Pentagon Prayer Service: Pete Hegseth Cites Iconic ‘Pulp Fiction’ Verse in Surprising Sermon

On Wednesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted a prayer service at the Pentagon, featuring a unique rendition of a fictional Bible verse popularized by Quentin Tarantino’s film “Pulp Fiction.”

Hegseth recounted how this prayer was spoken before the audacious Sandy 1 mission, which aimed to rescue a pilot who had been shot down in Iran. He invited those gathered to join him in this solemn invocation.

“This was the prayer shared by Sandy 1, one of the Sandies, to all involved in the A-10 crew operations, prior to any Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) missions, particularly this specific mission that unfolded in real-time,” Hegseth explained.

He continued, “It’s referred to as CSAR 25:17, seemingly a nod to Ezekiel 25:17,” referencing the iconic moment in the award-winning movie where Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Jules Winnfield, recites the pseudo-scripture before confronting those who had wronged his employer.

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Hegseth then shared the prayer, saying, “The prayer is CSAR 25:17 and it goes, ‘The path of the downed aviator is surrounded by the injustices of the selfish and the oppression of wicked men. Blessed is the one who, in the spirit of camaraderie and duty, guides the lost through the shadows, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the seeker of those who are missing,'” he recited.

“’And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother, and you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee. Amen.’”

Though not identical to the recitation in “Pulp Fiction,” it has enough verses in common that it’s unmistakably derived from the movie, which padded the real Ezekiel 25:17 verse from the King James Bible for dramatic effect.

The real scripture reads, “And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.”

Jackson’s version, meanwhile, was as follows:

“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.”

“And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”

Jackson received an Oscar nomination for his role in the seminal 1994 film.

Tarantino, who is well known for borrowing from other filmmakers, himself cribbed the verse from the 1976 martial arts movie “Bodyguard Kiba,” starring legendary Japanese actor Sonny Chiba, who eventually appeared in the director’s 2003 film “Kill Bill: Volume 1.”