Ben Hur returns home and finds Esther waiting for him. He tells her of Jesus' death, and how He prayed for his executioners' forgiveness. Judah tells her that he felt Jesus' voice "take the sword out of his hand'. They embrace, and then he catches sight of his mother and sister, healthy and whole, and they have a joyous reunion.
As the second half of Ben Hur opens, we see him practicing with Sheik Ilderim's horses in preparation for the big race. While he does that, the Sheik implements the second part of their plan. He goes to see Messala, and by challenging him in front of his peers, goads him into betting much more money on the race than he can afford. If Messala loses the race, he will be beggared. Race day dawns, and Ben Hur prays for forgiveness for seeking vengeance, but also informs God that he has no intention of stopping. There are many teams competing, but the race is really between Ben Hur and Messala, the former friends, now bitter enemies. The point is hammered home- with a sledgehammer- by Messala's horses being black, and Ben Hur's white. As the race progresses, Messala takes out many of the contestants using some saw-like protrusions on the hubs of his wheels. Eventually, only he and Ben Hur are in contention, racing neck and neck down the track. Messala tries his dirty tactics on Ben Hur, but they backfire and he ends up crashing and getting trampled. His crumpled body lies in the dust as Ben Hur rides to victory. After the race, Messala, who is still alive (barely), sends for Ben Hur. The doctor tells Messala he needs to have his legs removed if he wants to survive, but he refuses to be operated on until he's seen him. Ben Hur arrives, and viewing the wreck of Messala's body, feels his hatred wane. This is short lived however, as Messala strives to get back at him by telling him his mother and sister are still alive, and are actually worse than dead: they have leprosy. Having managed to hurt his former friend one last time, Messala dies happy, or what passes for happy if you're a twisted megalomaniac, I guess. Ben Hur immediately heads for the Valley of the Lepers to search for his family. As he arrives, he runs into Esther bringing food to them. Awkward! Justifiably upset by her lies, Ben Hur starts to push past Esther to go to Miriam and Tirzah. Esther, however, begs him not to let them see him, saying it would break their hearts. He listens and hides behind a rock while Esther meets with them, though he's in agony, hearing their voices for the first time in years. Afterwards, as Ben Hur and Esther are leaving the valley, they see crowds of people coming out of the city and heading to a hill. Balthasar is among them, and he excitedly tells Ben Hur that he has found the King. He asks Ben Hur to come listen to Him, but tired and bitter, he refuses. Esther, however, is interested and goes with the crowd to hear this great teacher. Meanwhile, Ben Hur has been called before Pilate, who says that now that he's had his revenge on Messala, it's time to get back on the reservation and start acting like the son of Quintus Arrius. Ben Hur is now convinced that the Roman Empire is the real enemy he must fight, and he renounces his Roman citizenship. Returning home, he finds Esther waiting for him, excited to tell him of the words of the Rabbi, who preaches love and forgiveness of those who have wronged you. Ben Hur dismisses this as nonsense; the only path for Israel is to fight their oppressors. They argue, and Esther tells him that his hate is turning him into another Messala. He doesn't react well to that observation. Though failing to convince Judah, Esther is convinced that if Miriam and Tirzah could hear the words of Jesus of Nazareth, their lives would be changed and they would lose all their fear. She goes to the Valley of the Lepers, but only Miriam comes to meet her. Tirzah has become too ill to move. Esther tries to convince Miriam to come with her, but Miriam thinks she's lost her mind, especially when Esther grabs hold of her, risking leprosy without fear. Ben Hur shows up looking for her, and Esther's faith is so intense that she convinces him to help her take the women to Jesus. Ben Hur carries Tirzah and they head for the city, only to find that Jesus has been arrested and sentenced to death. They manage to make their way through the crowd- being in the company of a couple of lepers makes this a lot easier- to see Jesus, who is carrying His cross to Calvary. As He passes by them, Ben Hur is shocked to find that He is the man who gave him water and hope years before in Nazareth. As Jesus stumbles and falls, Ben Hur rushes forward and gives Him some water; their eyes meet for a moment before the soldiers knock Judah aside. Asking Esther to take care of his mother and sister, Ben Hur goes to Calvary and witnesses the crucifixion. Balthasar is also there, and Ben Hur asks him what Jesus has done to deserve this. Balthasar says that He has taken the sins of the world upon Himself. As Jesus dies, sky turns black, the ground shakes, and there is a violent storm. Esther, Miriam, and Tirzah, who had been heading back to the Valley of the Lepers, take shelter in a cave and miraculously, at the moment of Jesus' death, the two women are healed of their leprosy.
Ben Hur returns home and finds Esther waiting for him. He tells her of Jesus' death, and how He prayed for his executioners' forgiveness. Judah tells her that he felt Jesus' voice "take the sword out of his hand'. They embrace, and then he catches sight of his mother and sister, healthy and whole, and they have a joyous reunion.
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