Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. We finished our 8th book of the Bible today, and since we're reading an

entire book tomorrow that means we're about to be at nine books total.

Don't worry, the book we're reading tomorrow is super short, just four chapters.

Also, I mentioned this at the beginning of the book of judges and hopefully you've already read the

text from today and know this is a tough section, but just a heads up that if there are little ears nearby you may want to listen later.

This is one of my least favorite sections in all of scripture, but there are still things to

be learned about God in these chapters even though he seems mostly absent. We opened with a reminder that Israel

is living in anarchy at this point, which sets us up for everything that happens in today's

reading. We start with a Levite, the tribe appointed to work for God, who had a concubine, which is basically

a household servant with fewer rights and less permanency than a wife, and whose main job is to sleep with the

boss and have his babies. She decides she wants to leave this

arrangement but he goes after her to win her back. He meets with her dad and things are

going smoothly. Her father keeps inviting them to stay day after day with him

but on the fifth day the Levite is ready to move on, so they

head out for the long journey home.

His servants suggest they spend the night in a Canaanite area, but the Levite really prefers

to keep moving until they hit an Israelite area. They stop in the

city of Geba which is in the land allotted to the Benjamites. They're planning to

sleep in the town square but an old man comes by and urges them to stay at his place

instead.

Not long after that, the Benjamin of the town show up and demand to have sex with the Levite.

If this is starting to remind you of Genesis 19 and what happened with the two angels who visited

...