The Red Tent (2014–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Part 1 - full transcript

For thousands of years,

I've been lost to the world.

My name means nothing to you.

My memory is dust.

Only the names of my father
and brothers are remembered.

Their tales celebrated in your holy text...

While mine is but a footnote.

Sad, violent...

All but forgotten.

It wasn't meant to be that way,

but the chain between mother
and daughter was broken,



and the word passed to the keeping of men.

Men too invested

in the origins of the 12 tribes of Israel

to bother with the life
of one simple girl...

me, Dinah...

Jacob's only daughter.

But if you asked me,

I would tell you a different story.

One that began with the red tent,

and the women who raised me...

Dinah!

For I was also the daughter
of Jacob's four wives.

And it was here...

In the sacred place



where the women went to
bleed during the full moon,

that I came to know the secrets and wisdom

and love of my mothers.

Four half-sisters born
of the same father...

a cruel and stingy man named Laban,

who cursed the gods for
only giving him daughters.

His oldest, my mother, Leah,

was strong and capable
and splendidly arrogant.

My aunt, Rachel, possessed a beauty

as powerful as it was unearthly,

and she wielded it like a sword.

My aunts, Zilpah and Bilhah,

were Laban's daughters by a slave-wife,

and were given to Jacob

as part of Leah and Rachel's dowries,

although he never treated
them as lesser wives.

I can still hear their laughter...

... the songs and stories
they spun like gold,

and the sacred rituals passed
down from their mothers,

for the gods we worshipped in secret.

In the cool shade of the red tent,

they handed down their
memories to me like gifts,

and it was through their voices
that I came to discover my own.

But if my story began with my mothers,

theirs began the day my
father walked into their camp.

Water!

Am I dead?

Shh, shh, shh. Drink.

My eyes tell me I must be.

Why? What do they see?

A face...

Too beautiful to be of this world.

My name is Rachel.

And you are not dead.

Father!

Father!

- Father!
- Where have you been?

I sent you for water hours ago.

Father! A man at the well...

he said that he was looking for this camp

and that he'd been walking for days

and then he fainted from
fever right at my feet.

I brought him back to
life and he kissed me.

- He said we were cousins, and...
- Stop babbling, girl!

What did you do?

I kissed him back, you silly goat!

You sure it isn't you

who's got the fever? Kissing
a man you've just met?

I knew you wouldn't understand.
You know nothing of love.

- Ah, so it's love, is it?
- Silence! All of you!

Uncle.

I am Jacob,

son of Isaac and your sister, Rebecca.

She has sent me here,

asking that you welcome me as your kinsman

and allow me to earn my keep
as protector of your domain.

And your father's domain?

Who is protecting that?

My brother, Esau.

He and I...

There is no longer a place for me there.

Ah.

We'll see if you can tend to my flocks

as well as you did my daughter.

Leah.

See to the needs of our...

"Kinsman."

Cousin.

Leah.

From that moment on, her heart was his.

That first year,

Jacob made good on his promise to Laban...

while falling deeper
under Rachel's spell...

So Bialy...

which one will it be?

This one.

Are you sure? He's the runt.

That's why he needs me.

And your sister

needs help with the milking.

Alright.

Thank you, Jacob.

It's kind of you.

I was only going to sell

three or four of them anyway.

They'll fetch a good price
once I've trained them.

You've done well here, Jacob.

Barely a year,

and the herd's almost doubled.

The wool is finer, the goats fat.

I had the counsel

of someone very wise to help me.

You give my father too much credit.

We both know he's a lazy fool.

Wasn't your father I was speaking of.

Did Jacob tell you?

Father's finally agreed to a bride-price.

We'll marry next week.

I'm glad.

For both of you.

I know how long you've waited.

Make sure to only use the best yarns.

I want to look perfect.

If Jacob remembers anything

of your wedding night,

it will be what you looked
like out of your clothes,

not in them.

I always thought Leah'd be the first,

since she's the bravest.

Are you sure you're ready for it?

Zilpah, you'll make her nervous!

She should be.

It's one thing to please a man with kisses.

It's another to please him down there.

Jacob will be patient.

He'll help her.

When have you ever seen a male be patient

when he's in the throes of mating?

Well, maybe that's how
the goats and sheep do it.

My Jacob would never be that vile.

They can't help it.

Now you've upset her!

She needed to know.

It's starting!

Jacob was dancing like this.

In the name of Inanna,
from whom all life flows...

To complete the marriage ceremony,

you need to walk around him
three times to the right.

Oh! I'm getting a bit dizzy.

... as she takes her
final step into womanhood.

Watch your posture, keep your head up.

I can't do it anymore.

Guide her in her duties of a wife.

Jacob looked so happy.

- And bless this union.
- Your posture!

This is gonna be a great wedding.

As you ready her for...

Stop! I can't do this! I won't!

Calm yourself, sister!

You're acting like a child!

I don't care. I'm not ready for this.

You have to tell father
that I've changed my mind.

I can't tell him that.

Everything's been arranged!

Jacob is out there waiting.

Then take my place.

Sister, no.

- What?
- Please, Leah?

I'm afraid. Do this for me, I beg you.

Jacob will never know it's you.

You'll be hidden under the bridal veil.

And when he takes it off me
when we're inside the tent?

Don't let him.

Say that...

say that you're shy and
you want to keep it on,

just for the first time.

After that, it won't matter.

The marriage will be consummated,

and he'll have to accept it.

And will you?

She was so scared.

I'm sorry.

I'm not.

Show me what to do.

Oh!

Tell me, Ruti.

How are you feeling?

Hungry.

What is it?

I'm not used to seeing you laugh.

I'm not used to being happy.

Show me what to do.

Laban!

Is this how you repay
my hard work and loyalty?

By duping me into a
marriage I did not want?

What have you done?

Don't pretend this ruse

was anyone else's idea but yours.

You saw an opportunity

to marry off your eldest daughter,

and you took it!

You drugged me with strong wine

so I would not realize until too late

that I had wed this harridan

instead of my beloved.

I kept my oath

and bedded her, as was my duty.

But make no mistake...

I do not consider her my wife

until Rachel is also mine.

For twice the price you
originally offered me.

And why would I agree to give

some miserable shepherd
two of my daughters?

Four.

I'll take Zilpah and Bilhah
as dowries for the other two.

And you'll agree to it,

because this "miserable shepherd"

has earned you more profit in one year

that you would normally see in 20.

And even you aren't stupid
enough to give that up.

Ruti!

Rachel!

How could you?

They told me you didn't touch the wine!

You knew it was Leah all along
and you did nothing to stop it!

Say something.

Never lie to me again.

Over the next 10 years,

the camp doubled in size.

Jacob took on several
bondsmen and their families,

and the tribe prospered.

I'll bring it to him.

It took Leah and Rachel years

to learn how to share a husband.

Each one longed

for what the other could give him.

It was Rachel he loved the most...

deeply and to his very soul...

but it was Leah who bore him sons,

one after the other...

... while Rachel remained childless.

That's it!

One more big push.

And though her skills as a midwife

earned her a place of honor

amongst all the tribes in Haran...

... her "golden hands" delivering
more babies than she could count...

It was never enough.

It's beautiful.

You should give it to
someone more deserving.

More deserving than my wife?

It was supposed to make you happy.

You know there is only one thing

that can make me happy,

and for years, I have failed you.

Is that why you think I lie with you?

To produce sons?

No...

My love.

I lie with you tonight,

every night we share...

because you are my heart.

There can be no truer wife than that.

Whether it was a simple twist of fate,

or the gods' sense of irony,

Rachel conceived a child that night.

She gave birth to my brother, Joseph...

Whose dreams would one
day divine the future.

Simon, Levi, can you help me finish this?

I'll do it, mother.

You shouldn't be carrying this.

Reuben, keep an eye on your brothers.

Your mother needs rest.

So you all know, then?

Oh...

Seven sons I have borne,

and I love them all,

but I don't think I have the strength

to carry this one.

I don't think I'll survive it.

Yes, you will.

How do you know?

Because you have us,

and...

Because your little girl
is going to need you.

Let us be your strength.

I promise you, Leah.

You will not leave this world,

and we will bring your daughter into it.

Our daughter.

She will belong to all of us.

It'll be over soon.

You have a daughter!

I was born in the red
tent during springtime.

Leah pronounced my name,

and Zilpah said she heard music in it.

The first syllable high and clear,

as when a mother calls
to her child at dusk.

The second one soft...
for whispering on pillows.

Dinah...

Dinah!

Joseph! Father and Reuben are back!

Come!

There's my Dinah!

And my golden boy...

Joseph.

Welcome back, father.

"Golden boy," huh?

Golden boy.

Levi, Simon, help Reuben unload the grain.

Oh! Look!

Oh, Joseph. Oh! How beautiful.

Jacob.

Is that what my sheep are buying now?

Presents for your precious children?

It would've bought a lot more
if you hadn't lost half of them

to pay off your gambling debts.

Are you deaf, you stupid woman?

I told you to get me some more wine!

Come on! Get up!

You've had enough! And so has she.

Oh?

And I suppose we have to look to you

as lord and master now, do we?

Better to me than a useless drunk.

You keep it up,

we'll have nothing left.

What I do with my property

is none of your business.

It is when it affects my family.

Your family wouldn't exist
without my generosity.

You'd do well to remember that, Jacob.

This is my land!

You and your sons work for me!

Not anymore.

Is that supposed to scare me?

It should.

Send your mother to me. Quickly.

Ruti!

- Get back here!
- Mira's in labor.

We need an extra pair of hands.

A good apprentice is never late.

You're lucky the child waited.

Forgive me.

Father needs to see you. It's urgent.

Massage the belly, like this.

What essential oils did I use?

Uh...

Lavender and, um...

Jasmine, to dull the pain.

And cedar wood to relax her muscles.

Why did Jacob want to see your mother?

We're moving.

Where will we go?

Shechem.

Is that a long journey from here?

Long and difficult.

I'll take us through my father's land.

I must see Esau.

He's my brother, and I wronged him.

It was a long time ago.
You were very young.

Not so young that I didn't
know what I was doing.

I need to make amends
and beg his forgiveness.

Are you sure he will give it?

No.

I only know it'll haunt
me forever if I don't try.

You're a good man.

Even though I'm uprooting our family,

and taking you far from home?

Our home is wherever you are.

How will the women react?

Loudly.

You tell our sons and the Shepherds.

Let the women hear it from me.

Go to sleep.

It'll be alright.

If you'll all just be patient,

my father will speak
fairly to each one of you

about the journey.

One at a time!

- Where do you think you're going?
- Simon, please. I need to see father.

He's busy.

With important matters.

Levi, this is important.

Then give me the message
and I'll pass it on to him.

You'd only get it confused.

Leave it...

Simon.

She should act more like a proper girl.

And you should act less
like our grandfather.

Move!

I'm sorry for interrupting, father,

but I needed to speak with you right away.

It's about Ruti.

We have to take her with us.

You have seen what he does to her.

She will die if she's left alone here.

She's your grandfather's wife.

His property.

I cannot take what isn't mine.

You could offer to buy her! Here...

you could take these. Sell these, father.

Pay him whatever he wants!

The only thing Laban wants
is to deny me whatever he can.

I could offer him half my
herd, it wouldn't be enough.

Trust me, I know this.

And I know that we have to try,

because if we don't, we
are no better than he is.

I'll ask him.

You have my word.

Thank you.

Go on.

Off you go.

He has agreed to take Ruti with us.

How are we going to hide the idols?

Father says we must
only worship his one God.

These belonged to my mother.

And her mother before that.

Your father will be angry if he finds it,

but they are a part of us, Dinah.

I love Jacob with all my
heart, but this is who we are.

He has his ways, we have ours.

Rachel, are you truly glad to be moving?

Of course.

Haven't you ever wondered
what's beyond these hills?

Things you've never seen.

Valleys and rivers.

Cities with walled houses,
full of new people to meet.

A husband, perhaps.

Who knows?

Maybe true love is waiting for you there,

right at this very moment.

As true as yours and Jacob's?

Could be.

That's how I will fall in love.

Just like you and father.

Then you will be very lucky.

I'll be luckier.

Why's that?

Because I won't share him.

The man I marry, he will love only me.

Luckier and smarter.

- An upside-down fig tree.
- Good one!

There. A man running.

A very fat man!

Next to him.

It's you, riding a camel.

I've always wanted to do that!

You will...

One day.

Have you seen it?

In one of your dreams?

Not exactly.

I told you, it...

it doesn't work that way.

Then what did you see?

You...

On a journey.

Farther than the one we're about to take.

As far as another world, it seemed.

Reuben?

Ahh...

Dying lamb.

Dinah!

Jacob... you want to buy my wife?

You've never thought of her
as anything but your slave.

And you've treated her
far worse than even that.

Don't you dare preach to me!

No!

This is your doing.

Looks like she saved you some money.

Get everyone ready, we're leaving.

Don't look back, Dinah.

Only forward.

Walking makes me tired.

And hungry and bored!

I wish it would rain!

Oh, Dinah!

How many more days until we're there?

A few.

You've been saying that ever since we left,

and that's three moons ago.

Then stop asking!

Joseph?

How does your father seem today?

He's the same.

He didn't sleep again last night.

He's worried

that he didn't send enough
gifts with the messengers.

What messengers?

Father sent some of the shepherds out,

to warn Esau we were coming.

"Warn" him? You make it sound as though

he won't be happy to see us.

Why are we stopping?

We must be near the river.

Oh! The river?

Can I have a look for it, please?

I've never seen one!

Yes. Joseph goes with you.

Come!

Come on!

We'll stop here for the night.

So soon?

It's only midday.

We could easily make it across the river.

Reuben, tell the others
to start making camp.

Yes, father.

Perhaps if one of us
shared his tent tonight,

it might calm him.

It should be you.

I found some yarrow root.

The brew should help him sleep.

I'll bring it to him.

Dinah...

I'll bring it.

Go on, then.

Bilhah made you this.

The messengers should have returned by now.

Perhaps Esau is putting together

gifts of his own to send back with them.

I'm a traitor. He owes me nothing.

How did you betray him?

I listened to someone I shouldn't have.

Someone who convinced me

that I deserved my father's blessing

more than my older brother did.

So I tricked Esau out of his birthright

and made it my own.

When he found out, I was
too afraid to face him,

so I fled.

His home, the lands I tried to steal,

are just beyond the river.

And now...

I can't bring myself to cross it.

I'm as much a coward now as I was then.

A coward would not have come here.

I don't think we can be brave

without first feeling fear.

And you're wrong that
Esau owes you nothing.

You are his brother.

How did you become so wise?

I listened to my mother.

Reuben!

Reuben!

Father!

Father...

They're back.

They say Esau's on his way here

with an army of a hundred men.

Spin the carts! Quickly!

Go. Move!

Quickly!

Reuben!

Go!

Reuben! Simon, Levi! Stay close to me!

The rest of you, get the women
and children behind the carts!

Guard them with your lives!

Quickly!

Father! I want to go with you!

No. I need you safe.

They're here!

Stay back! Esau and his men are here.

Stay here.

Is it really you?

Oh, Jacob! Praise God.

Forgive me.

Brother...

I forgave you long ago.

I've come to welcome you home!

You remember what you have seen here today.

The mark of great men

lies in their ability to forgive.

Esau and his men led us back to his camp,

where we were to meet my grandmother...

Rebecca,

the greatest oracle in all of Canaan.

My father had rarely spoken of her.

She's smaller than I imagined.

She can divine the future.

There's nothing small about that.

Hello, mother.

Welcome home.

This is my family.

This is Reuben, my first-born.

My next two, Simon and Levi, also by Leah.

This is Joseph, my son with Rachel.

Leah, my first wife.

And Dinah... our only daughter.

Are you not afraid of me?

What?

Should I be?

How long will you stay?

Reuben and I will leave
tomorrow for Shechem,

to petition the king for some land.

The rest of the family

will remain here while I'm gone.

Good.

You'll bring this one to me.

It's time I got to know my granddaughter.

Why does she want me and not Joseph?

He's the one with her gift.

You're my only daughter.

Perhaps she has some wisdom to impart.

Father, who are all these people?

Pilgrims. Waiting to see Rebecca.

Why?

Most of them are suffering in some way

from poverty or sickness.

They travel from far and wide
to have their fortunes read,

hoping she'll tell them
something better lies ahead.

And does she?

Always.

You will help Werenro bring
the pilgrims in and out,

collect their gifts,

and thank them for their offerings.

Yes, grandmother.

Oh, don't worry. I won't ruin her.

You couldn't if you tried.

How long has it been, Jacob?

25 years.

Hmph. 27.

And look at you.

You've done well for yourself.

I was right to send you to Laban.

And I was right to leave him.

Well, we'll see, won't we?

Goodbye, mother.

Mm.

While Reuben and Jacob left us

to petition the king for some land,

I helped Werenro, my grandmother's slave.

This way.

These things you seek,

they are not far.

You must endure,

and I promise you will find them.

Thank you.

There weren't many today.

There'll be more tomorrow.

How did you get those scars?

It's how Rebecca marks all of her slaves.

She cut you?

She made my mother do it.

When I became old enough to serve.

Are you alright?

It's just the heat.

Have you eaten today?

- And you?
- No.

Take some.

I thought you understood.

Go, just go.

You were given specific instructions

about the pilgrims.

It was not your place to do more for them.

These people are starving, grandmother.

I've never seen people so poor,

and yet they bring gifts they
can't afford to part with,

and give to you, who needs nothing!

If I refused their gifts,
would they accept mine?

Dinah, it's not for you to decide.

It's true, I have no need for their gifts,

but if I tell them

that their worldly
possessions mean nothing to me,

I will have robbed them of
something far more valuable

than a bowl or tapestry...

I have taken their dignity,
and that I will not do.

Except to a slave.

You speak very boldly for one so young.

Your father has indulged
you with too much freedom.

An unfortunate consequence
when a child is favored.

It was you who told him
to betray Esau, wasn't it?

He was your favorite

and you wanted him to be heir.

Jacob was very special to me.

But there was more to it than that.

My husband was going blind,

and the tribe needed a new patriarch,

and Jacob had talents that
his older brother did not.

I knew Esau could never be a leader.

That's not what I saw
down at the river that day.

Perhaps your gift isn't
as great as you think.

Careful, girl.

Like it or not, you and I are blood.

Joseph may have my gift,

but you are far more a kin
to me than he will ever be.

You just don't know it yet.

You prefer to think we are different

because I would chastise a slave

and you would not.

No. I think we are different

because I would never want to own one.

The only thing you and I
have in common is my father,

and you lost him.

As will you... my dear.

And you will bear it,

as I have,

because you are strong,

but it will come at a great price...

And cause you a lifetime of sorrow.

I've seen it.

Goodbye, grandmother.

It was the last time I ever saw her.

The merchants we've spoken to all say

that the opportunities for trading...

Simon, I've told you, we're
shepherds, not traders.

Father, there are easier ways

- to make our fortune.
- Enough.

Dinah! Hurry.

I can see the city!

If Joseph saw the darkness that lay ahead,

he said nothing to us.

Perhaps he knew

that Jacob could never be persuaded

to abandon the path his God had chosen.

Father, look!

That's Shechem, where the king lives.

Where's our land?

See that ridge... just beyond the city?

That's our new home.

Or perhaps

it was simply that
Joseph wanted to believe,

as we all did,

in a better dream.

No!

I see the spice merchants up ahead.

Stay close to me.

Shalem, let's go.

What's the matter?

It's just the heat. She'll be fine.

Come.

Soon, you will join us in the red tent.

There's nothing to be afraid of.

You'll see, once you spend time there.

What of our husbands?

Oh.

They're not invited.

Father!

Both wells are dry.

Are you sure?

This land is not what the king promised.

He has cheated us.

You should go to Shechem and protest,

or our tribe will appear weak.

What would you advise?

You're asking the opinion of a boy?

A boy who sees things you cannot.

I would preach caution

before accusing King Hamor of dishonor.

Might there be other well sites?

You should look. See what you find.

Father, we could be digging for weeks.

Then do it.

Your brother is right.

Of course, our brother is right.

Isn't he always?

Doesn't matter

that it will be the rest of us

breaking our backs to find a new well!

Joseph has a pretty coat
to match his pretty dreams.

So he must know best!

And one day it's going
to get him into trouble.

Great mother,

we have been blessed
with two more daughters,

Rhoda and Tamar,

the wives of our sons Simon and Levi,

and we ask that you welcome them,

as we have,

into your loving embrace.

We understand this is all new for you.

The great mother, whom we call "Inanna,"

gave a gift to women that
is not known among men,

that is the secret of blood.

Men see in it only pain.

They believe we suffer,

and they consider themselves lucky.

It is we who are the lucky ones,

for we alone have the power to give life.

In the red tent,

we surround ourselves with healing hands

and loving voices.

And we give thanks for the knowledge

that life comes from between our legs,

and that the cost of life is blood.

Here in the red tent, we
rejoice in Inanna's gift.

We honor her by celebrating the
first blood of our daughters...

catching it and returning it to the earth,

so that it may go back to
the great mother's womb.

Daughters of Inanna,

great mother to us all...

We had kept our faith separate

from those of the men.

But my brothers's wives were
not born to these beliefs,

and in their fear,

they told their husbands
the secrets of the red tent.

Father, how could you allow this?

They were worshipping idols

and chanting about blood,

like they were witches!

Enough!

Where are they?

No!

Your false gods,

where are they?

The idols!

No.

No!

If I'd known this is what
you were hiding in here...

This is the realm of women.
You do not belong here.

I will...

... Tear this place down!

Then you will tear it down with us in it!

What did you say?

Jacob, forgive her.

She's drugged with sleep,

she doesn't know what she's saying.

I know exactly what I am saying!

Apologize for your insolence!

How could she have
submitted to him like that,

when she knew he was wrong?

She was just trying to protect you.

His anger was misplaced, Dinah.

Simon and Levi provoked him,

and you have me to blame for that.

They resent the way that father favors me.

I need to find a way to
make peace with them...

Or things are going to get even worse.

A member of the king's
household is delivering a child.

He has heard that one of your women

is a gifted midwife.

My wife, Rachel,

but I do not wish to part with her today.

Perhaps if the king was
to offer some reward...

-... for honoring his request?
- Simon!

This is not a request.

It's a command.

Never speak for me again.

Ever.

You swore you'd never lie to me.

If I asked you to renounce
your God in favor of my own,

would you do it?

Rachel, if you're trying
to defend yourself...

I'm trying to defend our way!

The ways of our mothers,
and their mothers...

wise women, all of them...

believing in something

that is no more a threat
to your God than I am.

There are things we hold sacred, Jacob.

Things you cannot
understand, as no man could.

It isn't meant to hurt you.

Well, I can't fight you both.

I suppose I have no choice
but to send one of you away.

Let's hope it's for no more than a day.

I wouldn't want you to get
used to life in a palace.

Palace?

The king's court needs a midwife.

They've asked for you.

I will need an assistant.

Someone whose skills I can trust.

Then the only woman for that
would be your apprentice.

Oh!

And who will watch over her?

I will, sister.

Dinah!

We get swindled by this King Hamor,

and still father submits to him.

My name is Dinah. This is my aunt, Rachel.

She is the best midwife
you could ever have.

I promise you, we're not
going to leave your side.

Thank you.

It won't be long.

Send a servant for linens.
Fresh, as many as she can bring.

The midwives are here, my queen.

You're doing beautifully, Abi.

Rachel is going to check
the baby's position.

Breathe! Breathe through it.

She's ready. We have no linens.

Dinah, get the bricks.

Come.

Oh, the servant's here.

Oh! Oh, you'll do.

Here. We need more hands.

She's the queen!

Dinah!

She is the queen.

Oh.

Forgive me.

It's an honor to meet you.

Um, if you just stand across from me,

we can actually support Abi under her arms

while Rachel catches the baby.

Under... under her arm.

Good. Okay.

Have you ever witnessed a birth before?

I have given birth,
but never witnessed one,

and never like this.

Well, it's a miracle. Hold on to her.

Okay, breathe.

I know you can.

- Push!
- Oh!

Thank you.

Oh...

It's you!

How...

What are you doing here?

I'm assisting my aunt. The midwife.

Why are you here?

Um, I live here.

In the palace?

My name is Shalem. I'm King Hamor's son.

Oh. So Queen Re-nefer's your mother?

Have you met?

Oh, no. Was she unkind to you, or... ?

Oh! No.

But she could have been.

I, um...

I need to find the well.

Uh, it's through there.

Would you like me to join you?

Shh...

Shh, shh, shh, shh.

I was very impressed with your niece.

She's a strong young woman.

Headstrong, some might say.

Still...

It's rare to see in this city.

Most of the Shechem women
are silly and stupid...

Not like the ones in
Egypt, where I come from.

You do not have a daughter?

Only a son, whom I love with all my heart.

But it's not the same.

Now, if you'll excuse me.

Do you know how to swim?

Of course. Can you?

Where I grew up,

the only water I saw came from a well

or fell from the sky.

Never smelled this sweet.

Well, that is the scent
of the lotus flower.

In Egypt, they're considered sacred.

Why?

Well, because they're timeless.

A symbol of birth and rebirth.

At night they close up,
retracting into the water,

but each day, they open up again,

their blooms reborn.

My mothers would love that story.

Mm.

They really smell like perfume.

They say it's powerful enough

to make even the ducks and fish swoon.

And...

What makes you swoon?

Looking at you.

Rachel! Rachel, he's here.

Who?

I didn't think I would see him again,

but he's real, and it just like you said.

It's like a storm.

His name is Shalem,

and he's the son of the king and the queen.

What have you done?

Nothing you yourself didn't do,

when you fell in love with father.

In love? You just met him.

So? You knew right away.

You said I'd be lucky if
it ever happened to me.

And it has happened.

We'll talk about it on the way home.

We need to leave right away,

if we're to make it back before dark.

Let's go.

I'm afraid you cannot leave.

At least not Dinah.

The king has asked that
she stay on a few days,

to help Abi during her confinement.

I will have to ask her
father for permission.

- He is a man of honor.
- As is my husband.

Have no fear. We shall
take good care of her.

My guards will escort
you back to your camp.

Dinah.

Listen to me.

Remember who you are
and where you come from.

Be humble,

and protect your honor.

Bye.

What was that you spoke?

Well, Egyptian. I was schooled there.

My mother's family is from Thebes.

So you've been across the sea, then?

I have.

Oh! Was it very beautiful?

Not as beautiful as you.

You aren't as I imagined a prince would be.

Because I intimidate you?

Because you don't.

If this prince wanted to kiss you...

I would tell him

he must bring me things first.

Like?

Like, um...

like flowers.

And jewels?

A ring?

Anything else?

But why the daughter of a shepherd?

Dinah is as worthy as any princess.

Father, when you get to know her,

you'll understand.

I understand that you are young and brash.

That is true, but...

I know in my heart that this is right.

She's the one I want to share my life with.

What is it?

A gift.

It's beautiful.

How do I look?

Like the future queen of Shechem.

You talked to your father?

He consented?

This is really happening?

Assuming your father says yes.

Should we ask him for permission first?

I will decide who I marry, not him.

This is my life.

My future.

My choice.

Kiss me.

Welcome, Your Majesty.

My name is Jacob.

These are my people.

What business do we have together?

None, Jacob.

We are family now.

My son has married your daughter.

She wouldn't!

I bring you this handsome bride-price.

Let us all celebrate their union,

and may we all prosper.

Did you know about this?

No.

Why was I not consulted?

You're displeased?

Surely, you can't object to the match?

I object to the way it has come about.

Even so, we can't go back. They are already

living together as husband and wife.

Who married them? You?

They married each other,

as is our custom.

It is not ours.

Come, Jacob.

We are brothers now.

Swallow your pride.

I have swallowed mine.

You talk of pride, what of respect?

I'm offering you a bride-price
fit for a princess of Egypt.

More than my father gave for my wife.

Not that Dinah isn't worthy,

but, surely, you can't want her back.

She is no longer a virgin.

And what's more,

my son is in love with her.

Name your price and I will pay it.

My daughter's honor is not for sale.

I need to think on this.

I will speak to my sons

and give you my answer in two days' time.

- Not now.
- Jacob.

Jacob!

I understand you're angry,

but think of your daughter.

Shalem is a prince, she couldn't
have made a better match.

She made it without my consent!

Which never would've happened
if you hadn't left her there.

I was commanded by the king.

I am your king! You answer to me!

Leah, wait!

You may not have admitted it to Jacob,

but you tell me the truth.

Did you know about this?

Only that they met.

It all happened so fast.

Of course it did!

Ever since she was born,

you've been filling her head
with romantic ideas about love.

And look what it brought!

Dishonor on her, dishonor on this family.

There's no dishonor in finding true love.

Dinah is a woman now,

with her own mind and her own desires.

And your impulsiveness!

And your good sense!

She found what she was looking for, Leah.

Dishonor would only come to her

if Jacob forced her to return home,

with her virginity taken
and her future ruined.

What do suggest we do now?

Whatever we can to help her.

My mothers and my aunts will be
moving into the red tent soon.

How do you know that?

The moon is almost full.

And what will they do,

in this tent where no men are allowed?

Jealous?

Oh, of course.

Oh, they'll be lighting
candles and incense.

Laughing, gossiping...

Tell stories.

Stories about what?

About themselves.

Each other.

Mostly about people they once loved and...

they want to remember.

And that way,

people never really die.

It's just like the lotus flower.

Mm.

My mother once said,

"to mourn is respectful.

To remember is holy."

And when we're withered and old someday,

what will you remember most about us?

Everything.

Wasn't so long ago

that I was standing at a well like this,

and you appeared out of nowhere,

half-delirious.

What happened with Dinah and Shalem

is no more sudden than
what happened with us.

I fell in love with you at the well.

Did I take you then and there? No.

I went to your father
and agreed to his terms

before I could marry you.

Believe me...

the waiting was agony,

but I did it,

out of respect for him, and for you.

And because it was your custom.

But if you'd been from a different tribe,

with your own traditions,
I would've honored them.

Just as Dinah has honored Shalem's.

Have you forgotten what it's like

to love someone that much?

How do we know she wasn't forced into it?

What if she was raped?

How dare you speak of our sister like that?

Dinah would fight off
any man she didn't want...

Shepherd or prince!

Enough!

I cannot change what has already been done.

The marriage has been consummated.

I have asked for your counsel

on determining a reasonable bride price.

If the king wants to show

respect for our tribe,

he should pay us a fortune
as great as his own!

I thought your concern
was for Dinah's honor,

not for making a profit!

What honor?

It was taken by that uncircumcised dog,

when he stole her from us!

And what would you suggest?

That Shalem pay us tribute

with his own foreskin as a bride-price?

Why not? Better yet...

demand the foreskins of
all the men of Shechem.

Silence!

Abraham took up the knife
for those in his household

who were not of his covenant.

If the men of Shechem agree to this,

then no man can say Dinah was injured.

Father, I... I... I didn't mean...

No. No, you're right.

This way, our tradition will continue.

And Dinah's sons will be circumcised, too.

But you will still accept the king's gold?

We don't need gold.

What we need is for our customs
and beliefs to carry on and grow.

Joseph's idea ensures this.

What barbarity is this?

Who do you think you are
to demand my son's manhood,

and mine, and my kinsmen, and subjects?

Father!

Jacob, I agree to your terms.

The king speaks out of fear for me

and loyalty to his men, who will suffer.

If this is the custom of my wife's family,

then we will honor it.

Forgive me for having offended you.

I should have come to you
first and sought your approval.

You must know that I love your daughter,

want to be with her, no matter the price.

She is half of me already.

What does it look like?

Like... we are going to be
planning a wedding feast.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We'll get some of the shepherds to help us.

They'll be easier to
persuade than our brothers.

We shouldn't need many.

Every man in the city
will be incapacitated.

There'll be no one to fight back.

Tomorrow night, then.

We'll get our revenge and our reward,

and father will never overlook us again.

I won't let you do it.

How dare my father think he can cut you?

Well, he won't be doing it.

That would be rather awkward.

How can you joke about it?

You could die!

Come here.

No.

It's only a flesh wound.

I'd suffer far worse
if I couldn't have you.

He had no right to ask such a thing.

No wife is worth that.

He had every right.

You're worth that and much, much more.

Mm.

Shalem?

Shalem?

Shalem!

They began at dawn.

Our husbands first, then the rest.

It should be over soon.

I'm sorry.

In Egypt, they circumcise boys

when their voices change.

My father, my brothers...

they all survived it easily,

our husbands will, too.

I just don't understand

why Shalem would agree to such a thing.

He must love you very much.

Shalem. My love.

Did I fall asleep?

For most of the day.

Is it bad? What can I do?

Distract me.

Tell me one of your stories.

In our tribe,

when we get married,

we have to cover our faces with a veil.

How many do you think

will come from the palace
for Dinah's wedding?

Besides the king and
queen? Guards, servants...

Oh. Leah will have us cooking weeks ahead.

All of you had sons.

You know don't what it's
like to let go of a daughter.

She's ours, too.

And together, we have raised a wild girl

into a strong, beautiful woman.

We have, haven't we?

Simon.

Simon, are you there?

Levi!

Levi! Where are you?

Dinah!

I love you, Shalem.

Mm. I love you, too.

Help! Please!

Please!