The Ten Commandments 1956 quotes

What have you found?

Miriam

But Mother, we have not even given him a name.

Yochabel

God will give him a name.

Aaron

Arise, O Israel! Behold the dawn of freedom!

Bithiah

You will be the glory of Egypt, my son. Mighty in words and deeds. Kings shall bow before you. Your name will live on when the pyramids are dust. And…because I drew you from the water, you shall be called Moses. Moses! Moses!

Commander of the Hosts

I’ve known battle for 30 years, Pharaoh, but I’ve not known fear till tonight.

Jacob cherished
His son Joseph,
Many colors was his coat.
All his brothers
Hated Joseph,
Into bondage he was sold.

Moses

Great Pharaoh...I stand in the shadow of your justice.

Whose work is this?

Rameses

I warned you of his treason, my father. Judge now if I spoke truly. The evil star foretold him as the destroyer of Egypt and deliverer of slaves.

It is not possible. A prince of Egypt?

Rameses

He is not a prince of Egypt. He is not the son of your sister. He is the son of Hebrew slaves. [The crowd is shocked]

Speak...my son.

Moses

I am the son of Amram and Yochabel, Hebrew slaves. [The crowd is shocked again]

Bithiah

My brother, it was I who deceived you, not Moses. He was only a child.

Leave me. I shall not see your face again. [Rameses orders Pentaur to take Bithiah away from him; to Moses] Moses...come to me. [Moses approaches him] I do not care who you are or what you are or what they may say about you, but I want to hear from your own lips that you are not a traitor, that you would not lead these people in revolt against me. Tell me, Moses. I will believe you.

Moses

I am not this deliverer you fear. It would take more than a man to lead the slaves from bondage. It would take a god. But if I could free them, I would.

What has turned you against me? From the time my sister brought you to the court, I loved you, reared you, set you before my own son, because I saw in you a worth and a greatness above other men.

Moses

No son could have more love for you than I.

Then why are you forcing me to destroy you? What evil has done this to you?

Moses

The evil that men should turn their brothers into beasts of burden, to slave and suffer in dumb anguish, to be stripped of spirit and hope and faith - only because they are of another race, another creed. If there is a God, He did not mean this to be so. What I have done...I was compelled to do.

So be it. What I do now, I am compelled to do.

Nefretiri

No. No.

Rameses...Egypt shall be yours. Hear what I say, Rameses. When I cross the River of Death, you will be...Pharaoh in Egypt. Harden yourself against subordinates. Put no faith in a brother. Have no friend. Trust no woman. I protected the helpless. I nourished the orphan.

Nefretiri

Great One! [hugs Seti]

But he who ate my bread and called me father would make rebellion against me.

Rameses

What manner of death do you decree for him? [Some people in the crowd say "death" as a possible answer]

I cannot speak it. Let it be as you will.

Nefretiri

I will not live if you must die! [hugs Moses's leg and sobs]

Rameses

The feet of a Hebrew slave is not the right place for the next queen of Egypt. [to guards] Take him away. [The guards lead the arrested Moses away towards the exit]

Let the name of Moses be stricken from every book and tablet. Stricken from all pylons and obelisks, stricken from every monument of Egypt. Let the name of...Moses be unheard and unspoken, erased from the memory of men...for all time.

Moses

How long will you refuse to humble yourself before God?

Rameses

If you bring another plague upon us, it is not your God but I, who will turn the Nile red with blood.

Moses

As your father's father turned the streets of Goshen red with the blood of our male children! IF there IS one more plague on Egypt, it is by your word that God will bring it. And there shall be so great a cry throughout the land...that you will surely let the people go. [walks away]

Rameses

Come to me no more, Moses! For on the day you see my face again, you will surely die!

Moses

So let it be written. [leaves]

Rameses

I will give this spawn of slaves and his god an answer the world will not forget! Commander of the Host, call in the chariots from Tanis! There shall be one more plague, only it will come upon the slaves of Goshen. The firstborn of each house shall die, beginning with the son of Moses!

Rameses

Where was his body found?

Pentaur

Buried in the sand, Royal One.

This is Baka's knife.

Rameses

But there was no wound on the body. Baka was a powerful man. It would take strong hands to break him.

The slave Joshua is a stonecutter.

Rameses

Go find me this Joshua.

Dathan

Joshua's strength didn't kill the master builder.

Rameses

Now speaks the rat that would be my ears.

Dathan

Too many ears tie a rat's tongue.

Pentaur

Go, all of you.

Rameses

Well...who killed him?

Dathan

I am a poor man, Generous One. What I bring is worth much.

Rameses

I have paid you much, and you have brought me nothing.

Dathan

Now I bring you the world...true son of Pharaoh.

Rameses

You offer me the world when you cannot even bring me the deliverer. Who killed Baka?

Dathan

The deliverer.

Rameses

Would you play at words with me?

Dathan

No, Lord Prince.

Rameses

And this murderer has now fled to some distant land?

Dathan

No, Lord Prince.

Rameses

Name him.

Dathan

One who made himself a prince and judge over us. And if he knew I were here, he would kill me as he killed the Egyptian.

Rameses

I will hang you myself if you tire me further.

Dathan

There are those who would pay much for what my eyes have seen.

Rameses

Do you haggle with me like a seller of melons in the marketplace?

Dathan

No, I will not haggle, Great Prince. Here's your money. [Rameses hits his hand throwing coins] But for ten talons of fine gold, I'll give you the wealth of Egypt. Give me my freedom, and I'll give you the scepter. Give me the water girl Lilia, and I'll give you the princess of your heart's desire. Give me this house of Baka, and I'll give you the throne. Give me all that I ask...or give me leave to go.

Rameses

I will give you more than leave to go. I will send you where you belong.

Dathan

I belong in your service, Glorious One.

Rameses

Very well. I will bargain with you. If what you say pleases me, I will give you your price, all of it. If not, I will give you the point of this blade through your lying throat. Agreed?

Dathan

Agreed. The deliverer...is Moses.

Rameses

Draw one more breath to tell me why Moses or any other Egyptian would deliver the Hebrews.

Dathan

Moses is not Egyptian. He's Hebrew, the son of slaves.

Rameses

I will pay your price.

Moses

Thou didst blow with Thy wind, [kneels to the ground and Miriam kisses the hem of his robe] and the sea covered them. Who is like unto Thee, O Lord. From everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God! [The Hebrews, with their arms on the air, others falling on their knees in prayer, shouts the prayer of thanksgiving and deliverance]

THOU ART GOD!

Moses

The Lord was angry with me because I disobeyed Him by the waters of strife. And He said unto me, "Behold the new land with thine eyes, for thou shalt not cross over this River Jordan".

Sephora

Then I shall stay.

Moses

I am called by the Lord, Sephora. I go alone.

Sephora

Look, Moses. The people have come to the River Jordan. In the ark, they carry the law you brought them. You taught them not to live by bread alone. You are God's torch that lights the way to freedom. I love you.

Moses

Joshua. [gives the staff and the Levite cloth to Joshua] Joshua, I charge you and strengthen you, for you shall go over Jordan to lead the people.

Joshua

As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord.

Moses

Mered, give me the books. Eleazar, set these five books in the Ark of the Covenant by the tablets of the Ten Commandments, which the Lord restored unto us. [bids farewell] Go, proclaim liberty throughout all the lands, unto all the inhabitants thereof! [walks away to the top of Mount Nebo]

Moses...[louder] Moses...

Moses

I am here.

Put off thy shoes from off thy feet. For the place where art thou stands is holy ground. [Moses takes off his sandals] I am the God of thy Father. The God of Abraham, the God of Issac, and the God of Jacob.

Moses

Lord...Lord, why do You not hear the cries of their children in the bondage of Egypt?

I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. Therefore, I will send thee, Moses, onto Pharoah. That thou mayst bring My people out of Egypt.

Moses

Who am I, Lord, that You should send me? How can I lead these people out of bondage? What words can I speak that they will heed?

I will teach thee what thou will say. When thou has brought forth the people, they shall serve Me upon this mountain. I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them. Now, therefore, go. And I will be with thee.

Moses

But if I say to Your children that the God of their Fathers has sent me, they will ask "what is His name?", and how shall I answer them?

I am that I Am. Thou shalt say, "I Am has sent me onto you."

And the people sinned a great sin. For they have made a God of Gold. They bore them upon their shoulders and rejoice, saying "This be our God, O Israel"
They were as children who had lost their faith. They were perverse and crooked and rebellious against God. They did eat the bread of wickedness, and drank the wine of violence, and they did evil in the eyes of the Lord. And the people cried "The graven image hath brought us joy!" And they worshipped the Golden calf and sacrificed unto it.

The Lord Moses, Prince of Egypt, son of the Pharaoh’s sister, beloved of the Nile god, commander of the Southern Host!

Welcome home!

Prince Moses!

Jannes

The blessing of the god Amun-Ra be upon you, Great Prince! He has brought down the pride of Ethiopia. Yes, that is…

The old windbag.

Nefretiri

I agree with him.

Baka

We use the old ones for greasing the stones. If they are killed it is no loss.

Moses

Are you a master builder or a master butcher?

Baka

If we stop moving stones for every grease woman who falls, the city will not rise.

Overseer

If the slaves are not driven they will not work.

Joshua

If their work lags it is because they are not fed.

Moses

You look strong enough.

Joshua

I am a stone cutter. The pharaoh likes his images cut deep.
Moses has words. Pharaoh has spears!

Baka

Will you lose a throne because Moses builds a city?

Rameses

The city that he builds shall bear my name. The woman that he loves shall bear my child. So it shall be written, so it shall be done.