Editing Pulp Fiction (section)

==== Jules' Bible passage ====
Jules ritually recites what he describes as a biblical passage, [[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] 25:17, before he executes someone. The passage is heard three times&nbsp;– in the introductory sequence in which Jules and Vincent reclaim Marsellus's briefcase from the doomed Brett; that same recitation a second time, at the beginning of "The Bonnie Situation", which overlaps the end of the earlier sequence; and in the epilogue at the diner. The first version of the passage is as follows:

<blockquote>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 goodwill 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.</blockquote>

The second version, from the diner scene, is identical except for the final line: "And you will know I am the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon you."

{{listen|filename=End of Ezekiel.ogg|title="And I will strike down&nbsp;..."| description= Conclusion of the "Ezekiel 25:17" monologue and Brett's murder}}

While the final two sentences of Jules's speech are similar to the actual cited passage, the first two are fabricated from various biblical phrases.{{sfn|Reinhartz|2003|p=108}} The text of Ezekiel 25 preceding verse 17 indicates that God's wrath is retribution for the hostility of the [[Philistines]]. In the [[King James Version]] from which Jules's speech is adapted, Ezekiel 25:17 reads in its entirety:

<blockquote>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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bartleby.com/108/26/25.html|title=The Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, 25|work=The Holy Bible: King James Version|via=Bartleby|access-date=2007-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131052531/http://www.bartleby.com/108/26/25.html|archive-date=January 31, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Tarantino's primary inspiration for the speech was the work of Japanese [[martial arts film|martial arts]] star [[Sonny Chiba]]. Its text and its identification as Ezekiel 25:17 derive from an almost identical creed that appears at the beginning of the Chiba movie ''[[Karate Kiba]]'' (''The Bodyguard''; 1976), where it is both shown as a scrolling text and read by an offscreen narrator.{{sfn|Thomas|2003|loc=pp. 61–62: Thomas notes that instead of "the Lord", this version reads "...&nbsp;and they shall know that I am Chiba the Bodyguard&nbsp;..."}}{{sfn|Conard|2006|loc=p. 134: Conard claims that the text originates from the film ''Bodigaado Kiba'' (''Bodyguard Kiba'' or ''The Bodyguard''; 1973) and that the end phrase there is "And you will know my name is Chiba the Bodyguard&nbsp;..."}}

The version seen at the beginning of ''The Bodyguard'' (1976) is as follows:

<blockquote>The path of the righteous man and defender is beset on all sides by the inequity 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 father of lost children. And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious anger, who poison and destroy my brothers; and they shall know that I am Chiba the Bodyguard when I shall lay my vengeance upon them!</blockquote>

In the 1980s television series ''Kage no Gundan'' (''[[Shadow Warriors (TV series)|Shadow Warriors]]''), Chiba's character would lecture the villain-of-the-week about how the world must be rid of evil before killing him.<ref>Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 4, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref> A killer delivers a similar biblical rant in ''[[Modesty Blaise (novel)|Modesty Blaise]]'', the hardback but pulp-style novel Vincent is shown with in two scenes.<ref name="T25">Enhanced Trivia Track, ch. 25, ''Pulp Fiction'' DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment).</ref>

Two critics who have analyzed the role of the speech find different ties between Jules's transformation and the issue of [[postmodernity]]. Gormley argues that unlike the film's other major characters&nbsp;– Marsellus aside&nbsp;– Jules is:

<blockquote>
linked to a "thing" beyond postmodern simulation&nbsp;... [T]his is perhaps most marked when he moves on from being a simulation of a Baptist preacher, spouting Ezekiel because it was "just a cool thing to say&nbsp;..." In his conversion, Jules is shown to be cognizant of a place beyond this simulation, which, in this case, the film constructs as God.{{sfn|Gormley|2005|p=167}}
</blockquote>

[[Adele Reinhartz]] writes that the "depth of Jules's transformation" is indicated by the difference in his two deliveries of the passage: "In the first, he is a majestic and awe-inspiring figure, proclaiming the prophecy with fury and self-righteousness&nbsp;... In the second&nbsp;... he appears to be a different sort of man altogether&nbsp;... [I]n true postmodern fashion, [he] reflects on the meaning of his speech and provides several different ways that it might pertain to his current situation."{{sfn|Reinhartz|2003|pp=106, 107}} Similar to Gormley, Conard argues that as Jules reflects on the passage, it dawns on him "that it refers to an objective framework of value and meaning that is absent from his life"; to Conard, this contrasts with the film's prevalent representation of a nihilistic culture.{{sfn|Conard|2006|p=130}} Rosenbaum finds much less in Jules's revelation: "[T]he spiritual awakening at the end of ''Pulp Fiction'', which Jackson performs beautifully, is a piece of jive avowedly inspired by kung-fu movies. It may make you feel good, but it certainly doesn't leave you any wiser."<ref name=Profusion>{{cite news |last=Rosenbaum |first=Jonathan |title=Allusion Profusion (''Ed Wood, Pulp Fiction'') |url=https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2022/06/allusion-profusion/ |work=[[Chicago Reader]] |date=October 21, 1994 |access-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-date=May 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521051042/https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/2022/06/allusion-profusion/ |url-status=dead }} Note that the avowed inspiration is actually a TV show, ''Kung Fu''.</ref>