Ashdod

For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation.

Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.

Woe to you inhabitants of the sea coast, you nation of the Karathites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines, and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left.

And you, O sea coast, shall be pastures, with meadows for shepherds, and folds for flocks.

Yeah, I think it's what you just described is for the sake of context, Joshua 11, right? It says there that Joshua was, they came in and they're chasing after these giant tribes and they flee, Joshua 11, 21 through 23.

It says clear, they fled to the West, to the Pentapolis cities that is well-known of the Philistine cities and Ekron and Ashdod and Ashkelon and others at Gaza, as well as, Yeah.

So to me, when I was there, I was there in 2008.

And so honestly, it was kind of a little bit early in the, they've been there for 25, 26 seasons.

Yeah, I think it's what you just described is for the sake of context, Joshua 11, right? It says there that Joshua was, they came in and they're chasing after these giant tribes and they flee, Joshua 11, 21 through 23.

It says clear, they fled to the West, to the Pentapolis cities that is well-known of the Philistine cities and Ekron and Ashdod and Ashkelon and others at Gaza, as well as, Yeah.

So to me, when I was there, I was there in 2008.

And so honestly, it was kind of a little bit early in the, they've been there for 25, 26 seasons.

King Saul at Gilboa by Henry Kendall, read for LibriVox.org by Carolyn.

King Saul at Gilboa with noise of battle and the dust of fray half-hidden fog the gloomy mountain lay but succoth's watchers from their outer fields saw fits of flame and gleams of clashing shields for where the yellow river draws its spring the hosts of israel travelled thundering there beating like the storm that sweeps to sea across the reefs of chafing galilee the car of abner and the sword of saul drave gaza down gilboa's southern wall but swift and sure the spears of ekron flew till peak and slope were drenched with bloody dew shout timnath shout the blazing leaders cried and hurled the stone and dashed the stave aside shout timnath shout let haza hold the height bend the long bough and break the lords of fight from every hand the swarthy strangers sprang chief leaped on chief with buckler buckler rang the flower of armies set in syrian heat the ridges clamoured under labouring feet nor stayed the warriors till from salem's road the crescent horns of abner's squadrons glowed then like a shooting splendor on the wing the strong-armed son of kish came thundering and as in autumn's fall when woods are bare two adverse tempests meet in middle air so saul and akish grim with heat and hate met by the brook and shook the scales of fate for now the struggle swayed and firm as rocks against the storm-wind of the equinox the rallied lords of judah stood and bore all day the fiery tides of fourfold war but he that fasted in the secret cave and called up samuel from the quiet grave and stood with darkness and the mantled ghosts a bitter night on shrill samarian coasts knew well the end of how the futile sword of israel would be broken by the lord how garth would triumph with the tawny line that bent the knee at dagon's brittle shrine and how the race of kish would fall to wreck because of vengeance stayed at amalek yet strove the sun-like king nor rested hand till yellow evening filled the level land then judah reeled before a biting hail of sudden arrows shot from acca's veil where libna lapped in blood from thigh to heel drew the ten's string and pierced the quivering steel there fell the sons of saul and man by man the chiefs of israel up to jonathan and while swift achish stooped and caught the spoil ten chosen archers red with sanguine toil sped after saul who faint and sick and sore with many wounds had left the thick of war he like a baffled bull by hunters pressed turned sharp about and faced the flooded west and so the star-like spears and moony spokes gleam from the rock and lighten through the oaks a sea of splendour how the chariots rolled on wheels of blinding brightness manifold while stumbling over spike and spine and spur of sultry lands escaped the son of nur with smitten men at this the front of saul grew darker than a blasted tower wall and seeing how there crouched upon his right aghast with fear a black amalekite he called and said i pray thee man of pain red from the scourge and recent from the chain set thou thy face to mine and stoutly stand with yonder bloody sword-hield in thy hand and fall upon me but the faltering hind stood trembling like a willow in the wind then further saul lest ashdod's vaunting hosts should bear me captive to their bleak blown coasts i pray thee smite me seeing peace has fled and rest lies wholly with the quiet dead at this a flood of sunset broke and smote keen blazing sapphires round a kingly throat touched arm and shoulder glittered in the crest and made swift starlights on a jewelled breast so starting forward like a loosened hound the stranger clutched the sword and wheeled it round and struck the lords anointed fierce and fleet philistia came with shouts and clattering feet by gaping gorges and by rough defile dark ashdod beat across a dusty mile hot hazers bowmen toiled from spire to spire and garth sprang upward like a gust of fire on either side did lipnar's lords appear and brass-clad timnath thundered in the rear mark akish mark south-west and south there sped a dabbled hireling from the dreadful dead mark achish mark the mighty front of saul great in his life and godlike in his fall this was the arm that broke philister's pride where kishon chaves his seaward-going tide this was the sword that smote till set of sun red garth from micmash unto ajalon low in the dust and israel scattered far and dead the trumps and crushed the hoofs of war so fell the king as it was said by him who hid his forehead in a mantle dim at bleak enda what time unholy rites vexed the long sleep of still samarian heights for bowed to earth before the hoary priest did he of kish withstand the smoking feast to fast in darkness and in sackcloth rolled and house with wild things in the biting cold because of sharpness lent to gaza's sword and judah widowed by the angry lord so silence came and when the outer verge of carmel takes the white and whistling surge hoarse hollow noises fill the caves and roar along the margin of the echoing shore thus war had thundered but as evening breaks across the silver of assyrian lakes when reapers rest and through the level red of sunset peace like holy oil is shed thus silence fell but israel's daughters crept outside their thresholds waited watched and wept then they that dwell beyond the flats and fens of sodden jordan and in gellid glens of jabesh gilead chosen chiefs and few around their loins the hasty girdle drew and faced the forests huddled fold on fold and dells of glimmering greenness manifold what time orion in the west did set a shining foot on hills of wind and wet these journeyed nightly till they reached the capes where ashdod revelled over heated grapes and while the feast was loud and scouts were turned from saul's bound body court by court they burned and bore the king athwart the place of tombs and hasted eastward through the tufted glooms nor broke the cake nor stayed the step till morn shot over debir's cones and crags forlorn from jabesh when the weeping virgins came in jabesh then they built the funeral flame with costly woods they piled the lordly pyre brought yellow oils and fed the perfect fire while round the crescent stately elders spread the flushing armour of the mighty dead with crown and spear and all the trophies won from many wars by israel's dreadful son thence when the feet of evening paused and stood on shadowy mountains and the roaring flood as through a rushing twilight full of rain the weak moon looked athwart gadara's plain the younger warriors bore the urn and broke the humid turf about a wintering oak and buried saul and fasting went their ways and hid their faces seven nights and days

In the Valley by Henry Kendall Read for LibriVox.org by Anne Fletcher In the Valley said the yellow-haired spirit of spring to the white-footed spirit of snow on the wings of the tempest take wing and leave me the valleys and go and straightway the streams were unchained and the frost fettered torrents broke free and the strength of the winter wind waned in the dawn of a light on the sea then a morning breeze followed and fell and the woods were alive and astir with the pulse of a song in the dell and a whisper of day in the fir swift rings of sweet water were rolled down the ways where the lily leaves grew and the green and the white and the gold were wedded with purple and blue but the lips of the flower of the rose said where is the ending hereof is it sweet with you life at the close is it sad to be emptied of love and the voice of the flower of the peach was tender and touching in tone when each has been grafted on each it is sorrow to live on alone then the leaves of the flower of the vine said what will there be in the day when the reapers are red with my wine and the forests are yellow and grey and the tremulous flower of the quince made answer three seasons ago my sisters were star-like But since their graves have been made in the snow, then the whispering flower of the fern said, Who will be sad at the death when summer blows over the burn with the fierceness of fire in her breath? And the mouth of the flower of the sedge was opened to murmur and sigh, sweet wind breaths that pause at the edge of the nightfall.

and falter, and die.

The season of the year was very hot and unhealthy, and though the allied army had thus far been victorious, still there was a great deal of sickness in the camp, and the soldiers were much exhausted by the fatigue which they had endured, and by their exposure to the sun.

Richard was desirous, notwithstanding this, to take the field again, and advance into the interior so as to follow up the victory which had been gained over Saladin at Azotus.

But his officers, especially those of the French division of the army under the command of the Duke of Burgundy, thought it not safe to move forward so soon.

It would be better to remain a short time in Jaffa, they said, to recruit the army and to prepare for advancing in a more secure and efficient manner.

In the meantime, Saladin had gathered his forces together again and was drawing fresh recruits every day to his standard from the interior of the country.

He was preparing for a more vigorous resistance than ever.

Richard has been strongly condemned for thus remaining inactive in Jaffa after the battle of Azotus.

Historians, narrating the account of his campaign, say that he ought to have marched at once towards Jerusalem before Saladin should have had time to organize any new means of resistance.

Let's go to verses 9 and 10.

Proclaim in the palaces at Ashdod and in the palaces in the land of Egypt and say, assemble on the mountains of Samaria, see great tumults in her midst and the oppressed within her.

For they do not know to do right, says the Lord, who store up violence and robbery in their palaces.

So, A little background here, Samaria was the capital of northern Israel.

Amos is telling Israel that even Ashdod and Egypt were morally superior to Israel.

And that's saying a lot.

Ashdod and Egypt were to watch what was to happen to Israel as a consequence of Israel's behavior.

Israel didn't just occasionally do wrong, it did wrong continuously.

So I was growing up with the youth there until the age of 14, 15.

Then I moved to another club named Ashdod.

When I was driving around one hour each way every day with my father most times.

And I was playing there around a year and a half.

And yes, as you mentioned, the travel is not easy.

But I feel for me, I cannot say I'm used to it, but all my life, as I told you, I was living very far from where I used to play.

So I was driving a lot every day, around two, three hours, just to get to Tel Aviv, to Ashdod, where I was playing.

So I know what's travel.