THE HOLY BIBLE
TELEPLAY EDITION
Episode 1003
“The
By
George Willson
Based on the novel by God
TEASER
EXT.
SUPER: “1656 Anno Mundi”
SUPER: “Seventh month, Seventeenth Day”
The ark floats atop the surface of the water.
The water is very
calm.
INT.
Noah, his wife Naamah, with his sons and
their wives (Shem with
Sedeqetelebab, Ham with Ne’elatama’
Adatan’eses) work with the animals on the ark
in feeding and
cleaning up their leavings. Naamah and the wives work on the
upper decks with the smaller animals, feeding and cleaning.
Shem, Ham, and Japheth work on the lower deck
with the larger
animals.
NOAH
Japheth!
Where are we on the feeding
rotation
down here?
JAPHETH
Almost
finished, father! Shem has
volunteered
to clean up after the
elephants!
SHEM
I
did not!
Shem stops what he’s doing and marches up
behind Japheth.
SHEM
I
cleaned up after the elephants
yesterday,
and one of them almost
sat
on me. Today is clearly your
turn,
since Ham did it the day
before.
JAPHETH
I’m
the oldest, so that makes me
in
charge.
NOAH
Japheth,
whose turn is it? Really?
Japheth looks defeated.
JAPHETH
All
right, I’ll do it.
SHEM
You
have to do the hippos and
rhinoceros,
too.
JAPHETH
Now,
wait just a minute there.
SHEM
I
did all of them yesterday. What’s
the
big deal anyway. You take their
business
to the top and dump it in
the
water.
Japheth groans.
JAPHETH
I
just hate shaking the bucket. And
it
stinks.
HAM
Yes,
it does.
NOAH
Boys,
I know this is unpleasant, but
it
is our duty to take care of these
animals
until God takes away the
water.
The boys nods, having had this conversation
before. Numbly, they
go about their duties. Noah walks up to the women on the middle
deck.
With the medium-sized animals on the middle
deck, the women do
very much the same as the men with the large animals.
NOAH
Naamah,
how are we doing?
NAAMAH
Well
enough. Our food supplies
are
plentiful, and 6 months of
this,
we’re settled into our
routines,
so we don’t wear ourselves
out.
Behind them, their sons’ wives talk.
SEDEQETELEBAB
So,
when do you think this will
all
be over, so we can settle with
our
new husbands?
ADATAN’ESES
I
have no idea, and neither does
our
new father, Noah. Whenever
God
decides it is over, it will
be
over.
NE’ELATAMA’
But
how long has it been already?
I
believe last night Noah told
us
that today makes day 190 since
the
waters fell.
ADATAN’ESES
Ne’elatama’
and
go about taking care of the
animals
until it is time.
NE’ELATAMA’
But
when will it be, Adatan’eses?
Naamah walks over to them.
NAAMAH
Daughters,
it takes time for
water
to recede. It will not be
soon,
but the time is coming, and
you
will have households of your
own
to care for.
Japheth walks up the steps to the top of the
ark carrying a
bucket full of something that makes us grateful smell-o-vision
didn’t catch on.
ADATAN’ESES
I’m
going to help my husband.
NAAMAH
Go,
Adatan’eses.
ADATAN’ESES
Japheth,
let me get the door for you.
EXT.
Adatan’eses climbs the steps to the outside
of the ark and holds
the door for Japheth to carry his unenviable bucket outside. She
closes the door behind them and Japheth carries the bucket to
the edge of the ark and dumps it.
JAPHETH
Yuck!
ADATAN’ESES
Did
you ever think about what it
might
land on down there?
JAPHETH
What
do you mean?
ADATAN’ESES
I
mean, maybe you just dumped a
bucket
of manure on someone’s house.
Japheth laughs.
JAPHETH
Maybe
it hit an idol’s head.
ADATAN’ESES
Maybe
it fell on some person’s head.
Adatan’eses stops, realizing what she said. Japheth
turns to
look over the edge.
ADATAN’ESES
(quietly)
Sorry.
JAPHETH
It’s
ok. This whole thing is
different.
Adatan’eses nods. She sidles up to Japheth
who puts his arm
around her.
JAPHETH
All
things considered, this situation
did
have a positive side.
ADATAN’ESES
And
what is that?
JAPHETH
It
forced us together. I don’t know
that
we would have been married
otherwise.
ADATAN’ESES
Yeah.
They look across the water. Japheth suddenly
sees something.
JAPHETH
Look.
ADATAN’ESES
What?
Japheth points out across the water. Below
the surface of the
clear water, a mountain range is visible.
ADATAN’ESES
What
is it?
JAPHETH
Mountains.
They’re still under the
water,
but you can see them.
Adatan’eses cheers and they hug momentarily. Suddenly,
the ark
hits something. They fall to the ground on top of each other.
INT.
The animals react fearfully. Noah and
everyone else still inside
lose their footing as the bottom of the ark scrapes across some
sort of ground below them. The rumbling of the ark scraping the
ground is deafening.
SHEM
What
was that?
NOAH
I
don’t know.
Shem in the lead, they all run up the stair
to the outside door
to the top of the ark.
EXT.
Japheth and Adatan’eses remain as they fell.
She is on top of
him.
ADATAN’ESES
Well,
this isn’t so bad.
The door slams open and Shem steps out,
followed by
Sedeqetelebab. He eyes Japheth and Adatan’eses on the
floor.
SHEM
What’s
this all about?
SEDEQETELEBAB
Don’t
be so accusatory. You’re
probably
jealous that they’re getting
time
and we aren’t.
SHEM
Well,
I am.
Everyone else comes out behind them as Japheth
and Adatan’eses
get to their feet.
JAPHETH
What
happened, father?
Noah walks to the edge and looks down.
Through the clear surface
of the water, it is clearly visible that the ark is now resting
on the plateau of a mountain.
NOAH
We’ve
stopped. The ark has found a
resting
place.
HAM
Where?
JAPHETH
Look,
you can see the mountains
below
the surface of the water.
NAAMAH
But
we have no way of knowing where
this
is.
SHEM
Will
we recognize it when the waters
recede
more?
NOAH
I
don’t know, Shem. But one thing is
certain:
The ark is at rest.
END OF TEASER
ACT ONE
INT.
SUPER: “1656 Anno Mundi”
SUPER: “Eleventh Month, Tenth Day”
Noah carries a raven through the ark to the
window. The rest of
the family follows him.
HAM
So,
we throw this raven out, and
then
what?
SHEM
We
hope it gives us some sort of
indicator
that the water has receded.
HAM
We
know it has receded. We saw the
top
of the mountains forty days ago.
NOAH
If
the bird returns, then it has no
place
to rest. If it does not, then
it
has found a place for itself.
HAM
Makes
sense. What do we do with the
other
one, if it doesn’t come back?
NAAMAH
Send
out the other, I imagine.
Noah opens the window.
NOAH
God
be with you, little raven.
He releases the raven into the world.
EXT.
The raven flies high above the water-covered
earth. It flies
away from the ark over the uncovered tops of the mountains.
INT.
Noah watches it for a moment, and finally
turns back to the
inside.
NOAH
Now,
we wait.
INT.
SUPER: “7 Days Later”
Noah stands at the window. Naamah approaches
behind him.
NAAMAH
What
is it?
NOAH
The
raven didn’t return. I suppose
it
is perched atop a mountain
somewhere.
NAAMAH
So
what are you going to do?
NOAH
We
still need to know if the water
has
dried up from the earth. Let’s
send
out a dove.
NAAMAH
Okay.
EXT.
Noah releases a dove into the world. It also
flies high above
the earth. The water has receded considerably, but covers most
of the surface still.
INT.
Noah watches it go.
NOAH
Well.
We wait again.
INT.
Noah and his family go through their daily
feeding/cleaning
routine. He checks with the boys on the lower deck. Japheth and
Ham are there, but
Shem is not.
NOAH
Japheth.
Ham. Where is your brother?
Naamah comes up from behind him.
NAAMAH
Where
ever he is, Sedeqetelebab is
with
him.
Noah rolls his eyes.
NOAH
Oh,
for crying out loud. Shem!
Noah walks up the steps to the upper deck. He
looks in Shem’s
room. Sure enough, he and Sedeqetelebab are in there.
SHEM
You
know, we’re going to have to
have
about a hundred children.
SEDEQETELEBAB
Oh,
I know. After all, we have the
whole
earth to repopulate.
They move in for a kiss. Noah clears his
throat. They separate.
SHEM
Father!
NOAH
As
much as I appreciate your
devotion
to your duty, we have
several
hundred animals to feed
and
clean.
SHEM
& SEDEQETELAB
(sheepishly)
Yes,
father.
NAAMAH
(O.S.)
(calling
out)
Noah!
Noah turns and runs down the steps to Naamah,
who looks
cheerful.
NOAH
What
is it?
She points to the bird area.
NAAMAH
Look.
It came back.
Noah looks and there with its mate sits the
dove.
NOAH
Okay,
so it didn’t find a place, but
we’ll
send it out in seven days and
try
again.
EXT.
SUPER: “Seven Days Later”
Noah releases the dove again.
INT.
Some time later, Noah sits next to the
window, half-asleep. He
hears a fluttering which awakens him. He looks to the window.
The dove sits on the sill, holding in its
beak a leaf from an
olive tree.
Noah reaches out and takes the leaf from the
dove’s mouth. He
looks at it in wonder. Suddenly, he bursts with laughter and
cheering.
He runs to the families’ rooms where everyone
is resting.
NOAH
Look!
Look!
NE’ELATAMA’
What
is it?
HAM
A
leaf?
NOAH
Do
you know what this means?
JAPHETH
The
water has receded?
NOAH
The
water has receded!
Everyone cheers and hugs each other.
EXT.
The ark sits atop a mountain plateau. All
around it, grass has
grown and the land is green and fertile. Down the mountainside,
the land is regrown and ready for a new age of mankind.
INT.
SUPER: “1657 Anno Mundi”
SUPER: “Second Month, Twenty-seventh Day”
The family of eight walks toward the great
door that has been
sealed since the beginning of the flood.
GOD
Come
out of the ark, you and your
wife
and your sons and their wives.
The door falls open of its own accord.
Sunlight shines in on
them. They walk out of the ark down the ramp and onto the grass-
covered ground.
EXT.
The family walks out of the ark followed by
the throng of
animals. Shem leads some of the sheep. Japheth and Adatan’eses
carry some birds.
GOD
Bring
out every kind of living
creature
that is with you – the
birds,
the animals, and all the
creatures
that move along the
ground
– so they can multiply
on
the earth and be fruitful and
increase
in number upon it.
EXT. GROVE – DAY
Noah stands beside an altar. The other seven
members of his
family kneel around him. He paces the meat of some of the sheep
and some of the birds on the altar. He sets it on fire. The
smoke carries high into the heavens.
NOAH
We
give thanks, Oh Lord, for your
goodness
and mercy in bringing us
through
the evil you set upon the
earth
to bring mankind to account
for
his wickedness...
EXT. HEAVEN – DAY
In the vast brightness of heaven, an Angel
brings the smoke from
the sacrifice before God’s throne. An unseen force takes the
smoke from the angel into the presence of the throne.
GOD
Never
again will I curse the
ground
because of man, even though
every
inclination of his heart is
evil
from childhood. And never again
will
I destroy all living creatures
as
I have done. As long as the earth
endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold
and
heat, summer and winter, day and
night
will never cease.
EXT. GROVE – DAY
Noah has stepped back from the altar.
GOD
Noah.
NOAH
Yes,
God?
GOD
Be
fruitful and increase in number
and
fill the earth. The fear and
dread
of you will fall upon all the
beasts
of the earth and all the birds
of
the air, upon every creature that
moves
along the ground, and upon
all
the fish of the sea; they are
given
into your hands. Everything that
moves
will be food for you. Just as I
gave
you the green plants, I now give
you
everything. But you must not eat
meat
that has its lifeblood still in
it.
From each man, too, I will demand
an
accounting for the life of his
fellow
man. Whoever sheds the blood of
man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for
in the image of God had God made
man.
As for you, be fruitful and
multiply
on the earth and increase
upon
it. I now establish my covenant
with
you and with your descendants
after
you and with every living
creature
that was with you: Never
again
will all life be cut off by the
waters
of a flood; never again will
there
be a flood to destroy the earth.
Noah and his family stand, looking into the
heavens, listening
to God speak to them. Over their heads, a rainbow appears
GOD
This
is the sign of the covenant I am
making
between me and you and every
living
creature with you, for all
generations
to come.: I have set my
rainbow
in the clouds, and it will be
the
sign of the covenant between me
and
the earth. Whenever I bring clouds
over
the earth and the rainbow appears
in
the clouds, I will remember my
covenant
between me and all life on
earth.
An idyllic image of Noah with his
family...the couples hand-in-
hand standing in a green grove setting...the rainbow spreads
over their heads...the ark sits atop the mountain above
them...the animals walk away from the scene.
END OF ACT ONE
ACT TWO
EXT. NOAH’S VINEYARD – EVENING
SUPER: “1683 Anno Mundi”
Noah is throwing a celebration for their
prosperity in the new
world. His family is now far larger than it was when the ark
landed 25 years ago. Japheth and Adatan’eses have 5 sons and 3
daughters. Ham and Ne’elatama’
Shem has 3 sons and 4 daughters. They all sit
around an enormous
table. The food has been eaten. Noah appears to have had a
little too much to drink.
NOAH
(standing)
To
my three sons, their wives, and
their
rapidly growing families. We
were
charged to repopulate, and I
believe
we have done an admirable
job.
Everyone cheers.
NOAH
To
my grandchildren...uh...
(to
Japheth’s sons)
Gomer,
Magog...and some more...
(to
Ham’s sons)
And
two
and those girls there...
(to
Shem’s sons)
And
Arfaxel...no...Arfilex...
SHEM
(clearly
embarrassed)
Arphaxad,
father.
NOAH
Yes,
of course. My family and all.
NAAMAH
Perhaps
it is time to turn in.
JAPHETH
I
agree.
NAAMAH
Noah,
let’s go.
NOAH
I
can walk, woman.
Noah stumbles out of the table, and walks to
his tent. He flips
the tent flap closed. Naamah turns to Shem, Ham, and Japheth who
have come up to her.
NAAMAH
I
believe the juice of the fruit of
the
vine has cured too much, Shem.
SHEM
He
knows better.
JAPHETH
He
was caught up in the moment. Look
at
us! We made it. We have families
and
are soon going to repopulate the
earth
through our children.
HAM
What
possessed him to drink so much?
SHEM
Must
we dwell on this, Ham?
NAAMAH
I’m
going to let him sleep it off.
Once
he comes to his senses, he’ll
apologize
to you all.
SHEM
I
know.
JAPHETH
Yeah.
HAM
I’m
going to make sure he’s lying
down
all right. I’d hate to have
him
hurt himself.
NAAMAH
Good
idea.
HAM
I’ll
be back.
Ham walks across the camp to Noah’s tent. He
opens the tent
flap.
HAM
Father,
are you okay?
Inside the tent, Noah lies on his back. His
clothing is wide
open exposing him. Ham stands for a moment, taken aback by the
sight. Then, he laughs.
HAM
You
silly old man! You have too
much
to drink and then you lie
naked
in your tent!
He laughs again and walks out. He walks
across the camp back to
Japheth, Shem, and Naamah.
HAM
(laughing)
Our
father is out of his mind.
He
laid down in his tent, but
opened
his clothes, exposing
himself.
SHEM
You
would make fun of our father?
Ham stops laughing.
HAM
What?
SHEM
Mother,
where is a blanket?
NAAMAH
I
will get one for you.
SHEM
Would
you bring it to father’s
tent?
NAAMAH
Yes.
Shem and Japheth walk over to Noah’s tent,
but do not open the
flap. Naamah brings them a blanket. They turn with their backs
to the tent. Ham walks up and observes them.
They open the tent and back in allowing the
blanket to cover
Noah. They finally turn to him and make sure
he is covered. They
exit the tent.
Shem and Japheth walk up to Ham.
JAPHETH
Father
will know of this, Ham.
HAM
He
did it to himself, Japheth! Why
should
I be punished for his sin?
SHEM
He
may have sinned by drinking too
much.
But you also sinned by mocking
him.
Shem walks away. Japheth follows. Naamah
leaves him alone.
INT. NOAH’S TENT – DAY
Noah wakes up. He looks at the blanket and
then looks around,
confused. He sits up, and holds his head. Realization dawns on
him, and he hangs his head, shamefully. He rises and closes his
robe. He goes to his knees.
NOAH
Father
in heaven, please forgive me
for
my sin...
EXT. NOAH’S VINEYARD – DAY
Noah exits the tent. He looks around. Shem,
Ham, and Japheth sit
around the table. Their families are nearby. They look up as
Noah approaches. Noah holds up his hands.
NOAH
Before
anyone says anything, I would
like
to ask your forgiveness for my
shameful
actions last night. I did
not
realize how far the fruit had
fermented.
SHEM
There
is a far more serious offense
that
occurred last night, father.
NOAH
What
is it?
JAPHETH
We
knew you were drunk. In order to
spare
you any further disgrace, we
got
you to your tent, where we
presumed
you fell asleep. Ham decided
to
check on your welfare.
SHEM
I
felt it would be a good idea to
ensure
you didn’t hurt yourself.
NOAH
Agreed.
Thank you.
JAPHETH
However,
when he walked into your
tent
and found you were uncovered,
instead
of hiding his eyes and
covering
you discreetly, he laughed.
NOAH
Laughed?
Noah looks down to Ham, who is sitting with
his head down.
SHEM
Not
only did he laugh, but he came
to
tell us what he saw in order to
further
mock you.
Noah stands and looks to Ham.
NOAH
My
youngest son would do this to me?
HAM
You
did it first! You got drunk off
your
wine.
NOAH
The
sin of one does not justify
another!
You cannot use my actions
to
make yours okay.
HAM
I
can, and I do! What can you do?
NOAH
Cursed
be
The
lowest of slaves will he be to
his
brothers.
Noah turns to his other two sons.
NOAH
But
blesses be the Lord, the God of
Shem!
May
Shem.
May
God extend the territory of
Japheth;
may Japheth live in the
tents
of Shem, and may
slave.
Shem and Japheth look at each, wondering at
the weight of their
father’s words.
EXT.
SUPER: “1947 Anno Mundi”
TERAH, a man of 70 and a prince of the KING NIMROD’S
armies,
walks across a courtyard into the palace of the king.
INT. NIMROD’S PALACE – DAY
Nimrod, the 40-year-old king of
ostentatiously in robes and jewels. A MAN kneels before
him, his
DAUGHTER with him. Before the man is a large basket of goods
from his fields. Nimrod is flanked by many officials and girls
who attend to him. On one side is another of the princes of his
armies, KEDERLAOMER.
NIMROD
Is
this the best you have to give
me?
MAN
The
crops do not respond, my lord
Nimrod.
I plant seeds and thorns
come
up.
NIMROD
I
think you have held some of the
best
for yourself. The god of the
harvest
requires more from you, or
he
will not give you more.
MAN
My
lord. I always bring the best to
you
to offer to Yedazba, our god of
harvest.
Still, the ground yields
little.
NIMROD
You
dare lie to your king?
The man whimpers and grovels closer to the
ground.
MAN
I
am not lying, your majesty!
NIMROD
What
am I to take from you in
offering
to atone for your
selfishness?
He glances to the daughter and smiles. He
grabs her by the hair
and jerks her to her feet. She shrieks in surprise and pain.
NIMROD
What
about this?
He checks her out up and down.
NIMROD
She
pleases me.
The man looks up in surprise and grovels at
Nimrod’s feet.
MAN
No,
my lord, no! She is my only
daughter!
NIMROD
You
do not find me worthy of your
daughter?
MAN
No,
you are worthy! You are worthy!
Nimrod kicks the man.
NIMROD
Your
presence insults me. Get him
out
of here!
MAN
No!
Don’t take my daughter!
NIMROD
Flog
him, and get him out.
Nimrod kicks the basket of fruit, spilling it
everywhere.
NIMROD
And
that is what Nimrod and Yedazba
think
of your offering!
He laughs and gazes upon his new prize, who
stands fearfully in
place.
NIMROD
Relax,
my beauty. You’ll learn to
love
me.
The door opens and Terah enters. Nimrod
smiles.
NIMROD
Terah!
Prince of my armies. How has
been
the conquests of today?
TERAH
As
always, the gods stand with us,
King
Nimrod.
NIMROD
Of
course they do. I am the king.
Nimrod pushes the daughter to the floor.
NIMROD
Stay
there.
(to
Terah)
I
understand your new wife, Amthelo,
is
ready to bear you another child.
TERAH
She
is. I was heading home to
check
on her.
NIMROD
Of
course, of course. I was on my
way
to my own chamber to handle
an
offering.
He looks hungrily at the daughter, who weeps.
TERAH
An
offering?
NIMROD
Her
father refused to offer the best
to
the god of the harvest, so I had
to
decide for him.
TERAH
You
took her for yourself or the
gods?
NIMROD
I
will do as I please, and then
sacrifice
her in the fire.
TERAH
Your
majesty is always so generous
with
his blessings.
NIMROD
That’s
why I am king. Kiss your wife
for
me.
TERAH
Of course, my lord. She will be
honored. Will I be needed for a few
days.
NIMROD
No,
no. Kederlaomer will be pleased
to fill your position for a few days.
He
has been aching to prove his
worth to his king.
TERAH
He
will do credit to his lord and
master. Good evening, my lord.
Terah bows to Nimrod and exits. Nimrod jerks
the daughter up
from the floor.
NIMROD
Come
with me, by beauty. We have
things
to do.
He leads her out of the throne room.
EXT.
Terah walks through the city to his own
house, close by the
palace.
INT. TERAH’S HOUSE – DAY
Terah’s wife, AMTHELO, is very pregnant. She
sits on a chair
beside a table, breathing rather heavily. Terah’s two sons,
Father,
I think mother is ready.
Terah walks over to his wife.
TERAH
How
do you feel?
AMTHELO
It
is time.
TERAH
a
midwife.
TERAH
Nahor,
we need some water.
NAHOR
Yes,
father.
Nahor runs out. Terah helps his wife to the
bedroom.
INT. TERAH’S HOUSE – NIGHT
Several SERVANTS, WISE MEN, and CONJURERS sit
around Terah’s
table eating and drinking. Jubilance resonates the setting and
the men may be a little drunk.
TERAH
My
dear servants, wise men and
conjurers
of Nimrod. Tonight is
a
special evening. I have another
son!
Everyone cheers and drinks. Terah settles
them.
TERAH
He
will be a servant to our lord,
Nimrod,
and be under me as my
other
sons,
been.
Everyone cheers again.
WISE
MAN 1
What
have you named him?
TERAH
A
wise name, my wise friend. My lord,
Nimrod,
has raised me above the rest
of
his princes in these days, even
though
my house is not of his.
CONJURER
1
You
are not of the lineage of Ham?
TERAH
Oh
no, no, no. I am not so lofty
as
to be from Ham as Nimrod is
of
Cush, Ham’s firstborn. No, my
friends,
Ham’s brother Seth is my
forefather.
I am 8 generations
from
Shem, while Nimrod is only
the
2nd from Ham. That makes me
dirt
in comparison and he exalted
me
in spite of this. Because my lord
Nimrod
has smiled on me and exalted
me,
my son’s name is Abram.
WISE
MAN 2
That
is a fine name.
TERAH
An
exalted name for the son of his
exalted
father!
Terah drinks deeply.
EXT. TERAH’S HOUSE - NIGHT
The wise men and conjurers leave Terah’s
house into the night.
Suddenly, they stop and look to the heavens.
CONJURER
2
Look!
As they watch the stars, a large star emerges
from the east. It
races across the heavens and seems to devour four large stars in
the four corners of the heavens above them.
The conjurers stand gape-mouthed at the
sight. The wise men look
at each other, as if understanding it.
CONJURER
1
What
was that?
WISE
MAN 2
This
refers to the child that was
born
to Terah this evening. He will
grow
to be fruitful, and multiply, and
possess
all the earth – he and his
children
forever. He and his seed will
slay
great kings and inherit their
lands.
The other wise men nod in understanding. The
conjurers stand in
shock.
END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE
All the wise men and conjurers from Terah’s
party the previous
evening come together in a private chamber.
CONJURER
1
We
have brought everyone here
concerning
the vision we all
witness
last night, and the
interpretation
you so wisely
gave
concerning it.
WISE
MAN 2
What
do you want to do?
CONJURER
2
The
sight last night is still hidden
from
the king, is it not!
WISE
MAN 1
It
has not been made known to him.
CONJURER
3
If
this thing should become known
to
the king later, he might ask
us
why we have concealed the matter
from
him, and then we will all die
by
his hand.
WISE
MAN 3
Then
let’s go and tell the king what
we
saw and the interpretation of it,
and
we will remain clear of this
matter.
CONJURER
1
Agreed.
In unison, they all leave the room.
They walk through the halls of the palace to
the throne room
where Nimrod sits, talking sweet to one of his girls. He looks
up at the entrance of the Wise Men and Conjurers and frowns.
They all kneel before the throne, heads bowed
low.
WISE
MEN & CONJURERS
May
the king live! May the king live!
NIMROD
Why
do you come before me, uninvited?
CONJURER
1
We
heard that a son was born to Terah,
the
son of Nahor, the prince of your
armies,
and last night, we went to
his
house to celebrate with him.
NIMROD
So?
CONJURER
2
When
we, your servants, left his house
to
go to our own homes, we looked into
the
heavens and saw a great star coming
out
of the east. It moved with great
speed
and swallowed up four other great
stars
from the four corners of the
heavens.
Nimrod leans forward, intrigued.
NIMROD
And
what does this mean?
WISE
MAN 1
We
were astonished at the sight, and
also
terrified when we judged the
meaning
of this sight by our wisdom.
It
applies to the child which was
born
to Terah yesterday. He will grow
up
and multiply greatly, and become
powerful,
and kill all the kings of
the
earth, and inherit all their lands.
It
will belong to him and his seed
forever.
CONJURER
1
And
now, our lord and king Nimrod,
we
have advised you truly of what we
have
seen and judged about this child.
WISE
MAN 3
If
it would please the king, we would
advise
you to give his father the value
of
the child. Then we will kill him
before
he can grow up and increase
against
us, so that neither we nor
our
children would die from his evil.
NIMROD
(perplexed)
Terah
would rise up against me?
WISE
MAN 2
Not
he, but his child.
NIMROD
Then
bring me Terah, so we may carry
out
your plan. I cannot have my
kingdom
threatened by a servant.
WISE
MEN & CONJURERS
May
the king live!
The wise men and conjurers leave the king’s
presence.
INT. PALACE THRONE ROOM – DAY
Terah kneels before the king.
NIMROD
Rise,
Terah. Do you know why you
are
here?
Terah rises.
TERAH
No,
my lord.
NIMROD
The
wise men and conjurers of the
palace
ate and drank with you last
night
in celebration of your new
son
– Abram, is it?
TERAH
The
king is full of knowledge.
NIMROD
They
also witnessed a vision that
shows
this child to one day rise
against
us and destroy this
kingdom
and take my rule away from
me
and my children. Do you want
this
to happen?
TERAH
No,
my lord.
NIMROD
Then
give me the child, so that I
may
kill him before this evil is
allowed
to come forth.
Terah is shocked.
TERAH
You
want to kill him?
NIMROD
I
will give you his value: your
house
full of silver and gold.
Terah gathers himself and speak plainly.
TERAH
My
lord, I have heard and understood
your
words, and of course, I will do
all
that the king requires. But first,
let
me tell you what happened
yesterday
evening, to see what advice
the
king has for me.
Nimrod sits on his throne.
NIMROD
Speak.
TERAH
Last
night, Ayon, son of Mored, came
to
me and asked for the great and
beautiful
horse you gave me. He
offered
silver and gold or straw
and
provisions for its value. I told
him
I would need to speak to you
first,
and whatever you tell me to
do,
I will do.
Nimrod stands in anger.
NIMROD
Are
you a fool or ignorant or so
short
on silver, gold, straw or
provisions
that you would sell the
beautiful
horse I gave you? There
is
none other like it on the earth!
TERAH
Is
this not like you asked of me,
though,
to sell my youngest son for
silver
and gold so that you may kill
him?
What am I supposed to do with
silver
and gold after the death of
my
son? Who will inherit me? No one,
and
at my own death, the silver and
gold
will return to the king who gave
it
to me.
Nimrod reels back and strikes Terah, knocking
him to the ground.
NIMROD
How
dare you speak to me in such a
manner!
Tell me why I should not
remove
you from the position I
graciously
gave you!
Terah climbs to his feet, and stands before
the Nimrod, who is
fuming.
TERAH
All
that I have is in the king’s
power
and whatever the king desires
to
do to his servant, even my son,
he
is in the king’s power, without
value
in exchange. Not only he, but
his
two brothers that are older than
he.
NIMROD
You can keep your eldest sons,
but I
wish
to purchase your youngest for a
price.
TERAH
If
it would please the king, allow me
three
days time to speak to my family
about
this. Please, my king, I beg of
you.
NIMROD
Very
well, but the decision can be
none other than that which I
have
commanded.
I will have your son in
three
days’ time.
TERAH
Thank
you, my lord.
NIMROD
Now,
get out of here.
Terah bows.
TERAH
May
the king live!
Terah exits the throne room.
EXT. TERAH’S HOUSE – DAY
Terah walks quickly home and enters his
house.
INT. TERAH’S HOUSE – DAY
Terah closes the door fast behind him and
stands against it.
Amthelo,
holding Abram.
AMTHELO
Terah,
what is it? What’s wrong?
TERAH
It’s
the king. Nimrod has been told
that
our youngest son is to grow up
to
overthrow him, and he wants him
dead.
He has offered silver and gold
for
him, but I cannot take it, Amthelo.
AMTHELO
What
are we going to do?
TERAH
I
don’t know. He has all the power in
the
kingdom at his fingertips. He
could
destroy us, and no one would
remember
our name.
We
can’t allow this!
TERAH
I
cannot sacrifice Abram, but I am
powerless
against the king!
AMTHELO
How
long has he given us?
TERAH
We
have three days.
NAHOR
Three
days for what?
TERAH
If
we can’t figure a way to save
Abram,
then we will need to place
him
in the king’s hands. We will
have
no choice.
INT. TERAH’S HOUSE – DAY
SUPER: “Three Days Later”
Terah is pacing in the house.
TERAH
What
am I to do? Abram will die!
We
could take him far away. No
one
will ever find him.
TERAH
Useless,
everything
that goes on. Even he
alone
went, then he would kill
the
rest of us. If we all went,
it
will be like we died anyway.
We
cannot leave
NAHOR
So
unless you deliver Abram to
the
king, we are lost.
TERAH
It
seems that way, Nahor.
There is a knock at the door. Terah opens it
and a servant
stands before him. The servant hands him a scroll.
SERVANT
An
urgent message from king Nimrod.
Terah takes it from him.
TERAH
Thank
you.
The servant leaves. Terah shuts the door.
Fearfully, he opens
the scroll.
TERAH
(reading)
“Your
three days are done. Send me
your
son now for the price we agreed
upon.
If you should refuse, I will
send
your own soldiers against you
and
kill all in your household. Not
even
a dog will remain.”
He drops to the floor, crumpling the scroll
in his hands.
TERAH
It
is over. My time is up. My son
will
die.
Amthelo appears, holding a baby.
AMTHELO
Who
was at the door?
TERAH
It
was a servant of the Nimrod. He
brought
a scroll to tell me to
bring
Abram to him, or he will destroy
us
all.
AMTHELO
I
have a solution to our problem.
TERAH
What
is it?
AMTHELO
I
have here the son of one of our
servants
who gave birth only yesterday.
Take
her son in place of ours.
Terah stands and looks at her.
TERAH
She
agreed to this?
AMTHELO
When
I helped her give birth, I told
her
he died in childbirth, and took
him
away. She believes her son died,
and
when you give him to Nimrod in
place
of Abram, he will.
Amthelo hands the child to Terah.
TERAH
If
this is the price of being in the
service
of the king, then the price
is
too high.
AMTHELO
We
have no choice.
Terah looks at the child for a moment, and
without another word,
he takes the child and exits.
INT. PALACE THRONE ROOM – DAY
Terah hands the child to Nimrod. Nimrod
smiles and takes him.
NIMROD
Wise
decision, Terah. You may pick
up
your payment from my vaults at
your
convenience.
Terah nods and bows.
TERAH
May
the king live!
NIMROD
You
may return home to mourn. Let it
not
be said Nimrod is not without
mercy.
Terah turns and leaves the room quickly.
Nimrod smiles at the
child evilly. He turns and exits the throne opposite the main
entrance.
INT.
Terah closes the throne room doors behind him
and leans against
the wall. He seems to be resisting the urge to vomit. Slowly he
recovers himself and walks out.
INT. TERAH’S HOUSE – DAY
Terah walks into his house. He sits down. His
face is ashen, as
if in shock. One might believe he did put his own son to death
this day. Amthelo enters.
AMTHELO
(quietly)
Did
it work?
Terah nods.
AMTHELO
Are
you ok?
Terah nods.
TERAH
I
will be. It was not our son, but
that
child did nothing to deserve
death.
AMTHELO
I
know. But you have to think of
yourself
first, and the servant is
here
to serve you, be it by her own
life
or that of her children.
TERAH
I
know.
Terah gets up and walks into the room where
baby Abram sleeps.
He lifts his child into his arm and looks at
him. Terah smiles
as a tear runs down his face.
TERAH
Amthelo.
You and Abram cannot stay
here
in
AMTHELO
What?
TERAH
The
king and his wise men, and his
conjurers
all believe Abram is dead.
If
they still find you and he alive,
our
fate will be worse than before,
and
that child’s death would be in
vain.
AMTHELO
Where
do we go?
TERAH
Anywhere.
I will take you to the edge
of
the country. I can bring you
provisions
every month.
AMTHELO
I
can’t live alone.
TERAH
We
will bring a servant with us. We
have
to leave now before anyone
discovers
what we’ve done. Bring a
woman
you trust.
Amthelo nods and exits the room.
TERAH
I
swear, Abram, nothing will happen to
you.
EXT. OPEN PLAINS – DAY
Terah, Amthelo, and a NURSE trek across
grassy plains toward
some mountains. Amthelo carries Abram, wrapped in swaddling
cloth.
The cave sports a great view of the plains
they just crossed and
at the bottom of the mountain is a small forest with a creek.
They place their things on the floor of the
cave.
TERAH
You
will be safe here, I promise.
AMTHELO
How
long are we to stay here?
TERAH
Until
we are sure the king has
forgotten
about Abram.
AMTHELO
But
how long do you think that will
be?
TERAH
I
don’t know. I will bring you
fresh
provisions monthly, and when
the
time is right, I will tell you.
Part
of me doesn’t want Abram to
return
for his own safety.
AMTHELO
I
can’t stay out here forever.
TERAH
We
don’t have any choice. I have
very
limited family.
AMTHELO
Who
do you have?
TERAH
I
don’t know who to trust.
AMTHELO
There
has to be at least one
good,
trustworthy man in your
family
tree that our son can
stay
with when he is old enough.
Terah racks his brain, until it looks like a
light comes on in
his head.
TERAH
There
is one.
AMTHELO
Who?
TERAH
The
father of all of us. If anyone
knows
about goodness, it would be
him.
AMTHELO
Who?
TERAH
Noah.
Amthelo looks at him, surprised.
EXT. NOAH’S VINEYARDS – DAY
SUPER: “10 Years Later”
SUPER: “1957 Anno Mundi”
Terah and his 10 year old son, Abram, walk
alone toward the home
of Noah and Shem.
Noah, now 901, walks out of his house and
sees them coming. He
smiles and walks out to greet them. Shem, 399, and his wife,
Sedeqetelebab, look after him and smile.
NOAH
My
dear Terah. I praise God for
your
coming to see me.
TERAH
Father
Noah, I come with my son,
Abram,
whose life was threatened
by
Nimrod from birth.
Noah looks at Abram, who smiles at him.
NOAH
Hello,
Abram. I’m Noah.
ABRAM
Hi.
NOAH
Tell
me, Terah, why come to me?
TERAH
I’m
not going to lie to you. My
world
is wicked, and I know it.
I
don’t know what my youngest son
is
destined for, but I know that
I
will be unable to help him with
it,
since I am no better than
anyone
else, and just as wicked,
I’m
sure.
NOAH
God
will still accept you. You don’t
have
to leave.
TERAH
Yes,
I do. I know I’m lost, but he
has
hope. I have none.
NOAH
It
is, of course, your decision. I
and
Shem will instruct him in the
ways
of the Lord, so that he can
be
upright in this generation and
the
knowledge of the Lord will not
pass
away.
(to
Abram, pointing to Shem)
Abram.
Go with Shem. He’ll show you
where
to go.
ABRAM
Ok.
He hugs Terah goodbye.
TERAH
I’ll
see you later, son.
ABRAM
Goodbye,
father.
Abram runs off to meet with Seth. Seth hugs
him. Terah watches
as Seth, Sedeqetelebab, and Abram walk inside the house.
NOAH
Why
are you here?
TERAH
I
am not comfortable taking him
back
to
could
be trusted to raise him
right.
NOAH
You
know he won’t follow your
gods.
He won’t walk in the ways
you
have walked. He will learn to
fear
and love the Lord, my God,
who
created the heavens and the
earth,
and who destroyed the earth
for
doing what your people are now
practicing.
TERAH
I
know.
NOAH
Why
don’t you stay with him? You
can
be forgiven.
TERAH
I
can’t. I let a child die because
I
wanted him to live. I don’t want
to
be forgiven for that. I deserve
to
die. I don’t deserve forgiveness.
NOAH
If
you ever change your mind, you
know
where to find us, and soon,
you
can simply talk to your son.
You
can be forgiven if you ask.
TERAH
Thank
you, Noah, for taking care
of
him.
Noah hugs Terah.
NOAH
Thank
you for bringing him.
Terah walks away. Noah watches him for a
moment.
NOAH
(to
himself)
Finally,
the world has hope again
for
a future.
Noah turns and walks back to his house as
Terah makes his long
trek back to
END OF ACT THREE
Source Material:
From the Bible:
Genesis 7:24-9:29, 11:10-11:26
From Extra-Canonical Works:
The Book of Jasher 6:34-42, 7:22, 7:41,
7:49-8:36, 9:4-5