Original subtitles

- [Narrator] The children of Israel

were driven by famine from the land of Canaan.

They went into Egypt and lived there as shepherds.

They prospered and multiplied.

Now the Pharaoh of Egypt began to fear their numbers

and he bonded them into captivity,

yet still they multiplied.

So he ordered that all their newborn sons

be cast into the waters of the Nile.

Now one of these newborn men children

were saved by his sister Miriam

and by good chance was taken into the Royal House of Egypt,

there to grow up as a prince.

His name was Moses.

One day Prince Moses was made angry

by the brutish cruelty of an Egyptian officer

and in his rough, he slew him.

Lest he be tried and executed

for the killing of the Egyptian,

he fled into the desert.

At length, he came to the encampment of Jethro,

an old shepherd.

There Moses stayed in exile.

At peace with his new life,

he followed the lowly trade of shepherd.

(soft music)

And during the years

wherein Moses abode in the tents of Jethro,

King Ramses of Egypt died.

(soft music)

(dramatic music)

- [Announcer] His Majesty, King Merneptah.

Fifth king of his dynasty.

First among them all for glory.

Pharaoh of all Egypt.

- Moses, his name was.

He was brought up like the royal prince.

But then, one day, he turned against the Egyptians.

He killed some of them.

- [Boy] How many?

- Oh, I don't know how many.

But there were certainly many.

He was strong, you see.

- [Boy] Like a bull.

Like a bull or a lamb.

- [Boy] Or a crocodile.

- And then, he escaped from the Egyptians.

They wanted to kill him.

Some say he will come back.

- And kill more Egyptians?

- But I believe he is dead in the desert.

Eaten by vultures or something.

Just bare white bones now, picked clean.

- I knew him.

I remember him with some tenderness.

An elder cousin who was always promising

to take me crocodile hunting.

I do not believe he liked hunting.

He would listen to bats and the cries of field mice.

No one else could hear them.

Only he.

I cannot easily see him as a great vengeful lion,

striking men dead with a rod.

- There was a death, Majesty.

- Well.

It was I who sent him to Pithom, to trouble.

And his old accusation.

Did I also send him to death in the desert?

- There is no certainty of his death.

At least two caravans have brought news of a sort.

- What news?

- Of a hero who came to Midian out of Egypt.

Killed 20 men at a blow.

Married seven or eight sisters.

The exact number is not clear.

- I would prefer him to be back with us.

It would be good to see him smiling at my triumph.

Let us have him in Egypt again.

(sheep bleating)

(laughing)

(humming)

- Now you see how a good shepherd works.

This I did not teach him.

He seem to know it already.

(humming)

A very gloomy lullaby.

A very gloomy name.

- It is the name his father found for him.

- Settled and not settled.

Never addressed.

But a good son-in-law.

An only son-in-law.

(rumbling)

(chirping)

- It's nothing, the birds are singing.

- Something else.

(chirping)

(horse neighs)

- [Messenger] Your name?

- A name is

merely what a man is called.

I am called Moses.

My wife is called Zipporah.

My son, Gershom.

My wife's father, Jethro.

- The documents I hold are signed

by the royal hand, sealed with the royal seal.

They attest your right to return freely

to resume your former status and office.

- My status and office you see.

I am a shepherd.

I am an Israelite.

- You are the Lord Moses, cousin to the Pharaoh.

As such, your place and duty are self-evident.

If I may say so, with respect.

- You are not come to force me to back to Egypt.

- I have no such authority.

I am but the bearer of a royal message.

- My compliments to the Pharaoh.

I have my own kingdom.

(rumbling)

(soft music)

(rumbling)

- [God] Come no closer.

Put off your shoes from your feet.

For the place where on you are standing is holy ground.

Put off your shoes.

(soft music)

I am the God of your father.

The God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob

and the God of Moses.

I have surely seen the affliction

of my people that are in Egypt.

I've heard their cry.

I know their sorrows.

And I have come down to deliver them

and to bring them out of that land

onto a good land, flowing with milk and honey.

Now therefore, behold.

I will send you unto Pharaoh,

that you may bring forth my people,

the children of Israel, out of Egypt.

- But,

but,

but who I am that,

that I should go to Pharaoh and

bring the people of Israel out of Egypt?

- [God] I will be with you.

- But if I say

the God of your fathers has sent me to you,

and they shall say,

what is his name,

what shall I say to them?

- [God] You shall say to the children of Israel

what he is called.

For what he is called is I Am That I Am.

And say too, the Lord God of your fathers

has sent me unto you.

Now the King of Egypt will not let you go.

Not by a mighty hand.

But I will stretch out my hand

and smite Egypt with all my wonders.

- They will not believe me.

They will say,

the Lord is not appeared unto you.

- [God] What is in your hand?

- A rod.

- [God] Cast it to the ground.

(eerie music)

Put out your hand and take it by the tail.

(soft music)

Now put your hand in your bosom.

(soft music)

Now remove it.

(eerie music)

Return it to your bosom and again remove it.

(soft music)

Through this power, they will believe.

- Oh Lord, I,

I am not eloquent.

Not now or before.

I am

slow of speech.

I am of a slow tongue.

- [God] Who has made man's mouth?

Who makes the dumb or the deaf,

or the seeing or the blind?

Am I not the Lord?

But your brother Aaron shall be your spokesman,

and you shall put the staff in his hand.

What with you shall be the power of the Lord.

(thunder roaring)

- I am no judge in Israel.

Let it be given to one of the wise.

One of the strong.

(thunder roaring)

Do not place the burden on me.

I refuse the burden.

(groans)

(thunder roaring)

- God.

Whatever you are.

Would you take his life?

Is it a life you want, a bloody sacrifice?

Is it the life of a man, or of a man child?

You shall have your sacrifice,

if you restore him to life.

(crying)

Not a life.

But a token of life.

Not a body.

But flesh.

A body we'll not miss.

(crying)

(thunder roaring)

Will that satisfy you, new God?

(crying)

(water trickling)

You must go.

- Today.

(water trickling)

(soft music)

Blessing of the God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob.

Of the God that you, Jethro, have long sought for.

And for what it's worth,

blessing of Moses.

(rumbling)

(soft music)

(groaning)

(squawking)

(groans)

(rooster crows)

- Miriam.

Miriam.

Miriam.

- Aaron?

- I think I've seen him again.

- You saw him how?

- This time as an eagle.

Flying almost above us here.

- Oh, that means he's close to us.

You must go to meet him.

- This is madness.

I can't even be sure.

But to go into the desert, die in the desert or

die at the hands when I come back here alone without him.

For the sake of a dream about an eagle.

- You still doubt.

- Well, what is there to believe in?

Egypt is hard, slavery is hard.

But at least they're reality.

They're not empty hopes following some dream in the desert.

- You may be of his flesh, our flesh,

but not of our spirit.

I have no doubts.

- The people have forgotten him.

I don't even remember his face myself.

- No, they haven't forgotten.

They only remember him in the wrong way.

A hero.

Or a giant who could tame snakes,

or strike men dead with a look.

Hero once, and may come again.

But the again is a future so far off,

it's almost the past.

- Past, future, just words.

They exist only in the mind.

I have to live in the present.

- [Miriam] Like a dog.

Waiting for the next handful of

stale fish and cold bread.

Aaron the dog.

- I'm a man, neither more nor less.

- Then be a man.

The future's already here.

Our brother is coming back.

Go, Aaron.

Over the river.

Into the wasteland.

You must meet him.

- The whole thing is impossible.

Where do I find the money?

How did you manage?

- If an Egyptian loses his purse,

what do you do?

Courtesy, you give it back.

- And I shall have to bribe the overseer.

- I'll do that, don't worry.

(laughs)

There's hope for you, Aaron.

(laughs)

(muffled chatting)

- Hey.

(hisses)

Take me to the other side.

- Huh?

No, I don't want any trouble over slaves.

- I can pay.

- [Sailor] A dream, you say.

A dream.

You're going to find somebody just because of a dream.

Paying in silver too.

- There was a time when dreams

were considered important in Egypt.

(laughs)

- That was Joseph.

The old days.

This is modern times.

Nobody follows dreams anymore.

- I follow this dream.

I have to.

- Then you are mad.

- And the rest of the world is sane, huh?

I'm mad because I dream of the coming of salvation.

And they're sane because they lie in slavery.

Is that it?

- Words, words, words.

Who is this one you're going to meet?

- My brother.

The messenger of the Lord.

- The messenger of the Lord?

(laughs)

(soft music)

- [Aaron Voiceover] The question of convincing everybody.

Who is he?

Who is he?

Never heard of him.

(soft music)

Show us a sign.

Give us a sign.

But what will you think of us, your people?

How can I make you understand us?

Softened by bondage.

Degraded.

- Can you understand, brother?

- [Aaron Voiceover] Freedom from decision.

Freedom from action.

A terrible word, freedom.

- But I must,

must make you,

must make you understand.

I shall,

shall make you understand.

Brother!

Brother.

Brother!

Brother!

(soft music)

- [Aaron Voiceover] And they.

What will they demand of him?

A sign.

Something out of nothing.

Show us a miracle.

(soft music)

Nothing.

Nothing.

Show me a sign, brother.

(soft music)

And no word.

It is the sign.

♪ So send the water

♪ Before man be dead

♪ And though I will clean him

♪ And slather his body

(laughs)

- So dirty.

As if you had been on your journey for years.

- Dirty or not, you knew it was me.

(laughs)

- I knew.

- And yet, you don't know me.

We never had any childhood together.

We never rejoiced in our families, our children.

Only now, I can rejoice in your children.

If I could just tell which is which.

You're Leah.

- No, I'm Rachel.

(laughs)

- This is Leah.

My husband was killed by our slavers.

Soon after Rachel was born.

And when do I meet your wife, your son?

- They'll be waiting for us.

The way to the land.

It's a long, long journey.

It'll be a long, long time before we leave here.

First, Pharaoh must be

asked to let us go.

Then begged, treated.

Finally, threatened.

- It will be a hard time.

- It's always hard for the innocent.

It's always they who must suffer first.

We sacrifice a lamb, not a crocodile.

One of the great mysteries.

Oh, thank you, Leah.

- No, I'm Rachel.

I told you I was Rachel.

- I'm sorry.

- What God?

- The God who spoke from the

burning bush on Mount Horeb.

The bush burned and burned,

and was not consumed.

And the voice said, I am sending one

who shall set my people free.

- It's this one God business I find hard to take in.

What's this God's position in relation

to the other gods?

- [Man] Why go into that again?

- Oh no, not that. - Yes, explain that.

- That seems a reasonable thing to ask.

- There are no other gods.

God is God, he is who he is.

The God of the Israelites is the one God.

- Moses. - Huh?

- Brother of Aaron, the one who killed

the Egyptian overseer and had to run away.

He thinks no one remembers.

That's why he's back.

- What is all this?

What kind of tale do you think you are spinning?

- True.

Look, sir.

I've always been a good friend of Egypt, haven't I?

- So?

- I can give good information, valuable information.

This Moses is up to no good.

I'd appreciate a little Egyptian generosity.

- You're drunk, man.

- No. - Get to work, man.

Go on.

Go on, you friend of Egypt!

Go on!

Go on!

- Our God is not a God of slavery.

- If you say there is one God,

then this is one God who has sold us into slavery.

- Or else, one could say that

we have at least two gods.

One to enslave and one to free.

- No, God may have allowed the wicked

to enslave the innocent.

This bondage may be a test.

A proving of our right to be chosen.

- There are weapons other than bows

and battering rams and pitchforks.

There are bricks and mortar.

There are macerals.

- Fools, Egypt is the world.

Only the maker of the earth and the sun

and stars can prevail.

God is our way.

And our way to God is through him.

- I am not convinced.

- We will help you to change your ideas.

- [Man] Who?

- The young.

(soft music)

- Is it you?

(soft music)

Is it really you?

- Yes.

But I'm afraid I cannot prove my identity.

- The voice is enough.

Everything else has changed, but the voice, no.

Moses.

Cousin Moses.

You look like a very poor relation.

If I may say so.

- You summoned me back to Egypt.

Why did you summon me?

- I could not forget you.

Others, I forgot.

Streams of bowing, courtiers.

Wise men, sycophants.

Relations, none of them poor relations.

A time came when I felt a homesickness for you.

The cousin who taught me how to hunt gazelles.

The enigmatic prince of my world.

I must have been a most unlikeable boy.

I was, of course, too young to use you.

- And now you are old enough.

- Old enough.

Also the master of the world.

Of the sacred blood of Horus.

Blood that is knitted from the stars.

Divine and holy.

Wholly divine.

Do you still listen to the voices

of bats at nightfall?

- In the desert, there were many voices.

Ones I

never heard in Egypt.

- You did not hear my voice calling you?

Or any voice that spoke of me?

- Yes.

Yes, I did.

- A human voice?

- Not human.

Not a human voice.

- The voices of the desert.

That formless, shifting world.

Whistling and singing nonsense.

There is no solidity.

No certainty in the desert.

Reality is here, cousin.

For 1000 years, we have been the masters of reality.

We have an exact and perfect

and exquisite

and almost painful knowledge

of the nature of power.

The means of its acquisition, its growth.

It's maintenance.

Power is here and forever.

This is the real world and you belong to it.

You who know reality have been

whoring too long among dreams of the desert.

You are recalled to reality.

- Called, not recalled.

(crying)

(humming)

- [Merneptah] My son.

My firstborn.

(humming)

Is he not beautiful?

- Beautiful.

- My son, he will reign after me.

The unbroken and unbreakable chain of rule.

The strength which makes the desert winds

howl in impotence.

And you choose those empty voices

out of the dead sand.

This I cannot comprehend.

- It's a simple matter, Majesty.

I have discovered where I belong.

- You belong to us.

To me.

You ignore the truth.

And the truth is that you are of Egypt.

Of the blood.

For the blood is not what passes from mother to son.

That belongs to the order of the beasts.

It is rather what is of the soul.

Whatever the soul is.

Your true physical mother was the shadow.

The woman who made herself your mother was the substance.

Remains the substance even in death.

You are of Egypt.

And one of my duties is to confirm that truth.

In your own life,

in that bigger life we call history.

- The voices of the desert spoke hard metal.

The swirling, shifting, insubstantial.

These are in your words.

I reject Egypt.

I embrace my people.

- Your people, as you call them,

are the tough skin of the hands and feet of Egypt, no more.

But the body does not disown them.

- The truth is, Majesty,

we are a,

a different animal.

We, we scent our destiny.

We must be free to track it.

- Never.

Never.

- I know that I,

that you will never be persuaded by treaties.

Egypt is locked against the voices of the desert.

It must be signs.

- Signs?

From whom or what or where?

- From the maker of the world.

The God of my people.

- Signs.

Tricks.

The Egyptian conjurers know them all.

You are being the more Egyptian for thinking of signs.

What will you do?

Turn a stick to a snake?

My sorcerers can do that yawning.

Make your snake swallow theirs?

We must expect big magic from Moses.

Must we not?

I should be appalled if you let

the mere nameless magicians beat you at that game.

- There shall be no such covers between us, Pharaoh.

But you must believe that the,

the signs come from a true Israelite.

- You are an Egyptian.

You'll always be an Egyptian.

- The signs will persuade you otherwise.

Let the true story begin.

I shall not be in it.

I am not qualified.

I am slow of speech.

- Another of your fallacies.

- [Officer] Three days, three days?

Are you mad?

- Three days in the desert.

It's a small request.

We have orders to sacrifice to the God of our people.

- [Officer] Orders?

We give the orders.

You interest me, little man.

Why in the desert?

- Because it was in the desert

that my brother heard the command.

- [Officer] Whose?

- His who demands the sacrifice.

- You talk round and round, round and round.

- Three days. - Make way there.

- Request refused.

- What request?

- [Officer] This man says the slaves

want to spend three days in the desert, sir.

- Who put you to this nonsense?

- It is not nonsense.

With respect, sir, we do not consider it nonsense.

We must do sacrifice in the desert.

You have your gods, we have our God.

- You have not answered my question.

- It was my brother who heard the word of God.

- Why did not your brother make the request himself?

- He is slow of speech.

- And slow, perhaps, of understanding.

When will you Israelites realize what you are?

- We are beginning to realize, sir.

- Take him back this answer.

And deliver it as slowly as you will.

- Sir, where's the straw?

- What?

- The straw.

To make bricks with.

We haven't any straw.

The straw hasn't come.

- Oh, you have to have straw.

- I mean, with respect, sir.

Of course we have to have straw.

Mud, straw, the sun.

Give us straw and we give you bricks.

That's how it's always been, sir.

- There have been some changes.

Nobody brings you straw anymore.

You gather your own or you do without.

Is that clear?

(laughing)

(eerie music)

- Stop there.

- Sir, with respect.

We have no fields, we have no straw.

(laughing)

It's not right.

- Joshua.

- You and your filthy--

(yelling)

(screaming)

(soft music)

- You put the rod in their fists.

You put the sword in their hands tomorrow or tonight.

You and your brother.

This God of yours, I hope he strikes you down.

Both of you.

Strikes you dead.

(soft music)

- I want no more of this.

- You mean you want to be free.

Of me.

- Free of having to speak in your name.

- You think it's all a lie.

A voice of delusion.

That I'm mad, misled.

- That's what the people think.

- They think wrong.

The voice spoke true.

Made no false promises, nothing would be easy.

But the Lord did make one error.

The error of choosing me.

- [Woman] Come in, don't catch his eye.

- [Woman] Everything's gone wrong since he's been here.

(whispering)

(yelling)

(soft music)

You see, Lord.

What you've done.

Ever since my,

my return, this,

it has been nothing but solemnness.

A renewal of evil ways.

Your people are sunken into a deeper slavery.

You don't wish to set them free.

Are they not right to have lost all hope?

Oh Lord.

Why was it I that had to be chosen?

(yelling)

What shall I do?

What shall I say to them?

(soft music)

- [God] Moses.

Moses, go to the Pharaoh.

Say to him all that I bid you to say.

But your voice shall be that of your brother Aaron.

He shall speak for you.

He shall stand in your place.

As for you,

you shall stand in the place of the Lord God.

- Of the Lord God.

(soft music)

(rumbling)

(screaming)

And it shall be called Passover 'til the end of time.

To mark the hour of his passing over.

(scattered chatting)

- Blood!

The water is blood.

(croaking)

(screaming)

There is one last trial yet to come.

It will be the most terrible trial in all the world

unless you let our people go.

(soft music)