[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to the Moses Chronicles.
[SPEAKER_00]: You are listening to the Moses Chronicles prelude book one, written by R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R. R.
[SPEAKER_00]: The Exodus hasn't come, but the fault lines have formed.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is the story before the basket on the Nile.
[SPEAKER_00]: The quiet, before slavery.
[SPEAKER_03]: He saw the weight pressing down on his sons the uncertainty, the fear of stepping into a role they had not asked for.
[SPEAKER_03]: Slowly, he reached for his cup again, turning it in his hands.
[SPEAKER_03]: When I was your age, he said, I did not know how to be a brother either.
[SPEAKER_03]: A frame frowned.
[SPEAKER_03]: What do you mean?"
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph met his gaze.
[SPEAKER_03]: I had dream.
[SPEAKER_03]: He said.
[SPEAKER_03]: His voice, steady.
[SPEAKER_03]: Dreams that I would one day rise above my brothers.
[SPEAKER_03]: I did not ask for those dreams.
[SPEAKER_03]: I did not want to be set apart.
[SPEAKER_03]: But he let him had already chosen my path.
[SPEAKER_03]: The room was quiet.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph continued.
[SPEAKER_03]: His voice gentle.
[SPEAKER_03]: When my brother sold me into slavery, I thought I had lost my place in the family forever.
[SPEAKER_03]: He looked at them both carefully.
[SPEAKER_03]: But he lain, never lost sight of me.
[SPEAKER_03]: And he has not lost sight of you.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ephraim and Manisex changed glances.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph reached for his son's risk, gripping it gently, do not fear this blessing," he said.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is an honor.
[SPEAKER_03]: Not a burden.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ephraim exhaled.
[SPEAKER_03]: His fingers tapping against the table.
[SPEAKER_03]: I still don't know how to lead them.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph smiled slightly.
[SPEAKER_03]: Then learned, he said.
[SPEAKER_03]: Watch them.
[SPEAKER_03]: Listen, speak only when necessary.
[SPEAKER_03]: Leadership is not about standing above them.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is about knowing when to stand beside them.
[SPEAKER_03]: Manisex hailed, looking down at his hands.
[SPEAKER_03]: As an Ath watching them all carefully.
[SPEAKER_03]: Finally spoke.
[SPEAKER_03]: You are still young.
[SPEAKER_03]: No one expects you to know everything now.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph nodded.
[SPEAKER_03]: But one day, when the time comes, you will be ready.
[SPEAKER_03]: If Raymond Manisei still looked unsure, what the weight on their shoulders seemed lighter, a knock at the door interrupted the moment, and a servant stepped inside.
[SPEAKER_03]: My Lord, the man bowed, addressing Joseph.
[SPEAKER_01]: Pharaoh has been informed that you will seek an audience.
[SPEAKER_01]: You may come when you're ready.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph nodded.
[SPEAKER_03]: Thank you.
[SPEAKER_03]: The servant withdrew.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph turned back to his sons.
[SPEAKER_03]: It's time for you both to go to your lessons," he said.
[SPEAKER_03]: If Rame opened his mouth as if to protest, then thought better of it.
[SPEAKER_03]: Vanna says sighed, but stood.
[SPEAKER_03]: Asnath watched as the boys reluctantly rose from the table.
[SPEAKER_03]: If Rame lingered a moment longer before nodding and Joseph.
[SPEAKER_03]: Thank you, Father.
[SPEAKER_03]: He said, his voice quiet.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph nodded in return.
[SPEAKER_03]: Then departed, leaving Joseph and Asanath alone.
[SPEAKER_03]: She studied him for a moment before finally saying, you did well.
[SPEAKER_03]: He let out a long breath, rubbing his temples.
[SPEAKER_03]: I pray it will be enough.
[SPEAKER_03]: Asanath reached for his hand.
[SPEAKER_03]: It will be.
[SPEAKER_03]: For now, it was all they could do, and then Joseph stood.
[SPEAKER_03]: His mind shifting from his sons to the duty of head.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was time to go to Pharaoh.
[SPEAKER_03]: The back hallway.
[SPEAKER_03]: The palace grounds stirred with the quiet hum of dawn.
[SPEAKER_03]: Servants swept the courtyard, the rhythmic scrape of reeds against stone, blending with the faint murmur of scribes exchanging morning reports.
[SPEAKER_03]: A pair of guards passed by, their sandals tapping against the marble as they changed shifts.
[SPEAKER_03]: Beyond them, the towering palace walls bore the unyielding gaze of gods and kings.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their painted faces froze in an eternal watchfulness.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph did not take the main hall.
[SPEAKER_03]: He could not, not today.
[SPEAKER_03]: They had never been a time he could not walk directly into Pharaoh's presence until now.
[SPEAKER_03]: His morning robe, on a dawn, its hem still stain with the dust from the night before, was at odds with the brilliance of Pharaoh's court.
[SPEAKER_03]: His hair, uncone, hung loosely over his shoulders, a stalked departure from the polished state required of a royal official.
[SPEAKER_03]: The customs of Egypt forbade grief in the presence of the divine ruler.
[SPEAKER_03]: No man in mourning could stand before Pharaoh.
[SPEAKER_03]: Let's sorrow mar the sacred order of my art.
[SPEAKER_03]: morning was viewed as disorder.
[SPEAKER_03]: Two human, two unpredictable for the palace of a living God.
[SPEAKER_03]: The priests upheld this separation strictly, guarding both Pharaoh's image, and their power.
[SPEAKER_03]: So Joseph slipped through the lesser halls, his path weaving through the shadowed quarters, few men of his rank ever walked.
[SPEAKER_03]: The world was quieter, the air cooler, the footfalls of the palace echoing in solitude.
[SPEAKER_03]: The torch light flickered against the smooth stone, casting elongated shadows that bent and stretched like silent watches.
[SPEAKER_03]: A passageway branched off to the right.
[SPEAKER_03]: One that was familiar, it led to the rear of the throne hall, an entrance reserve, a high officials and royal kin who sought private counsel.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph presses hand to the cool frame of the doorway before stepping inside.
[SPEAKER_03]: Confrontation with Neferra.
[SPEAKER_03]: The chamber was dim.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was a dawn with muted morals of Pharaoh's conquest.
[SPEAKER_03]: There once vibrant hue softened by age and flickering lamplight.
[SPEAKER_03]: A thick woven rug covered the floor.
[SPEAKER_03]: Its fibers worn beneath the weight of those who had waited here before him.
[SPEAKER_03]: Generals, scribes, noble men.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph sang unto a low bench.
[SPEAKER_03]: But the comfort of the cushions did nothing to ease the heaviness in his chest.
[SPEAKER_03]: His father was gone.
[SPEAKER_03]: the weight of morning pressed upon him, but there was no time to be consumed by it.
[SPEAKER_03]: He had come to petition Pharaoh for permission to bury his father in the land of his ancestors, but he would not see Pharaoh today.
[SPEAKER_03]: Custom dictated that Pharaoh could not look upon one in mourning.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was a sign of impurity.
[SPEAKER_03]: Instead, it would be the high priest who would receive him, standing as intermediaries between Joseph and the throne.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph exhaled his jaw tightening, that meant dealing with Neferra, the high priest of Amun.
[SPEAKER_03]: Few men in Egypt dared to show him open hostility, but among them the priest stood at the forefront.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ever since he had interpreted Pharaoh's dreams, the court magicians had regarded him with contempt.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph had proven them to be powerless.
[SPEAKER_03]: He had done in moments what day, with all their spells and secret arts, had failed to do.
[SPEAKER_03]: His rise had been swift.
[SPEAKER_03]: And though Pharaoh favored him, the priests had never forgotten how he had humiliated them.
[SPEAKER_03]: Arustling at the entrance made him lift his head.
[SPEAKER_03]: Nefarrah entered.
[SPEAKER_03]: His robes flowing in heavy folds of white and gold, the sacred leproskin mantle of his office draped over one shoulder.
[SPEAKER_03]: His coal rim die sharp and unreadable, locked onto Joseph's, with the calculating gaze of a man who carries centuries of tradition in his blood.
[SPEAKER_03]: For a moment.
[SPEAKER_03]: neither spoke.
[SPEAKER_03]: Then, in a voice smooth as palestone, Neferra broke the silence.
[SPEAKER_03]: His fingers brushed the edge of a gold amulet as he spoke, as though invoking unseen powers.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph, visitor of Egypt.
[SPEAKER_03]: He in tone.
[SPEAKER_03]: His words, imagine.
[SPEAKER_03]: Deliver it.
[SPEAKER_03]: Why have you come before the gods in mourning?
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph recognized the slight at once.
[SPEAKER_03]: He was not in the presence of the gods.
[SPEAKER_03]: He was in the presence of men.
[SPEAKER_03]: But Nefarrah, like all the high priests before him, considered himself more than a mere servant of the divine.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph did not rise to the challenge of the insult.
[SPEAKER_03]: This was not the time or place to start a fight.
[SPEAKER_03]: I come on behalf of my father.
[SPEAKER_03]: He said, his voice calm and steady.
[SPEAKER_03]: I seek Pharaoh's permission to take him home, to the land of Canaan, to bury him in the tomb of our ancestors.
[SPEAKER_03]: Never lost, studied him, his expression unreadable.
[SPEAKER_03]: Then, ever so slightly he smiled.
[SPEAKER_03]: Pharaoh has already spoken, he said smoothly.
[SPEAKER_03]: The morning for your father will last seventy days as his custom.
[SPEAKER_03]: It would be improper to hasten the process, with your father not be honored to receive the burial rights of Egypt.
[SPEAKER_03]: The words were careful.
[SPEAKER_03]: Laced with hidden meaning.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph knew his game well.
[SPEAKER_03]: They were testing him.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is not our way.
[SPEAKER_03]: He replied evenly.
[SPEAKER_03]: My father gave me his final command, and I intend to see it carried out.
[SPEAKER_03]: Nefarrah watched him for a long moment.
[SPEAKER_03]: Then inclined his head in acknowledgement.
[SPEAKER_03]: Very well, he said, I will take your request to Pharaoh.
[SPEAKER_03]: You will have your answer soon.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph bound his head slightly, but did not look away.
[SPEAKER_03]: He could not see the disdain in the priest's eyes, the cold amusement lurking beneath his carefully measured expression.
[SPEAKER_03]: But this was neither the time nor the place to confront him.
[SPEAKER_03]: Nefordra turned and left the chamber, his robes trailing behind him, like the shadow of a vulture.
[SPEAKER_03]: The gathering of the priests Nefordra stepped into the inner halls of the temple, with a flickering torch-like cast-wavering shadows across the sacred pillars.
[SPEAKER_03]: Several priests, their robes pristine and their expression solemn, gathered as he entered.
[SPEAKER_03]: The Hebrew Sikhs permission to bury his father.
[SPEAKER_03]: Nefarah said smoothly.
[SPEAKER_03]: His voice carrying through the dim chamber.
[SPEAKER_03]: Therah will allow it.
[SPEAKER_03]: The murmurs of the priest rose at once.
[SPEAKER_03]: Let him go.
[SPEAKER_03]: One said.
[SPEAKER_03]: He will leave, and in time he will fade from Pharaoh's favor.
[SPEAKER_03]: Nefarah's gaze flickered him, cold and sharp.
[SPEAKER_03]: No.
[SPEAKER_03]: He said, if he leaves, he must not return.
[SPEAKER_03]: A husk fell over the room.
[SPEAKER_03]: He has ruled too long, another priest mutton.
[SPEAKER_03]: The people seek his judgment over ours.
[SPEAKER_03]: He is a Hebrew, and yet Pharaoh calls him his own.
[SPEAKER_03]: We should have ended his influence years ago.
[SPEAKER_03]: We shall correct that mistake.
[SPEAKER_03]: Never ask.
[SPEAKER_03]: There was a long silence before one of the younger pre-step forward hesitantly.
[SPEAKER_03]: Here, within Pharaoh's walls, he is untouchable.
[SPEAKER_03]: But if he journeys beyond?
[SPEAKER_03]: Never rise, lips curled into a slow, deliberate smile.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes, outside of Egypt, on the road to his father's tomb, he will not have Pharaoh's hand to protect him.
[SPEAKER_03]: He will be vulnerable.
[SPEAKER_03]: The wilderness is treacherous.
[SPEAKER_03]: Accidents happen, an arrow, a stray blade, a fall from his chariot.
[SPEAKER_03]: The desert does not return the dead.
[SPEAKER_03]: One of the priests murmured.
[SPEAKER_03]: Nefarrah inclined his head.
[SPEAKER_03]: Exactly.
[SPEAKER_03]: A ripple of approval passed through the gathered priests.
[SPEAKER_03]: The plan was set.
[SPEAKER_03]: They would allow him to leave.
[SPEAKER_03]: But he would never return.
[SPEAKER_03]: Permission secured.
[SPEAKER_03]: Back in the waiting chamber Joseph sat in silence, his mind was weary, the grief still fresh, but he knew he would soon have his answer.
[SPEAKER_03]: A servant entered, bowing low.
[SPEAKER_03]: My Lord, the high priest has confirmed your petition with Pharaoh, you may return home.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph nodded in stood.
[SPEAKER_03]: He could still feel the weight of Nefarrah's gaze, the thinly veiled disdain behind his words.
[SPEAKER_03]: There was something about the exchange that unsettled him, though he could not yet place why.
[SPEAKER_03]: Outside Egypt, his title to held little significance.
[SPEAKER_03]: He had faced hostile kings before, men who resented Pharaoh's reach, and Joseph's influence.
[SPEAKER_03]: And now, he would travel far from Pharaoh's shadow.
[SPEAKER_03]: Still, this was no time for suspicion.
[SPEAKER_03]: He turned and left the chamber stepping into the open air where his chariot awaited him.
[SPEAKER_03]: The role to Mach-Pella had been secured.
[SPEAKER_03]: His father would be buried with honor, and in the shadows of the temple, unseen hands moved into place, ready to strike.
[SPEAKER_03]: The taking of Israel's body
[SPEAKER_03]: The tent was heavy with grief.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ashes dusted the ground where Jacob's son sat.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their garments torn, their faces streaked with sorrow.
[SPEAKER_03]: Outside, the wailing of women carried on the desert wind.
[SPEAKER_03]: Morning for the great patriarch, who had led them, who had once wrestled with God himself.
[SPEAKER_03]: Inside, Rubin sat rigid, his fingers clenched into the fabric of his torn robe.
[SPEAKER_03]: The others, Judah, Levi, Simian, and the rest, spoken murmurs.
[SPEAKER_03]: The voice is laced with disbelief, with sorrow, and with something deeper, something unspoken.
[SPEAKER_03]: Near the entrance, Zilpa, the quiet servant who had once been lay as handmade stood still.
[SPEAKER_03]: Her hands folded in front of her, beside her, Diana remained silent.
[SPEAKER_03]: Her eyes fix on the body of her father.
[SPEAKER_03]: Then, the priests came.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their arrival was mocked by a hush, a subtle shifting of weight as the brothers turned their hands.
[SPEAKER_03]: The Egyptians, clad in their pristine white linen, walked with measured steps.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their golden colors and ball had gleaned in the dim light of the morning tent.
[SPEAKER_03]: Symbols of their office and purity.
[SPEAKER_03]: To touch the dead was the sacred duty of the priestly cast, bound by ritual and rank.
[SPEAKER_03]: The arrival mocked more than honor, it mocked control.
[SPEAKER_03]: Rubin stood swiftly, his grief sharpening into anger, what are they doing here?
[SPEAKER_03]: His voice cut through the silence, rough as a blade.
[SPEAKER_03]: One of the priests and older men, with deep set eyes, bowed slightly before speaking.
[SPEAKER_02]: We come in the orders of the grand vizier, your brother Joseph.
[SPEAKER_03]: The name was like stone dropped into a steel pond, attention rippled through the tent.
[SPEAKER_03]: Rubin hated that he had no authority to stop them.
[SPEAKER_03]: He was the first one, but it was Joseph they obeyed.
[SPEAKER_02]: We have been sent to prepare your father's body, according to the right Soviet
[SPEAKER_02]: the priest continued.
[SPEAKER_02]: Your brother has commanded that he be honored as a great one among moss.
[SPEAKER_03]: Rubin's jar clenched.
[SPEAKER_03]: He glanced at his brothers, but it was Judah who spoke next.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is not our way.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is the way of kings."
[SPEAKER_03]: The priest countered.
[SPEAKER_03]: His tone gentle, as if speaking to a grieving child.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph has given his command.
[SPEAKER_03]: The brothers were silent.
[SPEAKER_03]: What could they say?
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph had the Pharaoh's ear.
[SPEAKER_03]: He had saved them from famine, given them a home in Egypt.
[SPEAKER_03]: How could they deny him this final tribute to their father?
[SPEAKER_03]: And yet, it was not their custom.
[SPEAKER_03]: Finally, Levi excels sharply.
[SPEAKER_03]: Take him then.
[SPEAKER_03]: The priest moved forward with reverence.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their hands precise as they lift the Jacob's body onto a linen drape beer.
[SPEAKER_03]: Dino watched without a word.
[SPEAKER_03]: Her face revealed nothing, but her fingers curled slightly at her sides.
[SPEAKER_03]: Zilpa II remains still.
[SPEAKER_03]: Though a quiet sadness touched her aged features.
[SPEAKER_03]: As the Egyptians carry Jacob away, disappearing into the golden light beyond the tense openings.
[SPEAKER_03]: The brothers sat back down.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their father was gone.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is not how it should be.
[SPEAKER_03]: enough Talai modern, as if he were an Egyptian.
[SPEAKER_03]: Dan added, shaking his head.
[SPEAKER_03]: He would not remain in their land, Judas said firmly.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph swore to us that he would bring our father back to Canaan.
[SPEAKER_03]: The murmurs of agreement were subdued, laced with uncertainty.
[SPEAKER_03]: Rubin looked down at the ashes on his hands, our father should have remained here with us until burial.
[SPEAKER_03]: But now, he lies among foreigners.
[SPEAKER_03]: He is not with them, Levi murmured.
[SPEAKER_03]: He is with our ancestors, with Abraham, with Isaac.
[SPEAKER_03]: His soul is not an Egypt.
[SPEAKER_03]: The brothers fell into silence once more.
[SPEAKER_03]: Outside, the sound of Egyptian chance drifted through the air, a foreign rhythm to airs that had only ever known the prayers of their fathers.
[SPEAKER_03]: Zilpa turned to Dina, and for the first time spoke.
[SPEAKER_03]: Even when you belong to two peoples, death
[SPEAKER_03]: Always remind you where you come from.
[SPEAKER_03]: Dinah said nothing, but she did not look away.
[SPEAKER_00]: You've been listening to the Moses Chronicles prelude, narrated by M. McIntosh.
[SPEAKER_00]: To explore the full audiobook, purchase it, indigital or printed form, or discover companion writings, visit Moses Chronicles.com.
[SPEAKER_00]: For more secret fiction, subscribe and journey with us through promises, exile and deliverance.
[SPEAKER_00]: New chapters are released weekly, until then, may the quiet still speak.