Prophet Jacob guides the Israelites to pray to the One and Only God. God annunciates to him about the next prophet, who will be from his own generation. One night, his son, Joseph, dreams about the sun, the moon and eleven stars which kneel in front of him. He tells Jacob, who advises him not to tell his brothers about the dream. Prophet Joseph is dear to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. For centuries, the story of his life has been told over and over in many different ways and in many different languages. This is the Iranian version of a very beloved story.
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01:30Oh, Great Ishtar, goddess of mothers, goddess of kindness,
01:37goddess of birth and fertility,
01:40heal this baby and make happy a worried mother.
01:45Great Ishtar.
01:48Her mother takes a vow to bring you valuable offerings.
01:55I have prayed to the Great Ishtar to keep your baby alive,
02:07and she has answered my prayer.
02:12Go forth and raise your child in a way that ensures
02:16that she will be a follower of the Great Ishtar.
02:19I am grateful to you and the Great Ishtar.
02:22Praise be to the benevolent Ishtar.
02:24I don't know how to thank you.
02:26My baby was gone, and you brought her back to life.
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02:48Our baby will be healed like hers was.
02:52Ishtar is kind and mighty. She will certainly be healed.
02:56That's what I believe. Let's approach.
03:00What is the matter with you?
03:03You are superior to angels, yet you prostrate to your own makings.
03:10The whole universe obeys man,
03:13and yet you continue to bow your heads to the lifeless stone.
03:18That's your opinion. You're insulting our gods for no reason.
03:22These are not my words.
03:25I am the messenger of God to tell you of his book.
03:29This is the holy book revealed to my grandfather, Prophet Abraham.
03:36I am a follower of his religion and the propagator of this book.
03:41They are not my words.
03:43Is it written in that heavenly book to insult our gods?
03:47I'm not insulting, only asking.
03:51If you know, give me an answer.
03:54If not, accept what I tell you.
03:57I ask you.
03:59Did the statues in the Ishtar temple create you,
04:03or was it you who created them?
04:06Does Ishtar have power over you, or you over Ishtar?
04:10Does Ishtar rule you, or you rule Ishtar?
04:13If Ishtar is an unable and incompetent stone, how did she heal my child?
04:17He's right! We serve him!
04:19He speaks the truth!
04:20I saw Ishtar cure his child with my own eyes.
04:23The Omnipotent Lord heard your prayers and healed your baby, not Ishtar.
04:28It was God.
04:30Although you took refuge in a goddess and sought help from her,
04:34it was the Lord Omniscient who was aware of his servants
04:39and had mercy upon you and your baby.
04:44You have sight, but not insight.
04:47Therefore, you saw Ishtar not the real healer.
04:52Jacob is saying that we must stop worshiping our gods
04:56and instead worship his.
04:59Am I not right?
05:01What have our gods done for us that we might expect more from yours?
05:05I'm calling on you to worship the unequaled god,
05:09the god of all and the universe.
05:12How can we know your god is superior to ours?
05:15What if you and your god are after gaining profit for yourself
05:18like the priests in the Ishtar temple?
05:22You all know that I work for Laban as a shepherd,
05:25and I have nothing of my own.
05:28Have I ever asked you for anything in return?
05:31Have you ever seen anything of me but working hard as a shepherd?
05:35What if you ask for something in the future?
05:38You have no power now. You'll be just as bad as the priests.
05:42You are all alike.
05:45Once you gain power, you'll fill your stomach and make your own treasure.
05:51I think you're justified.
05:54You lost your only child to sickness, and nobody helped you.
05:58Neither Esther, the sorceress, nor Ishtar, the goddess of the temple.
06:03You are justified not to worship any god.
06:07I don't care about the incapable Ishtar.
06:11I'm talking to your unseen god.
06:14We have suffered enough from the stone gods of the temple.
06:18We can't bear another god.
06:20The temple officers are coming. The temple officers!
06:23Perez, run! Hurry!
06:30He went that way.
06:32Go! Arrest him! Don't let him escape!
06:38He didn't do anything! Let him be!
06:48Were you not the son-in-law of Governor Laban, I'd punish you severely.
06:53I'm not afraid of you or the temple's officers.
07:00Disperse!
07:03Don't listen to Jacob's blasphemy. Don't you see?
07:07This blasphemy has caused famine in Arren.
07:10He has caused it!
07:13He's right!
07:16Let's go before Ishtar curses us!
07:19Let's go!
07:33Let's go!
08:03If it doesn't rain soon, all the crops in Arren will be destroyed.
08:10I pray to God to bless this city with rain.
08:16What's going on over there, father?
08:19It's an old custom of the people of Arren.
08:22They throw Ishtar's enemies into the river.
08:26The river is flooded.
08:30High Priest! Have mercy on him!
08:37Let me go! What have I done?
08:41I didn't do anything!
08:44Let me go!
08:47Let me go!
08:50Let me go!
08:53Let me go!
08:56I didn't do anything!
09:00You look after the herd and I'll see what's going on.
09:13Let go!
09:15Have mercy on us!
09:17What have I done? Let me go!
09:27That's Jacob, a shepherd. The nephew of Laban, the governor.
09:31High Priest! Please have mercy!
09:34This is punishment for blasphemy!
09:37People, help me! I'm innocent!
09:40He must be punished!
09:57I'm innocent!
10:00The people of Arren!
10:03Have mercy! I'm innocent!
10:10Perez is the enemy of Ishtar.
10:13He has attacked Ishtar with stones
10:16and called her an inefficient and incapable goddess.
10:20According to the old tradition of the people of Arren,
10:24those who insult the great goddess Ishtar
10:27shall be thrown into the fire by catapult.
10:30No! No!
10:33People, have mercy! I'm innocent!
10:36What have I done?
10:39People of Arren, have mercy!
10:42Have mercy!
10:45I'm innocent!
10:49Have mercy! I'm innocent!
10:52Have mercy!
10:55Poor Perez.
10:58I'm innocent! Have mercy!
11:03Please have mercy!
11:06Please!
11:09What have I done? I'm innocent!
11:12High Priest!
11:15Have mercy!
11:18Have mercy on me!
11:21I'm innocent! I'm innocent!
11:24Don't shout in vain.
11:27Either pay your blood money
11:30or you will burn to death.
11:33Please don't burn him!
11:36People of Arren, have mercy on me!
11:39I'm innocent!
11:43Don't burn him!
11:46How much is his blood money? I will pay it.
11:51You will pay it?
11:54No. He himself is an enemy of Ishtar.
12:04You are an enemy of Ishtar.
12:07You must pay your blood money first.
12:10Arrest me.
12:13Throwing me into the fire would be upholding our family's tradition.
12:18My grandfather Abraham was thrown into the fire
12:21on the orders of Nimrod.
12:24You haven't been arrested so far because of the governor.
12:27Because you're both his son-in-law and nephew.
12:30So people close to the governor and to the authorities
12:33can insult the gods and not be punished.
12:37Arrest him and throw him into fire just like his grandfather.
12:47Leave me alone. Let go! Let go!
12:51What's going on here?
12:55Let go of him.
12:58And free the accused as well.
13:01Fares must be punished.
13:04When Jacob undertakes to pay his blood money,
13:07you have no right to punish him.
13:25You mustn't release him.
13:33Jacob, you must pay 500 dinars for Fares's blood money.
13:38That is no problem. I will pay it.
13:55May God bless you, my good uncle Laban.
14:00How long must I watch you so you don't make a mistake?
14:25Thank you. Thank you.
14:28What are you doing?
14:31Thank you.
14:34I'll work for you until I've paid all the money back.
14:37I promise. I promise.
14:43I'm sorry.
14:46I'm sorry.
14:49I'm sorry.
14:53You saved his life.
14:56You saved his life.
14:59Come. Let's go.
15:22Let's go.