Solomon’s Rise

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: Come now, Kibera. Can you blame me for assuming I was going to be made king? I am the eldest of David's remaining sons. 00:00:13 Speaker 3: Prince Adonijah, you asked to have a word. You stand before me. What is it that you want? 00:00:21 Speaker 2: All I seek is a wife, not an office or a throne. That is all I want. Please speak to King Solomon since he won't turn you down. Let him give me Abishag. 00:00:34 Speaker 4: He has requested Abishag the Shunammite for a bride. A member of the king's harem. Another feather in your cap as you parade around Judea, bribing for another bid at the throne. Tell me then, what's the name of Abishag's grandfather? I. 00:00:51 Speaker 2: Enough! Mercy! Mercy, Solomon! As you say, we are brothers! 00:00:57 Speaker 4: You had a chance. Did I not tell you that if you made another play, it would end with your death? Now, let us deal with the rest of them. 00:01:12 Speaker 1: Adonijah's pool of blood on the stones reflected the dim lamps of King Solomon's throne room. Solomon's court stared back at him, hardly daring to move a muscle. He had been crowned king. But now Solomon had to prove that he was worthy of the appointment. But before Solomon could truly begin his reign in earnest, his father's final commands to vanquish his enemies still hung in his mind. He had been given a list, a ledger of those set aside for judgment. The three men who put Solomon on the throne fell into rank beside him as he surveyed the still silent room Nathan, the prophet, Benaiah, and co-high priest Zadok. All four of them searched the crowd before them. They were searching for someone. 00:02:10 Speaker 2: There. 00:02:11 Speaker 4: Ah, high priest Abiathar, there you are. Come before your king. 00:02:17 Speaker 1: The color drained from Abiathar's face, going as white as the linen turban that marked his rank as a high priest. Inevitability and duty pulled him forward and away from the protection of the crowd. Onlookers parted before him, and his lonely footsteps echoed as each reluctant step drew him closer to his fate. 00:02:43 Speaker 2: Yes, my king. 00:02:44 Speaker 1: Abiathar knelt and inclined his head. Nonplussed, Solomon paced before the priest's stooped figure and calmly explained his logic to the court. He was not a cold-blooded monster, despite the swift justice that had occurred just moments before with Adonijah. Despite his youth and inexperience, he sought to show temperance and control as he dealt out the king's justice. 00:03:14 Speaker 4: Abiathar, you have served the Lord all your life. The only man who holds as high an office as you is Zadok here. Your brother's! This is how you both served my father throughout his reign. How I hoped you would support me as I sought to serve God's people. Yet you betrayed David and me. You conspired out of pettiness and jealousy. Such actions befitting a son of Aaron. 00:03:43 Speaker 1: Solomon stopped his easy pacing right before Abiathar. He saw the man flinch, but he did not lift his eyes. 00:03:53 Speaker 4: I won't rehash the history there or ask you why you decided to betray my father's decision. And before you seek to defend yourself, know that you will not lose your life. King David never called for your removal or for your life. You've never broken faith before. He knew that you suffered what he suffered for all those years. I plan to honor his request. 00:04:18 Speaker 1: Thank you, my king. 00:04:20 Speaker 4: I'm not finished. In the days since my father's death, you've kept your head down. You've been biding your time to strike at the hand that saved your very life. Was I not anointed twice as king of Israel? Did my father not swear an oath that the Lord decreed that I would inherit his kingdom? 00:04:38 Speaker 2: He did, my king. 00:04:40 Speaker 1: The priest's dejected gaze remained fixed on the floor. He did not beg. He did not justify his actions. The moment remained charged between the two men and the captive audience. 00:04:55 Speaker 4: He did. And I will not go against my father's judgment of your first betrayal. Though you deserve to die, I will stay my hand in favor of mercy. Go to your fields in Anathoth, Abiathar. My sentence is banishment. Banishment and removal from your office as high priest. 00:05:18 Speaker 1: The defrocked priest released a sharp cry of relief, reverberating off the stone walls. Benaiah nodded to his men and then sprang forward to grab the elderly priest under the arms, lifting him to his feet. 00:05:33 Speaker 4: Zadok, go with them. See that your co-high priest is officially released from this office and settles his affairs. Then make your own arrangements to appoint a replacement in Gibeon for yourself. Someone else will need to oversee the practices there. You will take Abiathar's place as the high priest here in Jerusalem and steward the Ark of the Covenant. And soon, very soon, we'll begin the work my father began by raising the temple. 00:06:05 Speaker 1: The priest nodded respectfully and trailed after Abiathar. Solomon returned to his throne. His mother's tears of shock had dried and she met his gaze steadily as he sat down beside her. She nodded to him and he could see a twinkle of pride in her eye. Nathan's face was unreadable, but he said nothing as he observed the scene play out. But it was to Benaiah that Solomon spoke next. 00:06:36 Speaker 4: Benaiah, go and seek out General Joab and strike him down. My father asked me to pass this sentence of judgment. For his murders, Joab must die. Go, find him where he hides, for he has surely known this day of judgment was coming. 00:06:57 Speaker 1: Thunder rolled across the hills where the Ark of the Lord resided. Lightning flashed, revealing Joab's weathered face. Rain descended. Joab didn't care. He stood in the rain, knuckles white as he gripped the horns of the altar. Benaiah came alone. He approached the old commander, sword drawn. Joab smirked. 00:07:24 Speaker 2: What is the king's sentence? 00:07:27 Speaker 1: Benaiah sighed and rolled his neck back. 00:07:32 Speaker 2: Justice! Justice? 00:07:36 Speaker 1: The House of David has no understanding of justice. 00:07:40 Speaker 2: Mad kings are given mercy. Psychopathic princes are wept over. 00:07:45 Speaker 1: But David's faithful commander has been sentenced to die. You aren't innocent, Joab. 00:07:53 Speaker 2: None of us are innocent, Benaiah. 00:07:55 Speaker 5: You assassinated Abner on the eve of peace. You unknowingly aided Absalom in his crimes against David. You murdered Amasa without pretense or permission from the king. And you led a coup with Adonijah to undermine Solomon's rise. 00:08:12 Speaker 2: Then why did David let me live until now? You know why. I do. 00:08:19 Speaker 1: David needed me. He knew I was loyal to him. But he also knew that Solomon doesn't need me. That retribution was bound to come for my sins. 00:08:30 Speaker 2: So you will accept your fate. 00:08:34 Speaker 4: Do I accept my fate? 00:08:36 Speaker 5: No. 00:08:39 Speaker 1: Joab's blade flashed as the lightning struck. Benaiah was ready and blocked his attack immediately. Joab swung low. Benaiah parried. Joab swung high. Benaiah evaded. The wolf of Judah refused to back down. Benaiah knew it. He honored it. Benaiah allowed Joab to advance until he exposed his left side. Benaiah jabbed, struck Joab in the shoulder, and then kicked him backward. Joab staggered back and swung his sword up in desperation. Benaiah disarmed him and held his sword to Joab's throat. Joab smiled and nodded in approval. 00:09:22 Speaker 2: You'll make a fine commander in my place, Benaiah. Well done. Make it swift and bury me near a field. Goodbye, old friend. 00:09:35 Speaker 1: One swing, and it was finished. Back at the palace, Solomon convened with his council. Among them were High Priest Zadok, Nathan the Prophet, the Queen Mother, and Benaiah. 00:09:51 Speaker 4: Now that my father's debts have been paid, I will set out to do what he tasked me to do with my reign. I will build the house of the Lord. and it will be a temple like the world has never seen. A fitting dwelling place for the one true God. I will build up Jerusalem around the city of David, as it is fitting for the legacy of my father. King David expanded the borders of Israel. His conquest was outward. But I tell you today, we will go upward. 00:10:23 Speaker 2: We will build. 00:10:24 Speaker 4: We will rise. My father's wars are finished. The time for peace has come. But this reign will not be marked by idleness. I will usher in an era of building and trade forged through alliances unlike anything our history has ever seen. To that end, I've decided to take another wife. Mother, I will need you to begin making the arrangements for the match. 00:10:50 Speaker 3: Oh, and who will the young lady be? 00:10:53 Speaker 1: Solomon saw the delight on her face, but he wanted to ensure the older men at the table knew he wasn't a romantic fool. Marriage was a diplomatic tool, and he intended to wield it. He would build Israel's might with a hammer in one hand and a bride price in the other. 00:11:15 Speaker 4: Our people have had a storied history with this nation. It has been tenuous and contentious, to say the least. But I will attempt what no other king before me has done. I will harness the power of Egypt. I will take a daughter of Pharaoh. 00:11:33 Speaker 1: Everyone gasped at that. Solomon smiled. They were only thinking in two dimensions. Solomon intended to rule with much more. He turned to Nathan to gauge whether or not the Lord approved. The old man's face remained neutral. Solomon's mother answered his proposal first. 00:11:55 Speaker 3: My son, your ambition is noted, but surely you should consider a wife of our own people first. Your first wife was already a political one to shore up our alliance with Amnon. 00:12:07 Speaker 4: Yes, I obeyed my father's command to maintain his peace with our hostile neighbor, Amnon. And Israel has one less enemy today than she did since I took Naima as my wife. I intend to keep us out of another war. Israel is done fighting. Now we are builders. Mother, you can arrange for me to take a wife from our people as well, but Egypt is one sleeping enemy I intend to subdue. 00:12:36 Speaker 1: His words were met with hearty applause and fists pounding the table. Solomon could not help but smile at their appraisal. 00:12:45 Speaker 4: Well done, King Solomon. 00:12:47 Speaker 3: Imagine, Egypt has an ally. 00:12:51 Speaker 2: Truly, this is the beginning of a new era. 00:12:56 Speaker 3: We will build under Solomon. 00:12:58 Speaker 1: The room of counsellors cheered once more. Slowly, they filed out of the chambers. One by one, they left eager to enact the king's will. Nathan, however, was the last to leave. 00:13:13 Speaker 2: Nathan? 00:13:14 Speaker 4: What say you? 00:13:16 Speaker 1: Nathan's eyes were impassive. Solomon's breath stalled in suspense. 00:13:22 Speaker 4: How high do you intend to build, my king? High enough to reach the heavens, perhaps? 00:13:31 Speaker 1: Solomon's throat clenched. Nathan bowed his head, then departed. This Pray.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Gatina, Max Bard, Zach Schellewager and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Colterfianu. 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.