[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_02]: Chapter Two The fractured brotherhood.
[SPEAKER_02]: Alone with the pain.
[SPEAKER_03]: The silence was broken by a single cry.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph.
[SPEAKER_03]: The sun once lost and then found collapsed onto his father's still form.
[SPEAKER_03]: Overcome by a raw, gutter aware that shook the tent walls.
[SPEAKER_03]: He clicked at Israel's linen robes, his face pressed into his father's chest.
[SPEAKER_03]: As if holding on could stop him from slipping away.
[SPEAKER_03]: The other stood motionless, none could share this moment, not with Joseph, who had lost so many years with his father, who had lived as an orphan while the rest of them carried on.
[SPEAKER_03]: One by one, they slipped out.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their feet heavy against the woven rugs.
[SPEAKER_03]: Outside, the evening chill has settled in, but no one return home.
[SPEAKER_03]: They lingered in the silence, watching the tent as though waiting for grief to pass.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph needed this time.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was only fair.
[SPEAKER_03]: And as the older brothers gave him space, a different weight settled on the younger sons.
[SPEAKER_03]: The burden of seeing their father undone by sorrow.
[SPEAKER_03]: Near the doorway, Ephraim and Manise stood frozen.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their youthful faces cast in shadow by the flickering lamplight.
[SPEAKER_03]: They had never seen their father like this.
[SPEAKER_03]: He was always the vizier, always composed, always strong.
[SPEAKER_03]: Now he was a grieving son.
[SPEAKER_03]: They wavered, unsure of what to do.
[SPEAKER_03]: Should they remain, should they speak, comfort him?
[SPEAKER_03]: They had never shed a tear in public, not where anyone could see.
[SPEAKER_03]: Tomorrow's Hebrew's mourned was far into them, and yet tonight they cried, not for themselves.
[SPEAKER_03]: but for the pain in their father's eyes.
[SPEAKER_03]: Dinos step beside them, her expression gentle.
[SPEAKER_03]: She had barely known Joseph, and had never seen his wife.
[SPEAKER_03]: But looking at these boys, she caught a glimpse of her father.
[SPEAKER_03]: The tilt of a brow, the stubborn set of the jaw.
[SPEAKER_03]: Strange, she thought.
[SPEAKER_03]: How Jacob's blood found its way into far in frame.
[SPEAKER_03]: Come, she whispered, give him time.
[SPEAKER_03]: Manise clinched his jaw, his fingers curling into fist before he finally nodded, a frame excels slowly, and turned to follow.
[SPEAKER_03]: Together, they walked toward the waiting chair.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their steps slow and reluctant.
[SPEAKER_03]: The weight of the moment had not yet settled when Joseph finally emerged, his face drawn, his eyes red and shadowed.
[SPEAKER_03]: He straightened his shoulders, pressing the sorrow deep into his chest, and addressed them.
[SPEAKER_03]: He will be informed, he stated, his voice quiet, but steady.
[SPEAKER_03]: We will mourn for him here, but I will see to it that we take him to Macpella, where he belong.
[SPEAKER_03]: The sons of Jacob nodded, though one is flickered in their eyes.
[SPEAKER_03]: The land of their fathers lay far from Egypt, beyond the wealth and safety of Pharaoh's lands.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was a journey that would not be simple.
[SPEAKER_03]: without another word, Joseph stepped into the chariot.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ifram and Manisez sat stiffly on either side of him, stealing cautious glances his way.
[SPEAKER_03]: The silence stretched between them, heavy, and unspoken.
[SPEAKER_03]: They had no words for this kind of loss.
[SPEAKER_03]: They had spent their entire lives in Egypt, raised in palaces, and educated among nobles.
[SPEAKER_03]: They had never known what it meant to lose the patriarch of a family, the father of an entire nation.
[SPEAKER_03]: Finally, Ephraim broke the quiet.
[SPEAKER_03]: Father, he murmured, his voice uncertain.
[SPEAKER_03]: Will Ilahi meet him in paradise?
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph and Ale sharply.
[SPEAKER_03]: The turn to his son is expression softly.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes, my son.
[SPEAKER_03]: He answered his voice gently or now.
[SPEAKER_03]: He is already there.
[SPEAKER_03]: A night of reflection.
[SPEAKER_03]: As the chariot pulled up to the palace, the torch is lining the entrance flickered against the polished limestone walls.
[SPEAKER_03]: The great stone columns towered above them, bathed in the warm glow of oil lamps.
[SPEAKER_03]: Even at this late hour, the air was filled with the distant sounds of servants moving about their task, the muffled murmurs of royal life continuing.
[SPEAKER_03]: Inside, Asanath was already waiting.
[SPEAKER_03]: She moved quickly as Joseph stepped down from the chariot, her face etched with quiet concern.
[SPEAKER_03]: She was not the most beautiful of part of her as daughters, but she was wise and kind, a woman who strengthened angered him through years of political duty, a devoted mother, a faithful wife.
[SPEAKER_03]: She had been chosen well by Pharaoh, not for her beauty, for her mind and her steady presence.
[SPEAKER_03]: She embraced him before he could speak, and he sighed into her shoulder, feeling the exhaustion settled deep in his bones.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ephraim and Manise quietly left the chariot and headed to their room.
[SPEAKER_03]: Inside, the warmth of a fire flickered against the polished floors casting long wavering shadows against the walls.
[SPEAKER_03]: Asnath hurry to remove his heavy outer roll, her hands steady.
[SPEAKER_03]: But her eyes searching his, she did not ask, only waited, patient as always.
[SPEAKER_03]: He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing a hand across his forehead.
[SPEAKER_03]: It is done.
[SPEAKER_03]: He murmured, father has gone to rest.
[SPEAKER_03]: She sat beside him, silent, waiting for him to continue.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph led out a long breath.
[SPEAKER_03]: Even as his ear, I will need Pharaoh's permission to travel outside of Egypt, tomorrow to bury him in Canaan.
[SPEAKER_03]: the weight of it all.
[SPEAKER_03]: Asana, I feel like that young man, again, lost in a prison cell, waiting on Ilahin, to guide my steps.
[SPEAKER_03]: She reached for his hand, squeezing it gently, then you know what to do.
[SPEAKER_03]: He nodded, whispering a quiet prayer into the stillness before allowing sleep to claim him.
[SPEAKER_03]: Fire in the village.
[SPEAKER_03]: Back in the village, the night was far from over.
[SPEAKER_03]: The brothers remain gathered outside Israel's tent, a fire crackling at the center of their circle.
[SPEAKER_03]: They did not speak at first, each of them was lost in thought, sifting through their father's final words, feeling the weight of what had been spoken over them.
[SPEAKER_03]: Israel had not simply blessed them.
[SPEAKER_03]: He had reshaped the future of their family, Rubin and Simeon,
[SPEAKER_03]: The first and secondborn had been set aside, Ephraim and Manisei had taken their place.
[SPEAKER_03]: The implications lingered, unspoken but felt.
[SPEAKER_03]: Diamond just sat inside the tent, watching them from the shadows her heart heavy with unspoken fears.
[SPEAKER_03]: What would become of her now?
[SPEAKER_03]: Israel's grace had been the only thing keeping her from complete exile.
[SPEAKER_03]: If they cast her out, would she plead for Joseph's mercy?
[SPEAKER_03]: He, at least, knew the wrath of their brothers.
[SPEAKER_03]: He understood how cold and unyielding they could be.
[SPEAKER_03]: Benjamin was the first to break the silence.
[SPEAKER_03]: His voice was uncertain, hesitant.
[SPEAKER_03]: Do you think Joseph will put us in slavery?
[SPEAKER_03]: Rubin turned sharply, flashing him a glare.
[SPEAKER_03]: But the fragile quiet had already been broken.
[SPEAKER_03]: Some of them scot, shaking their heads in disapproval.
[SPEAKER_03]: Others murmured among themselves.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph would never one insisted.
[SPEAKER_03]: He is second to Pharaoh, another countered.
[SPEAKER_03]: He is more Egyptian than he grew now.
[SPEAKER_03]: His children are foreigners, why would he care about us?
[SPEAKER_03]: Rubin spat into the fire.
[SPEAKER_03]: Father has left us no land to clay as our own.
[SPEAKER_03]: All we have is because of Joseph.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was a truth, but it's done.
[SPEAKER_03]: His name was barely a whisper in their father's final blessing.
[SPEAKER_03]: Benjamin, his face tightening snapped back.
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, if you had stood up for him, things would be different.
[SPEAKER_03]: A sharp breath.
[SPEAKER_03]: Simian and Levi move before the words had fully settled.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their anger immediate, instinctive, a force unchecked by a reason.
[SPEAKER_03]: Like two lions responding to a challenge,
[SPEAKER_03]: They lunge that Benjamin driving him back onto the ground.
[SPEAKER_03]: God, the warrior, reacted just as fast.
[SPEAKER_03]: He threw himself between them, catching Levi's wrist before the bloke and land.
[SPEAKER_03]: Simine's fist glanced off Benjamin's shoulder, but before he could strike again.
[SPEAKER_03]: Gad drove his forearm against Simine's chest, forcing him back.
[SPEAKER_03]: Enough!
[SPEAKER_03]: Gad growled, his strength alone holding the three apart.
[SPEAKER_03]: The other scrambled, pulling them apart, shoving them away from one another as the fire crackled violently between them.
[SPEAKER_03]: The air smelled of sweat and dust.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their ragged breathing, filling the space left by their father's absence.
[SPEAKER_03]: Judas stepped forward.
[SPEAKER_03]: His voice calm but firm, enough.
[SPEAKER_03]: The fire snapped.
[SPEAKER_03]: Casting sparks into the tense silence.
[SPEAKER_03]: This is not what our father would have wanted.
[SPEAKER_03]: He looked around the circle, his gaze steady and unwavering.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph has never given us reason to fear him, not then, not now.
[SPEAKER_03]: His words carry the weight of reason.
[SPEAKER_03]: The voice of a man who had learned from failure, who now chose peace over pride.
[SPEAKER_03]: Rubin, still kneeling in the dust, lifted his head, his voice was horse, and yet our places have been given to his sons.
[SPEAKER_03]: The words hung in the air, and simmine, bruised and breathless, let out a bitter laugh, isn't that the way of it
[SPEAKER_03]: First, our father loved Joseph above all of us, and now he has given our inheritance to his sons.
[SPEAKER_03]: Levi wiped a streak of blood from his lip.
[SPEAKER_03]: His voice lays with frustration.
[SPEAKER_03]: We were born of Israel's house, and yet two Egyptian boys now stand before us.
[SPEAKER_03]: They hadn't even grown up with them and hadn't shared their suffering, their scars, and yet they stood at the head of the line as if blood no longer mattered.
[SPEAKER_03]: Judahian hail sharply but did not speak, the tension simmered.
[SPEAKER_03]: Zebulin, always the diplomat shook his head.
[SPEAKER_03]: The blessing is done.
[SPEAKER_03]: Nothing we say can change it.
[SPEAKER_03]: Get annexaled.
[SPEAKER_03]: But what does it mean for us?
[SPEAKER_03]: Nathalai muttered.
[SPEAKER_03]: It means Rubin and Simeon
[SPEAKER_03]: Have lost their birthright, it means Ephraim, and Manise, will now stand as our elders, though they were raised outside our ways.
[SPEAKER_03]: There was silence.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was true, and it's dumb.
[SPEAKER_03]: Rubin sat back on his heels, shaking his head and disbelief.
[SPEAKER_03]: His voice was raw.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph honors our father, he would not harm us.
[SPEAKER_03]: I know this, but still, he trailed off.
[SPEAKER_03]: His hands pressing against his temples.
[SPEAKER_03]: What do we say to him?
[SPEAKER_03]: How do we even begin?
[SPEAKER_03]: It's a car who had remained quiet, exiled through his nose.
[SPEAKER_03]: His mind working through the words carefully.
[SPEAKER_03]: We must acknowledge the wrong we have done.
[SPEAKER_03]: If we do not, it will always remain between us.
[SPEAKER_03]: Rubin swallowed.
[SPEAKER_03]: Then tell him, he struggled, rubbing a hand on his face, his fingers shaking slightly.
[SPEAKER_03]: Tell him that father left instructions before he died.
[SPEAKER_03]: Is the cause voice was firmer?
[SPEAKER_03]: Tell him that we act for his forgiveness, that he would not hold against us the wrongs we committed against him.
[SPEAKER_03]: Not for our sake, but for the sake of the God of our Father.
[SPEAKER_03]: I shall fill over them.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes, that was the right message.
[SPEAKER_03]: The fire popped, sending a tiny spark into the ear.
[SPEAKER_03]: Simeon glancing around finally asked, who will take the message?
[SPEAKER_03]: From the entrance of the tent.
[SPEAKER_03]: Dinos step forward.
[SPEAKER_03]: A voice quiet, but firm.
[SPEAKER_03]: I will go.
[SPEAKER_03]: Burtin of the blessings.
[SPEAKER_03]: The breakfast chamber was filled with the comforting aromas of warm gold smoke, honeyed bread and fresh figs.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ifram and manise sat at the long table.
[SPEAKER_03]: Their expressions subdued, their usual eagerness dampened by the weight of the past few days.
[SPEAKER_03]: As anath, seated across from them, watched them carefully as she placed a piece of fruit on her plate.
[SPEAKER_03]: The boys were not children anymore, teenagers now, standing on the cusp of manhood.
[SPEAKER_03]: But yesterday, yesterday had changed everything.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ephraim broke the silence first, pushing his food around with his fingers.
[SPEAKER_03]: I've never seen father like that before.
[SPEAKER_03]: His voice was quiet, hesitant.
[SPEAKER_03]: Man is saying not it exaling.
[SPEAKER_03]: Neither have I. He looked up.
[SPEAKER_03]: His eyes dark with something unspoken.
[SPEAKER_03]: He wet, mother.
[SPEAKER_03]: I didn't know he could.
[SPEAKER_03]: As an athlete's heart clenched.
[SPEAKER_03]: They had grown up seeing their father as unshakable, always in control, always composed the vizier of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.
[SPEAKER_03]: But yesterday, they had not seen the vizier.
[SPEAKER_03]: They had seen a sun morning his father.
[SPEAKER_03]: She reached for her cup, choosing her words carefully.
[SPEAKER_03]: He loved his raiel very much, she said, losing him after all these years.
[SPEAKER_03]: It was not the same as when he lost him the first time, but the grief is no less real.
[SPEAKER_03]: If Ram leaned forward, his fingers drumming against the polished wood, and then the blessing, before all of them.
[SPEAKER_03]: He glanced at his brother.
[SPEAKER_03]: That was terrifying.
[SPEAKER_03]: Manacee frowned.
[SPEAKER_03]: Did you see the way Uncle Ruben looked at us?
[SPEAKER_03]: And Simeon?
[SPEAKER_03]: As an after-not-answer right away.
[SPEAKER_03]: She could only imagine it.
[SPEAKER_03]: The tension, the unspoken resentment, the shifting of power.
[SPEAKER_03]: A frame and manacee had always known they were different.
[SPEAKER_03]: They had grown up in palaces, not tens.
[SPEAKER_03]: They had been taught Egyptian philosophy, politics, and warfare.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yet their father always spoke of Ilahi, of the people he came from.
[SPEAKER_03]: But yesterday, everything had changed.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yesterday in front of all their uncles, their grandfather spoke the words that would forever alter their place in the family.
[SPEAKER_03]: They had replaced their father's elder brothers, Manisei's fingers tightened around his cup.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know if I want that.
[SPEAKER_03]: As an aff looked between them, feeling the weight of their uncertainty.
[SPEAKER_03]: She acts carefully.
[SPEAKER_03]: Manisei looked down his jaw tense.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know.
[SPEAKER_03]: I just, he hesitated.
[SPEAKER_03]: We don't even know them.
[SPEAKER_03]: Not really?
[SPEAKER_03]: A frame exhaled, shaking his head.
[SPEAKER_03]: They were always father's brothers.
[SPEAKER_03]: Now we are expected to lead them.
[SPEAKER_03]: He scoffed, but the flickering his eyes betrayed more doubt than defiance.
[SPEAKER_03]: As anath reached across the table, resting a hand on the flames.
[SPEAKER_03]: You are not expected to lead them today.
[SPEAKER_03]: She said gently, but one day, you will stand as elders among them, and you must decide what kind of men you will be.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ifrem and Manusay exchanged glances.
[SPEAKER_03]: Manusay excels slowly.
[SPEAKER_03]: They don't trust us.
[SPEAKER_03]: No.
[SPEAKER_03]: As anath admitted.
[SPEAKER_03]: Not yet.
[SPEAKER_03]: Just then, Joseph entered.
[SPEAKER_03]: His robe still docked from the night before, his eyes rimmed with grief, but dry now, as if sorrow had been carefully folded away.
[SPEAKER_03]: The boy straightened instinctively as their father approached, his steps measured, his presence quiet but heavy.
[SPEAKER_03]: He met Asana's gaze briefly before taking his seat at the head of the table.
[SPEAKER_03]: A servant immediately stepped forward to fill his cup.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph took a sip, then glanced at his son.
[SPEAKER_03]: You're quiet this morning.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ifram and Manise hesitated, then Manise spoke.
[SPEAKER_03]: We were talking about yesterday about grandfather's blessings.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph's gay sharpened, but he remained still.
[SPEAKER_03]: And Maniseh hesitated.
[SPEAKER_03]: Then shook his head.
[SPEAKER_03]: We don't know what it means for us.
[SPEAKER_03]: Ifrem met his father's eyes.
[SPEAKER_03]: They were angry.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph studied them for a long moment, setting his cup down carefully.
[SPEAKER_03]: Yes, he admitted.
[SPEAKER_03]: Some of them were.
[SPEAKER_03]: A moment of silence.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't think I want this man say admitted.
[SPEAKER_03]: His voice quiet but firm.
[SPEAKER_03]: I don't know how to be one of them.
[SPEAKER_03]: Joseph exhaled, leaning forward.
[SPEAKER_03]: I understand.
[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.
[SPEAKER_03]: I did not know how to be a brother, either.
[SPEAKER_03]: He framed 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, not a burden.
[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 sacred fiction, subscribe and journey with us through promises, exile and deliverance.
[SPEAKER_00]: Your chapters are released weekly, until then, may the quiet still speak.