Saul: The Tortured Soul

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king. 00:00:10 Speaker 3: Samuel, please, I have sinned. 00:00:16 Speaker 4: I feared the people. 00:00:18 Speaker 3: I listened to them instead of God, but it was not my will. Please, pardon my sin. Return with me. Let me worship before the Lord. 00:00:31 Speaker 1: Saul's hands trembled. He lunged forward, grabbing Samuel's robe. The fabric tore. 00:00:38 Speaker 5: As you have torn my robe, so the Lord has torn the kingdom from you. He will give it to another. The Lord has already chosen him. He is a man that seeks after the heart of God more than the heart of the people. 00:00:56 Speaker 1: And Saul In his solitude, felt the weight of God's absence heavier than ever before. Samuel's hands curled into fists. He had pleaded with God, had wept for Saul's soul, night after night, waiting for an answer that never came. 00:01:16 Speaker 5: How long will you mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king. Fill your horn with oil and go to Jesse of Bethlehem. Among his sons you will find the king I have chosen. 00:01:39 Speaker 1: At the top of the hill he found the boy. He was under the cypress tree, half reclined against its trunk, fingers dancing across the strings of his lyre. 00:01:52 Speaker 5: Arise, anoint him, for this is the one I have chosen. 00:02:04 Speaker 1: A wretched cry shattered the silence of the palace halls, a guttural wail of frustration and fury that sent the servants cowering behind doors and tapestries. The crashing of metal and the splintering of wood followed, lampstands overturned, goblets sent flying, clay pots reduced to shards. The night air was thick with the echoes of Saul's rage, a rage that had no target but struck everything within reach. The king staggered in the dim glow of the dying torches, his broad chest heaving, sweat dripping from his brow. His face, once noble, was now twisted in torment. His fists pounded against the stone walls over and over until blood seeped from his knuckles. He welcomed the pain. It was a distraction from the far greater agony within. Saul slid to his knees, his great shoulders trembling. His breath came in ragged gulps as he pressed his forehead against the cold floor. He did not understand it. 00:03:20 Speaker 4: You're the... King? You're the king, dammit. 00:03:28 Speaker 5: Act like it. 00:03:30 Speaker 1: There was something inside him. Something dark. Something ploying. He had known anger before, but this, this was different. This was like a living thing. A living thing that slithered through his mind, whispering venom into his ears, stoking the fires of his madness. 00:03:54 Speaker 4: You're no king. 00:03:59 Speaker 6: Samuel said so himself. 00:04:03 Speaker 7: The kingdom will be given to another. Your time is almost up. Your memory will fade. 00:04:16 Speaker 1: Your legacy will burn. 00:04:22 Speaker 4: Nobody will remember you. 00:04:27 Speaker 1: From the shadows, a door creaked open. Saul's head snapped up. His swollen, bloodshot eyes darted toward the entrance of the throne room. 00:04:39 Speaker 5: Samuel? 00:04:40 Speaker 3: Samuel? 00:04:41 Speaker 5: Is that you? 00:04:42 Speaker 1: Saul's children entered with Tavi. His daughter, Nishal, had worry creased all over her face. 00:04:50 Speaker 6: Father, you're not well. 00:04:54 Speaker 8: What can we do to ease your pain? 00:04:58 Speaker 4: I'm fine, my dear. 00:05:00 Speaker 8: I just. 00:05:00 Speaker 5: I. 00:05:02 Speaker 4: Need to rest, is all. 00:05:04 Speaker 5: We haven't abandoned you, Father. We love you. I. 00:05:09 Speaker 2: I know. 00:05:11 Speaker 4: I know you do, sweet girl. If only a daughter's affection was enough to quiet this. 00:05:19 Speaker 4: This voice. 00:05:22 Speaker 1: Tavi hesitated. He had seen Saul like this before. Many times, in fact. He had learned that when the king was like this, it was best to tread carefully, to step lightly around his fractured mind. 00:05:37 Speaker 4: My lord, it's. 00:05:38 Speaker 2: Clear that a harmful spirit torments you. 00:05:41 Speaker 1: Saul's gaze flickered toward him, but he said nothing. Tavi continued, emboldened by the lack of an immediate outburst. 00:05:51 Speaker 2: I was recently in Bethlehem speaking with one of your budding new generals, Eliab, son of Jesse. While I was there, I met his younger brother, and he's a shepherd boy, but he is a skilled player of the lyre. His music was unlike anything. 00:06:08 Speaker 1: I'd ever heard before. 00:06:10 Speaker 2: It was like listening to the heavenly hosts themselves. 00:06:14 Speaker 1: Saul scoffed under his breath. 00:06:18 Speaker 8: Music. 00:06:20 Speaker 4: What a waste of time. 00:06:22 Speaker 6: Please, father. 00:06:23 Speaker 2: It would be nice to have some music around the palace. 00:06:27 Speaker 3: It may do you some good. 00:06:29 Speaker 2: And this young man is not only a musician, my king. Why, I've heard that he is resourceful as well. He could be a nice shield-bearer for you. 00:06:40 Speaker 1: Tavi hesitated, but Saul's dark eyes pinned him in place. Saul leaned back into his throne, the weight of exhaustion settling into his limbs. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. The rage still boiled beneath his skin, but there was no strength left to unleash it. 00:07:01 Speaker 4: Very well, perhaps... Perhaps music could help. Send for him. 00:07:08 Speaker 1: Tavi bowed and left. Saul did not watch him leave. His eyes remained shut, his fingers curling over the arms of his throne as another tremor of anger and shame coursed through him. His torment was not over. But maybe, just maybe, a shepherd's song could give him a moment's peace. Tarvey rode into Bethlehem as the morning sun bathed the hills in gold. The dust of the road clung to his robes as he entered the town, the hooves of his horse kicking up small clouds with every step. His destination was clear, the house of Jesse, the father of the boy he sought. Jesse was already awake, overseeing his household with a careful eye. He was a man of means. not rich like a noble, but prosperous enough that his name carried weight in the town. When he saw a servant of the king approaching, his brows lifted in intrigue. 00:08:15 Speaker 5: First a prophet, and now a royal messenger? 00:08:20 Speaker 6: The Lord must truly favor me. 00:08:23 Speaker 1: He stepped forward with open arms. 00:08:26 Speaker 6: Good morning, my lord, and long live the king. How might I serve? 00:08:31 Speaker 2: I have come seeking your son. 00:08:34 Speaker 1: Of course. 00:08:35 Speaker 6: Eliab is always ready to serve the king. 00:08:38 Speaker 4: I shall retrieve him for you. 00:08:40 Speaker 2: No, sir, not Eliab. The king requires your youngest son. The shepherd boy who plays the lyre. 00:08:47 Speaker 4: What was his name again? 00:08:49 Speaker 1: Jesse's smile faltered. What would the king want with him? 00:08:53 Speaker 2: The king has requested he play the lyre for him in the throne room. And there may be some other services required as well. That would be for the king to decide. 00:09:03 Speaker 1: Jesse stiffened, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly. He glanced over his shoulder toward the stables. There, crouched in the straw, was David. He was shearing a sheep, his fingers moving with precision, his arms flecked with tufts of wool. He worked quietly, humming to himself, unaware of the eyes upon him. Jesse turned back to Tavi. quickly masking his displeasure. His lip curled for the briefest of moments before he smoothed it into a forced grin. 00:09:39 Speaker 8: Of course. 00:09:40 Speaker 6: David will be in the presence of the king with his leer in two days' time. 00:09:45 Speaker 1: Tavi gave a nod of approval, mounted his horse, and rode off. Jesse watched him go, his hands tightening into fists at his sides. The runt. The forgotten one. David. Jesse exhaled sharply through his nose and turned back toward the stables. David was still working, lost in his own little world. He had no idea that his life was about to change forever. The wooden doors groaned as David creaked them open, their heavy weight straining against the hinges. The throne room was dark. The iron lampstands along the walls remained unlit, casting long shadows in the corners. The fire pit at the center of the hall flickered weakly, its glow barely stretching to the far reaches of the chamber. David stepped forward softly. his lyre cradled in his hands. His footfalls echoed against the stone, each step amplifying the silence that surrounded the slumped figure at the end of the hall, King Saul. Even in the dimness, the boy could see the sheer size of him. His broad frame was sprawled across the throne, though there was nothing regal in his posture. His head rested against his fist, his eyes dark and sunken. The firelight barely touched his face, but it glinted off the massive sword mounted above the throne, the weapon of a warrior king. The polished steel caught the glow of the flames, refracting it in sharp, shifting lines that danced along the walls. David lowered himself to one knee. 00:11:41 Speaker 6: My king, I am David, son of Jesse, at your service. 00:11:45 Speaker 1: Saul's gaze dragged lazily over the boy, scanning him from head to foot. He rolled the cup of wine in his hands and took a swig. 00:11:59 Speaker 4: I hear your music calms the soul, shepherd boy. 00:12:06 Speaker 1: David lifted his head. 00:12:08 Speaker 6: Only the Lord can calm the soul, my king. The music I play is unto him and thee. In his delight, peace pours forth. 00:12:21 Speaker 4: So you're a poet as well. The Lord's delight is fickle, boy. One day you have it, the other you don't. 00:12:36 Speaker 1: David did not answer. Instead, he lowered himself onto a stool beside the fire pit. He plucked the first notes from his lyre, a soft, quiet melody that hummed through the air like a distant wind. The music was gentle, not demanding attention, but drawing it all the same. Saul closed his eyes. The anthem David played was neither boastful nor forced. It was raw, unguarded, drawn from some deep well within him. The rise and fall of each note carried with it an unspoken truth, an invitation to rest, to cease striving. It was the song of the hills, of the still waters and open fields, the sound of the heavens stretching wide over the earth. 00:13:31 Speaker 8: A thousand may fall beside me Ten thousand may fade away But I stand unshaken for you I fear. No plague will come near my home. No darkness steals my peace. Your angels stand to lift me up. Your hands will keep Because I love you, you answer Because I know your name When I call, you'll be with me Through fire. 00:14:32 Speaker 6: Flood, and pain. 00:14:37 Speaker 8: A thousand may fall beside me Ten thousand may fade away But I will stand unshaken. 00:14:52 Speaker 6: For you are here always. 00:14:58 Speaker 1: Saul's shoulders loosened. His children entered. Jonathan, young Ish-bosheth, Merab, his oldest daughter, and Mishal. David bowed his head to all of them and continued to play. The ache in Saul's mind did not vanish, nor did the dark thing that lurked within him flee. But for the first time in what felt like years, its grip loosened just enough for him to breathe. The knots in his chest unwound, his heartbeat steadied. He inhaled deeply and let out a slow exhale. The king of Israel drifted into sleep. David smiled softly. He watched the weight slide off Saul's face if only for a moment. A man tormented. A king drowning under the weight of his own crown. As David played, he caught a glimpse of Saul's daughter, Michal. She stroked her father's forehead and mouthed their thanks to David. Carefully, David stood, taking care not to wake him. He picked up a fresh log and placed it on the fire. The flames licked at the wood hungrily, curling higher, stretching outward. The warmth of the room deepened. David sat again, and as the king slept, the shepherd played on. 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. 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.