The Lord of the Plauges Part 1

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: We have both come with a message from the God of Israel. 00:00:06 Speaker 3: What request does this God have with the image. 00:00:11 Speaker 4: Of raw Our God has commanded that Pharaoh let his people go into the wilderness to worship. 00:00:18 Speaker 3: I do not know this God of yours. 00:00:21 Speaker 5: Who is the lord that I should obey? I am the image of Rah, the Lord of the Nile. 00:00:29 Speaker 6: The sun rises and sets according to My greatness? Will God let your people go? Moses, I do not acknowledge this God of yours. 00:00:42 Speaker 2: Treadlightly, Rameses, the God of the Hebrews, will not relent. 00:00:49 Speaker 7: I will herden Pharaoh's heart. I will show him signs of my power. Through you wonderers shall descend upon him by fiery arrows. 00:01:03 Speaker 1: The onlookers gasped as the clear blue green currents of the Nile began to darken. The color shifted deepened, turning from blue to a murky red. The transformation was slow, at first, almost subtle, but then it spread like. 00:01:21 Speaker 7: Fire through dry reeds. 00:01:24 Speaker 1: The river was becoming thick and clotted, a red so dark it was nearly black, like the blood of a freshly slain bull left too long in the sun. 00:01:35 Speaker 5: The lamb ramsies, your people who viewed by you being further into their rods. What my people lose in these sources will be taken from Gausha. 00:01:57 Speaker 3: What's next, Moses? 00:01:58 Speaker 8: It's been Sun and Das, and Pharaoh has yet relent. 00:02:03 Speaker 1: Miriam's question hung in the heavy air, like the scent of the rotting Nile. Moses, Miriam, and Aaron stood on the wooden platform overlooking the niles still tainted waters, now as sickly brownish red. The river had once been the lifeblood of Egypt, but now it smelled of death. Dead fish clogged the banks, their bodies bloated and swollen, the stench of iron and wrought filling the air. Seven days had passed since the Lord had made happy the god of the Nile bleed. The crimson tide had receded, but the aftermath lingered like a warning. Unheeded. Egypt still felt the plague's bitter sting, and the people's murmurs had shifted from awe to dread. Moses stared into the water, his mind not on the decay before, but on the voice of the Almighty, which seemed to rise like a whisper from the river's depths. There is more to come. He knew the Lord was not finished with Pharaoh nor with Egypt. His hand was still poised to strike again. Aaron and Miriam stepped back, giving Moses space to hear the voice. 00:03:22 Speaker 7: They could not. 00:03:24 Speaker 1: They had watched him like this before, His face taught with concentration, his eyes distant, as if straining to catch some sound just beyond their hearing. How he heard the voice of God they did not understand, but that he did they could not doubt. After a few moments of silence, Moses turned to them. His voice, when it came was soft but steady. 00:03:50 Speaker 2: We are to return to Pharaoh's courts with an ultimatum. 00:03:55 Speaker 9: Haven't we done that already? Pharaoh has refused. 00:03:59 Speaker 2: Many things will happen before Pharaoh bins. We must remain persistent. 00:04:06 Speaker 9: I'm with you, brother, Just tell me what to say and do, and I shall obey. 00:04:11 Speaker 8: What will be the next sign? 00:04:13 Speaker 1: Moses looked away for a moment and tilted his head. He sighed, then replied with a monotone voice. 00:04:23 Speaker 2: Frogs, frogs, yes, frogs. 00:04:27 Speaker 9: I'm going to stand before the most powerful man alive and threaten him with frogs. 00:04:35 Speaker 2: Yes, let's go erin. I will relay the exact words and deeds to you on the way, Miriam, you return and prepare the people. 00:04:47 Speaker 8: Prepare them for frogs, frogs, Miriam, Moses and Aaron ascended the wide stairway leading to the pools of Pharaoh's Palace, the same pools where Moses had been drawn. 00:05:03 Speaker 1: From the waters as an infant. Ramses was there, reclining on a stone bench, watching his children splash and play in the cool water. Now that it no longer ran red with blood, Moses couldn't help but feel a pang of memory. He could almost see himself and Ramses as boys playing in these same waters, laughing as they chased each other through the shallows. But those days were long gone, buried beneath the weight of years and the blood of slaves. The guards escorted them, but none dared touch them. Fear had begun to creep into the hearts of the Egyptians, though not yet into the heart of Pharaoh. Rameses looked up as they approached, a sneer. Curling his lips, he gestured toward the playing children and spoke with a mockery that cut through the air like a blade. 00:05:59 Speaker 5: Ah, you never got a chance to meet my children, Moses. But I told them stories about you. I told them how you were plucked out of this very place and spared by my dear sister. She was a fool not to drown you, though. 00:06:15 Speaker 6: Moment she heard your cries. 00:06:18 Speaker 1: Moses ignored the slight. His eyes lingered on the children, their laughter mixing with the rippling of the water. They reminded him of the simpler times when they were brothers in all but blood. 00:06:32 Speaker 2: I have fond memories of these fools. You always pretended to be the sea monster, and I I would be the unsuspecting fishermen. 00:06:42 Speaker 5: They're enough of this. Why have you come, Moses? Let me guess more demands from your god? More threats. 00:06:53 Speaker 2: The Lord demands that you let his people go at least for a few days under the wilderness, so that they might worship him. 00:07:00 Speaker 5: Ech your peasant god ruined our supply of fish and clean water for a week. But we have recovered. Whatever TwixT you have up your sleeve, I will be ready. 00:07:11 Speaker 2: For there will be more plagues. Ramses cannot be foolish. 00:07:16 Speaker 6: And what plague is to come next? 00:07:20 Speaker 2: Frogs? 00:07:21 Speaker 9: Frogs, yes, frogs. 00:07:25 Speaker 1: For a moment, there was silence, Then Rameses laughed, a deep, guttural laugh that echoed off the stone walls. 00:07:35 Speaker 5: Very well, Moses, bring your frogs. I care not Nevermund remind Moses here what he has seemed to have forgotten. 00:07:45 Speaker 1: The slithery priest emerged from the shadows of the colonnade. His cat like grin almost glowed in the darkness. 00:07:55 Speaker 10: Frogs, you say, you should know, Hebrew, that frogs are a sign of blessing from the goddess ha kept. They represent fertility abundance from the Nile. 00:08:12 Speaker 2: There will be no blessing, Rameses. The Nile will team with frogs. It will come upon your palace, your bedroom, and the houses of all your people. They will leap into your ovens and kneading dose. They will be inescapable. 00:08:27 Speaker 3: We do not fear your god, Hebrew. Now leave the Pharaoh before we have the guards toss you out. 00:08:37 Speaker 1: Moses turned to Aaron and nodded. Aaron stepped forward, his face grim with purpose. He stretched out his staff over the water. For a long moment, nothing stirred except the laughter of Ramsy's children as they splashed in the pools. Then the surface of the nile trembled, small ripples at first, then violent bubbles. The waters churned and frothed, as if something monstrous was rising from the depths. Suddenly the frogs came. Hundreds, then thousands, then tens of thousands. They surged from the water like a living tide, their croaks deafening, their bodies, leaping and scrambling over each other in their mad rush to the shore. Ramses children scorned as the frogs surrounded them. Swarming up the steps of the palace. Ramses leapt to his feet, his face a mask of shock. One of the servants grabbed a broom to swap the frogs away, but Nevermund quickly stopped them. 00:09:42 Speaker 3: No fool, it is what bid him to kill France. You want to anger her cat and her husband the great lard room, you will elicit the angle of the guards. 00:09:58 Speaker 1: Moses and Aaron turned up the stairs to leave Pharo in his household in disarray. He was not long before every pond, river and canal was overflowing with frogs. They leapt into each hool, dying under their own weight and filling the streets with blood. Days passed, and the once lively croaking of frogs turned to a nightmarish chorus. The stench of death filled the air as the frogs began to die, their bodies littering the streets, clogging the gutters, rotting under the relentless Egyptian sun. The people of Egypt were driven to madness by the sound and the smell. But still Pharaoh's heart did not bend. Ramses his composure, slipping, turned to Nebermund, his voice low and dangerous. 00:10:51 Speaker 5: How do we ConTroll these? 00:10:53 Speaker 6: Nebermunn? Is there any power our God's orfer us to combat this. 00:11:00 Speaker 7: Pharaoh? 00:11:02 Speaker 3: These are mere tricks, you see. 00:11:05 Speaker 10: Our magicians have been able to conjure similar things from the water. 00:11:11 Speaker 3: We too can make frogs appear. 00:11:15 Speaker 5: Do not tell me that you have made more frogs appear. 00:11:21 Speaker 9: That is the last thing I want from you. 00:11:23 Speaker 5: I am telling you to make it stop. 00:11:28 Speaker 10: We cannot not, Pharaoh. 00:11:31 Speaker 3: It seems to be, of course, outside of our control. 00:11:36 Speaker 1: Pharaoh through an urn against the palace wall. Its shattered pieces fell upon dozens of frogs hopping against the wall's edge. Pharaoh's chest rose and fell with. 00:11:47 Speaker 9: Rage, blaying me Moses at once. 00:11:54 Speaker 1: Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh. The great halls of the palace overrun by frogs. The croaking was deafening, the stench unbearable. Ramses sat on his throne, his eyes bloodshot, his face gaunt with sleepless nights. He leaned forward, his voice hoarse with desperation. 00:12:17 Speaker 5: Pray to your God to make these frogs disappear. 00:12:24 Speaker 2: You know the term, Pharaoh, fine, I. 00:12:28 Speaker 5: Shall allow your people to go offer sacrifices in the wilderness. Just make these madness. 00:12:34 Speaker 1: And Moses could see the cracks forming in Pharaoh's resolve, the weariness in his eyes. He pitied the man with a familiar brotherly affection. 00:12:46 Speaker 2: I will leave you with the honor of sitting the time. When would you like me to pray for you and your officials. Once I pray, the frogs will retreat to the Nile. 00:12:58 Speaker 11: Tomorrow you wish the next day, Moses cried out to the Lord, and the frogs died where they lay. 00:13:09 Speaker 1: The streets of Egypt were clogged with their bodies, a testament to the Lord's dominion over the gods of the Nile. Yet even in the face of this, Pharaoh's heart hardened once more, he withdrew his promise, refusing to let the Hebrews go. The Lord knew that Pharaoh's heart was hardened. He refused to bend, and things that don't bend tend to break. The Lord came again to Moses and declared the next move. 00:13:41 Speaker 7: Tell Aeron to stretch out his stirf and strike the dust of the ground throughout the land of Egypt. The dust would become nurds. Aaron did as commanded. He came before Pharaoh's fields with his staff firmly held in his hand. In one fell swoop, he struck the earth. 00:14:04 Speaker 1: The dust rose in great clouds, twisting and writhing in the air, before transforming into a swarm of gnats. They descended upon Egypt, covering man and beast alike. The buzzing was incessant, filling the air with an endless drone that round out all thought. The fields lay empty, the workers driven mad by the swarm, and even the mighty Pharaoh could find no refuge from the gnats that plagued his land. Rameses sat brooding in the cool shadows of his palace, his heart a cauldron of rage and denial. The scent of decay and blood lingered on the air. The remains of the frogs, their putrid corpses now rotting beneath the relentless sun, mixed with the buzzing of the gnats that still swarmed around him. It was a constant, maddening hum. No corner of his palace was free from the relentless sound, no refuge from the itching bites that covered his skin. Pharaoh, the living god of Egypt, had become a man tormented by insects. Ramses clenched his fists, his knuckles white, as Nebermund stood beside him, powerless and pale, swatting at the gnats with desperate futility. 00:15:24 Speaker 9: Ah, can you do nothing about this? 00:15:29 Speaker 3: My lord? We have called upon Ghip, the god of the earth, but he does not answer. The gnats. They are beyond our control. This is not the work of any magic known to our priests. The gods remained silent. 00:15:50 Speaker 1: Ramsey's eyes blazed with fury, though beneath the anger there was something else. 00:15:57 Speaker 6: Fear. 00:15:58 Speaker 1: I gnaordered him like a rat in the dark, eating away at his confidence, but he would not show it. He was Pharaoh, He was the god King, unbowed and unbreakable. Yet Moses the name tasted bitter on Rameses's tongue. Moses, the Boy who had once played in these pools, who had grown up in his palace, had become his greatest adversary, wielding the power of a god he did not know or understand. And now this god of Moses was stripping away the layers of his divinity, exposing him not as a deity, but as a man who could not command the dust of the earth or the creatures of the air. Nebermund shifted nervously, clearing his throat, as if to break the tension that hung. 00:16:50 Speaker 7: In the air. 00:16:51 Speaker 12: Perhaps, my Lord, tis time too reconsider Moses and his God. 00:17:03 Speaker 3: They are relentless. Each plague has grown worse and the people. 00:17:10 Speaker 5: Will you suggest I bend to that peasant god. He will not break me. I will crush him beneath the heel of Egypt. He is nothing but a dog, an insect calling at my feet. 00:17:27 Speaker 3: Of course, for you are the lord of the Nile and image of raw I suggest you best Moses and his God in a battle of wits, off with a lip service. 00:17:41 Speaker 1: Perhaps that morning Moses and Aaron met Pharaoh by the banks of the Nile. He was floating on a pontoon to escape the gnats emerging from the dust servants fanned beside him at all times, keeping the at bay. But the Lord would not ease up on Pharaoh. He would continue to press him until he broke. Aaron spoke on behalf of Moses, shouting across the Nile to Pharaoh. Aaron's voice was like metal to stone to Pharaoh's ears. 00:18:18 Speaker 4: Pharoh Thus says, the Lord, let my people go, so they may worship me in the wilderness. 00:18:26 Speaker 9: If you do not let my people go, I will. 00:18:28 Speaker 4: Send a swarm of flies on you and all your officials. 00:18:32 Speaker 9: Every home will be swarmed with flies. The ground will be dark with them. 00:18:39 Speaker 3: Capri, the god of motion and rebirth, takes the form of a fly. Sheep would never lay a hand on Pharaoh's people. 00:18:49 Speaker 9: Fools, have you learned nothing? 00:18:51 Speaker 3: It is you who seems to have not learned. Slave Pharaoh is invisible. 00:19:02 Speaker 4: When the flies come, the Lord will deal differently in the land of goshen Thus says the Lord. 00:19:10 Speaker 9: No flies will swarm when my people dwell. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. Then you will understand who has the power here in this land. 00:19:24 Speaker 1: Moses and Aaron gave no room for response. They turned and departed from Pharaoh. The following day, the flies came. Dense swarms poured into Pharaoh's palace, darkening the air, their buzzing a near deafening roar. They swept through the streets of Egypt, covering the land like a plague of shadows. The skies turned black with their numbers, and the people were driven to madness as the insects filled their homes, their mouths, their very beds. No corner of Egypt was spared. Yet in Goshen, where the Hebrews dwelled, the air remained clear. Not a single fly buzzed in the fields, and the people went about their work unhindered. This was no accident. It was a sign, a message to Pharaoh and all of Egypt. The God of Israel was a god who could protect his own, while the gods of Egypt were powerless to protect even their so called god King. In the palace, Pharaoh's composure shattered. His servants wailed, swatting futilely at the swarms. The air was thick with the smell of decay and fear. Rameses. Once the image of Divinity was reduced to pacing in frustration. His robes stained with sweat, his eyes wild with fury. He pointed at Moses with the crook of his hand and shouted. 00:20:56 Speaker 5: I will allow your people to sacrifice to their God. 00:21:00 Speaker 9: They must do so within my borders. 00:21:04 Speaker 2: No rameses, it cannot happen that way. The sacrifices we offer the Lord, our God, would be detestable to the Egyptians. If we worship our God within your borders, it would create turmoil. 00:21:17 Speaker 3: You'll stone us. 00:21:19 Speaker 2: We must make a three day journey into the wilderness. 00:21:23 Speaker 5: Very will. 00:21:24 Speaker 3: I will let you go into the wilderness. 00:21:28 Speaker 5: Now, pray for me at once. 00:21:31 Speaker 9: Pray for the flies to cease. 00:21:35 Speaker 2: As soon as I leave, I shall How can I trust them? You will act deceitfully. How can we trust it you won't go back on your word. 00:21:47 Speaker 5: I guess that's the risk you'll have to take. Leave me, Pray for the flies to cease, and see what I declay. 00:21:57 Speaker 1: With a slow nod, Moses turned and left the throne room, Aaron following close behind. That very day, Moses called out to the Lord, and the flies ceased. The air cleared, and the people of Egypt breathed a collective sigh of relief. Yet, as the silence settled over the land, and the streets began to clear of the dead insects. Ramsy's heart hardened once more. He would not let the Hebrews go. His pride, his belief in his own divinity, would not allow him to bend. The Lord watched, and he knew that Rameses's defiance had not yet reached its peak. Pharaoh still clung to the illusion of his power, still believed he could withstand the judgment that had already begun to fall upon him like a hammer upon iron. But the gods of Egypt were crumbling one by one, and soon there would be nothing left but dust and broken idols. The God of Israel would not relent. The plagues were far from over. This Prey dot com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger, and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People. Narrated by Paul Coltafianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, 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 bag You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google play Store. If you enjoyed the Chosen People, please rate and leave a review.