[Mychal] Previously on House of David…
Master, where are we going now?
To find a king.
Should he anoint another, he must be slain.
[David] Who did this?
[Achish] Your people have a legend, do they not?
-Giants. -[Achish] Prepare the horses.
-[soldier] Where are we going? -To summon new gods.
[Mirab] This royal visit is a distraction. Their king is losing his mind.
I've got it. Leave it!
I'm sorry, Josiah.
-[Jonathan] Father? Father! -All is forgotten!
David, run!
[grunts]
[whimpering]
-[Samuel] Saul. -[gasps]
[Samuel] Oh, Saul.
Let go, Saul.
Samuel, is it you?
Speak with me.
[baby babbling]
His name shall be Jonathan.
My son. Jonathan.
Future king.
He will never be king.
-Because of you. -[Saul] No. No.
Because of your pride. You destroyed him.
-You destroyed us. -[grunts]
-[screams, pants] -[Saul's spouse] Your time has passed.
Jonathan!
Abner!
Joab!
Wait. Samuel! I will make amends.
-Wait! -[Samuel] God is not mocked.
[screams]
[soldiers grunting, groaning]
[Saul grunting]
[screams]
[groans]
Father!
[Saul screams]
[grunting]
[Saul groaning]
-No! -[panting]
No. [panting] My son.
No! Jonathan. Look at me!
Would I have been a good king?
No. My son.
No!
[grunting] No!
Let go, Saul.
Let go of what is no longer yours.
No.
[inhales sharply] No!
[Saul groans]
This is my kingdom!
I am the king of Israel!
[groans]
Samuel!
[screams]
Saul.
[Saul] No, please. Don't go.
[sheep bleating]
[David] Be with my brother, Lord.
Protect him.
Do not take him from me.
Please.
Do not let him pay for my mistakes.
[Eliab grunts]
Nathaneel, make sure the women stay outside.
You will hold him down.
I want you to see the pain you have caused.
This must be quick.
We must sear the wound before he bleeds to death,
and pray it lifts the fever.
You understand?
-All right. -[Eliab grunts]
[groans]
-Ready. -[Eliab inhales sharply]
[screaming]
-[groans] -[David whimpers, pants]
-Strength, Son. -[Eliab pants]
-[screaming] -[panting]
-[David panting] -[Eliab whimpers]
[panting]
[David] I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
[breathes heavily]
I do not need apologies.
Only obedience.
[sighs]
[lyre playing]
-[squeaking] -[clicking tongue]
-[rat squeaks] -[sizzles]
Curious.
[Abner coughs]
-[keeper] Lord Abner. [chuckles] -Doeg.
I am honored by your presence down here in the shadows.
[coughing]
[Doeg chuckles]
When animals are your business they lose their foul smell.
What uncleanliness is this, Doeg?
I am no Hebrew, lord, as you know.
And I'm a man of questions.
I need someone followed.
[Doeg] Mmm.
Whose footsteps do you wish me to trace?
The seer.
Which seer? There are many.
Samuel.
Samuel?
Does he frighten you?
Very much.
Would you like me to kill him?
Follow him only,
and take note of every warrior, lord, and leader he meets.
-Report back to me. -Mmm.
Me only.
Do it quietly, and at once.
Lord Abner.
Would it not be better
to convince Samuel to lift the king's curse?
What curse?
Oh, yes. Indeed.
What curse?
[chuckles]
Oh, your hair.
Come. I'll fix it. Come.
Look at you.
-You were up there all night. -[Samuel] I was.
[companion] He spoke to you?
He did.
What the Lord asks pains you.
"Why do you still weep for Saul when I have chosen another?"
[sighs]
And so the Lord asks me to commit treason.
[chuckles]
What?
It's just funny.
The Most High is funny.
Funny?
Saul could kill me.
Treason?
Treason against who?
Does the wind on your skin commit treason
for cooling us and not Saul?
Does the mountain commit treason for standing taller than the great king?
Men can play with swords and crowns and words like treason,
but our God brings life to all.
And he is the great author of this story.
Let him write it.
I think if only I had been a better father,
then perhaps none of this would have come to pass.
Samuel.
Maybe the people would not have demanded a king.
Perhaps God would've been enough for them.
What's done is done. [chuckles]
For Saul, and for me.
Is it?
For you?
Everything we know is about to change.
Hila, I am anointing a new king in a nation that has one,
and a beloved one no less.
Well, be sure to anoint a better one this time.
Ah.
Do you know where you're supposed to find this new king?
I do.
-Then why are you waiting? -Mmm.
I've not finished my tea yet, huh.
God is the great author of this story.
I like that. I'm stealing it from you.
[parent] I saw him only days ago. [sniffles]
He was right there, just outside my window.
My queen,
forgive me,
but I do not understand.
Josiah was not a soldier.
He was gentle, caring.
How-How could he die like this?
The house of Saul has still many enemies.
A veiled assassin evaded our guardsmen and attempted to kill the king,
but your brave son jumped in front of the blow
and spared him.
Please, Your Grace, say this is not true.
Why would God do this? [sniffles]
Why would he allow something so cruel?
I want you to have this.
A small gesture that will never repay.
I cannot, my queen.
This is too sacred.
No, no. It will better serve you than I.
[sniffles] What is written inside?
"I am with you.
I will never forsake or abandon you."
I would do anything to protect my family.
Anything.
So, you take this and in return… [sniffles]
…I will carry your suffering as if I myself was responsible for it.
-[parent sobbing] -[breathes shakily]
[sniffling, breathing heavily]
Oh, did I miss a family chat?
You all look so sour.
[Jonathan] You didn't hear?
Oh. Still crying over the servant boy.
The one that Father skewered.
You know, he may be losing his mind,
but it seems like Father's aim is still the stuff of legends.
-Eshbaal. -[Jonathan] Show some respect.
Thousands of soldiers have died on the battlefield for our family.
I don't recall you crawling into bed and salting your pillow for them.
They died willingly, in combat.
Yet they died just the same, so what does it matter?
Just one more life sacrificed on the altar of our noble royal family.
Esh, enough.
I don't know why you are so upset.
You know, Father's little mishap
is the best thing that ever happened to that servant boy's family.
From paupers to nobles overnight.
Just one little sacrifice.
There's a reason Father will never choose you… Brother.
Oh, there are many reasons.
But answer me this, Brother.
When the king descends fully into madness,
and you must take his crown away…
what do you suppose he will throw at you?
Hmm?
[scoffs]
[Saul] Tell me it was a nightmare.
I…
[breathing shakily] I…
I would never hurt him.
I-I didn't want to kill…
The blame for all of this is on one, and one only.
Samuel.
Not you, my love.
Better.
That boy.
What…
What will we do?
I took care of it.
I'm going to take care of everything.
[kisses]
[people chattering]
[Doeg] Greetings, priest of God.
From the king himself.
King Saul would like a sacrifice offered on the mount.
Then climb it.
[chuckles]
I do not wish for madness and visions.
I have heard the stories. [chuckles]
But I would brave it for the great one.
For Samuel.
Samuel is not here.
Please. I am commanded to find the seer.
He's not long gone. He and his apprentice.
Mmm.
Which way did they travel?
[coins clink]
[apprentice] Do you know the name of the one you must anoint?
I have asked.
God answers only with signs and visions.
Master, when will we return?
Why do you ask?
My wife is with child, in her final moon.
Ah.
Adina.
-Yes. Adina. Yes. -[chuckles]
-Your first? -My first.
Well, I advise you to get plenty of sleep now.
-I prophesy that you will need it, huh. -[chuckles]
[chuckles]
We will camp soon.
And you will wait there until I return.
Thank you, but I should assist you.
Share this burden.
No, Silas.
This could well turn out to be more than a burden.
Might be a sentence of death, huh. [chuckles]
No. You think of your future.
-You will think of your family, yes? -Yes.
[Samuel grunts]
What will you name your child?
[Silas] I don't know yet.
[Abner] How is he?
[Saul's spouse] The king sleeps, mercifully.
When were you last in Endor?
Your mother.
Does she still live?
Or others like her?
I would caution you against seeking a remedy
that may prove worse than the illness.
The king is losing himself.
I recognize him less and less every day.
But you do recognize him.
There are those within the city walls who still worship other gods,
are there not?
Spiritualists? Mediums?
What you ask I've abandoned long ago.
I see it in your eyes when you look at him.
This curse, you've seen it before.
I have seen it before.
That's why it terrifies me.
Yet your mother didn't succumb to it?
She became it.
I'll tell you, this is a journey from which there is no return.
There's good reason why her and her kind have been banished by the king,
by your husband, and why God has forbidden it.
God proclaims many things,
or so the prophet would have us believe.
I beg you.
Ahinoam, I fled that life long ago.
Do not ask this of me.
I am not asking.
[people chattering]
Welcome. What can I help you find?
We have a new shipment of cotton imported from Egypt, and silk, of course.
We are seeking something more spiritual.
I'm not sure I understand.
[Abner] Hello.
Hello, Besai.
Abner.
My queen.
Yes, I am your queen, and you are a priestess of Baal.
I need your help.
Quite peculiar that the wife of the king who outlawed the mediums
now seeks the help of one.
No harm shall come to you.
Many of my kind will beg to differ.
And beg they did.
Well…
then prove we have made the wrong decision.
[Doeg] Sir. Please.
You wear the garments of Nob, the city of priests.
Indeed.
[sobbing]
Please, pray for me.
I have lost everything.
[Silas] Sorry.
I'm an apprentice to serve a priest, not a priest myself.
An apprentice?
Then where is your master? Please.
The prophet meditates.
In the hills.
He is not to be dis-- [grunts]
[groaning]
Who are you?
[Doeg] The more you resist, the more pain you will suffer.
But I am a reasonable man,
so I offer a trade.
I will free you once you answer this question:
where is Samuel?
My master is not Samuel.
[Doeg] Hmm.
[stutters] It's true, h-he serves in Nob,
but I do not serve him.
Lies are my trade craft, apprentice.
Do not play a master at his own game.
I had no plans to do research tonight,
but I am known for my ability to adapt.
[sighs]
Tell me, Silas, do you know how many bones are in an ostrich?
[speaking Hebrew]
Fifty-six.
Counted them out myself.
Ostriches are unique in that they have solid marrow throughout their leg bones.
Ostriches cannot fly,
but are much more valuable than birds that do.
And this, my fellow, is a sharpened ostrich bone.
This bone is perfect for deep cuts.
You see?
These bones discover things.
You study the spirit.
I investigate the body, and I learn so many things.
Maybe tonight I can learn how many bones reside in the human ear.
Wait. Wait.
You do not know what you are doing.
I am a servant of the Most High God.
Do you want to… Do you want to know his wrath?
[chuckles]
Here is what I have been longing to say to a Hebrew,
and now I can say it to you, apprentice priest.
I do not serve Yahweh.
-I serve my own interest and ambition. -[crying]
If he is real, which is unlikely,
I invite him.
I invite him to show me his wrath because here is my truth.
He does not see all, and he does not see me.
-[panting] Please. -So, now, my captive bird,
sing me a song and tell me where your master is,
or my face will be the last thing you ever see.
Hebron.
He went to Hebron.
That is all I know. [panting]
Please. Please. It's all I know.
-Let's begin. [sighs] -No. No, no!
[Besai] Samuel is powerful.
To break a curse by him will require ancient sorcery.
The curse cannot be dispelled.
It must be deflected.
[Besai speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
What do you see?
A lion.
[whispering, indistinct]
[Jonathan] Mother.
Who was that?
An artisan,
-meeting to discuss work on the palace. -An artisan?
Mmm.
I noticed your scriptures were gone from your bedside.
-What does it matter? -Mother.
God rules this house.
He will restore Father.
We must not turn our back from him.
King Saul of Benjamin rules this house,
and one day you will too.
But until then,
you will remember who bore you.
[grunts]
-Samuel. The Lord's great prophet. -[Samuel] Mmm.
While we are honored by your visit, we, uh…
we must first ask.
Do you come peaceably?
Yes.
I come to worship the Most High with you.
Jesse.
Send for the family of Jesse. I wish to make a sacrifice with them.
Jesse, son of Obed?
Yes.
Jesse no longer sits with the elders
since he fathered a bastard child by the daughter of an enemy.
[chuckles]
[speaks indistinctly]
God is funny.
Very well.
Where is his home?
Hmm?
[soldier] The tracks lead down into the valley.
It'll be a dangerous journey, my king.
[Achish] My father told me many stories of giants as a boy.
He told me they lived in a great valley.
I wish he was here to see this.
[soldier] We should keep moving. I have horses waiting down below.
[horses whinnying]
-[horses whinnying] -Whoa. Whoa.
Whoa.
Lord, there is a reason none return from this place.
The fear that you feel is the fear we seek.
Onward.
Yes, my king.
[gatekeeper] Who approaches?
Achish. Lord King of Gath.
Prince of the Philistine Empire.
I have come to seek an audience with the Anakim who walk among us.
[gatekeeper] Gath was no friend of Anak.
Yet I wish to be friends of yours.
May I enter?
[gatekeeper] Many enter. None return.
The peace of my house depends on it.
Do you still request this?
Yes.
[gatekeeper] Enter, Lord of Gath.
You, and no other.
King Achish.
No.
My king.
[Jesse] My lord.
Samuel.
It is an honor to have you in our homestead.
Jesse, son of Boaz.
Why do you tremble?
Stand up.
Stand and look at me.
I've come to make an offering to the Lord.
Gather your sons.
We will sacrifice together.
[gatekeeper] Lord of Gath.
How did you find this place?
Your kind leave deep footprints.
My seers tell me you are called Orpah.
I am.
Which in the old tongue is "mother of giants."
[Orpah scoffs]
No one speaks in the old tongue.
It was buried long ago.
[in foreign language] All that is lost will be remembered.
[in English] I have come to offer an alliance between Gath and this household.
I will speak to the father.
Then you must speak to the gods.
And you would not survive the conversation.
They keep few bargains with men, be they kings or beggars.
Speak to the gods. [chuckles]
That's impossible.
And yet you are here.
Tell me, Gath Lord,
if mighty ones of old walked the earth…
what would you offer them?
Speak well if you wish to leave this place alive.
I would offer wealth,
honor,
worship.
Their rightful place amongst mortals.
But most important,
against the children of Israel
who drove you from your lands and into these caves…
I offer vengeance.
[lyre playing]
[David singing in Hebrew]
[singing in Hebrew]
Father, what is this?
The seer has gone mad. I saw it at Gilgal.
-Hush. -[sighs]
Why is David not here?
Eliab. The oldest of my sons.
[Samuel] Ah.
Surely you are the one the Lord demands.
Eliab, the beginning of your father's might.
Strongest in dignity and power.
As unrestrained as the ocean's tide.
And yet…
Why are you so afraid?
Abinadab.
Nathaneel.
I told you. His mind is gone.
Hush.
I do not understand.
Why have you disobeyed my command?
Are there no other sons of Jesse?
There is one more.
The youngest of my sons. David.
But… [sighs] …he watches the sheep.
Send for him.
Avva. Go get David. Hurry.
Yes. Sit, please.
Break bread with us while we wait.
No one will sit.
No one will eat.
We will stand until your other son is here.
Now.
[singing in Hebrew]
David.
David!
Come!
Your father wants you. I will watch the sheep.
What happened? Are you safe?
-Everything's fine. -You're all right?
No more lion to fear. Go.
[Samuel] Son of Boaz.
These are the words the Lord God speaks to you.
Why are you ashamed of what I intend to magnify?
Why do you hide a great light?
This is David's doing.
What has he done to bring this upon us?
Whatever it was,
-can't be as bad as Agag. -[Eliab] Mmm.
-Surely he will not be slain. -Why not?
-[Abinadab] Because-- -Because that will be madness?
-Yes. -[Eliab] No.
I will not allow it.
You will not allow it?
Brother, you will be slain as well.
[grunts, clicks tongue]
[Jesse] This is David.
The youngest of my house.
-Son of a different-- -Son of your shame.
Who are you?
I am Samuel.
Prophet of the Most High.
Look at me, son of Jesse.
[gasps]
-[gasps, groans] -[David panting]
[both panting]
-[grunts] -Eliab.
[laughing]
[Samuel panting]
[laughing]
[sighs]
[grunts] I came expecting a great warrior.
[chuckles]
And yet God…
does not see what man sees.
[breathing heavily]
Man sees the outward appearance.
God looks into the heart.
[sighs]
David,
son of Jesse,
simple shepherd.
When this day is through,
you will be something entirely new.
[chuckling]
Oh, God is funny.
[chuckles]
[breathing shakily]
[Samuel chuckles]
Behold, the greatest of my sons.
[footsteps approaching]
What is his name?
I am Goliath.
[Samuel sighs]
Kneel, son of Jesse.
David,
least of your brothers,
the Lord of hosts has chosen you.
Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Your heart seeks after God,
and therefore he has sought after you.
The Lord has rejected the house of Saul forever.
Today
he claims you as his son,
and in your house…
all of Israel shall be blessed.
Rise, David.
The Lord's anointed.
Anointed? As what?
King of Israel.
Saul.
Slayer of the Amalekites.
Protector of all Israel.
Giant among men,
first king of the Promised Land,
and wrath of God among our enemies.
Now returns triumphant to his throne.
Hewn from the gates of kings fallen.
May the house of Saul endure forever!
[all] Forever!
My lord.
Yes.