The Blood of Abner

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People Within the throne room, torches hissed as the elders of the eleven other tribes of Israel gathered. Ish-bosheth, the last son of Saul, now sat on the throne. 00:00:16 Speaker 2: To crown David would be to reward Judah for its show of dominance. By anointing a king, they communicated to the other tribes that they viewed themselves as a king of their own. 00:00:29 Speaker 3: I am Saul's son. Royal blood flows through my veins. My claim is not for debate. We should have David's head for his treachery. What threat do you see rising first? 00:00:44 Speaker 1: Joab didn't hesitate. 00:00:45 Speaker 4: Abner. 00:00:49 Speaker 3: Job and Abner have hated each other as long as. 00:00:51 Speaker 5: I can remember. 00:00:52 Speaker 1: Civil war. 00:00:55 Speaker 3: Israel against Judah. Brother against brother. 00:01:01 Speaker 1: The armies crashed like storm tides. Blades met bone. Shields splintered. The field became a butcher's yard. 00:01:10 Speaker 5: Fall back. 00:01:11 Speaker 2: We'll live to fight another day. Scatter and regroup. Abner is getting away. 00:01:17 Speaker 1: Leave him to his shame. 00:01:20 Speaker 6: But I can end this. 00:01:21 Speaker 2: Now. 00:01:22 Speaker 3: Asahel, stop. 00:01:25 Speaker 1: Asahel leapt, but the rain had made the rocks slick and his footing was unsure. Abner cocked his elbows and thrust. The spear met flesh with a sickening crunch. 00:01:40 Speaker 5: Know this, Abner. 00:01:42 Speaker 2: My brother's blood will not be forgotten. 00:01:45 Speaker 5: The day will come. 00:01:47 Speaker 7: When you answer for it. 00:01:49 Speaker 1: Abner felt the words in his bones. Joab's words were no mere threat. They were a prophecy. The morning sun crept through the narrow stone arch of Abner's window. The breeze carried the scent of wildflowers from the fields beyond Gibeah. It stirred the linen sheets that tangled around his legs, stirred his hair, stirred her. Rispa. She lay beside him, bare and golden in the rising light. Her dark hair spilled like ink across the white pillow. Her breath was slow and warm against his shoulder. Abner watched her as one might watch the last leaf on a tree. Fragile. 00:02:47 Speaker 5: Beautiful. 00:02:49 Speaker 1: He traced the curve of her shoulder with a calloused finger. Her eyes opened like the sun itself. His heart fluttered at the. 00:02:59 Speaker 5: Sight of it. 00:03:01 Speaker 8: Good morning. 00:03:02 Speaker 2: Good morning, my dove. 00:03:05 Speaker 1: Abner kissed her, brief, tender. She rose with the grace of a queen, sheets wrapped around her like silk robes. At the window, the sunlight caught her face, her skin, her sorrow. 00:03:22 Speaker 8: These are the moments I never want to forget. 00:03:26 Speaker 1: Her eyes closed, her chin tilted to the sun Abner came to her, strong arms encircling her waist. 00:03:36 Speaker 2: Moments like these are all we have. 00:03:41 Speaker 8: I hate that these moments have to be savored in secret. I want to be your wife. 00:03:47 Speaker 2: Then be my wife. 00:03:48 Speaker 8: You know I can't, no matter how much I long to. 00:03:52 Speaker 1: Rizpa had once belonged to Saul, his concubine, his possessions. and now, by the law of kings, belonged to Ish-bosheth. To lie with her was to lay claim to the throne itself, to defy order, to provoke a storm. And yet Abner did not care. He had raised Ish-bosheth to his fragile throne with the strength of his sword arm. 00:04:21 Speaker 2: I've ruled the kingdom in that boy's name and fought his wars. Why can't I have you? You're only property to him, but you're not a thing to me, Rispa. You're the only thing, my warmth, the only softness left in a world grown sharp. 00:04:40 Speaker 8: As you are mine. 00:04:42 Speaker 2: Ispacheth has no gratitude. Therefore, he doesn't feel he owes anything to anyone. It's why he's losing people's hearts to David. 00:04:52 Speaker 8: I hear David's name whispered by many. 00:04:54 Speaker 2: The lad had proven to be a capable king. Hebron stands tall with new towers. Trade flows in from allies along the coast and desert. Lebanon, Haman, and the mountain nations to the south. 00:05:08 Speaker 8: You almost sound impressed. 00:05:10 Speaker 2: I can respect a man who's able to bring his vision to life. And I wonder what the future holds for Israel if Ish-bosheth continues to flail like a fish out of water. 00:05:19 Speaker 8: You've held him up for two years now. But he seems determined to sabotage your efforts. All the while, David's claim grows stronger. 00:05:29 Speaker 2: Even worse, David has allied himself through marriage with prominent families. Six wives, more children. Ah, while Ispasheth fumbles about drunk. Too drunk to provide heirs, too drunk to govern. He has no idea how fragile the throne is. 00:05:45 Speaker 1: There was a silence, then a sigh from Abner. He wanted to retrieve the tender moment again. He drew Rizpa in close, taking her in with a breath. 00:05:57 Speaker 2: These moments are reprieve. You are my oasis. 00:06:03 Speaker 8: As you are mine. 00:06:06 Speaker 1: They leaned into each other, longing to steal another kiss before Abner had to leave. Then a knock came, and then the door opened. Before Abner could protest, a servant boy opened the door. My lord, I. 00:06:24 Speaker 1: The boy froze. He took one glance at Rispa, still half-veiled in the sheets, and then back at Abner. Abner watched the boy's eyes then shift to the disheveled sheets and calculate what he was seeing. His eyes went wide with realisation. Then, back to formality. 00:06:45 Speaker 2: His Grace, King Ishposheth, he requests your presence at once. 00:06:51 Speaker 1: The boy bowed and fled as quickly as he could, the door clapping shut behind him. The room fell into stillness. Rispa clutched the sheet tighter to her chest, already halfway across the chamber, gathering her scattered clothes. Her face was flushed with dread. 00:07:11 Speaker 8: He saw us. He'll tell the king. 00:07:13 Speaker 2: Let him tell. I'm not to be scolded like some common servant over the warmth of a woman. 00:07:20 Speaker 8: You forget yourself. You forget the laws. I'm bound to the king by law. What you've done is seen as a claim to the throne. 00:07:29 Speaker 2: Then let him believe it. Let him call a treason. Let him summon his guards. I made him king. I could unmake him. 00:07:36 Speaker 1: Rispa stepped close and pressed her palm to his chest. 00:07:41 Speaker 3: Don't speak so boldly. 00:07:43 Speaker 8: If he doesn't do anything to you, he may take it out on me. 00:07:47 Speaker 2: I won't let that happen. 00:07:50 Speaker 1: Abner caught her hand and kissed it, but said no more. When she was gone, he stood in silence, watching the curtains sway in the breeze. A moment passed, then another, and then he dressed. Leather, linen, steel. He fixed his cloak, belted his sword and left for the palace. Whatever Ish-bosheth wished to say, he would hear it with a sword at his side and fury in his bones. Abner walked into the echoing halls of the palace. He pushed open the doors to the king's throne room and stepped inside. Ish-bosheth sat slouched on the throne, drowning in silk and sulk. a goblet of wine trembling in his soft hand. It wasn't even noon, and he had obviously downed several goblets. 00:08:49 Speaker 2: You sent for me, my lord? 00:08:52 Speaker 1: The boy king swirled his wine. He let the moment linger as if testing the strength of the silence. 00:09:02 Speaker 3: I had called you to speak of yesterday's council. Another matter weighs heavier now. 00:09:08 Speaker 1: He set the goblet down and looked up with a gaze sharp as broken glass. 00:09:15 Speaker 3: It's not enough that half my kingdom bends the knee to a peasant shepherd, but now I find my father's concubines taking his whores by his commanders. Rizpah was mine by right. You shame yourself, Abner. Have you no respect for the throne? 00:09:32 Speaker 1: Abner's eyes met the king's. What Ish-bosheth expected... Meekness? Apology? He did not find. What he saw instead was rage. Abner stepped forward. 00:09:47 Speaker 5: No respect. 00:09:48 Speaker 1: Abner continued to stomp closer to Ish-Bosheth. Their difference in stature became even more apparent as he approached the throne. 00:09:58 Speaker 2: I ask you... my king, am I a dog's head of Judah, who fought beside your father in the caves and hills of Zeph? Who faced Goliath's kin in the valleys, who kept the Philistines from tearing down your gates when they stormed Gibeah? Who made you king, Ish-bosheth? 00:10:17 Speaker 1: The boy shifted in his seat, visibly shrinking with every word. 00:10:23 Speaker 2: I am bled for this realm, bled for you, while you sit on your throne and speak to me of a woman? You have the gall to scold me over a woman you cast aside, when your throne itself sits on foundations I built with sword and blood? 00:10:41 Speaker 1: Ish-bosheth opened his mouth, but Abner drew steel before he could find a word. Abner slammed it into the wooden table that sat before the throne, splinters leaping like startled birds. Ish-bosheth recoiled in his seat. Abner leaned in, his face inches from the king's. 00:11:04 Speaker 2: Listen well, boy. May the Lord strike me dead if I do not take this kingdom from your trembling hands and place it into the hands of the ones who earned it. From Dan to Beersheba. David shall rule. 00:11:20 Speaker 1: He was chosen. 00:11:21 Speaker 2: You were placed. 00:11:24 Speaker 1: There was no reply. Ish-bosheth said nothing, could say nothing. His silence was all the answer Abner needed. With a scoff, the old war dog ripped his sword free from the table, splinters falling like rain. He turned his back to the king and walked away without waiting for a command or permission. At the threshold he paused, spat on the stone, and cast one final word over his shoulder. 00:11:58 Speaker 2: Sniveling coward, if only Saul could see what a miserable little brat you turned out to be. 00:12:05 Speaker 1: The doors groaned shut behind him. In the silence that followed, Ish-bosheth sat frozen, terrified of the fate that awaited him. King David sat at the long table with Jashabim, reviewing parchment rolls inked with law codes and rulings handed down from the tribal judges. The king's brow was furrowed not in the grimace of war, but in the quiet burden of governance. 00:12:39 Speaker 3: I want more than victories. I want peace to have rooms here. 00:12:44 Speaker 5: Peace is the reward of kings who rule with wisdom, not just might. I fear we've drawn swords too quickly. The diplomacy may have won us the day. 00:12:54 Speaker 1: Before David could reply, the chamber doors swung open and a dusty, travel-worn youth stepped through. 00:13:02 Speaker 2: Thus says my master, Abner. 00:13:04 Speaker 4: It has been my conviction that the Lord has anointed you, David, to steward his land and his people. Make a covenant with me and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel over to your side. 00:13:17 Speaker 1: Jasherbeam narrowed his eyes, instinctively suspicious. The two men exchanged wary glances. 00:13:26 Speaker 5: What does he gain by coming to us now? Abner is no fool. Why offer you the crown he once bled to deny? 00:13:37 Speaker 3: Something must have fractured between him and Ishbosheth. 00:13:42 Speaker 7: Perhaps. 00:13:44 Speaker 5: But I'd still be cautious. If Abner truly wishes to join our cause, let him prove it. 00:13:52 Speaker 1: David gave a slow nod. 00:13:55 Speaker 3: He won't see my face until he brings me Michael. She will be my peace offering. 00:14:02 Speaker 5: This again, David? Please, for the love of God, let it rest. McCall is... With another man. 00:14:11 Speaker 3: She's my wife, by right. I paid for her in Philistine blood. Saul gave her away like a trinket. I want her returned. Not only for love, the once I loved her. But because she's Saul's daughter, the people will remember. Her return binds me tighter to the bloodline they once revered. 00:14:37 Speaker 1: Jasherbeam sighed and rubbed his temples. 00:14:41 Speaker 5: Another wife, then? That's a lot to manage, my friend. I'd be cautious. How many strings can a man tie together before he strangles in them? 00:14:53 Speaker 3: I didn't take you for a poet, Jasher. 00:14:56 Speaker 5: I'm being earnest. I think taking McCall back would be inviting more chaos. She sold you out to Saul, David. 00:15:06 Speaker 3: My terms stand. Tell Abner he may have my favor when Michael stands beside me once more. 00:15:14 Speaker 1: The messenger bowed and departed. David sighed, then realized something. He had just initiated peace talks with Abner without consulting Joab. True to his word, Abner delivered. Mishal was torn from the arms of the man she had come to love. Her cries echoed through the streets as her husband followed her, weeping, until Abner's hand shoved him back. Her place was beside David now, by rites of first marriage and by the slow, cruel arithmetic of kingship. And with that offering, trust was bought. Within the walled courts of his own estate, Abner summoned the elders of the northern tribes. 00:16:04 Speaker 5: My lords. 00:16:05 Speaker 2: We are bleeding ourselves dry for a king too weak to command his own shadow. I once believed I can rule in his stead. But no more. Lord's wind turns to David. 00:16:17 Speaker 1: They stirred uneasily, suspicion in their eyes. 00:16:22 Speaker 5: You were Ish-bosheth's architect, Adner. Will you now dismantle your own design? 00:16:29 Speaker 2: My loyalty to Saul I pressed in vain. I was wrong. But repentance is not weakness. When the Lord's hands moves, only a fool stands against it. David is the Lord's anointed. The Lord himself declared by the hand of my servant David, I will save my people from the Philistines and all their foes. We stand now at a crossroads, my brothers, to cling to a fading crown or to follow the one chosen to wear it. 00:16:57 Speaker 1: For a long moment, no one spoke. Then a single elder rose. 00:17:04 Speaker 5: Let it be so Let David be king over all Israel. 00:17:11 Speaker 1: The others followed, some with resolve, others with heavy hearts. The tides of Israel had begun to shift, and in Hebron a king waited. David hosted a great feast for Abner and his men. They dined not as enemies or rivals, but as warriors who knew the worth of peace. As the meal waned, Abner leaned forward, his voice low and purposeful. 00:17:43 Speaker 2: I will rise from here and gather the kingdom for you. The elders have bent the knee in spirit, but they still need to make public pledges to you. The governors and captains will follow, though some may need convincing. That's where I will need to be careful. These men are loyal to me and to me alone. Shifting their ties will take some work. 00:18:06 Speaker 1: David studied the man across from him. He saw no deceit, only weariness and conviction. But then he thought of Joab. His rage still burned for Abner. 00:18:20 Speaker 3: Why the change of heart, Abner? What's made your hatred for me and Judah go cold? 00:18:27 Speaker 1: Abner grimaced. Not at David, but at whatever memory he was retrieving to answer David honestly. 00:18:35 Speaker 2: I love my country, my people. My loyalty is to the good of Israel. I thought if I could control Ish-bosheth, I could steer this nation in a steady position. But while I build, the boy seems bent on sabotaging everything. All the while, here, you are leading like the King Jonathan always knew you'd be. 00:18:56 Speaker 3: Joab is my commander. And he will remain so once this is all done. 00:19:01 Speaker 8: Can you accept that? 00:19:05 Speaker 2: Once this treaty is complete, my only desire is to retreat into the countryside with Rispa. I've had enough battles. It's time for peace. If the Lord wills this union, then let it be done. The bloodshed must end. 00:19:23 Speaker 1: Abner nodded and rose, bowing before the king he now served. He took his leave, riding into the fading light with fire in his chest, bearing a dream of unity. Moments after Abner had left, the gates thundered open again. Joab entered Hebron triumphant. Behind him marched his men, laughing and dragging carts laden with gold and cattle. They were bloodied but exultant. 00:20:01 Speaker 6: My king, see what your army has done. The riches of your enemy lie at your feet. 00:20:07 Speaker 2: With this, we can strike down Abner. 00:20:11 Speaker 1: Burn Ithbojeth's crown to ash. His men whooped behind him until David's voice stilled the air. 00:20:20 Speaker 3: We have no need for another strike. There will be no war with Abner. 00:20:27 Speaker 5: What do you mean? 00:20:29 Speaker 3: Abner struck a treaty with us. He rides now to gather Israel beneath my banner. 00:20:35 Speaker 1: Joab was silent for a moment. He looked around, seeing the feasting tables and goblets of fine wine spread out before them. 00:20:45 Speaker 6: You met with Abner? So this feast isn't for us, your soldiers. It isn't for the men who've bled for you. It's for the dog that slayed Akin? You let him leave with his head? 00:21:01 Speaker 3: I refuse to choose vengeance when peace is an option. We have a chance to end the bloodshed. 00:21:09 Speaker 1: Joab turned to his men. 00:21:12 Speaker 5: Leave us! 00:21:14 Speaker 1: They obeyed without question. Now it was just the two of them. Joab was vibrating in place. 00:21:23 Speaker 2: How could you be so stupid? 00:21:27 Speaker 3: Mind your tongue, Joab. 00:21:29 Speaker 1: Cut the crap. 00:21:31 Speaker 7: You and I can speak plainly, David. I'm not your commander because I kiss your backside. 00:21:38 Speaker 1: David tensed and rolled his shoulders back. Joab circled David like a wolf. 00:21:45 Speaker 3: Abner pledged loyalty. 00:21:46 Speaker 1: I say horse dung! 00:21:49 Speaker 3: Abner is a sober thinker. He knows what's best for Israel. 00:21:55 Speaker 1: He killed Asael! 00:21:58 Speaker 3: And now that we've brokered peace, no other brothers need to die. 00:22:02 Speaker 2: You dishonor our families. 00:22:04 Speaker 3: And you're blinded by your rage. 00:22:07 Speaker 7: You're weak. 00:22:10 Speaker 3: How many times do I have to explain this before it gets into your head? Mercy isn't weakness. 00:22:18 Speaker 2: This isn't about mercy. 00:22:20 Speaker 3: We're on the heels of winning the throne. 00:22:23 Speaker 6: You can't just stand the thought of someone like Abner hating you. 00:22:27 Speaker 2: You need him to love you. 00:22:30 Speaker 3: I've honored the nation by forging the path to peace. without more violence. Accept it, Joab. I've already given my word to Abner. 00:22:41 Speaker 2: I also gave my word to Abner. 00:22:44 Speaker 5: I intend to keep it. 00:22:46 Speaker 3: You will be the ruin of peace before it can even be born. 00:22:50 Speaker 1: Joab said nothing. He turned on his heel and stalked into the night, his breath steaming in the cold air. He vanished into the dark like a hound on the scent of blood. David knew those eyes. They were the eyes of Saul, the eyes of Cain. The hour was late, and the moon hid its face behind thick, sweeping clouds. Joab stalked through Hebron like a hound that had been kept from its kill for too long. The blood of Arsahel still cried out from the ground. And Joab, who had carried his brother's broken body back from the mountain, had never stopped hearing it. He seized a young servant by the arm near tearing it from the socket. 00:23:47 Speaker 7: Intercept Abner before he leaves Hebron. He rides east toward Manaheim. Tell him the king has matters yet unsettled. Tell him to meet me at the cistern of Zerah. He must come alone. 00:24:02 Speaker 1: The boy went without question, and not long after, Abner turned from the road. He was not eager to delay. He was a man with a kingdom to unite, but a summons from David could not be ignored. He rode alone, torch in hand, the wind tugging at his cloak. The cistern of Syrah was a lonely place, half swallowed by the walls of the outer city. When Abner arrived, he dismounted and walked into the narrow alley, the torchlight flickering against the damp stone walls. A sliver of moonlight broke through the clouds above. The moonlight illuminated a figure emerging from the dark, cloaked and still. 00:24:48 Speaker 2: My King David? 00:24:50 Speaker 5: Why here? 00:24:51 Speaker 2: Have we not spoken enough of peace already? 00:24:54 Speaker 1: The figure stepped forward. And something in the movement struck Abner wrong. Too sharp, too certain. His hand drifted toward the hilt of his sword. 00:25:06 Speaker 7: I've come to speak of peace. 00:25:09 Speaker 5: Things that must be done. 00:25:11 Speaker 7: To win it. 00:25:12 Speaker 1: Abner was confused. He brought the torch closer. Its light flickered, revealing Joab's sneer under the hood. Abner gasped and reached for his blade. But he was too late. Joab was upon him in a breath, the dagger sinking deep beneath the ribs. Abner gasped, blood rushing to his throat. Joab leaned into Abner's ear. 00:25:40 Speaker 7: I told you this day would come. Unlike you, I keep my word. 00:25:46 Speaker 1: Abner groaned and growled, but couldn't speak. With a final twist of the dagger... Joab let the man fall. Abner crumpled beside the cistern. Blood spread across the stones as ink spilled across the parchment. The clouds above swallowed the moon, cloaking the world in shadow once again. And in the silence that followed, there was no sound but the wind. No peace. This Pray.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Gatina, Max Bard, Zach Schellevager, 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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