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 chapter

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17 through 19. Chapter 17 Now there was a man

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from the mountains of Ephraim, whose name was

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Micah. And he said to his mother, The eleven

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hundred shekels of silver that were taken from

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you and on which he put a curse, even saying

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it in my ears, Here is the silver with me, I

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took it. And his mother said, May you be blessed

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by the Lord my son. So when he had returned eleven

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hundred shekels of silver to his mother, his

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mother said, I had wholly dedicated the silver

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from my hand to the Lord for my son, to make

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a carved image and a molded image. Now therefore

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I will return it to you. Thus he returned the

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silver to his mother. Then his mother took two

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hundred shekels of silver and gave them to the

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silversmith, and he made it into a carved image

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and a molded image, and they were in the house

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of Micah. The man Micah had a shrine, and made

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an ephod and household idols, and he consecrated

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one of his sons, who became his priest. In those

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days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did

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what was right in his own eyes. Now there was

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a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family

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of Judah. He was a Levite, and was staying there.

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The man departed from the city of Bethlehem in

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Judah to stay wherever he could find a place.

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Then he came to the mountains of Ephraim, to

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the house of Micah, as he journeyed. And Micah

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said to him, Where do you come from? So he said

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to him, I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah,

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and I am on my way to find a place to stay. Micah

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said to him, Dwell with me, and be a father and

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a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels

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of silver per year, a suit of clothes, and your

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sustenance. So the Levite went in. Then the Levite

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was content to dwell with the man, and the young

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man became like one of his sons to him. So Micah

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consecrated the Levite, and the young man became

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his priest and lived in the house of Micah. Then

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Micah said, Now I know that the Lord will be

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good to me, since I have a Levite as priest.

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Chapter 18 In those days there was no king in

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Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites

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was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell

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in. For until that day their inheritance among

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the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.

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So the children of Dan sent five men of their

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family from their territory, men of valor from

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Zorah and Ishtowel, to spy out the land and search

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it. They said to them, Go, search the land. So

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they went to the mountains of Ephraim, to the

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house of Micah, and lodged there. While they

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were at the house of Micah, they recognized the

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voice of the young Levite. They turned aside

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and said to him, Who brought you here? What are

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you doing in this place? What do you have here?

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He said to them, Thus and so Micah did for me.

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He has hired me, and I became his priest. So

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they said to him, Please inquire of God that

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we may know whether the journey on which we will

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go will be prosperous. And the priest said to

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them, Go in peace. The presence of the Lord be

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with you on your way. So the five men departed

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and went to Laish. They saw the people who were

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there, how they dwelt safely in the manner of

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the Sidonians, quiet and secure. There were no

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rulers in the land who might put them to shame

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for anything. They were far from the Sidonians,

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and they had no ties with anyone. Then the spies

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came back to their brethren at Zorah and Ishtawel,

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and their brethren said to them, What is your

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report? So they said, Arise, let us go up against

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them, for we have seen the land, and indeed it

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is very good. Would you do nothing? Do not hesitate

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to go and enter to possess the land. When you

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go, you will come to a secure people and a large

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land, for God has given it into your hands, a

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place where there is no lack of anything that

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is on the earth. And six hundred men of the family

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of the Danites went from there. from Zorah and

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Ishtol, armed with weapons of war. Then they

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went up and encamped at Kirjas, Jerim, in Judah.

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Therefore they call that place Mahani Dan to

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this day. There it is, west of Kirjas, Jerim.

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And they passed from there to the mountains of

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Ephraim, and came to the house of Micah. Then

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the five men who had gone to spy out the country

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of Laish answered and said to their brethren,

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Do you know that there are in these houses an

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ephod, household idols, a carved image, and a

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molded image? Now therefore consider what you

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should do. So they turned aside there, and came

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to the house of the young Levite man, to the

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house of Micah, and greeted him. The six hundred

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men, armed with their weapons of war, who were

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of the children of Dan, stood by the entrance

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of the gate. Then the five men who had gone to

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spy out the land went up. Entering there, they

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took the carved image, the ephod, the household

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idols, and the molded image. The priests stood

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at the entrance of the gate, with the six hundred

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men, who were armed with weapons of war. When

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these went into Micah's house and took the carved

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image, the ephod, the household idols, and the

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molded image, the priest said to them, What are

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you doing? And they said to him, Be quiet, put

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your hand over your mouth, and come with us.

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Be a father and a priest to us. Is it better

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for you to be a priest to the household of one

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man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a

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family in Israel? So the priest's heart was glad,

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and he took the ephod, the household idols, and

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the carved image, and took his place among the

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people. Then they turned and departed, and put

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the little ones, the livestock, and the goods

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in front of them. When they were a good way from

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the house of Micah, the men who were in the houses

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near Micah's house gathered together and overtook

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the children of Dan. And they called out to the

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children of Dan. So they turned around and said

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to Micah, What ails you, that you have gathered

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such a company? So he said, You have taken away

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my gods, which I made, and the priest, and you

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have gone away. Now what more do I have? How

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can you say to me, What ails you? And the children

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of Dan said to him, Do not let your voice be

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heard among us, lest angry men fall upon you,

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and you lose your life with the lives of your

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household. Then the children of Dan went their

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way, and when Micah saw that they were too strong

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for him, he turned and went back to his house.

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So they took the things Micah had made, and the

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priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish,

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to a people quiet and secure. And they struck

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them with the edge of the sword, and burned the

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city with fire. There was no deliverer, because

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it was far from Sidon. and they had no ties with

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anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to

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Beit Rehob. So they rebuilt the city and dwelt

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there. And they called the name of the city Dan,

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after the name of Dan their father, who was born

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to Israel. However, the name of the city formerly

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was Laish. Then the children of Dan set up for

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themselves the carved image, and Jonathan the

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son of Gershom the son of Manasseh, and his sons

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were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day

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of the captivity of the land. So they set up

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for themselves Micah's carved image, which he

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made. all the time that the house of God was

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in Shiloh. Chapter 19 And it came to pass in

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those days, when there was no king in Israel,

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that there was a certain Levite staying in the

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remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself

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a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But his

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concubine played the harlot against him and went

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away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem

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in Judah, and was there for a whole month. Then

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her husband arose and went after her to speak

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kindly to her and bring her back, having his

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servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So

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they brought him into her father's house, and

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when the father of the young woman saw him, he

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was glad to meet him. Now his father -in -law,

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the young woman's father, detained him and he

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stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank

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and lodged there. Then it came to pass on the

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fourth day that they arose early in the morning

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and he stood to depart. But the young woman's

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father said to his son -in -law, Refresh your

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heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go

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your way. So they sat down, and the two of them

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ate and drank together. Then the young woman's

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father said to the man, Please be content to

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stay all night, and let your heart be merry.

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And when the man stood to depart, his father

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-in -law urged him, so he lodged there again.

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Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth

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day to depart, but the young woman's father said,

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Please refresh your heart. So they delayed until

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afternoon, and both of them ate. And when the

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man stood to depart, he and his concubine and

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his servant, his father -in -law, the young woman's

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father, said to him, Look, the day is now drawing

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toward evening. Please spend the night. See,

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the day is coming to an end. Lodge here, that

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your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way

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early, so that you may get home. However, the

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man was not willing to spend that night, so he

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rose and departed and came opposite Jebus, that

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is, Jerusalem. With him were the two saddled

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donkeys, his concubine was also with him. They

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were near Jebus, and the day was far spent, and

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the servant said to his master, Come, please,

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and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites

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and lodge in it. But his master said to him,

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We will not turn aside here into a city of foreigners

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who are not of the children of Israel. We will

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go on to Gibeah. So he said to his servant, Come,

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let us draw near to one of these places and spend

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the night in Gibeah or in Ramah. And they passed

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by and went their way. And the sun went down

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on them near Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin.

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They turned aside there to go in to lodge in

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Gibeah. And when he went in, he sat down in the

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open square of the city, for no one would take

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them into his house to spend the night. Just

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then an old man came in from his work in the

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field that evening, who was also from the mountains

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of Ephraim. He was staying in Gibeah, whereas

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the men of the place were Benjamites. And when

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he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the

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open square of the city, and the old man said,

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Where are you going, and where do you come from?

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So he said to him, We are passing from Bethlehem

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in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim.

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I am from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah,

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now I am going to the house of the Lord. But

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there is no one who will take me into his house,

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although we have both straw and fodder for our

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donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your

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female servant. And for the young man who is

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with your servant, there is no lack of anything.

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And the old man said, Peace be with you. However,

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let all your needs be my responsibility. Only

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do not spend the night in the open square. So

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he brought him into his house and gave fodder

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to the donkeys, and they washed their feet and

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ate and drank. As they were enjoying themselves,

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suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men,

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surrounded the house and beat on the door. They

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spoke to the master of the house, the old man

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saying, Bring out the man who came to your house

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that we may know him carnally. But the man, the

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master of the house, went out to them and said

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to them, No, my brethren, I beg you, do not act

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so wickedly. Seeing this man has come into my

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house, do not commit this outrage. Look, here

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is my virgin daughter and the man's concubine.

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Let me bring them out now, humble them, and do

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with them as you please. But to this man do not

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do such a vile thing. But the man would not heed

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him. So the man took his concubine and brought

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her out to them. And they knew her and abused

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her all night until morning, and when the day

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began to break, they let her go. Then the woman

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came as the day was dawning, and fell down at

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the door of the man's house, where her master

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was, till it was light. When her master arose

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in the morning, and opened the doors of the house,

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and went out to go his way, there was his concubine

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fallen at the door of the house, with her hands

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on a threshold. And he said to her, Get up, and

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let us be going. But there was no answer. So

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the man lifted her unto the donkey, and the man

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got up and went to his place. When he entered

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his house, he took a knife, laid hold of his

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concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces,

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limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the

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territory of Israel. And so it was that all who

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saw it said, No such deed has been done or seen

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from the day that the children of Israel came

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up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider

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it, confer, and speak up. I hope you enjoyed

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today's reading as much as I did. and I look

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forward to seeing you again tomorrow to continue

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on our journey. God bless you and have a great

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day.