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Pete Hegseth quotes 'Pulp Fiction's fake Bible verse during sermon
17 Apr 2026

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was allegedly caught quoting a passage from the 1994 film Pulp Fiction during a Pentagon prayer service.

The quote closely resembled a monologue delivered by Samuel L Jackson's character in the Quentin Tarantino-directed movie.

He was talking about the Sandy 1 rescue mission, which brought back downed airmen stranded in Iran this month, when he asked his audience to join him in a prayer he said was delivered at the beginning of the mission.

'I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance...'
Misattributed quote

Hegseth said the prayer "CSAR 25:17," which stands for "Combat Search and Rescue," is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17.

He said, "The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil man."

"Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and duty, shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children."

Original Ezekiel 25:17
Original

He continued, "And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother."

The original Ezekiel 25:17 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."

The Pulp Fiction monolog is a fictionalized and extended version of Ezekiel 25:17.

Hegseth linked the modified version back to scripture
Cinematic effect

In that version, Jackson's character, Jules Winnfield, says, "There's a passage I got memorized, seems appropriate for this situation: Ezekiel 25:17," before killing a character.

He said, "The path of righteous man is beset on all sides by....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."

The incident has sparked debate
Religious imagery

"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 you," Jackson's character said.

The sermon quickly caught the attention of social media users, who called the defense secretary.

"Wow this is embarassing!" one X user remarked, while another wrote, "All these Republican clowns cosplay as Christians. It's so aggravating."