The Rebellion of Sheba

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on The Chosen People. Absalom! 00:00:06 Speaker 2: Absalom! 00:00:06 Speaker 3: My son! 00:00:10 Speaker 4: My son! 00:00:12 Speaker 5: God, it should have been me instead! Absalom! 00:00:19 Speaker 3: My son! David! 00:00:22 Speaker 1: Joab didn't knock. He strode to the king's door and kicked it open. David lunged up and stepped toward Joab with rage. 00:00:32 Speaker 4: Do not speak of my. 00:00:33 Speaker 3: Dead son that way. 00:00:35 Speaker 5: Have you no respect? 00:00:37 Speaker 3: Look out there. Look at your men. What about their respect? 00:00:43 Speaker 5: Do not go down there and speak to your men. 00:00:45 Speaker 1: I swear by the Lord, there will not be a man left with you by nightfall. The king of Israel stepped down, paused, and raised his hands to the heavens. 00:00:57 Speaker 2: Blessed be the Lord who redeems his people and binds up the brokenhearted. 00:01:04 Speaker 5: He has not forgotten us. 00:01:06 Speaker 1: A roar broke forth. Cheers echoed across the courtyard like thunder rolling through a valley. Joab stood apart beneath a fig tree. He spat, shook his head, and left without a word. David watched Joab leave, clenching his bruised jaws. The torchlight danced on the courtyard walls. A heavy, oppressive heat hung over Jerusalem, the kind that makes a man sweat through his tunic even at midnight. Most had taken to their homes, shuttering windows and praying for a breeze, but one man welcomed the heat. Sheba, son of Bichri, a Benjamite with a soldier's gait and a traitor's tongue, stood high above the courtyard, his voice breaking through the thick air. 00:02:07 Speaker 2: We have no inheritance with David as our king. 00:02:12 Speaker 3: We have no claim with the son of Jesse. 00:02:16 Speaker 1: The group of men stirred, their spiteful scowls illuminated by torchlight. They were farmers, mercenaries, and discontented nobles from northern tribes. They were the restless and overlooked. Sheba fed their contempt. He paced the platform like a war hound. 00:02:37 Speaker 2: Judah grows fat on David's blessings. While the rest of Israel bleeds and rots in the fields. 00:02:48 Speaker 5: Just you wait. 00:02:50 Speaker 3: It won't be long before the tribe of Judah. 00:02:53 Speaker 2: Enslaves us all to work their fields and stuff their coffers of King David. 00:02:59 Speaker 1: Sheba paced the platform like. 00:03:01 Speaker 5: A war hound. 00:03:04 Speaker 2: You saw how the men of Judah claimed the king when he returned from exile. They think they have a bigger claim on the throne because David sits there. 00:03:18 Speaker 5: Do we not have ten shares in the throne? 00:03:23 Speaker 2: Judah has become swollen with wealth and pride. I say we knock them down a peg. 00:03:32 Speaker 1: They shouted in agreement. Then more. They came to Sheba for promises, but stayed for rage. 00:03:41 Speaker 3: Let him rule Judah. 00:03:43 Speaker 2: Let him bathe in their gold and feast in their vineyards. 00:03:49 Speaker 3: As for us, we are done. 00:03:52 Speaker 5: We shall have our own king. 00:03:55 Speaker 3: We have no share in David. 00:03:59 Speaker 1: The chant caught fire. We have no share in David. The cry echoed across the stones, growing louder and angrier. It was a rebellion in its infancy, fangs just breaking through the skin. Sheba smiled. He had no claim to the throne or army at his back, but he had the people's anger, and that was enough, enough to start a war. David paced the throne room like a lion in a cage, his fingers twitching at his sides. The sun had risen and fallen three times since Amasa had left, and still no army, no riders, no word. 00:04:47 Speaker 5: Only silence. 00:04:49 Speaker 1: The war room was filled again, though this time the air was hotter, thicker with unspoken frustration. Abishai leaned forward against the table, eyes narrowed, lips drawn tight. 00:05:03 Speaker 4: Three days, my king. Three days in Stunum garrison. Sheba's numbers grow like weeds in a fallow field. 00:05:11 Speaker 1: David stared at the empty space on the map where Judah's forces should have been. His jaw clenched. I sent word for General Amasa to come with. 00:05:21 Speaker 5: The ranks of Judah, but I have received no. 00:05:24 Speaker 1: Word, not even a reason. 00:05:27 Speaker 4: He was loyal to Absalom. 00:05:29 Speaker 1: What did you expect? 00:05:32 Speaker 5: I expected contrition, repentance. 00:05:37 Speaker 4: My king, you extend mercy far too swiftly. It makes the threat of your justice seem less sharp. 00:05:50 Speaker 5: They seem to bite back at me every time. 00:05:53 Speaker 1: Then let me deal justice. 00:05:55 Speaker 4: Give me a command, and I will crush Sheba and Amasa before he crowns himself in the north. 00:06:02 Speaker 1: David turned away, rubbing the bridge of his nose, his voice low. 00:06:08 Speaker 5: Go then. Take the mighty man. Pursue him before he disappears into the hills. If Sheba crosses the fortified cities. 00:06:16 Speaker 1: With him, Abishai bowed and turned to leave, but David caught his arm. Abishai froze. 00:06:35 Speaker 4: I love my brother, but he's a rogue. 00:06:38 Speaker 1: I can't control him, and neither can you. David's eyes were tired, rimmed in red, but his voice was steady. 00:06:48 Speaker 3: I know. 00:06:50 Speaker 5: And though I may not like the wolf, he knows how to hunt. 00:06:56 Speaker 1: Bring him. 00:06:57 Speaker 5: I know he'll do what needs to be done. 00:07:01 Speaker 1: Within the hour, the king's guard was armed and riding. Abishai led from the front, Joab close behind. Behind them, in the high towers of Jerusalem, David watched from a narrow window, his hand gripping the stone. Mercy, he thought, had once again placed him in the hands of men he could neither trust nor do without. Sheba moved through Israel like a plague of fire, quick, unruly, and without mercy. He knew what strings to pull. He preyed on the bitterness of the poor, the disillusioned, and the war-weary. He offered no vision of God's promise, only the thrill of rebellion and the false hope of a kingdom reborn from chaos. He didn't care for legacy, for governance, or law. Only that he was seen, heard, and followed. The movement swelled behind him, though Judah stood apart, loyal still to David. Sheba's numbers were a parade of the desperate and the angry. There were soldiers. They were just a mob, intoxicated by the notion of change. His voice echoed like a prophet's. But the message was hollow. He had roused the nation, but built nothing to sustain it. Then came a rider, dust trailing behind him like smoke. 00:08:33 Speaker 3: Sheba! They're coming! David's hounds! The mighty men ride for you! 00:08:39 Speaker 1: A chill swept through Sheba's spine. He turned to his followers. The crowd faltered. Murmurs rippled like wind across a field of wheat. Abel, a quiet northern stronghold, became their refuge. There, Sheba claimed governorship, seized homes, and ordered the kitchens raided. He sat atop his stolen throne with a goblet of wine and a mouth full of stolen meat, feasting as if he'd earned it. But the elders of Abel met in whispers beneath stone walls. The wise woman of Abel presided over them, Her eyes were sharp, calculated, but gentle. 00:09:24 Speaker 4: We can't let this serpent destroy us. David's wrath will fall on all of us if we shield him. 00:09:30 Speaker 1: And if we move against Sheba, his blade's already here. We risk death either way. They argued. Fear waged war with reason until they heard thunder at the door, a pounding like judgment. The elders looked at each other. Before anyone could move, Sheba's men burst in, steel flashing and eyes wild. The city of Abel had become a powder keg, and Sheba stood with the match. Under the looming shadow of a great stone, the mighty men of David camped in the rocky lowlands of Gibeon. There, beneath its cover, waited warriors who had fought giants and crushed armies. Among them stood the Kerethites and the Pelethites, hardened, foreign-born soldiers loyal to the crown. They ate quietly, cleaned their blades, and prepared to march. Abishai and Joab sat close to the fire, their faces lit by flickering flame. The first light of dawn was trickling in from the highlands. 00:10:40 Speaker 4: Sheba may not have an army, but he's clever. He's got the poor, the angry, and the desperate. 00:10:46 Speaker 1: That may be worse. 00:10:48 Speaker 5: Mad dog with no leash. Cut off the head quickly and clean. No storm of blood, just one strike. 00:10:57 Speaker 4: You think he'll face us? 00:10:58 Speaker 5: He'll run. He's no warrior. He's a coward with a charismatic voice. 00:11:04 Speaker 6: He'll run into some poor city and hide behind a wall of frightened men. 00:11:09 Speaker 4: We'll need to drag him out without drawing too much Israelite blood. The country is fragile enough. Ah. 00:11:16 Speaker 1: The brothers fell silent again, watching the fire hiss and snap, sipping on warm broth. The silence was broken when they heard the thunder of hooves beat across the stones. Dust rose at the southern edge of camp, and the sun, newly risen, caught the glint of armor. The men of Judah had finally arrived. At their head, proud and smiling, rode Amasa. Joab's jaw clenched. His fingers curled instinctively to his blade. 00:11:50 Speaker 5: There he is. The man who failed the king. 00:11:54 Speaker 4: He's been trying to sabotage David for months. 00:11:58 Speaker 5: Another mess I have to clean up. 00:12:01 Speaker 1: Abishai turned to him, seeing the wild light flash in his brother's eye. For once, he didn't offer restraint. 00:12:09 Speaker 4: Do what you will. 00:12:10 Speaker 5: I won't stop you. 00:12:12 Speaker 1: Joab smiled and stepped forward. Amasa dismounted, laughing. 00:12:18 Speaker 3: Joab! 00:12:20 Speaker 5: I'm surprised to see you in armor again. I thought your days in the ranks of David were through. Shall I kneel and kiss your feet? 00:12:29 Speaker 1: Joab smiled back. Amasa opened his arms out wide. 00:12:34 Speaker 5: I hope there aren't any hard feelings between you and me. David needed a commander more fit for our times. You understand, don't you? 00:12:43 Speaker 6: Amasa, we fight for the same king. Let there be no enmity between us, brother. 00:12:50 Speaker 1: He stepped in close, arms open, disarming. 00:12:54 Speaker 3: Come, greet me as a brother. 00:12:57 Speaker 1: Amasa came close to Joab. In a flash, Joab seized Amasa by the beard and tugged his head downward. Joab drew the hidden blade from his thigh and drove it deep into the soft of Amasa's belly. The blade sank to the hilt. Joab leaned in close, breath hot in Amesa's ear. You failed the king. 00:13:21 Speaker 3: I won't. 00:13:23 Speaker 1: He twisted the knife. Amesa gasped, blood fountaining from his wound. He collapsed, clutching at the gash as his entrails spilled into the dust. Joab wiped his blade clean, turned, and walked away without a backward glance. Abishai gave the army of Judah a nod. No apologies, no explanations, only the weight of inevitability. Then Joab's armor-bearer stepped forward, his voice booming like a war horn. 00:13:56 Speaker 3: Who is loyal to Joab? Who is loyal to King David? Follow now and fight for the soul of Israel! 00:14:06 Speaker 1: There was a long pause. Then, one by one... The soldiers followed. Armesa's body twitched on the ground. The mighty men of David passed him, spitting on the ground. A few broke ranks to drag the corpse aside and cast a cloak over it. His blood seeped into the dirt between Gibeon and Abel. That patch of earth would never grow anything again. And Joab marched northward. Sheba's men guarded Abel's outer fences. Joab led David's men toward them. 00:14:45 Speaker 3: Take out the front guard first. 00:14:47 Speaker 5: No fatalities. 00:14:49 Speaker 3: Disarm and bind them. 00:14:51 Speaker 1: Abishai led the charge swiftly as a hawk. He moved with purpose, striking not to kill, but to incapacitate. Four guards dropped to the ground by the blunt of his blade. He swept three more at the knees, their cries echoing down the stone passage. His breath was steady. These were not enemies. They were brothers misled. The guard at the gate broke in moments. Cries of pain turned to screams, screams to silence. Joab approached the gate. He lifted his hand. 00:15:26 Speaker 3: Bring the rams! 00:15:28 Speaker 1: The first roar struck with the sound of thunder. The gate shuddered. Cracks splintered through the grain. 00:15:36 Speaker 3: Again! 00:15:40 Speaker 2: Stop! 00:15:41 Speaker 1: Joab stepped forward and shouted to whoever was watching over the wall. 00:15:47 Speaker 6: We're two blows away from breaking down the doors. I will burn this city to ash. I'll tear it down stone by stone. Bring out Sheba! 00:15:59 Speaker 1: Silence. Joab's jaw tightened. He nodded to the ram crews. Again the great trunks swung. Wood cracked, dust shook from the battlements. Just one more strike and David's men would storm the city. 00:16:18 Speaker 3: Wait! 00:16:20 Speaker 1: Joab turned his gaze up, eyes narrowing. Above him, a woman stood atop the wall. Her hair was streaked with grey. No fear in her voice, only command. Are you Joab, the wolf of Judah? 00:16:36 Speaker 3: I am! And who are you? 00:16:41 Speaker 1: A citizen of Abel. 00:16:43 Speaker 3: Do you speak on Abel's behalf? 00:16:46 Speaker 5: I do, and I ask that you stop this attack. We have done nothing to you. 00:16:53 Speaker 6: The rabid dog you kennel behind your wall says otherwise! 00:16:58 Speaker 1: The woman continued, calm and poised as a queen. 00:17:02 Speaker 4: We are peaceable people, faithful to Israel, known for wisdom, not war. 00:17:09 Speaker 3: They used to say, let us ask counsel at Abel. 00:17:13 Speaker 4: Why would you destroy a heritage like ours? 00:17:18 Speaker 3: You think I came here to raise your walls? 00:17:22 Speaker 6: I have no quarrel with Abel, only with the man who hides within. 00:17:27 Speaker 3: So it is only Sheba you're after? Why else would I be here? He's a traitor! Surrender him, and not one torch shall touch your homes! Do I have your word? Blasted, of course! You have my word! 00:17:45 Speaker 5: Then I will see his head thrown over the wall. 00:17:49 Speaker 1: Joab smirked, impressed. He turned to Abishai. 00:17:54 Speaker 5: She'd make a fine general. Maybe she can take your job. 00:17:58 Speaker 1: The soldiers lowered their weapons and waited. The city held its breath. Joab stepped back, staring up at the rampart, waiting for justice to fall. The room was dim, lit by flickering lanterns and thick with the scent of sweat and unease. The elders of Abel sat hunched like crows, whispering around the wise woman as she spoke with measured fire. 00:18:29 Speaker 4: Joab has given his word. 00:18:32 Speaker 5: We hand him Sheba and he leaves us in peace. 00:18:36 Speaker 4: He's barricaded himself, surrounded by brutes. 00:18:39 Speaker 1: Last time we tried to speak against him, we lost three men. He's mad. And mad men don't die easy. 00:18:46 Speaker 4: Then let him live. And let Joab storm the walls, burn your homes and put your children to the sword. 00:18:54 Speaker 1: That's the alternative. Would Joab really do that? Of course he would. Why wouldn't he? If we refuse to act, we show that our loyalty is to the rebel. Her words hung in the air like smoke. The elder looked away, ashamed. I want peace, and I'll cut it out of Sheba's throat myself if I must. There were no more objections. They called Sheba to a feast. Wine flowed, platters were laid out, and warriors lined the chamber's edge. Sheba entered, wary-eyed but hungry as ever. His guards came in first. They didn't last long. Two blades flashed from the shadows, silent, precise. The guards dropped like sacks of grain, and Sheba bolted. Sheba screamed, stumbling over benches. Seize him! What followed was chaos. Shiba tore through the marketplace, toppling cars, scattering vegetables and flinging open chicken coops. Feathers flew like snow. A child screamed, a merchant cursed. He scrambled up a vendor's awning, hoisting himself onto the roof like a frantic cat. Across the city he sprinted, hopping from rooftop to rooftop, robes flapping behind him like a banner of disgrace. At last, he reached the top of the city wall, panting, eyes darting for an escape. Sheba's eyes widened when he saw Joab and David's mighty men waiting below. Sheba turned to find another route of escape, but was halted. The spear came fast, whistling through the air like a viper. It pierced clean through his side. Sheba dropped hard onto the stone, gasping like a fish out of water. The city's warriors caught up moments later. They didn't hesitate. One stroke, clean and final. Joab peered up at the sinking sun. 00:21:10 Speaker 3: Time's almost up. Prepare the ram! 00:21:14 Speaker 1: Just then, an object flew from the wall, briefly eclipsing the sun, then landed in the sand with a dull thud in front of Joab's feet. Joab nudged it with his foot and turned it over. Sheba's severed head stared back, mouth agape in eternal protest. Joab chuckled under his breath and gave a deep, mocking bow to the wall. Somewhere above, the wise woman smirked. Without a word, Joab took the trumpet from his belt, raised it to his lips and blew. The call rang out across the hills, sharp and final. The rebellion was over. 00:21:59 Speaker 3: Time to go home. 00:22:00 Speaker 1: Joab turned to Abishai. 00:22:03 Speaker 5: I'm officially retired. 00:22:04 Speaker 1: Sure. This Pray.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Schelleberger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia 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.