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Ryan Seacrest
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Narrator
Previously on the Chosen People.
Melchizedek
Tell me more about this visitor at the perimeter. Did you learn his name? He calls himself Melchizedek, King of Salem. King Melchizedek, you honor us with your visit. Tell us, what have you come to say? I am a king, yes, But I am also a high Priest. A priest of what God? El Elyon. The one and only true God there is the One who created both the heavens and the earth. He has many names, but he is one God. The God Most High is what I call him before you now. This is the God of Abraham, the God who has given him favor in his land. He is the God who blesses his friends and curses his enemies. This is the God who has granted you your victories and destroyed your enemies before you.
Narrator
Melchizedek then stood gently placing his hands on Abram's shoulders, closed his eyes and began his blessing.
Melchizedek
Blessed be Abram, thy God Most High, Creator of Heaven and Earth. In him you and your great nation will have a protector and provider.
Narrator
The King of Sodom wore a dark robe with crimson threads woven into an image of a three headed serpent.
Melchizedek
Do not fear Abram. Call off your Amorite guard dogs. I told you I had come to make a generous offer. I see you have all our possessions and people, but I would allow you to keep all the possessions. Call it an act of gratitude, goodwill even for destroying our enemies and avenging our city.
Narrator
Abrum smiled. There it was. This was what the King wanted. Giving up the possessions he lost in a raid to gain a friend to curry favor with Abram and the Amorites. King Bearer was looking to own Abram through this gift.
Melchizedek
As my friends know, I have devoted my life to the God Most High. All I have is his and all I do is in his name. My victories are his and not my own. So it is to him that you should be grateful and not me. My possessions are the same. Everything I own is his. I'm not a self made man Therefore, I have little taste for ambitious friendships and I would not take even a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you. I see the invisible strings attached to them. I will sever them now and give you what is yours. I will not allow you or anyone to say I made Abram rich. I cannot be owned because I am already under the lordship of another.
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Ryan Seacrest
Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway now through November 4th. Shop the annual beauty event and save $5 when you spend $25 on select beauty products. Shop in store or online for items like Dove Body Wash Native Body Wash, Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser, Dr. Squatch body wash, Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel, Dial Liquid Hand Soap and Olay Body wash. And save $5 when you spend $25 or more. Offer ends November 4th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.
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Melchizedek
Then you told Bera that you would never be on my hip. That's a sight I hope never to forget. I will not allow you or anyone.
God
To say I made Abram rich.
Melchizedek
Oh, Abram, that was masterful. I should say that King Bera would not soon forget it either.
Narrator
Abram and his three Amrit companions had finally returned home to Hebron. They dined together and toasted their recent adventures. Everyone had heard of their exploits and learned of their victories, hailing them as mighty warriors. They soon found themselves something akin to celebrities. The amirites returned wealthier than ever, while Abram declined his share of the rescued plunder from Sodom.
Melchizedek
I may not understand this God you follow, Abram. I certainly don't understand your strange devotion to him. But I appreciate how rich he's made me hear. Perhaps I, too shall worship this God of money. If he makes us any richer, one of our sons will be plotting our demise to take control of our fortunes faster. If I had known how rich I would become, I never would have had any. I do not expect you to understand, but be careful how you speak of such things. I have seen the power of God Most High firsthand. And in direct ways you have as well.
God
Oh, I'm sorry, Ygra.
Melchizedek
We mean no disrespect. Okay? But. But what of the wealth and influence you have amassed? You may have turned down your share of King Beara's possessions, but you are still a very wealthy man. And you speak often about your legacy and the nation you are building. I do not mean to overreach, but how do you plan to secure your line of inheritance without a son? Or any children, for that matter? Have you named an heir? Or is it to be our man, Eleazar? Isn't it a custom among you Hebrews that the most senior servant in your household stands to inherit if there is.
Narrator
No heir of your own flesh and blood?
Melchizedek
Yes, that is a tradition among my people. We call them the possessor heir or son of possession. But no, I will not pass on what has been given to me to Eliezer. My God has promised me that Sarai and I will have a son.
God
Or Eleazar.
Melchizedek
I imagine he's become quite accustomed to the idea at this point. But how?
Narrator
Abram, forgive me, but you are over.
Melchizedek
80 years old, and Serai is only 10 years younger. She is certainly fair, but I don't think even an Egyptian fertility ritual could summon an heir from her womb at this late stage in her life. I hear your concern, Aena Eskol. I really do. I do not know how it will come to pass, but my God has promised it. And I've yet to see anything he tells me not come to pass. Brothers, let's not push Abram on this matter. Let us talk non drink of other things.
Narrator
The hour was late when. When Abram at last departed from Mamre's household. And despite the lateness of the hour, he decided to walk around the long way home through the now deserted streets of the city. He did not want to admit it, but the conversation with his friends had shaken him. He knew his friends meant well, and they did not mean to offend him. But it had been almost 10 years since his God had promised him a son. And though the God Most High had not specified a time in which this was to happen, and though he did not doubt the words, he still wondered at the mechanics of how. Abram had never expected others to have the same faith as him. But he was surprised to find how alienating it was for his friends to vocalize their doubts. Would he, say, spend the rest of his life defending this promise? His friends had been gentle. He could only imagine what his enemy said of him behind his back. But he could not deny that their lack of belief was a blow. Was he to carry this legacy alone? Just then, as had happened all those other times before, the quiet city went utterly still and silent. And Abram knew that his God was about to speak to him. Abram steadied his breath and heartbeat. He turned his face toward the hills. The breeze blew from behind him as if to nudge him forward.
God
Abraham, do not be anxious. And do not worry about the opinions of others. For you are not alone. I am your shield. Your friends seek only temporal rewards, riches of this world. But your reward will be far greater. I have not forgotten about the promise I have made you.
Melchizedek
God Most High. I know what you have promised promised me. But how can you blame my friends for questioning? I have no children. Will I truly need to settle with Eleazar, a mere servant, becoming my heir? Is that how what you have said will come to pass?
God
No. This man will not be your heir. You will have a son who is your own flesh and blood. And he will be your heir. I want you to listen to me. Go outside the city walls. Meet me in the quiet under the canopy of stars. There, I shall speak to you.
Narrator
Abram obeyed. Hurrying beyond the city's boundaries, the verdant valleys darkened under the velvet skies. Abram knelt down, balling the grass in his fists. He was anxious to hear more from his God. He strained to listen, thirsty for an ounce of clarity. He gazed up at the heavens, the stars shining with a cold, distant light.
Melchizedek
What is my destiny? What will be my legacy?
God
Do you see the stars spread across the heavens far above your head?
Narrator
Abram nodded, his brows creased upward. Desperation painted on his star.
God
Can you count the stars, Abram?
Narrator
Abram shook his head, uncertain.
God
You cannot, for there are too many. It is impossible. It is to be the same with your offspring. The great nation I shall make through your air would be as innumerable as the stars in the night sky.
Narrator
Abraham Abram could again sense the certainty, the absolute and unexplainable peace that accompanied his God's words. Abram believed, although he was still uncertain about how these things would come to pass.
God
I am the God Most High. The God who brought you out from Ur. I have laid out my plans for you and have been your advocate since before you even heard my voice. I called you and was with you in Harran, Egypt, and Canaan, everywhere you have ever set foot. And I say I will give you this land to possess.
Melchizedek
El Elyon, God Most High. I believe the words you have said to me, but how am I to know that I will possess it?
God
But you also believe I will. Do as I say. Your faith will be credited to you as righteousness. You ask for more than a contract. You ask for a covenant. In your common tongue, a covenant is between us that would signify a permanent, everlasting agreement between us. This I will gladly do. Come to me here in this place tomorrow before sunset and bring the following with you so we may make our covenant. A three year old cow, a three year old female goat, a a three year old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon. Our covenant will be between the God of all creation and you, my creation. I will come down to cut a covenant in the ways of your people. But this will be something else entirely. This covenant between us will be something new, the likes of which humankind has never seen before.
Narrator
Abram did exactly as his God said. He acquired the sacrificial animals required to cut the covenant between them and brought them back to the place and time the God Most High had specified. Abram had seen his God do incredible things, but that he would enter into this agreement with him was truly remarkable. As the agreement required, Abram sacrificed the animals and cut them in half from head to tail. The blood dripped down the blade and down his forearm. The blood was warm and unsettling on his skin. The gore was significant. The lives of innocents were given as a symbol of the purity of their covenant. The only animals he did not cut in half were the birds. He then laid the pieces, the bloody side facing upwards on either side. Abram knew this ritual. Shadows of it were passed down since the ancient days. The crimson stained space between animals was the symbolic walkway for their covenant, the walk unto death. Once the ritual began, the representatives would circle the halved pieces and go through the walkway to signify that if either representative were to break the covenant, something similar would be done to them. Abram had not seen his God take a form, so he wondered how this portion of the ritual would be achieved as he dragged the animals into place. Would Melchizedek return? Would an angel descend from above? Abram stood back from his work and watched the blood from the carcasses seep into the earth, some of it flowing into the middle of the walkway. As he waited for his God, birds of prey began to circle above. They grew bold in hunger and dove before Abram for the sacrificed animals. Their talons and beaks hungrily picked at the carcasses.
Melchizedek
Away with you. Get.
Narrator
Abram ran at the birds like a fool, flapping his arms and screaming. The birds, relatively unperturbed, retreated to a nearby tree and waited. Abram laughed and shook his head. He stretched and yawned, wondering if God would show himself. He laid back and waited, his eyes sinking with each blink.
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Ryan Seacrest
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Narrator
Sun slipped beyond the horizon, a terrible and unnatural darkness swirled around him, far darker than it should be at dusk. Abram was then pulled into a deep sleep and fell to the ground. Abram saw nothing, but heard the voice of his God from the depths of his dream.
God
I will give you a new vision of what is to come. For 400 years, not unlike you, your descendants will be strangers in a country that is not their own. But unlike you, they will be slaves, backs bruised by their oppressors. Do not fear, though, for I am a just God and I will wield my judgment and punish the nation they served as slaves. After this trial, they will come out with many possessions and be restored, just as you feared that the birds would alter the workings of our covenant. I tell you, nothing can alter my judgment and restoration. And so, despite oppression and mistreatment, the covenant will be fulfilled. All that I have said will come to pass. But do not fear what is to come. You, Abram, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. Do not fret over the sins and wickedness of the people in Canaan. I see it and will judge in the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites and the Canaanites alike has not yet reached its full measure. I will wait until the proper time, but rest assured, my judgment will come.
Narrator
The Gods God Most High's voice dissolved into nothing. Out of the darkness, a smoking fire pot, an oven and a flaming torch appeared. The light emitting from the pair of objects cast a warm glow. Abram watched the shadowy outlines of the halved animal carcasses in the walkway between them, the oven and the torch together as one passed the through the pieces, completing the walk unto death. As they drew near to Abram where he lay, he could feel the heat of their cleansing, purifying flames from within his dream.
God
Again I say to you, you are to take this as a blessing to signify the beginning of our formal covenant. To your descendants I give this land from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Raphaelites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.
Narrator
Despite witnessing all of this in a dream, he knew that the items were meant to represent his God to his human mind. His God had completed the ritual alone, releasing Abram from any responsibility beyond his faith. He wondered at a God who would go to such lengths to fulfill the most profound gesture to his Hebrew culture just so that he would feel reassured of the promises made. Abram marveled at what this meant for himself and the generations that would come after him. This prey.com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Catena, Max Bard, Zach Shellevaga and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of the Chosen People. Narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia zaradoch, Thomas Copeland Jr. Rosanna Pilcher and Mitch Leschinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvato, Bree Rosalie and Chris Baig. You can hear more Pray.com productions on the Prey.com app available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed the chosen people, please rate and leave a review.
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Ryan Seacrest
This is an iHeart podcast.
Episode: The Covenant
Host: Pray.com
Date: October 26, 2025
This episode of The Chosen People, titled "The Covenant," masterfully retells the biblical story of God's covenant with Abram (later Abraham), blending vivid dramatization, narration, and character dialogue to explore the meaning and significance of God's promises. The episode delves into themes of faith, doubt, legacy, and the gravity of divine covenant, illustrating how these ancient commitments remain deeply relevant to modern questions about trust, belonging, and inheritance.
"I will not take even a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you... I cannot be owned because I am already under the lordship of another."
— Abram (voiced by Melchizedek), [03:35]
"My God has promised me that Sarai and I will have a son... And I've yet to see anything he tells me not come to pass."
— Abram, [09:01]
"Do not be anxious. And do not worry about the opinions of others. For you are not alone. I am your shield..."
— God, [11:41]
"Can you count the stars, Abram? ... It is to be the same with your offspring."
— God, [13:40]
"Our covenant will be between the God of all creation and you, my creation. ... This will be something new, the likes of which humankind has never seen before."
— God, [15:23]
"For 400 years, ... your descendants will be strangers in a country that is not their own. But unlike you, they will be slaves ... Do not fear, though, for I am a just God."
— God, [22:00]
"His God had completed the ritual alone, releasing Abram from any responsibility beyond his faith."
— Narrator, [25:00]
"He wondered at a God who would go to such lengths to fulfill the most profound gesture to his Hebrew culture just so that he would feel reassured of the promises made."
— Narrator, [25:00]
| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|--------------|-------| | 03:35 | Abram/Melchizedek | "I will not take even a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you... I cannot be owned because I am already under the lordship of another." | | 09:01 | Abram | "My God has promised me that Sarai and I will have a son... And I've yet to see anything he tells me not come to pass." | | 11:41 | God | "Do not be anxious. And do not worry about the opinions of others. For you are not alone. I am your shield..." | | 13:40 | God | "Can you count the stars, Abram? ... It is to be the same with your offspring." | | 15:23 | God | "This will be something new, the likes of which humankind has never seen before." | | 22:00 | God | "For 400 years, ... your descendants will be strangers in a country that is not their own. But unlike you, they will be slaves ... Do not fear, though, for I am a just God." | | 25:00 | Narrator | "His God had completed the ritual alone, releasing Abram from any responsibility beyond his faith." |
This episode of The Chosen People provides a moving, immersive retelling of one of the Old Testament’s most pivotal events—the cutting of the covenant between God and Abram. It highlights both the deeply personal nature of faith in the midst of doubt and alienation, and the grandeur of God’s promises that transcend understanding. The storytelling bridges ancient tradition with contemporary spiritual reflection, offering listeners a chance to re-experience a foundational narrative of faith, trust, and divine fidelity.