# 64 - The Midwive's Rebellion - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein, two courageous midwives defy an empire, choosing to fear God above all. Discover the powerful story of faith, resistance, and the enduring promise of life over death in this week’s episode.
Episode 64 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Exodus.
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For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/
Today's opening prayer is inspired by Psalm 27:1, "The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?"
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Show Notes:
(02:05) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(03:45.) The Midwive's Rebellion - Cinematic Retelling
(28:14) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
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Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. Guided by the hand of
00:00:04
Speaker 1: their brother Joseph, a man of dreams and visions, the
00:00:08
Speaker 1: families of Israel found sanctuary in the region of Goshen.
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Speaker 1: There on the fringes of Egyptian grandeur, they multiplied.
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Speaker 2: These Hebrews are contributing nothing and taking everything. They grow
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Speaker 2: crops on my land, heard on my hills, and drink
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Speaker 2: from my rivers.
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Speaker 3: What do I get in return? Nothing?
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Speaker 2: Even worse, they are so great in number that they
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Speaker 2: can be trusted.
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Speaker 3: If our enemies choose to invade. What's to stop.
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Speaker 4: Them from joining their side?
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Speaker 3: What are your commands, Lord Pharaoh?
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Speaker 2: The Israelites are no longer guests in my land. From
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Speaker 2: this day forth, they shall be bricks laid at the
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Speaker 2: foundation of my empire.
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Speaker 1: The soldiers marched into Goshen, their armor clinking with the
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Speaker 1: cold efficiency of death. They claimed the fields, drove the
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Speaker 1: herds into Pharaoh's barns, and stripped the people of their tools.
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Speaker 1: Egyptian commanders were appointed over the Hebrews, each flanked by
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Speaker 1: battalions of soldiers, eager to enforce their lord's decree, And
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Speaker 1: so the children of Israel were bound in chains. Their
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Speaker 1: lives consumed by the relentless toil of Pharaoh's ambitions. Day
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Speaker 1: after day, the sun rose and set, casting its unforgiving
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Speaker 1: light upon a land where time itself seemed to stretch
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Speaker 1: into eternity. Under the lash, beneath the weight of stones
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Speaker 1: and mortar, the people of Israel cried out to the
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Speaker 1: God of their fathers, Oh.
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Speaker 5: Deliver us, rescue york people.
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Speaker 6: Two midwives, a king's command, and a choice that defied
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Speaker 6: in empire. Shallo, my friends from here in the Holy Land,
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Speaker 6: Welcome to the Chosen People. I'm ya l Extein with
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Speaker 6: the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. If you haven't
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Speaker 6: be discovered by more people so that we can inspire them.
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Speaker 6: If you're interested in finding out more about the prophetic,
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Speaker 6: life saving work of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews,
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Speaker 6: you can visit our website at IFCJ dot org. Do
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Speaker 6: we fear God more than man? Across the sands of
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Speaker 6: ancient Egypt, Pharaoh's decree comes down, a command to kill
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Speaker 6: every newborn Hebrew boy. Two Hebrew midwives stand at a
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Speaker 6: crossroads of life and death, of power and righteousness. In
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Speaker 6: the face of absolute authority, they choose defiance, fearing God
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Speaker 6: more than they feared the king. This is a story
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Speaker 6: of quiet rebellion and unwavering faith that changed history forever.
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Speaker 6: As we step into this saga inspired by Exodus one
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Speaker 6: twelve to twenty two, ask yourself this, when human power
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Speaker 6: and divine command collide, where does your allegiance lie?
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Speaker 1: Blood tears and broken prayers dripped onto the Egyptian sands.
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Speaker 1: The Hebrews, once free, now lived under the crushing yoke
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Speaker 1: of bondage, them memories of liberty fading like distant echoes.
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Speaker 1: The generations that had known life outside the chains of
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Speaker 1: servitude were gone, and in their place remained a people
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Speaker 1: born to the lash, acquainted only with despair. They no
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Speaker 1: longer prayed as their ancestors had. Their prayers were brittle,
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Speaker 1: spoken to a god who seemed more myth than reality.
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Speaker 1: The God of Abraham was a faint echo passed down
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Speaker 1: through generations. The elders held tightly to his memory, but
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Speaker 1: with each generation the grip loosened. The only god they
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Speaker 1: knew now was Pharaoh an ever present force, his wrath
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Speaker 1: burning upon their backs like the relentless desert sun. His
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Speaker 1: taskmasters were his priests, and the backs of the Hebrews
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Speaker 1: were the altars upon which blood and flesh were sacrificed daily.
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Speaker 3: Yet within them a.
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Speaker 1: Spark still smoldered, a remnant of their forefather, Jacob, a
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Speaker 1: sliver of hope that refused to be extinguished. In their despair,
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Speaker 1: they multiplied, They loved, they laughed, They clung to each
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Speaker 1: other in the face of overwhelming aunts. Their shared commitment
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Speaker 1: to one another whispered prayers to the God of Jacob
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Speaker 1: amidst the beatings was their only weapon, their quiet rebellion.
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Speaker 1: But this strength made them a threat the cruel pharaoh
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Speaker 1: who enslaved them. Rameses the First had passed. The Israelite
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Speaker 1: scars told the tale of his legacy, a legacy of brutality, conquest,
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Speaker 1: and oppression. His son SETI took his place. Both drank
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Speaker 1: from the same well of hatred and pride as their forebears.
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Speaker 1: Their thirst for power was in safe, and their knights
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Speaker 1: were haunted by visions of revolt.
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Speaker 3: These Hebrews are like rats breeding in the shadows. They
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Speaker 3: already outnumber my soldiers. We must cut the Hebrews off
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Speaker 3: before they become unmanageable.
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Speaker 4: Shall we execute some of the men, Lord Pharaoh, don't be.
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Speaker 3: So foolish and short sighted. Those men lay my bricks
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Speaker 3: and hoist the statues of my greatness. I need their
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Speaker 3: arms and legs. No, we need to cut them off
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Speaker 3: for a generation, starve their multiplication. Yes, we must take
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Speaker 3: the children. How shall we proceed, Bring me the middle
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Speaker 3: the women who aid the mothers in labor at.
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Speaker 4: Once, Yes, Lord Pharaoh.
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Speaker 1: The air was pierced by the cries of a woman
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Speaker 1: in labor. Her breath ragged as she fought through the pain.
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Speaker 7: That's right, my dear, keep breathing, Do not push, and
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Speaker 7: do not fight, Just breathe.
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Speaker 1: Shifra sat on her birthstool, gently coaching a young woman
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Speaker 1: through labor. Her tone was steady, gentle, and comforting. She
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Speaker 1: guided the mother to be through every step and position.
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Speaker 7: Lay on your side, now, my dear.
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Speaker 1: Shifra was a master at her craft. Midwives were revered
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Speaker 1: pillars among the Israelites. They were steady guides, bringing babies
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Speaker 1: from the womb into the world and mothers from maidenhood
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Speaker 1: to motherhood. She, like few others, truly feared God Most High,
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Speaker 1: her faith as unshakable as the earth beneath her feet.
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Speaker 1: With each birth, each cry of a newborn, and each
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Speaker 1: silence of a child lost, Shifra drew closer to the
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Speaker 1: heart of the Creator. Shifra gripped the woman's legs and
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Speaker 1: spoke with a firm, steady voice.
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Speaker 7: Now as the time, my dear, do not hold back.
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Speaker 3: You must push.
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Speaker 7: Now, let's meet your child.
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Speaker 1: The young mother did as she was told, her face
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Speaker 1: contorted with pain and determination. The woman pressed her legs
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Speaker 1: against Sheifra's hands and pushed. Her labored sighs gave way
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Speaker 1: to shouts of brief pain. The woman's screams filled the room,
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Speaker 1: raw and powerful, until finally the child emerged into Sheifra's
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Speaker 1: waiting hands.
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Speaker 7: A strong, healthy boy, My dear, your husband will be
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Speaker 7: so proud.
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Speaker 1: Her cry pierced the air. A strong, healthy boy. She
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Speaker 1: immediately placed him on his mother's chest.
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Speaker 7: May God most hy bless you and your child. My dear,
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Speaker 7: there is no greater joy and pain than being a mother.
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Speaker 7: It hurts you now, but the real soreness comes later
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Speaker 7: when he is no longer suckling, and is off to
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Speaker 7: the quarry. Enjoy these moments, my dear Savor them, as
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Speaker 7: Sarah savored Isaac long ago, for every child is a miracle,
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Speaker 7: not just the ones born to the matriarchs.
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Speaker 1: The ordeal over, Schifra set to work, cleaning up boiling
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Speaker 1: water for a warm pad and tea. She moved with
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Speaker 1: a practiced grace, her hands never faltering as she stirred
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Speaker 1: the leaves, letting the fragrant steam rise. She soaked cloths
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Speaker 1: in hot water, pressing them gently against the mother's abdomen,
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Speaker 1: and brought a cup of tea to the woman's lips.
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Speaker 1: Shifra left the tent with her birthstool. The moon hung low,
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Speaker 1: shrouded by a haze of dust and smoke. The paths
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Speaker 1: she walked were jagged, ill, kept a reflection of the
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Speaker 1: broken lives lived by those who walked them. After a
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Speaker 1: day of hauling stones and paving roads for Pharaoh, nothing
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Speaker 1: was left for the Hebrews In Goshen, Sifra watched as
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Speaker 1: men returned from their labor, their bodies battered, their spirits bruised.
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Speaker 1: They steeled themselves before entering their homes, hiding their despair
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Speaker 1: from their children, their pain from their wives. Sifra's heart
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Speaker 1: ached as she watched them, remembering each of them as
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Speaker 1: babes cradled in their mother's arms, full of life and promise.
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Speaker 1: Now they were shadows of men, their backs bent, their
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Speaker 1: faces hard, trudging forward like beasts of burden. Sifra made
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Speaker 1: it to her home, which she shared with the other midwife.
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Speaker 1: She entered with worry creased on her brow, reclining at
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Speaker 1: a table weaving a basket with her coarse hands.
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Speaker 3: Was poor.
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Speaker 1: She was ten years Sheafra as junior, but just as respected.
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Speaker 1: Sensing Sheafra's weariness, Poora stood and took the birthstool from her.
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Speaker 1: She poured a cup and placed it in Sheafra's hands.
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Speaker 8: Did Ziva have her child?
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Speaker 7: Yes, a strong little boy with a head fat enough
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Speaker 7: to split the nile. For a moment, I was worried
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Speaker 7: about that poor girl. But she did it. She was
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Speaker 7: a strong one, steady till the end.
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Speaker 8: Oh, another boy, another back for Pharaoh's whips.
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Speaker 7: As I walked back and saw all the men coming home,
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Speaker 7: memories of them as babes flashed before my eyes.
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Speaker 8: Yes, but for all their suffering, they still fall in
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Speaker 8: love and have children. They still laugh and forget their
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Speaker 8: troubles for moments long enough to make love and bring
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Speaker 8: forth a new generation. The cycle repeats again and again.
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Speaker 8: Even in despair, moments of love sustain us. This is
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Speaker 8: the way of our people.
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Speaker 1: They sat in silence, letting the weight of the day
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Speaker 1: settle around them, until a loud knock shattered the quiet.
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Speaker 1: Sheifra's blood ran cold. She knew that knock the same
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Speaker 1: brutal pounding that had preceded the seizure of her husband
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Speaker 1: and son, taken to serve Pharaoh's army and never returned.
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Speaker 4: Probo saves.
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Speaker 7: Ready yourself, my dear.
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Speaker 1: She opened the door, and immediately it was flung wide.
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Speaker 1: Three palace guards storming inside. One seized Sheifra by the arm,
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Speaker 1: another advanced on poor. They knew better than to resist,
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Speaker 1: remaining silent and submissive as they were dragged away. Sheifra
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Speaker 1: had heard stories about the great city of Pharaoh, but
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Speaker 1: none could properly prepare her for its grandeur. Compared to
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Speaker 1: the slums of Goshen, the city surrounding the palace seemed
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Speaker 1: like another world. They were escorted through the bustling streets
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Speaker 1: of thieves, The crowded markets were filled with the sounds
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Speaker 1: of merchants walking their wares and the clatter of donkey carts.
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Speaker 1: Merchants and nobles reclined at tables with cups in hand.
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Speaker 1: Music played in the streets, adding to the incessant and
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Speaker 1: never ending noise. The palace loomed ahead, its walls high
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Speaker 1: in imposing, adorned with banners and emblems representing the might
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Speaker 1: of Pharaoh. Upon entering the palace grounds, the atmosphere changed dramatically.
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Speaker 1: The city's noise gave way to an almost reverent silence,
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Speaker 1: broken only by the murmurs of priests and the soft
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Speaker 1: footsteps of servants. The floors beneath their feet were smooth,
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Speaker 1: polished stone, cool to the touch, and glee under the
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Speaker 1: flickering light of oil lamps. The architecture was awe inspiring,
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Speaker 1: with tall columns carved to resemble lotus flowers and papyrus plants,
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Speaker 1: symbolizing the eternal life of Pharaoh's kingdom. The air was
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Speaker 1: thick with the scent of incense and a heady mixture
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Speaker 1: of myrrh, frank incense, and other exotic spices meant to
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Speaker 1: purify and sanctify the space. The palace, walls built of limestone,
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Speaker 1: were adorned with intricate carvings and hieroglyphics, each telling stories
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Speaker 1: of gods, kings, and conquests.
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Speaker 3: When Pharaoh addresses you, keep your eyes on the floor.
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Speaker 3: Only Egyptians can gaze at the sun and live.
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Speaker 7: I cannot tell if he's breathing a threat or explaining
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Speaker 7: a fact.
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Speaker 1: The opulence became even more overwhelming as they were brought
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Speaker 1: deeper into the palace. The walls were painted in vibrant colors,
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Speaker 1: depicting scene of gods and pharaohs triumphing over enemies, with
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Speaker 1: gold and lapis lazuli inlays catching the light. The air
00:15:08
Speaker 1: was cool there, protected from the heat by thick stone
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Speaker 1: walls and high ceilings. They passed through gardens filled with
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Speaker 1: lush greenery, rare flowers, and fountains, all meticulously maintained, creating
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Speaker 1: an oasis of tranquility. Yet Shifra and Poor were far
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Speaker 1: from tranquil.
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Speaker 8: What could Pharaoh possibly want with us?
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Speaker 7: We wouldn't be summoneer in such a manner for something good.
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Speaker 7: He is going to demand something of us.
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Speaker 1: Finally, Shifra and Poor were led into the throne room.
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Speaker 1: It was vast, with a high ceiling supported by massive columns,
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Speaker 1: each painted with images of the gods. The throne was
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Speaker 1: a masterpiece of craftsmanship, inlaid with precious stones and gold,
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Speaker 1: flanked by statues of falcons and sphinxes, symbols of the
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Speaker 1: pharaoh's divine authority. Then they saw him, Pharaoh SETI, seated
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Speaker 1: on this throne as a figure of almost other worldly presence.
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Speaker 1: His shaved head wore a head dress adorned with sapphires.
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Speaker 1: His bare chest bore golden wings. In his hands with
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Speaker 1: a crook and flail, symbols of his rule over Upper
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Speaker 1: and Lower Egypt. His gaze was stern and penetrating, and
00:16:30
Speaker 1: the weight of his authority was palpable, filling the room
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Speaker 1: with an almost tangible sense of power. The midwives were
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Speaker 1: brought forward, their movements closely monitored by the guards and courtiers.
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Speaker 4: Meil before the image of raw the Lord of the Nile,
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Speaker 4: the morning and evening star.
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Speaker 1: Pil Pharaoh, Shifra, and Poor kept their heads low and
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Speaker 1: their gaze fixed on the door. The tension in the
00:17:00
Speaker 1: room was thick as they awaited the pharaoh's words. The
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Speaker 1: women were acutely aware that their lives were entirely in
00:17:08
Speaker 1: the hands of this living God. Any slight misstep could
00:17:12
Speaker 1: lead to severe punishment.
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Speaker 3: You are the midwives who aid the Hebrew women in labor.
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Speaker 7: Yes, yes, Lord Pharaoh.
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Speaker 3: Then you know where and have more witness to the
00:17:27
Speaker 3: rapid multiplication of your people. You are breeding like rats
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Speaker 3: under ground. I shall have an end to it.
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Speaker 1: The women were silent, knowing better than to ask questions
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Speaker 1: or reply with a comment.
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Speaker 4: I have brought you here instead of sending an.
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Speaker 3: Envoy to communicate the severity by which I give my command.
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Speaker 3: When you are on the birth stool and you see
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Speaker 3: a son born to a Hebrew woman, you shall kill
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Speaker 3: him without a second thought. If it is a daughter,
00:18:12
Speaker 3: then the baby shall live. This is the decree of Pharaoh,
00:18:18
Speaker 3: the image of raw, the Lord of the Nile, the
00:18:23
Speaker 3: morning and evening Star.
00:18:28
Speaker 1: Poor tensed her entire body. Sheifer could tell she was
00:18:32
Speaker 1: about to speak, so she grabbed her forearm and squeezed,
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Speaker 1: wanting to silence Poor before she had a chance to speak.
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Speaker 3: These are the commands you are to relay to the
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Speaker 3: other midwives. I want the streets painted red with the
00:18:48
Speaker 3: blood of the Hebrew rats. And I understood it.
00:18:54
Speaker 1: Took everything in Shiphra to open her jaw and breathe.
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Speaker 3: Out a reply, yes, Lord Pharaoh.
00:19:01
Speaker 1: Poora's eyes darted sideways to Sheifra. She returned her gaze
00:19:06
Speaker 1: with an intense stare to remind her of where they
00:19:09
Speaker 1: were and who they were speaking to.
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Speaker 3: Now leave me.
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Speaker 1: The women were roughly escorted out and thrown into the
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Speaker 1: streets of thieves, forced to find their way back to
00:19:20
Speaker 1: Goshen on their own. The second the gods were gone,
00:19:24
Speaker 1: poor lashed out at Sifra.
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Speaker 8: How could you agree to such a hideous thing? Schiffra,
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Speaker 8: be quite.
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Speaker 7: Proud, Come with me.
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Speaker 1: The two women wove through the busy streets and tucked
00:19:35
Speaker 1: themselves into the shadows of an aneway. The slight flickering
00:19:39
Speaker 1: of nearby torches illuminated Sheifra's intense stare.
00:19:43
Speaker 7: Do you really think I'd kill those babes?
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Speaker 5: Do you?
00:19:47
Speaker 7: Defying Pharaoh would have led to our deaths. Then he
00:19:50
Speaker 7: would recruit other midwives and threaten them. If they refused,
00:19:55
Speaker 7: then he would rifle through all of them until he
00:19:57
Speaker 7: found someone willing to agree. We had to say yes,
00:20:02
Speaker 7: no choice. Does that mean will do what he's asked?
00:20:05
Speaker 7: Of course not I fear God most high, more than Pharaoh.
00:20:11
Speaker 7: It would be his children slain on those birthing stools.
00:20:14
Speaker 7: I will play no part in it.
00:20:17
Speaker 8: You speak the truth. But what are we to do
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Speaker 8: with these commands? Pharaoh will know if we have disobeyed him.
00:20:25
Speaker 7: We tell him that Hebrew women are stronger than the
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Speaker 7: Egyptians and are giving birth before we have a chance
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Speaker 7: to attend them. It's only a half lie.
00:20:34
Speaker 8: We must tell every woman under our care to hide
00:20:37
Speaker 8: their children from the taskmasters and guards. Yes, good, my
00:20:41
Speaker 8: dear Shifra, I fear this is only the beginning of
00:20:44
Speaker 8: Pharaoh's cruelty. We must prepare the rest of our people
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Speaker 8: for what's to come.
00:20:49
Speaker 1: The clouds hovered low of Agoshin as if to shield
00:20:53
Speaker 1: the Hebrew women from Pharaoh's high gaze. Shifra Poor and
00:20:58
Speaker 1: the other midwives operated by night, stealthily helping each mother
00:21:02
Speaker 1: through birth. They sent messengers to each household when a
00:21:06
Speaker 1: baby was expected to be born. That signaled the older
00:21:10
Speaker 1: children to start a commotion on the opposite side of
00:21:13
Speaker 1: town to distract Pharaoh's guards, allowing the women to give
00:21:16
Speaker 1: birth without fear of being heard. Months of this past,
00:21:21
Speaker 1: and newborn boys were kept safe. God blessed the other
00:21:25
Speaker 1: midwives and gave them favor. He gave them children of
00:21:28
Speaker 1: their own and kept them safe. The Hebrews continued to
00:21:32
Speaker 1: multiply and thrive. The whips of Pharaoh wouldn't remove their hope.
00:21:38
Speaker 1: His cruel decrees wouldn't quell their love. The children lived
00:21:43
Speaker 1: and grew strong. However, their defiance wouldn't go unnoticed for long.
00:21:49
Speaker 1: Pharaoh didn't forget his decree and knew that Goshen's silence
00:21:53
Speaker 1: was deafening to their guilt. He sent for Sifra and
00:21:57
Speaker 1: Poa again. This time they were taken by and thrown
00:22:01
Speaker 1: onto the palace floors. Pharaoh's rage was a living thing,
00:22:06
Speaker 1: coiled and ready to strike. He gripped his scepter, pointing
00:22:10
Speaker 1: it directly at them, his voice trembling with fury.
00:22:15
Speaker 5: Did you think your defiance would escape my eye? I
00:22:19
Speaker 5: am Sah. I alone can awaken the eye of horace.
00:22:26
Speaker 5: Nothing passes from my gaze. Why have you let these
00:22:32
Speaker 5: children live?
00:22:34
Speaker 4: Answer me?
00:22:35
Speaker 1: Poor began to speak, but she first stopped her. She
00:22:39
Speaker 1: was the elder. If anyone would receive the ire of Pharaoh,
00:22:43
Speaker 1: it would be her. It was her joy to risk
00:22:46
Speaker 1: her life for the children's sake.
00:22:49
Speaker 7: Lord Pharaoh, truly nothing escapes your eye. However, we are
00:22:54
Speaker 7: not blessed with such a sight ourselves. These hebrew women
00:22:59
Speaker 7: are not like the Egyptians. The Egyptian women give birth
00:23:02
Speaker 7: on silken sheets. You have rituals and ceremonies that harken
00:23:07
Speaker 7: to the arrival of each child. Yet these Hebrews are vigorous.
00:23:12
Speaker 7: They are able to give birth while working the fields
00:23:15
Speaker 7: or stirring a pot of stew. Once whispers of your
00:23:18
Speaker 7: decree surfaced, they've been giving birth before we have a
00:23:22
Speaker 7: chance to attend to them.
00:23:24
Speaker 1: Pharaoh took a step down from his throne, and though
00:23:27
Speaker 1: Sheipra dared not look up, she could feel his presence
00:23:31
Speaker 1: looming over. Each step he took was like a hammer
00:23:35
Speaker 1: blow to her soul. The air thick with his anger.
00:23:39
Speaker 5: I gave you Hebrew dogs a chance door bay. It
00:23:44
Speaker 5: was my mercy that held my spears at the bay.
00:23:49
Speaker 5: But no longer my will cannot be thwarted. It is
00:23:55
Speaker 5: as steady as denial, and as forceful as the lady
00:23:59
Speaker 5: eating flame of the sun.
00:24:01
Speaker 3: You Hebrews will.
00:24:04
Speaker 8: Know my power.
00:24:07
Speaker 1: Pharaoh turned to his captain and raised his scepter. Sheifra
00:24:12
Speaker 1: caught a glimpse of his arms. They were tight with muscle,
00:24:15
Speaker 1: firm and steady. His entire body was tense with anger.
00:24:19
Speaker 5: Gush, will weep with the whils of mothers, as I
00:24:24
Speaker 5: tell their sons from their breasts. Take every son under
00:24:29
Speaker 5: the age of two, and cast.
00:24:32
Speaker 3: Them into the nile.
00:24:33
Speaker 5: The crocodiles will feast on the flesh, and the waters
00:24:38
Speaker 5: were turned crimson as a symbol of my power over them.
00:24:44
Speaker 1: Pharaoh turned to Sifra and Poor. His breaths were hot
00:24:48
Speaker 1: with rage.
00:24:50
Speaker 3: I ought to kill you both for failing me, but
00:24:53
Speaker 3: I want I want you to bear witness. I want
00:24:58
Speaker 3: you to gaze upon the blood denile and remember that
00:25:03
Speaker 3: no man or God is more powerful than the Pharaoh.
00:25:10
Speaker 1: PUA's hands were pressing aggressively against the marble floors. Her
00:25:14
Speaker 1: body was shaking with grief. Tears streamed down her silent,
00:25:18
Speaker 1: trembling cheeks.
00:25:20
Speaker 3: Weep if you must, but know that your tears do
00:25:24
Speaker 3: not sway me.
00:25:25
Speaker 5: Gods, get them out.
00:25:27
Speaker 3: Of my sight.
00:25:28
Speaker 1: Shifra and Pooa were cast out again. This time they
00:25:32
Speaker 1: were thrown down the steps. They tumbled into the dust.
00:25:36
Speaker 1: The midwives cast their heads up from the floor and
00:25:39
Speaker 1: watched hundreds of soldiers march out of the palace barracks
00:25:43
Speaker 1: towards Goshen.
00:25:44
Speaker 8: They're marching towards Goshen. We have to beat them there
00:25:47
Speaker 8: and warn the others.
00:25:49
Speaker 7: You run ahead, my dear. I am not as spry
00:25:51
Speaker 7: as I used to be. I will see if I
00:25:53
Speaker 7: can slow them down.
00:25:55
Speaker 8: What how, what are you going to do?
00:25:58
Speaker 1: Shifra held her friend's face and kissed her on the forehead.
00:26:02
Speaker 7: I will do what I must, as should you run,
00:26:05
Speaker 7: my dear.
00:26:06
Speaker 1: Pouare's legs moved swiftly, bending through the crowded streets of thieves.
00:26:12
Speaker 1: Her strides were like a gazelle's as she desperately tried
00:26:15
Speaker 1: to reach Goshen before the soldiers. She for a turn
00:26:20
Speaker 1: toward the battalion of soldiers. She steadied her breath and
00:26:23
Speaker 1: marched toward them. She halted their steps and stretched her
00:26:28
Speaker 1: arms out. She had no plans to fight. She only
00:26:31
Speaker 1: needed to buy more time.
00:26:34
Speaker 7: If I can say just one child, it will all
00:26:36
Speaker 7: be worth it.
00:26:39
Speaker 1: Shifra lifted her voice and echoed the promise God made
00:26:42
Speaker 1: to Abraham. She believed in her heart of hearts that
00:26:46
Speaker 1: they were a chosen people, and not even fairer would
00:26:50
Speaker 1: thwart the promises made to them. With a resolute stare
00:26:54
Speaker 1: and steady voice, Sifra yelled, I will.
00:26:58
Speaker 7: Make you a great nation.
00:27:00
Speaker 9: I will bless you and make your name great, and
00:27:03
Speaker 9: you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who
00:27:06
Speaker 9: bless you, and I will curse him who curses you,
00:27:09
Speaker 9: and through you, all the families of the earth shall
00:27:12
Speaker 9: be blessed.
00:27:13
Speaker 4: Quit your babbling and step aside.
00:27:17
Speaker 9: Remember your promises, O God, most hime, shut up, remember
00:27:23
Speaker 9: your chosen people.
00:27:25
Speaker 4: Silence her, deliver us.
00:27:29
Speaker 1: She for a step back and looked down. Her spear
00:27:33
Speaker 1: was driven straight through her belly. She coughed and blood
00:27:38
Speaker 1: poured out onto the dust. She fell to her knees
00:27:41
Speaker 1: and looked up. Her final thoughts were that of her
00:27:45
Speaker 1: husband and sons.
00:27:47
Speaker 3: She missed them.
00:27:49
Speaker 1: She longed to hold her child again in her arms.
00:27:53
Speaker 1: In her final moments, she prayed that God would deliver
00:27:57
Speaker 1: her people. She for a fell into the dust. The
00:28:02
Speaker 1: soldiers trembled over her body. On the way to Goshen,
00:28:05
Speaker 1: Poor was far ahead, desperate to warn the women so
00:28:10
Speaker 1: the children could be saved.
00:28:16
Speaker 5: Wow.
00:28:16
Speaker 6: What an incredible story. The raw unyielding courage displayed amid
00:28:21
Speaker 6: such brutal oppression is awe inspiring. My heart aches for
00:28:27
Speaker 6: the lives lost, but it sores that the resilience of
00:28:30
Speaker 6: the Chosen people. Here's something that I find fascinating. During
00:28:35
Speaker 6: the darkest period of Israel's enslavement, it was the courageous
00:28:39
Speaker 6: women of Israel who led the way. In Exodus one seventeen,
00:28:44
Speaker 6: it says, quote the midwives, however, feared God end quote.
00:28:50
Speaker 6: Their bravery was a beacon and a land crouded by despair.
00:28:55
Speaker 6: Pharaoh demanded the death of every male Hebrew child. But
00:29:00
Speaker 6: Schiffra and Poah, those midwives with godly hearts, they stood defiant.
00:29:05
Speaker 6: They feared God more than the king of Egypt, choosing
00:29:09
Speaker 6: life over death, choosing hope over despair. We've all heard
00:29:15
Speaker 6: that old saying behind every great man is a great woman.
00:29:20
Speaker 6: But isn't it true? Not only do great women stand
00:29:24
Speaker 6: behind the great men of history, Almost every major step
00:29:28
Speaker 6: in God's plan in the Bible was actually driven by
00:29:31
Speaker 6: the courage and initiative of great women. Sarah's decision to
00:29:36
Speaker 6: follow Abraham Rebecca's plan for Jacob to secure the blessing
00:29:40
Speaker 6: of Isaac roots kindness and care for Naomi, Abigail's wisdom
00:29:46
Speaker 6: for David, and Esther's decision to risk her own life
00:29:49
Speaker 6: to save the Chosen people.
00:29:51
Speaker 7: The list goes on and on.
00:29:54
Speaker 6: When we think of the story of Exodus from Egypt,
00:29:56
Speaker 6: the first name that comes to mind is the hero
00:29:58
Speaker 6: of the story is Moses, and Moses is certainly deserving
00:30:03
Speaker 6: of this recognition. It was Moses who heeded God's call
00:30:07
Speaker 6: to confront Pharaoh. The Bible itself testifies to Moses's status
00:30:12
Speaker 6: as the greatest of all prophets of Israel. But as
00:30:16
Speaker 6: we see from today's story, during the darkest period of
00:30:19
Speaker 6: Israel's enslavement in Egypt, it was the courageous women of
00:30:23
Speaker 6: Israel who paved the path to redemption. They defied Pharaoh,
00:30:29
Speaker 6: risking their lives in the process and allowing the children
00:30:33
Speaker 6: of Israel not only to survive, but to flourish. In
00:30:38
Speaker 6: our next episode, we see Moses's mother hiding her newborn
00:30:42
Speaker 6: son from the Egyptian authorities for three whole months. When
00:30:48
Speaker 6: she couldn't hide him any longer, she actually put him
00:30:50
Speaker 6: in the river to save his life. And then Moses's sister, Miriam,
00:30:55
Speaker 6: another courageous woman, stood guard so she could interview at
00:31:00
Speaker 6: exactly the right moment. We'll also see Pharaoh's daughter defind
00:31:05
Speaker 6: her father's royal orders by saving this Israelite child, who
00:31:09
Speaker 6: had ultimately become the redeemer of the chosen people. While
00:31:15
Speaker 6: the rest of the Exodus story is led by Moses
00:31:18
Speaker 6: and Aaron, these courageous Israelite women set the stage for
00:31:22
Speaker 6: Israel's liberation from Egypt and eventual birth as a nation.
00:31:28
Speaker 6: Let's take a closer look at these two Hebrew women
00:31:30
Speaker 6: who aren't as known as Esther or Ruth or Rebecca.
00:31:34
Speaker 6: These women who ordered by Pharaoh to kill all male
00:31:37
Speaker 6: newborn babies actually feared God more than Pharaoh's punishment. These
00:31:43
Speaker 6: women who showed their full compassion to those little babies.
00:31:48
Speaker 6: Verse twenty tells us, so God was kind to the midwives,
00:31:52
Speaker 6: and the people increased and became even more numerous. But
00:31:55
Speaker 6: what does it mean that God was kind to the midwives.
00:31:59
Speaker 6: One train of fife and Jewish tradition teaches that the
00:32:02
Speaker 6: midwives reward was the second half of that verse, which
00:32:05
Speaker 6: says the people increased and became even more numerous. You
00:32:10
Speaker 6: see the love of the midwives for the nation, for
00:32:13
Speaker 6: Israel was so great that this was the most wonderful
00:32:17
Speaker 6: reward that they could possibly receive. I'm speaking to right
00:32:21
Speaker 6: now from Israel, the Holy land which the Chosen People
00:32:25
Speaker 6: have now returned in the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. And
00:32:30
Speaker 6: one thing that allowed us to return and allows us
00:32:33
Speaker 6: to remain here is that love for the nation that
00:32:38
Speaker 6: God gave us and for His word, the Bible that
00:32:42
Speaker 6: we are still studying right now. Before we go, this
00:32:47
Speaker 6: is another interesting teaching in Jewish tradition about the midwives
00:32:51
Speaker 6: that I want to share with you. In English, verse
00:32:54
Speaker 6: fifteen says the King of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives,
00:33:00
Speaker 6: but the Hebrew text is actually ambiguous. It reads ivriot
00:33:04
Speaker 6: lem al dot mietzrae melerillomort. These two words ivriotle mi
00:33:12
Speaker 6: al dota ivriot can be translated either as the Hebrew
00:33:16
Speaker 6: midwives or the midwives of the Hebrews.
00:33:22
Speaker 7: You know what that would mean.
00:33:24
Speaker 6: One of those translation means that the midwives were Hebrew,
00:33:29
Speaker 6: that they were the Israelites, and the other translation actually
00:33:32
Speaker 6: means that these midwives were Egyptian. That would mean that
00:33:36
Speaker 6: these brave Egyptian women had such a strong sense of morality,
00:33:41
Speaker 6: of what was right and wrong, that they even defied
00:33:44
Speaker 6: the decree of their own king in order to save
00:33:46
Speaker 6: the Israelite babies. This alternate teaching in Jewish tradition is
00:33:52
Speaker 6: very important to me because it reminds me that the
00:33:54
Speaker 6: work that we do at the Fellowship, work that's only
00:33:57
Speaker 6: possible because of the help of millions of Christian friends
00:34:00
Speaker 6: who support and love Israel and the Jewish people, is
00:34:04
Speaker 6: something that's holy. Like these Egyptian midwives, you are Christian friends,
00:34:12
Speaker 6: just like Corey ten Boone, so many others see clearly
00:34:16
Speaker 6: what is wrong and what is right, and you, our friends,
00:34:20
Speaker 6: are proud to stand with Israel and help save Jewish
00:34:24
Speaker 6: lives here in the Holy Land. So what does this
00:34:28
Speaker 6: ancient story mean for us today? Think about your own life.
00:34:32
Speaker 6: Have you ever faced a moment where doing the right
00:34:34
Speaker 6: thingment standing alone? At our workplaces and our schools, or
00:34:38
Speaker 6: even with our families, we encounter modern day pharaohs, pressure
00:34:42
Speaker 6: to conform to what's wrong, to compromise our values shift
00:34:47
Speaker 6: from who as courage reminds us that our small acts
00:34:50
Speaker 6: of faithfulness really matter. You may feel like your stand
00:34:55
Speaker 6: is insignificant. When we stand up for what is right.
00:35:00
Speaker 6: We participate in the same story that saved Moses' life,
00:35:06
Speaker 6: God's story. Our everyday choices to be honest, to be kind,
00:35:12
Speaker 6: to stand up for the oppressed are how we His
00:35:16
Speaker 6: Chosen People take part. Your faithfulness is seen by God.
00:35:23
Speaker 6: Trust in him and he will bless you.
00:35:29
Speaker 1: You can listen to The Chosen People with Isle Eckstein
00:35:32
Speaker 1: ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Pray dot
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Speaker 1: made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Gattina,
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Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabager and Ben Gammon are the executive
00:35:48
Speaker 1: producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein, Edited by
00:35:52
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltefianu. Characters are voiced by
00:35:57
Speaker 1: Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvatore, A Celts, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold,
00:36:02
Speaker 1: Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore.
00:36:06
Speaker 1: Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and
00:36:10
Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin,
00:36:15
Speaker 1: kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship
00:36:20
Speaker 1: of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot
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