 Welcome to Hollywood. The current forces radio and television service brings you the Hollywood Radio Theatre starring Harling Dahl and Michael Rennie in David and Bathsheba. Ladies and gentlemen, your producer, Mr. Irving Cummings. Greetings from Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. In the second book of Samuel, we find the story of David and Bathsheba. It's a tremendous drama of intrigue and a great love between two defiant people that brought the wrath of God upon them. And as our stars of this epic drama from 20th Century Fox, we have glamorous Harling Dahl and that fine artist, Michael Rennie. Now act one of David and Bathsheba, starring Harling Dahl as Bathsheba and starring Michael Rennie as David. And it came to pass. David, king of Israel, laid siege to Raba and the sword and the javelin of Israel were everywhere triumphantly. But it gave no joy unto David. For David, who as shepherd had slain the giant Goliath with his sling, was sick of warring the bloodshed and the hatreds of the peoples. And he was lonely in his heart. For the places of the mighty are solitary and still. Now it happened that after the day's battle, David walked among the campfires to speak to one Uriah, captain of a hundred, who had shown himself very skillful in war. Captain Uriah. Aye, and whom are you? Sire, my king. Do not rise, Uriah. I come for your advice, captain. I am only captain of a hundred, Sire. After today's bravery and skill, you are captain of a thousand. Sire. You are close to the men, captain Uriah. Knowing their feelings, what is your advice? Shall the siege continue? I know, Sire, what the men think. Attack. Attack and attack again until rubber falls to the glory of God. I wish I were as sure of what God calls glorious. The cost will be great, Uriah. Thousands would die. It is war, Sire. You have a wife, Uriah? Yes, Sire. Should you perish, she would come in tears to me. Let her tears be tears of pride. I cannot bear the weeping. There has been too much blood. The king is a man of war, Sire. I did not want this war. Since it was forced upon us, we must win it. But with as little blood shed as possible. I must return to Jerusalem where I have other duties than the sword. I trust in the spirit of such as you, Uriah, to continue the siege. As you say, Sire. Do not rise. Good night, captain Uriah. And David went back to Jerusalem where more heavy than his sword and armor was the crown of Israel. From dawn till night he ruled and judged and took counsel with Nathan, the prophet of God. For David sought to bring home to Jerusalem the Ark of the Covenant, the law of God, which long had wandered with the tribes of Israel. And what say is Nathan, prophet of God? May God walk with you, David. It is more his custom to walk with you, Nathan. The Lord God looks with favor on your plan to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Good. I charge you, Nathan, to arrange to bring the Ark of the Law hither from Philistia. It belongs here with our people. God go with you, Nathan. What other matters must I attend to, Abishai? The minister from Egypt waits to pay you his respects. And to parlay for advantage. Deputies of the people petitioning aid? I will see them first. Your sons, Amnon and Absalom, each claiming you gave him the vineyard on the Gibeon Road. What else, Abishai? What else? And always in the dim of night David the king lay alone in grief and loneliness. For a heavy weight burdened his soul and he was desolate. Oh, Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee who art like unto my brethren. Overall, Israel did David rule, but the people loved him not. For who was he but a shepherd-lad, when Jonathan's son of mighty Saul should rule, were Jonathan not slain in battle? And so the people knew not David's greatness. No, nor his deep grief and loneliness and anguish. It came to pass that David rose from his bed hearing music in the evening and walked upon the terrace of his house. And lo, beneath the moonlight he saw a woman bathing on a roof among her handmaidens. And she was most beautiful to look upon. And David inquired after the woman and sent for her and brought forth wine and felt not alone at last. So inclined thy ear and heart to me, O daughter of Jerusalem. You should not laugh, Sire. It is very pretty. It is only a song. I have heard that the king makes excellent songs. And I have heard nothing of so near a neighbor as you are. Bathsheba, they call you. Bathsheba, I am. Bathsheba. You are not eating Bathsheba. I slept earlier, Sire. It is my custom when I am alone. Then do you are not always alone? Not always, but very much. I am a soldier's wife. Soldier's wife? Perhaps I know him. He is captain of a hundred, Uriah, the Hittite. I made him captain of a thousand before I left rubber. Then I will see him less than ever. Do you despise the king who keeps your husband from your side? The king does what he must. This war was not his choosing. The king's needs are the people's. Not all of them. The wine is Phoenician. Here. I find it mellower than ours. It has the blandness of the sea air. Have you ever visited the coast? No, sir. For many years I lived among the Philistines. Enemy though they were. I know. Otherwise you might have died at Mad Soul's hand. Oh, there are not many who would admit that and excuse me, therefore. What could you do but flee if Soul sharpened his great spear for you in jealousy? Thank you, Bathsheba. Has Uriah been away for long? We have been married seven months. Of that time we have had six days together. But rabbis, close the men can come home often. Uriah places his duty high. Six days? Poor return on the hopes of your betrothal. You were generous indeed not to hate me. I had no hope, Sire. The first time I saw Uriah was on my wedding day when my father brought him to our house. Not before. And six days is the total of your love? Of our marriage, Sire. Forgive me, Bathsheba. But perhaps you do understand the loneliness that has pressed me to send for you. My understanding is not necessary, Sire. Why not? You are the king. Is that all, Bathsheba? Forget that I am king and think of any man who would be content with such an answer. I ask you, Bathsheba, is that all? The king is a man of war. His hands bruise my arms. Forgive me, but also answer me. What answer is there? You have sent for me and I have come. In Egypt, where the pharaoh takes what he commands, that would be enough. But even if I had the right, I would not use my power to take what is not freely given. I know that David is just and human. Then no too, Bathsheba. That I said nothing until you told me that there was no love in your marriage. You told me and so did Uriah himself, whose dream of glory is his wife in tears. He is a soldier. He is a fool. He can find only six days in seven months to spend with you. Does he not know the fool that man's last solace and comfort his woman until he turn at last to God? But his beloved is war and the perfume of his beloved is the stench of death. And who, oh king, is your beloved? I am David, the king. I live only for my people. At least Uriah is happy with his choice. You would better go, Bathsheba. Why do you choose suffering, David, my king? Go and be thankful that I am not pharaoh. It is the king's will. Good night, sir. Bathsheba. Yes? Good night. God go with you. As he walks with you. Good night, sir. Oh, come with me from Lebanon, my well beloved. Thou hast ravished my heart, my well beloved, and I am lonely. David. Michael. The woman is gone. She is gone, Michael. I am used to your not favoring me best among your wives, David. I did not know that the sight of me is so unwelcome that you have not come to me since you came home from the siege. I have many cares. You've found time to greet your other wives in this Benjamin, Bathsheba. Michael, you remain aloof by your own choice. I only thought to leave you to your choice. How gracious is your royal approval, Sire. You're sharp words go to waste. We both know that royalty is a mockery and a fraud. It was no fraud when great Saul, my father, was king in Israel. I will not deny that Saul was every inch a king. And his successor every inch a fraud. Please, Michael, no more business. Good night. So, the shepherd's son dismisses the daughter of Saul. I beg of you, Michael. Why did you marry me? I loved you as I believed you loved me. You had no need of my love. David is sufficient unto David. Is your memory so short? Once I had great need of your love. I begged you on my knees not to desert me, but you would not follow me into exile. You even dishonored your vows and married another. My father commanded it. There was a king. So be it, Michael. Then why did you take me back? Without Saul's daughter at my side, my northern tribes would never acknowledge me king. By taking you back, I made Israel a nation. And to God there is no man as cruel as you are. Michael, I am weary of bitterness. You, a king? A shepherd lad. A goat herd. Michael. A flinger of stones that torped giants. Betrayer of Jonathan who was like a brother to you. Michael. Jonathan should be king, not you. Go before you drive me as mad as Saul himself. Go. And for a week David ruled by day and grieved alone by night for the lost Jonathan and for his own soul. Nor did he again look out upon the roof where he had beheld the beautiful Bathsheba who alone could comfort him and solace him away from the madness that Eden saw before him. Arise my love and come away. Oh, let me see thy countenance. Let me hear thy voice. For sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely. David? Is it so? David, my king. Bathsheba, you must go. Let me console myself with the thought that your modesty and understanding are fit companions for your beauty. Then so is truth. Before you joined your army, I used to watch you every evening as you walked alone on your terrace. Always alone. I never heard your voice. Never was close to you. Yet when you went away, I was lonely. I'd always heard that the king had never found a woman to please or comfort him. When you sent for me that night, I dared hope that I might be that woman. Why do you say this now? Why did you wait? I had to know your heart first and then my own. Bathsheba, my beloved, you are not free. I am your beloved and you are mine. Yes. You are my true wife. Oh, come with me, my wife. Arise and come away with me. Oh, my beloved, my heart waketh. It is the voice of my beloved that knocks saying open to me my love. Awake. And David was comforted by Bathsheba and laughter and gladness came into the heart of the king and he was alone no more. Except he walked not with his God. For though David knew it not, his God had forsaken him for he and Bathsheba had broken the sacred law of Moses. And David took Bathsheba away from Jerusalem and was happy with her in the meadows where he had been a shepherd lamb. We cannot lie here dreaming in the grass like children. You must get back to Jerusalem, David. Another day. And another and another. Oh, I know you. This is where I was a boy. Tell me about Goliath. At twelve I had killed wolves with my sling. At thirteen a man. No one else would go against Goliath. I had to kill him. It was war, David. He was your enemy. It was war and he was my enemy, but a man is not a wolf. Was he really a giant? I admit he grows bigger every year. Are you happy now? I am with you. I could not have come to this place without you beside me. Why? Yonder over that hill is the height of Gilboa. Oh. There King Saul, besieged by the archers of Philistia, fell upon his sword. And Jonathan, his son, my dearest friend after him. You must not talk of it or think of it. They swept over Saul and Jonathan with their brass and steel and heathenish plumes. And where was David? In Philistia, drinking Philistian wine and eating Philistian bread. Because Saul, in his sickness and madness, drove you there. He hated you because the people cried, Saul has slain his thousands, but David, his ten thousands. Let us go. A storm is coming. You will go now when I let you go. I cannot let you flee forever from a past that tortures you unjustly. It goes dark, Bathsheba. All Israel knows that you fled to the Philistines to save yourself from Saul's jealousy and madness. To save my skin, yes. To save the man that God had chosen to unite his people. Does the shepherd set a lion to guard his sheep? It was David who united your Israel and destroyed the power of the Philistines, who saved Jerusalem from the godless, who is the sword and the harp of the Lord, and who is author of mighty hymns in his praise, who wrote a lament for his friend that shall live when kings in their cities are dust. Say it, David. No. Let me go from here. Say it, but you will know forever that you did not betray your friend. You did not forsake Jonathan. Say it. The beauty of Israel is slain upon the high places. How are the mighty fallen? Say it! Tell it not in gap. Publish it not in the streets of Ascolan, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice. And ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew. Let there be no rain upon you. Say it. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle? O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan. How are the mighty fallen in the weapons of war perished? Are those the words of a man who betrayed his friend? How good you are. More than wife to me. I will not let my lord walk in solitude and pain. There are some places where you cannot follow. Do you doubt my love to think I would be afraid? I could ask too much of your love. If you are lost, I am lost with you. If you walk in darkness, I walk beside you. If your head sinks down into death, I will go down with you to Sheol. You are my wife. What is it? You are trembling Bathsheba. It is cold. It is the wind. Come away from here, Bathsheba. Bathsheba in a moment. Make a friend and you make an ally. There is a thought for you to keep in mind as many another American has. Not too long ago, a request was received by the United States State Department for help in setting up a modern medical system in Thailand. The man selected for the job was Dr. Ben Eisenman of St. Louis, whose work went far beyond the limits of his three-months job. In Thailand, he discovered that 17 million people living in the interior were being treated by only 700 doctors who were sadly ignorant of modern surgical techniques. At every turn, he fought against strong native superstitions to accomplish his work. With his small supply of instruments, he removed a ruptured appendix from a young Thai girl and performed a successful operation on the hair-lip of another. He did plastic surgery and worked with skin grafts, putting in from 15 to 20 hours a day. In the evenings, he completed two medical textbooks which were translated into the Thai language and were given free to any doctors or technicians who asked for them. Through Dr. Eisenman's efforts and with American medical aid, a program was set up to raise the standards of health and medical education in Thailand and nearby countries. Thanks to Dr. Eisenman, America has won herself more grateful allies. In recognition of his works, U.S. envoy Edwin Stanton wrote these words to Dr. Eisenman, you are one of the greatest ambassadors of goodwill America has ever set abroad. Thus, Dr. Eisenman had the personal satisfaction of knowing that by helping others, you help your country. Now our producer, Mr. Cummings, act you of David and Bathsheba starring Arlene Dahl as Bathsheba and starring Michael Rennie as David. Now, swift messengers on horses came to David with rejoicing to say that the Ark of God, the scrolls of the law were approaching Jerusalem from Philistia and David's finest cavalry went out to meet the cart drawn by bullets and David prepared a place for the Ark outside the walls of the city and then David went out to meet the Ark driving his great chariot with Bathsheba by his side and Michael, daughter of Saul, saw them from her window and hated them in her heart. There it is Bathsheba, the Ark of the Covenant at last. Oh, I see it and I inclined my heart to it. The shrine that traveled with our people in all their wonderings. I thank God that it was for me to bring it home at last to Jerusalem. And you will build a temple of cedar for the Ark and you will be called blessed forever. If the Lord wills it. Come, we must be at the gates to receive the Levites with the Ark. You wait, David. Stop the horses. Hold. Hold. Why do they pursue and torment that woman? I cannot say. Sire, the Lady Bathsheba, what is that mom? Why do they taunt the woman? The woman betrayed her husband in the hands of another. She is a sinner before the law. Oh. This morning she was condemned to be stoned to death by the people. There's a cry. It is the law. Wait, Obi-Lion! It is for you to cast the first stone. She cries out and there is no mercy. Oh, let me out. Let me out of here, baby. Abishai, take the Lady Bathsheba home. I go along to the Ark. Behold, David, the Ark of the Covenant. Now pity that it is mutes and cannot tell us of our ancient dead. Of Moses on the mountaintop, and Miriam, and Aaron, and Joshua at the walls of Jericho. How beautiful the wood is. How smooth it looks. How inviting to the... Stop! Lay no hand upon the Ark. Touch it with unconsecrated hands. It's to die. As you say, Nathan. As it is, David. So be it. All right. You soldiers, gather up the poles of the Ark on your shoulders and carry it into the city. It's falling. It's falling. No, don't touch it. Stop it soon. You're stewing. What say you? The young... Let all here now take heed. It is a no-man. The time is not right for the entrance of the Ark into the city. Let a tabernacle be erected on this spot outside the walls. Let the Ark remain here until the mysterious wrath of God is appeased. So be it. So be it. So let it be. What tidings from the Lord today, Nathan Broubet? Thus saith the Lord. I will withhold the reins and cause the fields and vineyards to dry up and the flocks to grow thin. I will afflict the land with the wind and the sand and the locust and the people shall perish in Israel for the sin that has been done against me and the word. War. War, sayeth the Lord God of Israel. War unto the sinful. What sin, Nathan? The Lord does not vouchsafe what sin, but great must it be to bring down his wrath on all your kingdom. The soldier who laid hands on the ark meant only to protect it. I do not know if that is what the Lord rebukes. Well, we have had droughts before. I will begin to buy grain in Egypt and Philistia. The people suffer too much. They are weary of the war. If I attack to end the war, thousands will die. If I do not end the war, it ends in rivers of blood. I sit by the great gate and listen to the talk of the king. What do they say about me? They say that David neglects his duty that he is often away from the city. It is natural for people to complain at hard times. I have spoken. Let the king answer to God for his kingdom and himself. And what else did Nathan say to you in Jerusalem today? The people are muttering that David is too often away from Jerusalem. I am sorry, David. It is my fault. They do not know our secret. David, I must tell you. I tell you great trouble. Our secret cannot remain secret long now. Why? Who knows? You will have a child by Bathsheba, the Benjamite, who is wife of your riot. Bathsheba, my beloved, please no tears. You bring me only joy. I bring you the anger of your people. For a while. What man would not be happy to learn that his wife will give him a child? I am not your wife. You are my only wife. No tears, my beloved, and no fear. I am not afraid. No. My tears are for my child who will never see light. You will not die, Bathsheba. You saw them stone the woman at the walls. Her sin was the same as mine and there was no mercy for her. They would never dare. I am king of Israel. Israel has had kings for 50 years. They have had the law of Moses for hundreds of years. Then I will give them their kingdom. We will flee into Egypt. You dream a hopeless dream. Your life is marked out on a certain course. Even you cannot change it, for it is God's design. If I sent for you riot told him everything, how it is between us. I know what he would say. Yes. Honor is everything. For the sake of honor, blood must flow, lives must be squandered or ruined, humanity denied. I can see Uriah that paragon hurrying to the gate to be the first to cast a stone. I beg of you. Forgive me. But Uriah himself leaves me but one other course. What is that? I cannot bring myself to say it. But you think it. Tell me, David. Uriah. If Uriah can be made to think the child is his. He has been away almost a year. I will send for him to report on the campaign. He will be here in Jerusalem one night, perhaps two. Oh no, David. I will not have you die. You called me your wife. The law calls you his. You scorn Uriah's kind of honor yet. I despise honor that is only vanity when it drives us to this agony. But what you suggest is honor, both of us. Will my proudly guarded honor stop my ears to your outcries at the wall? I promise you. I shall make no sound. Forgive me, love. I do not have your courage. I cannot face the thought of your death and such a death. I will send for Uriah in the morning. And David sent to Joab, who was his general before the walls of Rava, saying to Joab, send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David. And when Uriah came into the presence of David, David asked him how the siege prospered. And when Uriah told him, David said, it is well. And thou hast earned the comfort of thy house and of thy wife Bathsheba. Good night, Captain. Rest you well. A question, Sire. Yes. About the war. Yes. Will we attack and end this war at once? No matter what the cost in blood, Uriah. The men are willing to risk death to win the siege. I am unwilling to risk ten thousand deaths. The men are restless. I will not order an attack. But if you do, will you tell Joab one thing, to set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle? It is all I ask, Sire. I will consider it, Uriah, if we attack. My thanks, Sire. Go. Go to your Bathsheba. She waits for you. It is not, Uriah. My Lady Bathsheba. Who are you? I am Michael, daughter of Saul. You are David's wife. Only in passing. I am sorry, Michael, for all that has happened to wound you. Then for your sake, I am glad that your grief will not be for long. There is forgetfulness in store for you. Soon you and your goat-herd king will go down to shield in infamy and shame. What are you saying, Michael? Pour ashes on your head and rend your garments. You are discovered. You have no secret now. What secret? The Lady Bathsheba has servants. The servants tell things to other servants, and they, in turn, tell them to their mistresses. Does a daughter of Saul believe the fantasies and gossips of servants? If it is a fantasy, it is one that will haunt and mock you to the stoning wall. You know nothing. I know everything. And I shall cast the first stone. Leave this house, Michael. I did not come so late to leave so early, my lady. Please go. My husband will be here. He is at home this one night from Abba. Your eye, a captain of a thousand, and your lawful husband will not be here Bathsheba. Even now he is sleeping in the palace guard room, keeping himself pure for holy combat. You and your shepherd lad cannot save yourselves. Your scheme has failed. So much the better. Weep. Tuck down your hair. Rehearse your cries of mercy. Mercy, you will need them. I will have none of that. I will die, yes. Yes. I will go down into the valley and to Sheol. For there is no death. I will arise again. Yes. I will arise and come away with him. My beloved is mine and shall be mine forever until the shadows flee away forever. And the people, oh, they shall marvel and cry out with wonder. Who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness of death, leaning upon her beloved? Oh, I know, for I have set me as a seal upon David's heart, and our love is as strong as death. Whereas jealousy, jealousy, poor Michael, is as cruel as the grave that hath no tears upon it. And I pity thee, poor Michael. Pity? Yes, David pities you and hates you not. How do you know? The words I say are words he taught me. This goatherd, this shepherd lad grown up. You so pretend to scorn. David does not hate me. He has no hate to hate you with. Oh, God forgive me. You have not said. God forgive me. I have told your secret to the priests of Israel and to the whole temple. Forgive me, Bathsheba. Forgive me. Forgive me. Stand, Michael. Go in peace. And for your own soul's sake, throw not the first stone. Abishai, what is it so late for horsemen from Raba? The army is ready to mutiny unless it can attack at once and end the war and go back to their homes. Do they know the cost in their own blood? They do, Sire. And I have no more choice. Rest the courier and his horse. I myself will find a man among my guard to ride back to Raba. You, wake up. Wake up. Sire. Uriah, why are you here? Huh? Why are you sleeping in the guard room? I sent you to your home. Well, you're pardoned, Sire, but while Raba still stands in defiance of God's will, I cannot take the compass of my house. Very well, then. I have work for you. I am your servant, Sire. Come to Raba with all speed. Tell Joab to attack at once with all the force he has. Sire. Make yourself ready while I prepare the order. I beg of you. Go. Put also in the orders that Joab set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle. The best die first, Uriah. I ask it. It shall be as you say, Captain. Now go. Sire, great news. What is it, Abishai? The walls of Raba have been breached everywhere. Joab sends to ask you to come to Raba with all speed to receive the surrender of the city. Thank God that it is over. But our dead Abishai... All losses are heavy. I was afraid. Many men, many captains. A Bimalek son of Jerabel, a Lyam son of Rubin, as Mabet son of Eli, Uriah the Hittite... Enough, Abishai. Go to Bathsheba. Tell her Uriah is dead. Tell her to prepare for our marriage when the month of mourning is over. You will not go to her yourself, Sire? No, Abishai. I am not guilty. He asked for it himself. As you are my judge and witness, O God, I am not guilty. I am not guilty. God! You know, I read a story some time ago that made me realize that there can be heroes of peace as well as heroes of war. It was about a husky MP in Tokyo named Earl S. Whitney, Jr. He'd been supporting two war orphans, a Chinese and a Japanese, for three years on a private's pay. He took little Fan Tung aged 13 under his wing first when the Chinese lad began hanging around the Tokyo base. Whitney rented a place for Fan Tung and took over the duties of a father. Then Hirayama Chokichi, aged 15, came along, and Whitney spread the other wing for him. For three years, he fed, educated, maintained, and clothed the pair. And then he took out a night job and a service club to earn some extra change. He needed it. His army pay was $111.90 a month, and he spent about $100 a month on his two kids. He called the boys Mickey and Jimmy Whitney and hoped that someday they'd all wind up at his home back in Southern California. But in the meantime, even though he was only a private in the army, he was a real hero to those two war orphans. And it all goes to prove that such acts by you and your friends today are shaping our world of tomorrow. We pause now for station identification. The curtain rises on act three of David and Bathsheba, starring Arlene Dahl as Bathsheba and starring Michael Rennie as David. There was victory for Israel at Raba and lo, the warrior king unharness of the buckler and breastplate and weareth the garments of the bridegroom. The bridegroom cometh unto the bride, but their joy is covered with guilt. Bathsheba, my bride. David. How beautiful you are. I thought you had forgotten. Never. For these days and these weeks, I've waited for some word from one who calls himself my lover, called me his beloved, but for some sign that his promises were not lies. Lies, Bathsheba. Beloved. Why, if you loved me, have you avoided me? Why have you left me alone in darkness and ignorance to lie awake night after night with all my fears and doubts? You know that I was called to Raba. It was more than a week since your return. Bathsheba, this is not the time for bitterness. This is our wedding day. There will be no wedding. They are waiting, Bathsheba. Let them wait forever. If I have deserved somehow your displeasure. Displeasure? Or worse, the wedding must still take place. You know why. If our marriage is only to be an act of charity for my king, I will rend my veil and not go out. If I have lost your love, tell me and I will leave Jerusalem and trouble you no longer. I am not a beggar. Beloved, it is I who beg. I beg your patience. I entreat your love, and if you love me, I beg you. Say no more. Say no more. If you cannot believe in my love, believe I beg you in my solitude. Do not I beg you leave me to loneliness and guilt as Michael did once. Bathsheba, my bride, my wife. David. David, my husband. The bride cometh now unto the groom. But the vows are like ashes on their lips and all dust is their passion. More bitter than gall and aloes is their rejoicing. For lo, now the time of the wolf is at hand in Israel. He howleth at the very gates of Jerusalem. The rain falleth not, neither doth the river flow, but drieth to nothing in its bed. The wind is sick and withereth the wheat. It shaketh the barley and the grain is black upon the stalk. The you and the ram sink down in the meadow. The goat perisheth upon the hill. The whirlwind cometh out of the sun. For the Lord God is vexed and hath no pity on his children. The black camel that is famine and the one who is plague and he that is death ride the wind of the desert. And they are one with the wolf and the jackal and the vulture. For the Lord God is vexed and hath no pity on his children. In Israel, in Jerusalem the city, in the palace of David who is king, a child is born. But to the same end as the you, the ram and the goat. They say our son will die. The physicians could do no more. I know. I have known it these seven days. I have lain in sackcloth upon the earth. I have fasted and I have tried to pray. My prayers seem just words going out into emptiness. We are forsaken. Peace, Shalom. The prophet of God. Who are all those with you, Nathan? The people, David, muttering for address. They have cause. Silence, Israel. I come on a matter of justice, David. Hear you and judge. Speak, prophet. There were two men. One rich, one poor. The rich man owned great flocks and herds. But the poor man had not but one you lamb. He reared it and it grew up with his children. He ate of his food, drank of his cup and was like another child to him. Well, prophet. Now there came a wayfarer to the rich man, asking meat. But the rich man did not take of his own great flocks to feed the guest. No, he took the poor man's one you lamb and slew it and prepared it for the wayfarer. What is the king's verdict upon this man? He is guilty and he shall restore the lamb to the poor man sevenfold. The lamb is dead. None can replace it in the hearts of the poor man's house. Then because this rich man had no pity, he deserved to die. So be it. You have made me pronounce sentence upon myself. It is the will of God. It is not his will that you should die, David. What is his will? Worthy or unworthy, you are his anointed. Through Samuel it shows you to lead his people. Your labors and his behalf are hardly begun. So be it. But you cannot escape the punishment of the Lord. I have not escaped it. My son is dead. You have paid for your sin with Bathsheba. It is not so. Uriah himself asked to be where the fight raged hottest. In your heart you wished him dead. I do not know. So be it. Therefore must the woman Bathsheba also expiate her sin. She has lost her child. Bathsheba has lost her child. Is that not enough? She came to me in my desolation and lifted up my heart. She brought no evil. The wrath of God is on Israel and you say no evil? Yes. I did not bring Bathsheba to face her judges. I will not. It is the law. No, it is the law. David, we cannot fight against God's will. A God who punishes the guiltless? I am not with our guilt, David. God sees into our hearts. Abishai is bringing us my fastest horses. They'll be at the gate in the Garden Wall. You saw the soldier struck down when he touched the Ark of God. Are the horses faster than the God's lightning? We can be past the gates before the mob knows that we're gone. David, there is a time to give up the struggle and to be resigned into yield with dignity. No. I am ready, David. I will not let them take you. I cannot let you die to be broken at the wall and left bleeding for the jackals and the boatchers. David. No. No. Always, David, when you were disheartened or when I was afraid you took your heart and played. Play for me now, David. What can I play? Something from when you were shepherd boy. I would like that. Yes. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters he restoreeth my soul. He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. Yea, though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I was an ignorant, peasant boy with no one to teach me about God. But you knew. I saw him in the hills and in the trees and in the birth of lambs. I felt his mercy when the spring broke the grip of winter, when the cool wind came up to the heat of day. I lost that God in the lights and noises of the cities, in the quarrels and the scheming of the ambitious and the mighty. Now Nathan has found him for me again. But he is not the God of my innocence and my childhood. He is a God without mercy. No, David. A God who thinks only of his justice, justice, and so you must die. Oh, David, it hurts me more to see you suffer uselessly than ever the stones can hurt me. Hold me, my beloved, in your arms once more. Bathsheba, my love, my undefiled. Hold me a little longer before we go out and tell the soldiers that I am ready. The soldiers? A guiltless soldier trying to save the ark is struck down by this God of mercy? These are our last good moments together. Be at peace. Forgive me. How does it go? Your verse. My beloved is mine and he is mine forever until the shadows flee away and the people shall marvel and cry out in wonder Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness of death leaning upon a beloved? No, you shall not die. Because there is no death. I cannot believe that God will condemn a helpless woman for a crime not wholly her own. Stay here. I am still their king. They will not come for you if I'm not with you. Where are you going? I am going to the tabernacle outside the walls. If God is what you think he is, let him show it. Wait for me here. And David went down from the palace to the walls of Uru Selim, the city of peace and the soldiers touched him not nor went to seize Bathsheba while she was not with the king. The multitude muttering against David followed him to the tabernacle of the ark and Nathan the prophet lifted his staff and the multitude stopped and David went out to the ark and kneeled before the shrine lit by wicks in oil flickering in the pitiless wind. Oh God, God of my early faith, hear my prayer. Let thine eyes which alone see clearly fall upon thy worthless servant. In all things I have failed thee, yes, O Lord. My crimes are many and terrible. I have led my people into misery and want I have been a faithless shepherd and yet, oh God, cast me not away from thy presence. For thou art not to God a vengeance. Thou asketh not the sacrifice of blood. I ask nothing for myself. But lift thine hand from thy people. Let the land flow once more with thy abundance and spare Bathsheba, my wife. Let her live to praise thy name and testify to thy mercy. Let thy punishment fall on thy servant who was deserved it. Take me, oh God. Behold, I placed my unconsecrated hands upon thine ark. Strike me, oh God, behold. My hands upon the sacred scroll. Take me. Take thou me. Rain. It rains. My people, it rains. On your knees, oh my people. Give thanks to the Lord, our God. Our thanks, oh God, our thanks. Thou hast not forsaken us. It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh saying, open unto thee my love. My love, my undefiled. Bathsheba, my wife. Let me hold you. Let me hold you forever. Our daughters of Jerusalem. This is my beloved. And David went in unto Bathsheba his wife and comforted her and she him. And the Lord did so forgive them that a son was born unto them. And they called his name Solomon the Wise. And here endeth the story of David and Bathsheba and begineth the book of kings and the song of songs which is Solomon's and which his father, David, the harp of God did teach him. See now. Our stars will return. With our American servicemen and many countries around the world they have a wonderful opportunity to observe new customs and traditions. What might have seemed strange before is becoming pretty familiar to them. For instance, take this business of superstitions or omens. In Holland and Germany, if you meet a left-handed person on a Tuesday morning that's a bad omen. In Sweden, if you turn around when starting out on a business trip it's liable to turn out badly. German girls place their shoes at right angles with the side of their beds to bring a visit from their sweethearts. And in Japan and the Far East there's a superstition to cover practically every event of the day. Well, all these things might sound strange but as our servicemen have observed we have plenty of superstitions too. Let's just count some of the things that are lucky or unlucky. Finding a horseshoe, lucky. Forleaf clover, lucky. A black cat crossing your path, unlucky. A ladder, unlucky. Breaking a mirror, 7 years bad luck. Spelling salt, unlucky. Unless you throw some over your left shoulder. Knocking on wood, lucky. A rabbit's foot, lucky. Those are just a few of them. Lots of people carry a lucky coin or a charm of some sort. All of us have a lucky number and whenever we have something good happen to us we know it's our lucky day. People of the world over are great believers in this business of luck. That's all the superstitions are based on. They're either meant to bring on good luck or keep bad luck away. According to the customs and traditions of your own people you do certain things to try to influence that luck. Now the way of doing things may vary between different people but the ideals are the same. These customs are important to the people who follow them and our servicemen are helping to maintain goodwill by observing the customs of other people in other lands. Now here's Mr. Cummings with our stars. And here they are for a well-deserved curtain call. Arlene Dahl and Michael Rannick. Let me tell you about next week's play. It's time for another of our 20 greats and we've chosen one of our most wonderful stories we've ever presented. The story of a simple little peasant girl who has been an inspiration to millions. A song of Bernadette and as our stars of this immortal drama from 20th Century Fox we have one of the loveliest stars in Hollywood and life co-starring with my good friend Charlie Bickford who will recreate his original role. It was an unforgettable picture Irving. Good night. Good night. Good night. It was a wonderful evening. But in our cast tonight where Marvin Miller is the voice William Conrad of Uriah Hans Conrad is Nathan Kirk Butterfield and Eddie Marr. Hollywood Radio Theatre is produced by Irving Cummings. Our orchestra is directed by Rudy Schrager. This is your announcer Ken Carpenter inviting you to be with us again next week at this same time for another presentation of the Hollywood Radio Theatre. This is the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service.