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Speaker 1: Let us pray. Behold, here is my daughter, a maiden,

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Speaker 1: and his concubine them. I will bring out now and

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Speaker 1: humble ye them, and do with them what seemeth good

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Speaker 1: unto you, but unto this man. Do not so vile

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Speaker 1: a thing. Judge is nineteen twenty four. Lord, I can't

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Speaker 1: thank you enough for the spirit of discernment. Like the Leevite,

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Speaker 1: give me the intuition and instincts necessary to know when

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Speaker 1: to stay at a place and when to leave the

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Speaker 1: company of people who would seek to distract me from

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Speaker 1: my mission or cause me harm in any way. From

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Speaker 1: this moment on, I have decided to follow your blueprint

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Speaker 1: from my life, Lord, and not deviate from the layout

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Speaker 1: or directions that you have given me. Help me to

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Speaker 1: realize that when I try to forge my own path

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Speaker 1: like the Leevite, I'll end up killing the very thing

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Speaker 1: that I have sacrificed time, effort, and energy to obtain. Therefore,

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Speaker 1: I declare that my ears are open to hear your voice. Lord.

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Speaker 1: I declare that my feet are firmly planted on your path. God,

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Speaker 1: And when others try to come and pry my promise

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Speaker 1: from my hands, I will stand boldly and confront my opponents,

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Speaker 1: knowing that you will give me strength to stand and fight.

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Speaker 1: Quicken my feet, Heavenly Father when I stray, so that

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Speaker 1: I can make it back to the place where the

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Speaker 1: wings of your grace can comfort and protect me. In

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Speaker 1: Jesus Name, Amen, Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your

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Speaker 1: relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by listening

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Speaker 1: to today's Bible in a Year, brought to you by

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Speaker 1: Bible in a Year dot com.

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Speaker 2: The wickedness of the Benjamin tribe. In our last story,

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Speaker 2: we learned about the tribe of Dan stealing idols from

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Speaker 2: the house of Micah and their violent siege over an

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Speaker 2: innocent village. The tribe of Dan found a home at

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Speaker 2: the expense of others, and Israel continued to sin before God.

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Speaker 2: Now we learn about the journey of a young Levite

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Speaker 2: and his concubine. As they seek their own path away

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Speaker 2: from God, they fall victim to all sorts of dark evils,

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Speaker 2: as inspired by the Book of Judges.

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Speaker 3: Hello, this is Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of

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Speaker 3: the Bible in a Year podcast. In our last episode,

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Speaker 3: we heard the story of Micah's spiritual confusion and how

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Speaker 3: the tribe of Dan stole idols from the House of

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Speaker 3: Micah to place in their own places of worship in

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Speaker 3: a city they stole from innocent people. It was a

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Speaker 3: sign of Israel's moral bankruptcy in a time when each

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Speaker 3: person did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. Yet

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Speaker 3: as God's people continued to drift further away from him,

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Speaker 3: God continued to wait for a time to rescue his children. Today,

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Speaker 3: we'll see that Israel continues its descent into wickedness, and

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Speaker 3: we'll hear another story of a man straying from God

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Speaker 3: to seek his own path, a leviede who will leave

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Speaker 3: his wife and journey with his concubine into dangerous territory,

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Speaker 3: both physically and spiritually. It's a story that's destined to

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Speaker 3: end in tragedy, of course, but let us not miss

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Speaker 3: the lesson that there is for all who will listen

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Speaker 3: and learn so less Here today's reading.

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Speaker 2: Israel continued its fall from the favor of God. The

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Speaker 2: days of parted seas and Mana falling from heaven were

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Speaker 2: long forgotten, and even the holiest of people did what

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Speaker 2: was right in their own eyes. Pursuing peace, blessing, and

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Speaker 2: kindness was a distant virtue. Now people wandered the land

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Speaker 2: without purpose. In those days, there was a certain levite

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Speaker 2: who was sojouring in the wilderness of Ephrium. This levite,

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Speaker 2: called to be a man who serves the people of God,

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Speaker 2: left his wife and took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem.

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Speaker 2: Together they traveled, but the woman was unfaithful to him

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Speaker 2: and traveled back to Bethlehem. Heart broken and love sick,

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Speaker 2: the levite traveled back to Bethlehem to win back his

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Speaker 2: concubine's affection. He brought gifts and wrote poems, and outside

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Speaker 2: her father's house he sought to serenade her. Her father

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Speaker 2: opened the door, overjoyed to see that the levite returned

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Speaker 2: for his daughter, He invited the levite to stay with

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Speaker 2: him for three days. The levite gladly accepted the invitation,

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Speaker 2: Yet there was a strangeness in the father's smile. A

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Speaker 2: lingering wickedness that was too subtle to spot clearly hovered

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Speaker 2: over the house. The levite ignored it, wanting only to

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Speaker 2: win back as concubine's heart, so he entered the father's

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Speaker 2: house and stayed for three days. The two men ate

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Speaker 2: drank in exchanged tales of their travels and exploits. The

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Speaker 2: wine continued to pour and the food continued to be cooked.

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Speaker 2: Time moved quickly, and on the fourth day, the levied

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Speaker 2: and his woman arose to leave. The father put his

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Speaker 2: hand on the levited's shoulder and smiled, Why don't you

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Speaker 2: stay for one last meal before you go? He said,

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Speaker 2: so the two of them ate together once again. Their

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Speaker 2: meal and conversation lasted hours, and the morning quickly turned

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Speaker 2: into dusk. The levit opened the door to depart and

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Speaker 2: looked at the horizon. He was surprised to see that

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Speaker 2: the night had come so quickly. The skies turned into

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Speaker 2: a deep red as the sun set against the bare sky.

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Speaker 2: It was an uneasy sunset, and it sent chills down

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Speaker 2: the levite's neck. Ah, what do you know, father said

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Speaker 2: from behind him. It is already sunset. You might as

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Speaker 2: well stay one more night. The levite was uneasy about

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Speaker 2: spending another night, but the father insisted, so he stayed

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Speaker 2: another night. On the fifth morning, the levite gathered as

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Speaker 2: things his woman and his servant, and the three of

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Speaker 2: them prepared to depart from the father's house. It was

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Speaker 2: still dark, but the girl's father had already been awake

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Speaker 2: tending to the fields. He shouted from a distance, saying,

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Speaker 2: strengthen your hearts. Stay and I will make you breakfast

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Speaker 2: until the sun arises. So the three of them remained.

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Speaker 2: Time seemed to move at a different pace. In that

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Speaker 2: dining room. Drinks flowed like a river into the Levite's cup,

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Speaker 2: and he found himself lost in a drunken stupor that

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Speaker 2: lasted all day. Slapping himself awake, the levite thanked the

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Speaker 2: girl's father and finally went off to depart, But the

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Speaker 2: sun had already begun its descent and day was almost over. Well,

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Speaker 2: there's no harm in spending the night again, the father said,

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Speaker 2: with a jolly grin. His rotted teeth could barely be

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Speaker 2: spotted underneath his white beard. First thing tomorrow morning, you

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Speaker 2: can all start your journey, he said. The levite peered

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Speaker 2: into his eyes, the uneasy chills overcame him again. The

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Speaker 2: levite nodded politely, and the woman's father left the room

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Speaker 2: to go prepare the beds. Then he took his concubine

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Speaker 2: and servant, and they made a mad dash for the door.

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Speaker 2: They saddled their donkeys and rode off. He would not

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Speaker 2: spend the night again, for he feared that it could

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Speaker 2: very well be his last if he did. The treer

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Speaker 2: traveled to Jibbes, which is now Jerusalem. The day was

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Speaker 2: nearly over and the sun was half way below the horizon.

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Speaker 2: The levite's servant said to him, let us descend into

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Speaker 2: the city of the Gebasites and spend the night. It

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Speaker 2: may become dangerous soon. The levite looked uneasy. He had

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Speaker 2: heard rumors of the Gebasites and was not sure if

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Speaker 2: he wanted to stay in their city, so they turned

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Speaker 2: away to Gibea as the sun set behind them. Gibea

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Speaker 2: belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, and the Levite was

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Speaker 2: sure they could find lodging among God's people. However, they

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Speaker 2: had no such luck. The three of them knocked on

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Speaker 2: every door in the city, seeking a place to rest

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Speaker 2: their heads, yet each one turned them away. So the Levite,

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Speaker 2: his concubine, and his servant huddled in the courtyard in

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Speaker 2: the middle of the city. Alone and cold. They slept

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Speaker 2: without blankets or food to warm them. It was still

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Speaker 2: night and the Levite had finally fallen into a deep sleep.

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Speaker 2: His snores were interrupted by an old man poking at

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Speaker 2: him and his companions. The levite jolted awake and rose

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Speaker 2: to his feet. The old man backed away and gave

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Speaker 2: a nervous smile. What are you doing out here in

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Speaker 2: the middle of the night, he said, This place is

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Speaker 2: dangerous at night. We are traveling back to Ephriam, but

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Speaker 2: no one has taken us in to spend the night.

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Speaker 2: We have donkeys in need of straw and water, and

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Speaker 2: we are in need of food. The levite responded, hoping

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Speaker 2: desperately that the man.

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Speaker 1: Could help them.

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Speaker 2: Of course, the man said, I can care for all

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Speaker 2: your needs, just please do not spend the night out here.

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Speaker 2: There would be trouble awaiting you. The old man seemed

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Speaker 2: nervous as he led them back to his home. He

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Speaker 2: was constantly shining his torch into the alleys and peering

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Speaker 2: over his shoulder. Another uneasy feeling came over the levite,

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Speaker 2: and the four of them entered the house safely. The

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Speaker 2: four of them were warming themselves by the fire, laughing

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Speaker 2: and eating warm food. The old man's family came out

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Speaker 2: to join them, and they ate, drank and laughed with

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Speaker 2: one another. Their laughter was interrupted by a violent banging

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Speaker 2: on the man's door. The Levite looked towards the man,

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Speaker 2: and his face turned ghostly white. The man arose to

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Speaker 2: go answer the door and behold the men from the

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Speaker 2: city surrounded the entire house. The Levite could catch a

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Speaker 2: small glimpse of the men through the door. An ancient

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Speaker 2: wickedness could be seen in their eyes, the same wickedness

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Speaker 2: that tormented the hearts of Sodom and Gomorah long ago.

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Speaker 2: One of them stood at the entrance of the home

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Speaker 2: and pointed straight to the Levite. Bring out your petty, little,

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Speaker 2: levied old man. The words slithered out of his grinning mouth.

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Speaker 2: We would like to have our way with him, he said.

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Speaker 2: The Levite jumped to his feet and pressed his back

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Speaker 2: up against the wall. His eyes widened as he watched

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Speaker 2: the old man squirm near the door. Please, my brothers,

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Speaker 2: the old man trembled, do not do such a wicked thing.

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Speaker 2: These people are guests in my home. But the men

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Speaker 2: of the city craved the satisfaction of forcing themselves on

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Speaker 2: a young man. They had no regard for politeness or honor.

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Speaker 2: They wanted what they wanted, and they would take it forcibly.

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Speaker 2: For this was the state of Israel's heart. After they

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Speaker 2: turned away from God. The men began to enter the home,

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Speaker 2: but the old man stopped them, saying, no, no, behold,

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Speaker 2: here is my daughter. She is a virgin. And here

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Speaker 2: is the levite's concubine. She is very beautiful. Take them

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Speaker 2: and spare the Levite. The men seized the concubine and

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Speaker 2: drug her into the darkness. Violent screams and evil laughs

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Speaker 2: could be heard from the distance as the men have

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Speaker 2: used and raped her. It was truly a dark time

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Speaker 2: for Israel. What began as idle worship slowly transitioned into

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Speaker 2: a corruption that rivaled the wicked kingdoms of old. Dawn

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Speaker 2: began to break. The woman crawled out of the alleyway.

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Speaker 2: Her face was swollen from being beaten, and her clothes

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Speaker 2: were torn apart. Early alive, she slept on the doorstep

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Speaker 2: of the old man, waiting for the Levite to come

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Speaker 2: to her. The sun had fully risen, and the Levit

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Speaker 2: opened the door slowly to see if the coast was clear.

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Speaker 2: He found the woman on the floor and said, quick,

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Speaker 2: let us be going before they return. The woman was

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Speaker 2: silent and still. He shook her and said, there is

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Speaker 2: no time for delay. Get up and let's go, but

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Speaker 2: she still lay there, so the levite picked her up

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Speaker 2: and lay her on his donkey. The levite had finally

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Speaker 2: made it back to his home. He came to wake

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Speaker 2: up as concubine, only to realize that she was dead.

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Speaker 2: There she laid lifeless. The leevite boiled with anger and

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Speaker 2: blamed the men for killing her, even though it was

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Speaker 2: not just the men that slew her. His own cowardice

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Speaker 2: is what killed her. In a heart broken and shameful fury,

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Speaker 2: the levited took a knife and began tearing the woman's

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Speaker 2: body apart, limb by limb. He fillaied her and separated

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Speaker 2: her body. He tore her into twelve pieces and sent

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Speaker 2: her body throughout all the territory of Israel. Pieces of

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Speaker 2: her body hung for all of Israel to behold. Her

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Speaker 2: bloodied and hanging limbs represented the divided and corrupt hearts

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Speaker 2: of Israel. The land trembled, and God wept over their wickedness.

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Speaker 3: We begin to day reading in the wilderness of Ephraim

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Speaker 3: with a nameless levite who is wandering with his concubine.

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Speaker 3: Concubines were considered legal wives of their husband, but were

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Speaker 3: afforded second class status, something that will be shown to

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Speaker 3: be true in a dramatic way. In this story. This Levite,

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Speaker 3: a man meant to be set apart to serve God

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Speaker 3: and his people, had departed from his wife and from

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Speaker 3: God's law and was living in darkness. It is a

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Speaker 3: darkness we see throughout this story. The fact that our

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Speaker 3: main character is not named seems fitting, as he represents

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Speaker 3: in many ways the wandering nation of Israel, who are

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Speaker 3: unrecognizable as God's chosen people. It's not long before the

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Speaker 3: Levite has a taste of betrayal himself, as his concubine

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Speaker 3: is unfaithful to him and returns to her father's home.

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Speaker 3: After he spent some time licking his wounds, the levite

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Speaker 3: went to win her back. He succeeds, and he and

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Speaker 3: his father in law begin to eat and drink together.

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Speaker 3: For three days, they did nothing but eat and drink

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Speaker 3: and be merry. His father in law kept insisting that

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Speaker 3: he stays, so he did another two nights. Then on

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Speaker 3: the fifth day, he took his servant and concubine, and finally,

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Speaker 3: late in the day departed. When it was nearly nighttime,

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Speaker 3: they found themselves near a city of foreigners Jebus, which

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Speaker 3: would later become Jerusalem. The Levite did not want to

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Speaker 3: stay there for fear of what the foreigners might do

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Speaker 3: to him, so he chose to go instead to Gibeath,

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Speaker 3: a city of the tribe of Benjamin. Sadly, the wickedness

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Speaker 3: he found there was even greater. Unable to find lodging

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Speaker 3: for the evening, his party set up camp in the

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Speaker 3: center of town, but an elderly man of the tribe

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Speaker 3: of Ephraim came to their aid, pleading for them to

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Speaker 3: stay in his home. He knew the evil that lurked

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Speaker 3: in the streets, and he feared for their lives. But

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Speaker 3: the evil in the streets soon came knocking. Judges nineteen,

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Speaker 3: verse twenty two says this worthless fellows surrounded the house,

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Speaker 3: beating on the door, and they said to the old man,

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Speaker 3: the master of the house, bring out the man who

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Speaker 3: came into your house, that we may know him. Worthless fellows,

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Speaker 3: for sure, how low could Israel go? As the sin

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Speaker 3: of Sodom ran rampant in the hearts of these Benjamin

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Speaker 3: night men. Rather than deliver the Levite, their host offered

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Speaker 3: his virgin daughter and the concubine. The Levite fearing for

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Speaker 3: his own safety and caring nothing for that of the

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Speaker 3: women he had sought out just five days before, gave

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Speaker 3: over the concubine to be beaten and rape brutally in

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Speaker 3: the streets. Meanwhile, he slept seemingly without a care in

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Speaker 3: the world. This story obviously shows us how deceitful and

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Speaker 3: wicked the human heart is. The Levite in these townspeople

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Speaker 3: paint a gruesome and awful picture of the evil that

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Speaker 3: people are capable of. The next morning, when the Levite

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Speaker 3: found the woman dead outside the door, he did not

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Speaker 3: mourn or offer her a proper burial. He carried her home,

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Speaker 3: desecrated her body, and sent pieces of her to each

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Speaker 3: of the twelve tribes. He wanted to rally the people

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Speaker 3: to deal with the men of Gibea. Instead, he would

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Speaker 3: set off a war in Israel. And that's what we'll

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Speaker 3: hear about the next time. Dear God, we know that

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Speaker 3: the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.

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Speaker 3: That's clear in the scripture and is clear in experience. Lord,

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Speaker 3: we ask for repentance, that our nation would repent, that

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Speaker 3: we personally would repent of our sins, confessing our sins

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Speaker 3: that you might forgive us and pardon us. We praise

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Speaker 3: you that your son, Jesus Christ came to us to

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Speaker 3: die on the cross for our sins and to give

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Speaker 3: us eternal life. May we guard our hearts that we

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Speaker 3: might not turn back to sin in any way. In Jesus' name, Amen,

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Speaker 3: thank you for listening to today's Bible Year podcast. I'm

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Speaker 3: Jack Graham of Dallas, Texas, and you can download the

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Speaker 3: prey dot com app and make prayer the priority of

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Speaker 3: your life. It is our prayer that you would know

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Speaker 3: Jesus Christ in a personal way. Jesus and knowing him

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Speaker 3: is the key to understanding the Bible. Jesus is on

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Speaker 3: every page in the pathway of Scripture, so I pray

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Speaker 3: that you would know him and look to him for

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Speaker 3: eternal life. As we see all of these stories, some

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Speaker 3: of them very sordid, we realize just how desperately we

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Speaker 3: all need the Lord. So invite Christ into your life

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Speaker 3: and receive him as your Lord and savior. I would

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Speaker 3: also encourage you to download the pray dot com app

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Speaker 3: and let others know about this podcast and if you

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Speaker 3: want more resources on how to know God and experience

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Speaker 3: his presence in your life. Be sure to visit Jack

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Speaker 3: Graham dot org. God bless you