Speaker 2: What do you say, Oh? 00:05:23 Speaker 3: I didn't even think to ask his name. I was so overcome. But he said, he said, we shall have a sun I do. I suppose I have no logical reason to, but I know it in my bones. He told me that he would be a great warrior, set apart by God. He told me to drink no wine or strong drink, and to eat nothing unclean. He is to be a Nazarite from the womb until the day of his death. 00:05:54 Speaker 1: Manoah's expression shifted from doubt to hope as she recounted the words. When she finished, he fell to his knees, his shoulders shaking. The two knelt together, their joy tempered with reverence. That night, under the starlit canopy of Heaven, they conceived a child, as promised. The next morning, the fields of Zora awoke beneath a tender dawn. Shafts of light pierced through the boughs of ancient oaks, casting their golden hues over the barley. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of turned earth and distant rain. Priya lingered there, her gaze drawn to the interplay of light and shadow among the trees. Then she saw him. The figure stood beneath the largest of the oaks. Light radiated around him, though the sun had barely risen. Her breath caught, and without thought, she raised her hand in greeting. The Angel of the Lord inclined his head in acknowledgment. Priya turned and ran, her heart pounding with urgency. She found Manoah in the stables, his hands coated in straw and sweat. 00:07:14 Speaker 3: He's here, Manoa, the Man is here. 00:07:19 Speaker 1: Manoah dropped his tools and followed her without a word. Beneath the tree, the Lord sat in the shade, his posture calm as he looked at the birds. His face was serene, yet the air around him crackled, as if the very world knew. 00:07:35 Speaker 2: Who he was. 00:07:37 Speaker 1: Manoah approached, his breath labored, but his voice steady. 00:07:41 Speaker 5: Are you the man who spoke to my wife? I am when your words come true? What is to be the purpose of this child? What mission does the Lord have for him? 00:07:53 Speaker 4: My purpose is my own. All that I have spoken to your wife remains. She is to abstain from wine, strong drink, and all that is unclean. Let her observe these things, and all will be as it should. 00:08:08 Speaker 5: Then she too was to live as a Nazarite, and to the boy's board. 00:08:13 Speaker 1: The Angel gave the faintest nod, and a sense of peace settled over Manoah. Manoah hesitated, his heart full, but his mind racing. 00:08:23 Speaker 5: If I have found favor in your sight, let us honor you with the meal. We will prepare a young gun for you. 00:08:30 Speaker 4: I will not eat your food, However, you may prepare an offerer and offering. 00:08:36 Speaker 1: At these words understanding began to dawn upon Manoah. He glanced at his wife, and she nodded, her eyes wide with wonder. They weren't speaking to a mere messenger. It was him, the one who had blessed Abraham. Wrestled with Jacob, given orders to Joshua, and reassured Gideon, what is your name? How? 00:09:02 Speaker 2: Why do you ask me my name? 00:09:05 Speaker 4: You know my name, You know that it is glorious. 00:09:08 Speaker 1: Manoah stood and went into the fields, selecting a young goat and gathering grain. He brought them to a stone altar beneath the oak, kindled the fire and placed the offering atop the flames. The scent of roasted meat mingled with the smoke. Rising to the heavens. The angel stepped forward Manoah and prayer gasped as he laid his head upon the flames, which fled brighter at his touch. The fire did not burn him, but seemed to welcome him, dancing up his arm as if it recognized its maker. Then, to their utter astonishment, the angel stepped into the heart of the flame. The fire enveloped him, and with a burst of heat and light, he ascended heavenward, carried aloft by the smoke, Manoah and Praya fell to their faces, trembling. The air around them was still, yet their hearts beat wildly. 00:10:09 Speaker 5: Do you remember what the Lord said to Moses? If anybody sees the face of God, they shall surely die? 00:10:15 Speaker 2: Are we going to die? 00:10:17 Speaker 3: If the Lord wanted to kill us, he would have accepted our offering, would he? Nor would he have promised us a child. 00:10:24 Speaker 1: Her voice softened as her hand moved to her belly. She closed her eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips. 00:10:33 Speaker 3: He will live. He will be called Samson Sunlight. 00:10:38 Speaker 1: Manoah placed his hand over hers, his expression filled with reverence and love. They knelt together beneath the oak, their hearts heavy with the weight of divine purpose and the joy of what was to come. The stream wove through the Philistine city of Timner like a silver thread, cool and glistening under the sun's steady gaze. Yet Samson's eyes were not drawn to the waters, but to a figure that moved beside them. A Philistine woman descended to the banks. Her clay jar balanced on her shoulder, she set it down and seated herself on a stone. Her hair caught the light as she tipped her face towards the sun, and Samson's heart, fierce and untamed as a lion's, stilled in his chest. He stood under the shade of an olive tree, his breath heavy with desire. Though his Nazarite vow bound him to God's service, Samson often found himself in places he ought not, be, drawn as much by temptation as by rebellion. His long, unshorn hair fell over his broad shoulders, a mark of his divine calling. Yet his feet strayed into the Philistine cities with troubling ease. There, the strong man who could slay entire packs of wolves was rendered weak by a different kind of predator. Women. This woman, in particular, unsettled him. Her beauty was sharp, almost cruel, and Samson felt a madness stirring in his soul. She saw him, her dark eyes locking onto his, and she did not flinch. He stepped out from the shade and waded into the stream, the water cooling his heated skin. As they came closer, her gaze was unwavering, almost playful. He stepped onto the bank and sat beside her, his damp frame towering over her. Slight form. She smiled at him, a flicker of mischief in her eyes. 00:12:59 Speaker 3: Tell me what brings you to a philistine stream? Should you not fear for your life? 00:13:04 Speaker 2: Here? Look at me? Does it seem I have anything to fear? 00:13:10 Speaker 1: Her gaze traveled over him, lingering on the water that clung to his muscles, glistening in the sunlight. 00:13:18 Speaker 3: Then what do you fear? 00:13:20 Speaker 2: Nothing save an empty bed? At night? 00:13:26 Speaker 1: Her laughter rang like chimes on the wind, and they spoke long into the afternoon, their voices mingling with the babble of the stream. Samson led her to a grove where wild flowers grew. They danced, kissed, and lingered beneath the trees as the sun did low over the valley. Samson's desire for her was not just lust. It was an all consuming hunger, a fire that left him restless and fevered. When the sun fell behind the hills, Samson and ran home, his strides devouring the miles between Timna and his father's house. He burst through the door, his presence a thunderclap that shattered the evening's quiet. His mother and father, seated by the hearth over a pot of stew, turned to him, an alarm. 00:14:17 Speaker 2: Oh, father, mother, I bring glorious news. 00:14:23 Speaker 1: What is it, my son? 00:14:24 Speaker 2: I met a woman in Timna. 00:14:26 Speaker 3: Timna, A Philistine woman. 00:14:29 Speaker 2: Philistine, Hebrew, Mobid, Egyptian. It doesn't matter. She's the most stunning creature I've ever seen. 00:14:39 Speaker 1: Samson took another long drink from the ladle, ignoring his mother's disapproving glare. 00:14:48 Speaker 2: I want her as my wife? 00:14:52 Speaker 5: Have you no thought for your people? The Philistines have oppressed us for decades? Is there no woman among your own kin you could take? 00:15:00 Speaker 2: Is your wife? 00:15:01 Speaker 3: Surely, my son, there are matches more worthy, more suited to your calling as a man of God. Ah. 00:15:09 Speaker 2: The pitia pleases my eyes, and that is enough. I care not for these other things. Fetch her for me. 00:15:15 Speaker 1: Father Manoah was exacerbated by his son's irreverence. He wondered where he had gone wrong raising such an entitled and self gratifying son. 00:15:27 Speaker 5: Samson, have you no sense of your purpose? You are set apart by God for something greater? 00:15:35 Speaker 2: What purpose? My hair grows long, my lips are dry of wine. Yet I see no wealth, no land, no calling, until the Lord speaks to me as he once spoke to you and mother, I will do as I see fit. Now get me that woman. 00:15:51 Speaker 1: Manoah slumped in his chair, his head heavy with shame, not for Samson, but for his own failure to sh shape the wildness out of his son. Samson was a force of nature, untamed and dangerous. Yet perhaps it was that very wildness the Lord would use. The next morning, Manoah journeyed to Timna to arrange the bride price. He met with the woman's father, speaking in tones heavy with resignation. None of them could see the hand of God at work, moving in ways mysterious and strange. Samson's weakness, his reckless heart, would be the instrument of deliverance for Israel. For all his flaws, God was weaving a plan through the chaos. This Pray Dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabager, and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People, Narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Gotten, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland, Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. 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