WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today's reading is from Judges chapters

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3 and 4. Chapter 3 Now these are the nations

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which the Lord left, that he might test Israel

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by them, that is, all who had not known any of

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the wars in Canaan. This was only so that the

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generations of the children of Israel might be

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taught to know war, at least those who had not

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formerly known it. namely five lords of the philistines

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all the canaanites the sidonians and the hivites

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who dwelt in mount lebanon from mount baal hermon

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to the entrance of hamath and they were left

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that he might test israel by them to know whether

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they would obey the commandments of the lord

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which he had commanded their fathers by the hand

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of Moses. Thus the children of Israel dwelt among

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the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the

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Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And

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they took their daughters to be their wives,

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and gave their daughters to their sons, and they

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served their gods. So the children of Israel

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did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot

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the Lord their God, and served the Baals and

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Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the Lord was

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hot against Israel, and he sold them into the

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hand of Cushan Rishataim, king of Mesopotamia.

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And the children of Israel served Cushan Rishatayim

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eight years. When the children of Israel cried

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out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer

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for the children of Israel who delivered them,

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Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.

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The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he

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judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord

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delivered Cushan Rishatayim, king of Mesopotamia,

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into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan

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Rishatayim. So the land had rest for forty years.

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Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. And the children

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of Israel again did evil in the sight of the

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Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon king of

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Moab against Israel, because they had done evil

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in the sight of the Lord. Then he gathered to

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himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went

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and defeated Israel, and took possession of the

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city of Palms. So the children of Israel served

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Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. But when the

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children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the

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Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the

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son of Gerah the Benjamite, a left -handed man.

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By him the children of Israel sent tribute to

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Eglon king of Moab. Now Ehud made himself a dagger,

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it was double -edged and a cubit in length, and

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fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh.

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So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

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Now Eglon was a very fat man. And when he finished

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presenting the tribute, he sent away the people

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who had carried the tribute. But he himself turned

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back from the stone images that were at Gilgal

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and said, I have a secret message for you, O

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king. He said, keep silence. And all who attended

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him went out from him. So Ehud came to him. Now

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he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber.

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Then Ehud said, I have a message from God for

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you. So he arose from his seat. Then Ehud reached

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with his left hand, took the dagger from his

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right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. Even

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the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat

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closed over the blade, for he did not draw the

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dagger out of his belly, and his entrails came

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out. Then Ehud went out through the porch and

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shut the doors of the upper room behind him and

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locked them. When he had gone out, Eglon's servants

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came to look, and to their surprise, the doors

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of the upper room were locked, so they said he

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is probably attending to his needs in the cool

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chamber. So they waited till they were embarrassed,

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and still he had not opened the doors of the

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upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened

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them, and there was their master fallen dead

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on the floor. But Ehud had escaped while they

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delayed, and passed beyond the stone images and

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escaped to Sarah. And it happened when he arrived

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that he blew the trumpet in the mountains of

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Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down

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with him from the mountains, and he led them.

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Then he said to them, Follow me, for the Lord

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has delivered your enemies, the Moabites, into

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your hand. So they went down after him, seized

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the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and

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did not allow anyone to cross over. And at that

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time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab,

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all stout men of valor. not a man escaped. So

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Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel,

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and the land had rest for 80 years. After him

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was Shamgar the son of Anat, who killed 600 men

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of the Philistines with an ox goad, and he also

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delivered Israel. Chapter 4 When Ehud was dead,

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the children of Israel again did evil in the

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sight of the Lord. So the Lord sold them into

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the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned

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in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera,

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who dwelt in Haroshet Haguyim. And the children

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of Israel cried out to the Lord, for Jabin had

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nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty

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years he had harshly oppressed the children of

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Israel. Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of

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Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. And

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she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah

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between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of

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Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to

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her for judgment. Then she sent and called for

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Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali,

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and said to him, Has not the Lord God of Israel

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commanded, Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor?

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Take with you ten thousand men of the sons of

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Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun, and against

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you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's

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army, with his chariots and his multitude at

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the river Kishon, and I will deliver him into

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your hand. And Barak said to her, If you will

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go with me, then I will go. But if you will not

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go with me, I will not go. So she said, I will

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surely go with you. Nevertheless, there will

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be no glory for you in the journey you are taking,

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for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of

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a woman. Then Deborah arose and went with Barak

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to Kadesh. And Barak called Zebulun and Naftali

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to Kadesh. He went up with ten thousand men under

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his command, and Deborah went up with him. Now

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Heber the Kenite of the children of Hubab, the

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father -in -law of Moses, had separated himself

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from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the

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turbaned tree at Zanim, which is beside Kadesh.

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And they reported to Sisera that Barak the son

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of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. So Sisera

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gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred

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chariots of iron, and all the people who were

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with him, from Harosheth Haguyim to the river

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Kishon. Then Deborah said to Barak, Up! For this

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is the day in which the Lord has delivered Sisera

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into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before

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you? So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with

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10 ,000 men following him. And the Lord routed

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Sisera and all his chariots and all his army

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with the edge of the sword before Barak. And

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Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away

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on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and the

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army as far as Haroshet Hagoyim. And all the

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army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword.

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Not a man was left. However, Sisera had fled

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away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of

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Heber the Kenite. For there was peace between

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Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the

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Kenite. And Jael went out to meet Sisera and

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said to him, Turn aside, my lord, turn aside

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to me, do not fear. And when he had turned aside

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with her into the tent, she covered him with

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a blanket. Then he said to her, Please give me

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a little water to drink, for I am thirsty. So

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she opened a jug of milk, gave him a drink, and

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covered him. And he said to her, Stand at the

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door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires

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of you and says, Is there any man here? you shall

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say, No. Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a tent

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peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly

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to him, and drove the peg into his temple, and

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it went down into the ground. For he was fast

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asleep and weary, so he died. And then as Barak

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pursued Sisera, Jial came out to meet him and

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said to him, Come, I will show you the man whom

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you seek. And when he went into her tent, there

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lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.

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So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan

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in the presence of the children of Israel. And

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the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger

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and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan until

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they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. I hope

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you enjoyed today's reading as much as I did.

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And I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow

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to continue on our journey. God bless you and

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have a great day.