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 2 Samuel chapters

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20 and 21. Chapter 20 And there happened to be

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there a rebel, whose name was Sheba the son of

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Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet and

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said, We have no share in David, nor do we have

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inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to

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his tents, O Israel. So every man of Israel deserted

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David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri, but

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the men of Judah from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem

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remained loyal to their king. Now David came

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to his house at Jerusalem, and the king took

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the ten women, his concubines, whom he had left

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to keep the house, and put them in seclusion

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and supported them, but did not go into them.

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So they were shut up to the day of their death,

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living in widowhood. And the king said to Amasa,

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Assemble the men of Judah for me within three

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days, and be present here yourself. So Amasa

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went to assemble the men of Judah, but he delayed

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longer than the set time which David had appointed

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him. And David said to Abishai, Now Sheba the

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son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom.

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Take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest

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he find for himself fortified cities and escape

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us. So Joab's men with the Caritites, the Pellitites,

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and all the mighty men went out after him. And

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they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the

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son of Bichri. When they were at the large stone,

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which is in Gibeon, Amasa came before them. Now

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Joab was dressed in battle armor. On it was a

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belt with a sword fastened in its sheath at his

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hips, and as he was going forward, it fell out.

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Then Joab said to Amasa, Are you in health, my

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brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with

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his right hand to kiss him. But Amasa did not

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notice the sword that was in Joab's hand, and

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he struck him with it in the stomach, and his

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entrails poured out on the ground, and he did

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not strike him again, thus he died. Then Joab

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and Abishah, his brother, pursued Sheba the son

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of Bichri. Meanwhile, one of Joab's men stood

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near Amasa and said, Whoever favors Joab and

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whoever is for David, follow Joab. But Amasa

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wallowed in his blood in the middle of the highway.

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And when the man saw that all the people stood

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still, he moved Amasa from the highway to the

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field and threw a garment over him, when he saw

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that everyone who came upon him halted. When

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he was removed from the highway, all the people

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went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of

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Bichri. And he went through all the tribes of

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Israel, to Abel and Bethmaka and all the Berites.

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So they were gathered together and also went

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after Sheba. Then they came and besieged him

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in Abel of Bethmaka. And they cast up a siege

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bound against the city, and it stood by the rampart.

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And all the people who were with Joab battered

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the wall to throw it down. Then a wise woman

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cried out from the city, Hear, hear, please say

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to Joab, come nearby that I may speak with you.

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When he had come near to her, the woman said,

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Are you Joab? He answered, I am. Then she said

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to him, Hear the words of your maidservant. And

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he answered, I am listening. So she spoke saying,

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They used to talk in former times, saying, They

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shall surely seek guidance at Abel. And so they

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would end disputes. I am among the peaceable

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and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a

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city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow

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up the inheritance of the Lord? And Joab answered

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and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that

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I should swallow up or destroy. That is not so.

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But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba

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the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand

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against the king, against David. Deliver him

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only, and I will depart from the city. So the

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woman said to Joab, Watch, his head will be thrown

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to you over the wall. Then the woman in her wisdom

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went to all the people, and they cut off the

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head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it

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out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they

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withdrew from the city every man to his tent.

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So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem. And

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Joab was over all the army of Israel. Benaiah,

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the son of Jehoiada, was over the Karatites and

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the Pallatites. Adoram was in charge of revenue.

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Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder.

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Sheva was scribe. Zadok and Abiathar were the

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priests. And Ira the Jerite was the chief minister

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under David. Chapter 21 Now there was a famine

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in the days of David for three years, year after

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year. And David inquired of the Lord, and the

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Lord answered, It is because of Saul and his

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bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.

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So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to

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them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children

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of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites.

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The children of Israel had sworn protection to

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them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his

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zeal for the children of Israel and Judah. Therefore

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David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do

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for you? And with what shall I make atonement,

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that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?

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And the Gibeonites said to him, We will have

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no silver or gold from Saul or from his house,

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nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us.

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So he said, Whatever you say, I will do for you.

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Then they answered the king, As for the man who

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consumed us and plotted against us, that we should

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be destroyed from remaining in any of the territories

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of Israel, let seven men of his descendants be

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delivered to us, and we will hang them before

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the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord chose.

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And the king said, I will give them. But the

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king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan,

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the son of Saul, because of the Lord's oath that

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was between them, between David and Jonathan,

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the son of Saul. So the king took Armoni and

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Mephibosheth, the two sons of Rizpah, the daughter

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of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, and the five

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sons of Michal, the daughter of Saul, whom she

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brought up for Adriel, the son of Barzillai,

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the Meholatite. And he delivered them into the

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hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them

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on the hill before the Lord. So they fell all

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seven together, and were put to death in the

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days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning

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of barley harvest. Now Rizpah the daughter of

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Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself

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on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until

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the late rains poured on them from heaven. And

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she did not allow the birds of the air to rest

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on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by

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night. And David was told what Rizpah the daughter

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of Aiah the concubine of Saul had done. Then

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David went and took the bones of Saul and the

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bones of Jonathan his son. from the men of Jabesh

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-Gilead, who had stolen them from the street

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of Beit -Shan, where the Philistines had hung

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them up, after the Philistines had struck down

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Saul in Gilboa. So he brought up the bones of

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Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there,

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and they gathered the bones of those who had

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been hanged. They buried the bones of Saul and

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Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in

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Zillah, in the tomb of Kish his father. So they

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performed all that the king commanded, and after

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that God heeded the prayer for the land. When

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the Philistines were at war again with Israel,

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David and his servants with him went down and

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fought against the Philistines, and David grew

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faint. Then Ishbi Benob, who was one of the sons

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of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear

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was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a

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new sword, thought he could kill David. But Abishai

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the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and struck

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the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of

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David swore to him, saying, You shall go out

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no more with us to battle, lest you quench the

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lamp of Israel. Now it happened afterward that

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there was again a battle with the Philistines

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at Gob. Then Sibichai the Hushetite killed Saf,

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who was one of the sons of the giant. Again there

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was war at Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan

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the son of Jar -u -Ragim the Bethlehemite killed

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the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft

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of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. Yet

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again there was war at Gad, where there was a

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man of great stature, who had six fingers on

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each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty -four

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in number. And he was also born to the giant.

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So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of

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Shimea, David's brother, killed him. These four

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were born to the giant in Gad, and fell by the

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hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

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I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as

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I did. and I look forward to seeing you again

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tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless

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you and have a great day.