The Levite's Horror

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people, a. 00:00:04 Speaker 2: True levite. The Lord has sent you to me. I am certain of it. Stay here, live among us. I will give you silver five shekels a year, along with food and fine clothes. You will oversee my shrine and. 00:00:19 Speaker 3: Serve as a priest to my household. 00:00:22 Speaker 4: If the people truly be the priest, then I suppose I must accept. 00:00:30 Speaker 5: For the Lord. 00:00:32 Speaker 1: Five figures moved through the mist with a predator's silence. They were not traders or shepherds, but spies. They were men of war, sent from the tribe of Dan. 00:00:44 Speaker 4: What are you doing? These are consecrated to Micah. 00:00:48 Speaker 5: The old cannot simply take them. 00:00:52 Speaker 6: Why waste your loyalty on a single man. We've heard whispers that Mica is nothing but a madman. Wouldn't you rather serve an entire tribe of Israel? 00:01:01 Speaker 7: Come with us. We could pay you more than Micah ever could. 00:01:06 Speaker 1: By dawn, Layish was no more. Its people were slaughtered, its wealth seized, its fertile lands claimed by the tribe of Dan. The Danites rebuilt the city, naming it after their ancestor. In the center of their new home, they erected Micah's silver idol, placing it on a pedestal for all to see. The Levied stood before the idol, his expression unreadable as he offered sacrifices. He had found his place among the Danites, but the cost of his service echoed in the hollow chambers of his heart. 00:01:56 Speaker 8: When there is no king in Israel who will prett the Chosen People? Shello, my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel, i'm l extein with international Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. The hills of Israel are quiet, not the silence of peace, but the silence of abandonment, the silence of a nation that has turned its back on its true king. Judges nineteen is not a story for the faint of heart. There's no escape, there's no comfort, there's no hero to ride in and set things right. And instead there is a Levite, a woman, a journey, and a night that ends with the butchered bodies, and a nation on the brink of collapse. 00:02:44 Speaker 1: This episode of The Chosen People with y Isle Exstein contains explicit content that may be triggering for some listeners and inappropriate for young children. Listener discretion is advised. The Levite stood in the moonlit courtyard, leaning his head against the cold stone of his home. The air hung thick, heavy with the absence of stars. He took a long draft from the wine bottle in his hand, the bitter taste burning his throat and offering no comfort. Tears streaked his unshaven face as he stared out into the night, His shoulders hunched under the weight of emotions he neither welcomed nor understood. 00:03:29 Speaker 5: Oh oh ah should ah, ugh ugh ah should ah. 00:03:35 Speaker 4: She was the love of my life. She was perfect. Oh why did you l eve me? Why why did you leave me? 00:03:55 Speaker 1: Four months had passed since she left him, but her absence still claw ordered his soul. She had betrayed him, slipping from his grasp like water through clenched fists. She was not his wife, not truly. She was his concubine, bound to him by law but not by love, And yet her infidelity haunted him, a festering wound of rage, longing and humiliation. Shaeger struck his head lightly against the wall, as if to shake the thoughts loose. 00:04:28 Speaker 4: I must, I must have her back. Ah. 00:04:32 Speaker 5: She is my property, after all, I I have a right to see her. 00:04:40 Speaker 1: The bottle slipped from his hand and shattered on the cobblestones. He wiped his face roughly and stumbled back inside. By the fire, his servant, Ash sat stirring the embers and feeding them with scraps of wood. He glanced up as his master entered. 00:04:57 Speaker 7: It's been four months, my lord. Do you think it's time to move on? 00:05:02 Speaker 4: Move on? Move on? Move on? 00:05:06 Speaker 5: No, dear Ash, this wound will refuse to heal until I have back it by odds. 00:05:18 Speaker 6: If you say so, If you're intent on having a sheerer back, then I have news for you. 00:05:24 Speaker 7: Word has reached us. She's back in her father's house. 00:05:28 Speaker 6: The man she left you for has cast her aside. 00:05:31 Speaker 4: Excellent, I shall cleave her back tomorrow. 00:05:37 Speaker 5: We shall we we shall. 00:05:43 Speaker 1: Shugear's vision began to blur, and the dizziness caused by the wine made him collapse into a bed of cushions by the hearth. Ash shook his head and covered his master with a woolen blanket, muttering a prayer for peace that would never come. The Levites had been filled with vain, pseudo spiritual babble to appease the Danites. His nights were filled with pitiful and self gratifying drinking. Such was the heart of Israel. The journey to Bethlehem was long, the road twisting through valleys and across ridges, where the wind cut like a blade. The Levites spoke little. His thoughts are not of pride and desperation. By the time they reached the outskirts of the city, the sun hung low in the sky, casting shadows that stretched like grasping fingers. The house stood at the edge of town, a humble clay and stone structure. Smoke curled lazily from the chimney, and the smell of stew wafted on the breeze. As they approached, the door swung open, and the concubine's father emerged, his face splitting into a wide grin. 00:06:56 Speaker 3: Ah, I knew you would come from my daughter. 00:07:03 Speaker 1: He strode forward and clapped the Levite on the shoulder. 00:07:06 Speaker 3: I knew you couldn't abandon my dearest Shirah. She's a treasure. That is why I sent word that she had returned. 00:07:15 Speaker 4: I have come to take her back. I even bought gis to win back her affection. 00:07:22 Speaker 3: Ah no gifts and needed my boy. 00:07:24 Speaker 2: She is yours to take. Come inside, we'll drink and feast and celebrate your reunion. 00:07:30 Speaker 1: The house was warm, almost oppressively so, and smelled of incense and freshly cooked meat. The Levite found her in a small room at the back, sitting on a narrow bed. She did not look up when he entered, her hands folded in her lap, Her dark curls framed her face, her beauty muted by an expression of weariness. Shagear approached softly and petted her cheek with the back of his hand. Her nostrils flared slightly his touch. 00:08:01 Speaker 4: Oh, I missed you, my love. 00:08:05 Speaker 1: He reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She flinched at his touch, though she did not pull away. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. 00:08:17 Speaker 5: Then, I forgive you for what you have done. 00:08:21 Speaker 1: As Shearer's eyes glared at that, she tried her best to hold back her disgust. She had fled from the Levite. What he took as abandonment was her attempt to escape, But she knew she had to tread lightly with her words. 00:08:38 Speaker 5: Come back with me, and all shall be as it was as it was. 00:08:46 Speaker 4: I was neither wife nor slave, neither free nor bound. 00:08:51 Speaker 1: I didn't have you recovering as a. 00:08:52 Speaker 2: Wife, nor did I have the resigned her role as a slave. 00:08:56 Speaker 1: How do I return to. 00:08:57 Speaker 4: Such a life? 00:08:59 Speaker 1: Shagear bore his teeth and tightened his grip on her arm. 00:09:06 Speaker 5: Willingly and quietly. 00:09:08 Speaker 1: The Levite rose to his feet and smiled. 00:09:11 Speaker 5: We will stay the night and leave in the morning. Your father has pripped. 00:09:19 Speaker 1: A shearer's gaze lingered on him as he left the room, her chill creeping through her chest. There was no malice in him, but neither was their love. Something about him frightened her, though she could not name it. A shadow clung to him, a quiet foreboding that whispered of death. The main room was dim, the fire's light flickering over the uneven stone walls. The father moved with an unsettling grace, humming as he stirred the fragrant stew simmering over the hearth. The air was with the aroma of cooked meat, herbs, and something sweet that Shagear could almost feel on his face. Ash said the table. The Levite sat slumped at the head of the table, his carp already half full of wine, his gaze glazed but vaguely amused. His concubine sat to the side, silent and pale, her fingers tracing the grain of the wooden table. 00:10:27 Speaker 4: Eat drink. 00:10:29 Speaker 1: He ladled steaming stew into their bowls, the thick liquid steaming in the cool, oppressive air. 00:10:37 Speaker 3: A man's heart is made glad by food and wine. Let us celebrate your reunion. 00:10:43 Speaker 1: The levite raised his carp in a sluggish toast, little sadly. 00:10:50 Speaker 2: Ah, Yes, family. 00:10:53 Speaker 1: The night drew on in a thick malaise of wine and stew. A shearer's father spun yarns and riddle as he poured. The night was endless, intoxicating and somehow draining, his deep voice weaving a spell that seemed to bind the room. Time dissolved into the heavy air. The levite drank and drank, the wine, a river that drowned his thoughts. His laughter mingled with the fathers, rising and falling like the hypnotic rhythm of waves around him. The firelight seemed to shift unnaturally, the shadows stretching and curling in ways that defied reason. By the second day, the Levite had surrendered to the spell of the house. He awoke to another feast laid before him. The smells so rich they almost choked him. The father refilled his cup before it was empty, his voice always in the background, a constant, soothing murmur. The room felt smaller, the walls seeming to lean inward, as if listening. The air grew warmer, stifling, and the levied found himself sinking into the cushions by the fire, his limbs heavy and his mind clouded. For three days, the cycle repeated itself. He was caught in a haze of drinking and feasting, his mind slipping further from clarity. His laughter grew hollow, his movements sluggish, as if the house itself conspired to sap his strength. His concubine and servant were shadows in the periphery, their presence growing faint in his awareness. Something sinister and unseen was at work. The fourth morning broke cold and gray, as shook his master. Awake, Master, come, come, wake up. 00:12:52 Speaker 7: Let's leave this place. We've been here too long. 00:12:58 Speaker 4: Oh what day is it? How long have we been here? 00:13:06 Speaker 7: Four days? 00:13:07 Speaker 6: Master, it's been four days since we came and you haven't set foot outside. We have responsibilities at home. The anally tending the hog needs feeling and ashes. Breath hitched as he looked behind him, hearing the low quaking of the father's laughter in the distance. There's something unnatural about this place, Something's not right. 00:13:30 Speaker 1: The servant handed him a cup of cold water shagear drank deeply, the coolness cutting through the fog in his mind, though not entirely dispelling it. He rose unsteadily to his feet, his legs weak. Beneath him, the Levite and his companions packed their belongings, preparing to leave. The father emerged from his chambers. His steps were as light as a predators, and his smile wide and gleaming. 00:13:58 Speaker 3: Leaving a red My children, you must not go on an empty stomach. Come sit with me for one last meal before you depart. 00:14:09 Speaker 5: Thank you, thank you for your your hospitality. But we must leave. 00:14:16 Speaker 3: It's almost evening. You cannot leave now, stay the night. 00:14:21 Speaker 1: The levited turned slowly, his heart pounding, as the father loomed over him. His eyes were wide, his teeth bared in a grimace that barely resembled a smile. 00:14:32 Speaker 5: Stay. 00:14:35 Speaker 1: The Levite grabbed his concubine by the arm, his mind suddenly clear. They moved towards the door, but the father's voice rose behind them, bellowing with a strange guttural force. 00:14:47 Speaker 4: You do not want to leave this light. It could be dangerous. 00:14:51 Speaker 1: They quickened their pace. The Levite yanked the door open, and they burst into the cool night air. They didn't look back. The fresh air filled Shugear's lungs, and for the first time in days, he felt the weight lifting from his mind. The wind howled through the narrow valley as the Levite, his concubine, and the servant pressed onward. Above them, the sky was an iron gray, the sun hidden behind thick, roiling clouds. The Levite pulled his cloak tighter as the cold bit at his skin. 00:15:33 Speaker 7: We cannot linger much longer. We should stop at the first city we come to. There's a city nearby that belongs to the Jebusites. 00:15:41 Speaker 5: Oh, they had off of Israel. We would not risk shelter among the and clean. We press on to Gibbea, the city of the tribe of Benjamin, among our own people, leaving fine safety. 00:15:58 Speaker 1: The road wound downward into the valley, and soon the lights of Gibea came into view. The gates stood open, but The streets were unnervingly quiet. The levied frowned, his unease growing with each step. The people of Gibea moved like ghosts, rushing to shut at their windows and bolt their doors. As night descended, the market place was abandoned, the stalls empty save for a few forgotten scraps of fruit. A hush hung over the city, heavy and suffocating, as though the very air carried the weight of a secret. The Levite called to a man hurriedly locking his door. 00:16:39 Speaker 5: Excuse me, is there a place we might stay for the night. 00:16:44 Speaker 1: The man glanced at him, his face pale with fear, before slamming the door without a word. 00:16:50 Speaker 4: What's going on here? Where is the hospitality? 00:16:54 Speaker 7: I do not like this place, my lord? Something use long? This please frightens me. 00:17:02 Speaker 1: They made their way to the town square, hoping someone would offer them lodging. A shearer shivered an ash offered her his cloak. The Levite sat stiffly on his donkey, his eyes scanning the square. Then, out of the darkness a figure emerged. It was an old man, His face was lined and weathered, his eyes darting about as if searching for unseen threats. What are you doing here. 00:17:30 Speaker 7: You shouldn't be out in the square after dark. 00:17:33 Speaker 5: We seek lodging. We are travelers on our way from Bethlehem to Ephraim. No one here will take us in. 00:17:44 Speaker 7: You're lucky I found you. Come quickly. You'll stay with me tonight. 00:17:49 Speaker 1: The old man's home was small but sturdy, its walls thick, and its doors heavily reinforced. Inside, his wife and two young daughters greeted them with timid smiles as they washed their feet and shared a simple meal, The levite spoke. 00:18:07 Speaker 5: Why does this city feel so. 00:18:11 Speaker 4: Unwelcoming? 00:18:13 Speaker 5: What is it that gets these people behind locked doors? 00:18:17 Speaker 7: There are things that walk these streets. Any men who have abandoned the ways of a God and given themselves over to wickedness? 00:18:26 Speaker 4: What kind of men? 00:18:28 Speaker 7: Men who return unspeakable things, Men who care for nothing but their own the brave desires? 00:18:35 Speaker 1: The words were barely spoken when a noise broke the stillness, faint, eerie laughter from somewhere outside. The Levites stiffened his hand, drifting to the hilt of his dagger. The laughter grew louder, joined by the sound of footsteps and muffled voices. The old man shot to his. 00:18:55 Speaker 7: Feet, blow the candles quickly before they see the light. 00:19:00 Speaker 1: The household moved in a flurry of panicked motion, snuffing out the flames and bolting the windows. The old man peered through a crack in the door, his knuckles white as he gripped the frame. 00:19:13 Speaker 7: They's come, then came the knock. 00:19:16 Speaker 3: Old Man Up, Old man, we know you're in there. 00:19:23 Speaker 2: Bring out your guest that we might. 00:19:26 Speaker 4: Play with him. 00:19:28 Speaker 1: The levite breast his back to the wall, his breath coming in shallow gasps, his mind raised, seeking an escape, a solution, but the walls seemed to close in around him. The old man turned to him, his eyes wild with desperation. Take my daughters instead, they are young. 00:19:48 Speaker 3: Nah, we want one of those pretty guests you. 00:19:52 Speaker 4: Have in there. 00:19:53 Speaker 3: Stop being selfish and let us have wine. 00:19:57 Speaker 4: Well it's not going to be be. 00:20:00 Speaker 1: His gaze fell on his concubine, who cowered in the corner, her eyes wide with terror. Slowly he approached her, his hand trembling as he reached for her. 00:20:12 Speaker 5: What, oh, not me? 00:20:17 Speaker 4: It's either you are me master? 00:20:19 Speaker 7: You can be serious? 00:20:21 Speaker 4: Is that you volunteering? Ass ha? 00:20:23 Speaker 5: I'm not going to throw myself out there now help me grab them. 00:20:28 Speaker 6: No, oh, please, don't do this. 00:20:33 Speaker 1: The concubine scream pierced the room as he seized her by the arm and dragged her to the door, who threw the door open and shoved her into the waiting crowd. The men descended on her like wounds, their laughter turning to savage howls. The Levite slammed the door shut, his hands shaking as he bolted it. He sank to the floor, covering his ears, but her scream still reached him, broad and agonized. The night stretched on endlessly, her cries echoing in his mind until they finally fell silent. Dawn broke over the city of Gibea, the pale light of the sun slicing through the lingering shadows. The streets were silent, save for the faint cries of roosters and the muffled sounds of doors cautiously creaking open. Inside the old man's home, the levite sat hunched in a corner, his face buried in his hands. 00:21:36 Speaker 7: Should we should we open the door? Master? Does she see still there? 00:21:41 Speaker 1: The levite raised his head, his expression hollow. He stood and moved to the door, sliding back the wooden bolt with trembling hands. When he opened it, the sight before him sent a chill through his entire body. There, lying at the threshold was his concubine. Her hands were outstretched towards the door, her fingers caked with dirt and blood. Her clothes hung in tatters, and her once beautiful face was a mask of bruises and swollen flesh. Her chest was still her breath, long since stolen by the beasts who had ravaged her. The Levite crouched beside her, his lips pressing into a thin line. 00:22:29 Speaker 5: Get up, the night is over. We we must leave this cursed place. 00:22:36 Speaker 1: A shearer did not stir. 00:22:38 Speaker 4: Get up. 00:22:40 Speaker 1: He grasped her shoulders and shook her, but her body remained limp in his hands. Ash knelt beside her and held his fingers to her limp neck. 00:22:50 Speaker 4: Master, she's she's gone. 00:22:54 Speaker 1: The Levited froze his grip on her, slackening. He knelt there for a long moment, staring at her broken form, before rising abruptly the donkey. The servant hesitated, his hands trembling as he obeyed. Together they hoisted her lifeless body onto the animal's back. The road to Ephraim was long and silent. The levite said little, his eyes fixed on the horizon as the servant trailed behind. The Concubine's lifeless body swayed with the motion of the donkey. When they arrived home, the levite wasted no time. He dismounted and ordered Ash to prepare the stone table in the courtyard. The servant obeyed reluctantly, his face etched with dread. Shagea lifted the concubine's body from the donkey and laid her on the table. He stood over her for a moment, his hands gripping the edge of the table so tightly that his knuckle turned white. 00:24:01 Speaker 4: This will not be for what. 00:24:04 Speaker 5: Her death will be? 00:24:05 Speaker 4: A message railing. 00:24:08 Speaker 1: He retrieved a long, sharp blade, one he had used for ceremonial sacrifices, but now its purpose would be far darker. He raised the blade to a shearer's body. The sound of flesh parting filled the courtyard as the levite worked with mechanical precision. His movements were swift, as though he were butchering an animal. Blood pulled at his feet, soaking into the earth. As he dismembered her body, Ash gagged and turned away unable to watch. When the Levite was finished, the concubine's body lay in twelve gruesome pieces. 00:24:51 Speaker 5: Prepare the sacks. What would you do master, in simple to the twelve tracks of Israel. They will see what the men of Benjamin have done. They will fear her suffering and low and justice must be served. 00:25:08 Speaker 1: The servant nodded reluctantly and fetched the sacks together. They wrapped the concubine's dismembered pieces in cloth and placed them in their bags. The Levite wrote a letter to accompany each grizzly parcel, describing in detail the horrors that had unfolded in Gibea. In all his brooding, the Levite never paused to wonder if it was his sin that had led to her undoing. Such was the heart of God's people at the time of judges, cruelly unaware of just how far they had strayed from the heart of God. 00:25:50 Speaker 8: What a chilling, gut wrenching tail. The weight of it sits heavy like a sky before a storm. The Bible often forces us to wrestle with stories like this, not to entertain us or to satisfy us, but to unsettle us. There's no hero here. There's no redemptive arc, just a slow descent into moral chaos. No one in this story does what's right, not the Levite who fails to protect his woman, not her father who clings to false hospitality, and not the mob who unleash their violence, and not the Israelites who respond with vengeance instead of repentance. The weight of it is unbearable. It leaves you asking what are the voices of justice, the cries of God's people? Why does everyone remain silent? And yet maybe that's exactly the point of this story. When the people are silent, the heavens must respond back. In Genesis, we learn that every person carries within them the image of God sellem Eloin. When he breathe is that breath of life through our nostrils. He gives us a piece of him. But in Judges nineteen that image is stripped away, piece by piece, until nothing is left but rune. The woman in this story is voiceless, nameless and powerless, reduced to a mere object. Let's start with the Levite. He's a man set apart to serve God, yet he treats her not as a partner, but as a property, a concubine, not wife. She's a tool for his convenience, not a soul to cherish. The Jewish sages find a crucial lesson for all of us in this story. Verse two reads, but she was unfaithful to him, She left him and went back to her parents' home in Bethlehem. Judah sages wonder why was she unfaithful and why did she leave? They suggest that her husband, the Levite, was unkind to her, constantly criticizing her over trivial things, her cooking, her appear yarns, the way she cleaned the house, and so she laughed, and this horrible story unfolded. The sages are teaching all of us a lesson on how to act within our very own homes, and about not alienating the members of our households, the people that we love most but can sometimes be the worst two. Of course, we hope and pray that our mistakes don't lead to anything like what happened in this story, And yet the lesson is clear. Words have consequences, and so we must be careful with them. The story spirals deeper into darkness once again, as the Book of Judges is winding down, we see how low the chosen people have fallen. Of all of the lowest points they have reached, of all of the bedrocks of their faith that they ignored, one sticks out here very strong. A bedrock of Jewish faith and tradition we've seen many times already is the tradition of showing hospitality to strangers. And here hospitality has been forgotten. And here we realize had there been a proper welcoming of the strangers and give Ah, none of this awful story would have happened. There is a responsibility that every man carries, the sacred responsibility to cherish the woman in his life, to honor his mother, to protect his sister, to love his wife, to nurture his daughters. This story of Judges nineteen is a brutal reminder of what happens when men fail to fulfill that responsibility. The woman in this chapter had no one to stand for her the levite. Her own husband used her as a tool. Her fathers are only through the lens of custom. The men of the city treated her as an object for their violence, and in the end, even in death, she was used as a message, not mourned as a person. And my friend, this isn't just a Bible story. 00:30:01 Speaker 4: Is it? 00:30:02 Speaker 8: It's about us? How often does the world today fail to see the image of God and the women around us. We may not commit acts of physical violence, but how often do words wound? 00:30:15 Speaker 5: Or does our. 00:30:16 Speaker 8: Silence speak volumes? And still? Today? God calls men to cherish, protect, and uplift the women in their lives, not because women are weak, not because women need saving, but because that is what Godly love looks like. Love is sacrifice. Love is treating someone as inefinitely valuable, simply because God has declared them to be so. Let us all cherish the women in our lives with words and actions that reflect God's heart. Let's teach our sons to do the same, to reflect the love of the One who made each of his chosen people, male or female, in his image. With blessings from. 00:30:59 Speaker 1: The you can listen to the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the prey dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Gattina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of the Chosen People with Yiele Eckstein, edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland, Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. Special thanks to Bishop Paulinier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews U. 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