Chapters:

• CHAPTER 46. Surmises.
• CHAPTER 47. The Mat-Maker.

Summary:
According to Ishmael, Ahab decides to allow the crew to pursue other whales on their way to capturing Moby Dick so that they don’t feel like the mission is putting their own financial interests at risk. Moreover, this plan also avoids them getting restless, and distracted from the fact that he’s in a vulnerable position if the crew were to mutiny.
At some point afterward, Ishmael and Queequeg are sitting together weaving a sword-mat. The mechanical-yet-imperfect process reminds Ishmael of the role of fate versus chance in one's own life. Suddenly, he hears a call from the masthead that a school of sperm whales was spotted in the distance. The crew begins assembling in the whaleboats to take off after the whales when their attentions are all drawn to Ahab, who is “surrounded by five dusky phantoms that seemed fresh formed out of air.”
Questions:

• Chapter 46 is called “Surmises,” indicating that Ishmael is merely guessing at what’s going on in Ahab’s brain. Other times, Ahab’s emotional states and even private conversations are presented as fact. Who or what is the narrator?
• Ahab’s hold on the crew is presented as being much more tenuous than in other chapters, almost having to trick them into staying under his command. What do you think is his greatest position of strength in this subtle negotiation? Weakest?
• Can you think of any examples from your own life (or historical examples) where you were acutely aware of that interplay between chance and free will?
• For those of you who are reading the book for the first time, were you hooked by the cliffhanger of the last line? Did you stop yourself from reading on?
• (ONGOING) Choose one of the references or allusions made in this week’s chapters to look up and post some more information about it

Upcoming:

• May 6 - May 12: Chapters 48-49
• May 13 - May 19: Chapters 50-52
• May 20 - May 26: Chapters 53-55
• May 27 - June 2: Chapters 55-57

I’m once again back with some numbers, let’s see which champions were the stars of the April Monthly Challenge!
First, I would like to thank all the people who contributed, the effort of the community made this possible! This data is based on 57 reports.
So the only champion that was top 10 in January, February, March, but not in April is:

• LeBlanc: 6th, 4th, 2nd and now 11th, looks like she wasn't really needed this time!

The champions, who are consistently top 10 are:

• Aurelion Sol (1, 1, 9, 3)
• Jinx (3, 2, 1, 2)
• Annie (9, 8, 8, 9)

I'm going through the top 10 most used champions in a decreasing order, indicating the average count of successful usages of the champions by players. This means that the maximum number would be 3 if every player would have used that champ 3 times successfully this month. Then I show the change compared to last month. I also highlight the challenges where they were the most common winners

10. Elise (1.77, -0.06)

After constantly rising, last month just missing the top 10, she made her debut here. She has some very good applications as she can fill the board quickly and deal a lot of damage fast. This month she was 1st pick in 1 challenge: 70 Unnatural Selection (The player’s units have Evolve.)

9. Annie (1.77, -0.10)

She is still a strong pick where spell and skill damage are boosted or spells are copied (Hello Dreadway Chase Gun!). This month she was 1st pick in 3 challenges: 1 Arms Race (Game Start: ALL players summon 2 Funsmiths.) 5 Repetition (When ANY player plays a spell, they copy it with the same targets.) 21 Blinking Flames (ALL spells and skills deal 1 extra damage.)

8. Lux (1.98, +0.28)

Another mage, the OG Lux, seems like we had many mutators this month liked by mages. She, unlike the previous ones, doesn't focus on throwing cheap damaging spells, but rather on some big ones, so she likes to have some extra mana at hand. This month she was 1st pick in 5 challenges: 12, 33, 64 Arcane Emissions (Game Start: ALL players start with 3 spell mana.) 37 Power Of Observation (Game Start: ALL players summon a Hextech Observatory.) 47 Nautical Nuisance (Round Start: Refill ALL players' spell mana.)

7. Nidalee (2.02, +0.32)

Our ambusher is back in the top 10, but this time she didn't have a special use apart from Small Stuff (with a 2nd place), she was rather used as a generalist. This month she was 1st pick in 0 challenges.

6. Diana (2.16, +0.12)

We had Forest Workout challenges again and Diana was ready for them! This month she was 1st pick in 3 challenges: 15, 26, 42 Forest Workout (ALL units have "Strike: Double my Power.")

5. Garen (2.18, +0.60)

The man is leaping back to action, while he did his part for Demacia, he was rather a generalist this time. This month he was 1st pick in 1 challenge: 11 Dutiful Service (Each round, the player's first Demacia card costs 1 less to play.)

4. Tahm Kench (2.19, +0.42)

Yeah, he likes Frenzied Fighting, and we like him there so much that Elise, Evelynn or Darius, some other good candidates, couldn't beat him in either of the occurrences. This month he was 1st pick in 4 challenges: 20, 30, 41, 62 Frenzied Fighting (The player's units have +2/+2. Round End: Deal 2 to all the player's units.)

3. Aurelion Sol (2.30, +0.45)

He is back in the top 3 now, used the most in the two challenges I deemed the two hardests. This month he was 1st pick in 2 challenges: 48 Vicious Kai'Sa with tentacle spawns and recalls 57 Vicious Undying Rage with Fiora and Yasuo

2. Jinx (2.35, +0.12)

Jinx had a higher use than last month, but this was only enough for 2nd place this time. Against some harder challenges many people used her to ensure victory. This month he was 1st pick in 2 challenges: 35 Let's Rock (Round Start: The Foe summons a Rockfall Path if they don't have one.) with Kai'Sa and Zed 65 Mercy Killings (Round End: Kill ALL damaged units.), Noxian Might II (Each round, the first time the Foe summons a unit, grant it +4/+0 and Overwhelm.) with Lee Sin and Katarina 68 Mercy Killings (Round End: Kill ALL damaged units.)

1. Master Yi (2.40, +0.98)

A new guy in the top 10 (26th, 14th, 25th previously) and he jumped straight to the 1st place. With the right mutators and build he can win round 1 or 2, and not a lot of champions can do this. This month he was 1st pick in 2 challenges: 51, 60 Vestige Of Helia (ALL spells cost 1 less, ALL units have SpellShield.) 53, 66 Natural Magic (All cards cost 2 less.)
My spreadsheet, where you can learn more: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bTf-RDkkw0uHkigrnuwxvLcsxfFIKNFLlwGuyDpwFJg/edit#gid=1693669316

Reader's Note: Feel free to read this in any order that suits you. Start from the introduction, the conclusion, or jump to any section you're interested in. Also, if you are going make a counter argument, please read the entire document as I may have already addressed or talked about your argument. Also, I may address a counter argument before or after you read the "Counterarguments" section. When I was writing this I was just sort of taking notes as I went and not organizing anything since I didn't think about sharing it with anyone. I only somewhat organized this and did so pretty quickly so don't expect this to be super well organized. I could have elaborated more, used different analogies, etc.

Intro

The Bible contains many references to slavery, which was a common practice in antiquity. Biblical texts outline sources and the legal status of slaves, economic roles of slavery, types of slavery, and debt slavery, which thoroughly explain the institution of slavery in Israel in antiquity.

Examples of Bible verses talking about slavery

I will use these 6 verses repeatedly in multiple examples:

• Leviticus 25:44–46: 44 "However, you may purchase male and female slaves from among the nations around you. 45 You may also purchase the children of temporary residents who live among you, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, 46 passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat them as slaves, but you must never treat your fellow Israelites this way."
  Context: This passage is part of the laws given to the Israelites regarding the Year of Jubilee which was a time of rest and release for the land and its people every fifty years. It specifies the conditions in which Israelites could own slaves and distinguishes between fellow Israelites and non-Israelites. Literal and legal.
  
• Exodus 21:2–6: 2 "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. 3 If he was single when he became your slave, he shall leave single. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife."
  Context: These verses are part of a larger set of laws given shortly after the Ten Commandments, focusing on the rights and treatment of Hebrew slaves. It details the procedure for releasing a Hebrew slave after six years of service. Literal and legal.
  
• Luke 12:47–48: 47 "And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn't prepared and doesn't carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. 48 But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.
  Context: This passage is from a parable spoken by Jesus, emphasizing the importance of being ready and faithful in service to God. It uses the analogy of a servant and master to illustrate accountability and the consequences of knowing versus not knowing the master's will. Metaphorical and spiritual.
  
• 1 Timothy 6:1–2: 1 All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching. 2 If the masters are believers, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. Those slaves should work all the harder because their efforts are helping other believers who are well loved.
  Context: These instructions are given by Paul in a letter to Timothy, guiding how Christians including those who are slaves should conduct themselves to uphold the teachings of Christianity. Literal, with a spiritual application.
  
• Ephesians 6:5: "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ."
  Context: Part of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, this verse is included in a section that gives household codes for Christians, addressing relationships between husbands and wives, children and parents, and slaves and masters. Literal, with a spiritual application.
  
• Exodus 21:20–21: 20 When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. 21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.
  Context: This is also part of the Mosaic Law, given by God to Moses to relay to the Israelites regarding the treatment of slaves. It specifically talks about the consequences for a master who physically harms a slave distinguishing between outcomes that lead to the slave's death versus survival. Literal and legal.
  

Questions:

• What is slavery?
  Slavery is "The ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labor." Slavery typically involves compulsory work with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. For most of human history slavery has been a feature of civilization and legal in most societies. Historically, enslavement could happen as a result of breaking the law, becoming indebted, suffering a military defeat, or exploitation for cheaper labor; other forms of slavery were instituted along demographic lines such as race and sex.
  Types of slavery:
  
  • Bondage/ Debt Slavery: When a person is forced to work to pay off a debt. They may be kept in enslavement for life or until debt is paid.
  • Voluntary Slavery: When a person voluntarily enters into slavery to pay a debt or earn money due to poverty.
  • Forced Labor: When a person is made to work against their will, often under the threat of violence or punishment.
  • Marriage slavery: People are forced into marriage against their will.
  • Blood slavery: Being born into slavery.
• What specific types of slavery are talked about in the bible?
  Both forced labor "However, you may purchase male and female slaves from among the nations around you. 45 You may also purchase the children of temporary residents who live among you, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property," and debt slavery "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom" were mainly talked about and acceptable in the Bible. Blood slavery was also allowed "You may also purchase the children of temporary residents who live among you, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property."
  
• Does the Bible support modern slavery?
  Passages like Ephesians 6:5 which say "Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ." And Exodus 21:20–21 which say "When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. 21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money." Phrases like "for the slave is his money" and "just as you would obey Christ" are reminiscent of the obedience expected and punishments given in 19th century/modern slavery. I can't find any moral rationale for passages such as Exodus 21:20-21, which allow beating a person nearly to death without consequence, as long as the victim survives a couple of days. This is justified on the grounds that "the slave is his money," treating human beings merely as property (Similar to 19th century slavery). Also as I said earlier, this passage is part of the Mosaic Law, given by God to Moses to relay to the Israelites. This passage a literal statement within the context of Mosaic Law. It provides specific legal regulations for the Israelites and is not presented as an analogy, spiritual, or metaphorical message.
  
• Does the Bible ever condemn slavery?
  There is no passage anywhere in the Bible which outright condemns slavery/Say something similar to "Thou shalt not kill". Yet, it does outright condemn things like murder, theft, etc. It only talks about what to do if you do have slaves but doesn't say it's wrong. This is a direct contradiction with Christian principles advocated for in the Bible such as:
  
  • Matthew 22:39 - "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" How can you love your neighbor when you can beat them to near death and own them as property?
  • James 2:8-9 - "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers." This passage talks about the sinfulness of treating people unequally, which is obviously contradictory to the hierarchical relationship inherent in slavery.

Bible verses which seemingly condemn slavery

While the Bible doesn't outright say slavery was bad, some may think it implies it because of verses like:

• Leviticus 22:11: "But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food." "buys." Why is this allowed when it goes against Christian principles? Verses like Galatians 3:28 clearly don't allow this.
  
• Job 31:13-15: "If I have denied justice to any of my servants, whether male or female, when they had a grievance against me, 14 what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account? 15 Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?" "denied justice" could literally just mean something like going too far in the beating of a slave/servant Exodus 21:20–21 Its not specified what this "denied justice" is referring to.
  
• Deuteronomy 24:14-15: "Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin." Its not clear if this refers to you simply reaching out to someone and actually hiring (Meaning you don't own them since I wouldn't consider someone who owns a slave as having "Hired" them. Hired usually implies you don't own them as property. It could just mean that they work for you because they are poor (If this is the case this is no condemnation of slavery since it would mean they aren't a slave) However, if this is talking about voluntary slavery for example because they need money (I guess sure, here we can say they were "hired"), then all it means is you must pay the slave. It doesn't specify if you can hit the slave or how you can treat them during the duration of the slavery (using other verses - Exodus 21:20–21 we can assume you could probably beat the slave).
  
• Malachi 3:5: "So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me," says the LORD Almighty. "defraud laborers of their wages" What I said about Deuteronomy 24:14-15 applies here as well. Only talking about paying a slave. This also obviously only applies to slaves who even get paid to begin with.
  
• Exodus 21:16 - "He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death." This has nothing to do with slavery since its talking about kidnaping. Although "or if he is found in his hand" could mean being a slave. The problem is that its only seen as bad because the slave was kidnapped not because they are a literal slave that can be treated as property.
  
• Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Some may say this verse is a direct condemnation of slavery since it mentions unity and equality among all believers in Christ, regardless of their social status or identity. However, it does not explicitly prohibit slavery. Because of the use of the phrase "For you are all one in Christ" I think its more reasonable to assume this only refers to spiritual equality since it never directly addresses or outlaws the physical practice of slavery. This is even more notable when compared with other explicit biblical commandments, such as "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17), which clearly forbid certain actions. The fact that there is no unequivocal commandment against slavery in a book which is meant to tell you what's right and wrong says a lot. Mix this in with explicit instructions found in other verses on the treatment of slaves and the absence of a direct prohibition against the practice of slavery, it is obvious that the Bible permits slavery within its social and legal frameworks. Slavery was common back then however the problem is that bible accepts that and never condemns it. It would be like if murder was wide spread so the bible never condemned it and told you how to commit it.
  

Counterarguments

• Slavery was different back then
  No it wasn't. This is clearly evident by the way slaves were talked about. When the Bible says things like "for the slave is his money" "severely punished" (Remember, Exodus 21:20–21 allows beating a person nearly to death without consequence, as long as the victim survives a couple of days.) "just as you would obey Christ" it sounds a lot like the obedience expected and punishments given in 19th century/modern slavery. When you hear things like this its clear slavery in the Bible was very similar to 19th century slavery in which humans beings were treated as merely property just with some extra restrictions.
  
• Even if the bible doesn't condemn slavery it doesn't mean it supports it
  Imagine if the Bible never told you murder was bad and in fact told you how to participate in it. "You may only stab the legs and arms, never the heart." Its the exact same with slavery. By not condemning it and instead offering instructions on participation, it essentially amounts to support. Or else I don't know why it talks so much about buying, owning, and beating slaves.
  
• The use of "bondsmen" in the literal language is not a slave.
  In Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, the word for "slave" initially meant "Bondsmen". The term 'ebhedh,' commonly found in the Old Testament, translates to "the ordinary slave," whether foreign (e.g., Genesis 43:18; 44:9,33; Leviticus 25:44,46) or Hebrew (e.g., Leviticus 25:42; 2 Kings 4:1). Its like calling a car an "Automobile." Different word same meaning. Also, some people say this means debt slaves. However even if they were debt slaves, they were still slaves and could be treated as such. I don't see how being a debt slave makes anything better. For servant which is "a person who performs duties for others, especially a person employed in a house on domestic duties" it could indeed refer to something other the slavery. However judging off the contexts in which this word is often used, its usually indicative of actual slavery (for example replace the word "slave" with servant here Leviticus 25:44–46).
  
• Being a debt slave is better then being poor
  This is offering a horrible alternative for another horrible alternative. In fact, being poor may have been better. Debt slavery removes your control over your own life. You're forced to work to pay off the debt, probably under harsh conditions and with little to no control over your work. That's like if I saved someone from burning alive (poverty) by drowning them (Debt slavery).
  
• You can have slaves Ethically
  How can you have slaves ethically when they are your property, you own them, can beat them till near death, and can sell them? just the fact alone the Bible allows for you to own a person is obviously contradictory to other passages (James 2:8-9).
  
• Interpretations vary
  Sure, however they vary mostly on metaphorical verses. They don't however vary as much for something like "Thou shalt not kill" do they? Leviticus 25:44–46 Exodus 21:2–6 Exodus 21:20–21
  
• It was common back then/Historical context
  Just because it was common doesn't make it right. Does the bible bend to what is socially acceptable even if its morally wrong and goes against all of gods principles? Doesn't god surpass humans in knowledge as well as morality? God doesn't support slavery according to principles yet there are passages (Exodus 21:20–21) where god himself directly explains how to manage slaves and definitely not ethically. Imagine if god never condemned murder but actively told people how to properly murder someone.
  
• Reddit counter argument I found to Exodus Exodus 21:20–21:
  This verse is always ripped from it's context because it can be made to sound like permission to beat a slave "When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed, then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed. Exodus 21:18-19
  

What is happening here is a law exists that requires that if people fight and one is caused to be injured, that the offender pays for the time the other can't work. V20 is an exception since the slaves work is already for the benefit of the owner. The time lost is already at the cost of the owner. So no payment needs to be made.
Also, other laws are still in affect. As we can see in v20 if the slave dies he is to be avenged.
Also, if the slave is injured in a permanent way such as losing a tooth, he is likely to go free as we can see just a few verses later
"When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth. Exodus 21:26-27
So this verse is in no way permission to beat a slave as it is often claimed."
My Counter Argument: This context does NOT disprove that Exodus 21:20-21 allows for the beating of a slave but just talks about how the laws sought to regulate behavior including how slaves should be treated by creating certain restrictions and penalties. Regardless of the extra context, when we combine Exodus 21:20-21 in light of the surrounding verses, it's clear that while yes, there was a legal framework that acknowledged the value of a slave's life (by requiring the avenging of a slave's death) it also shows a clear societal hierarchy where slaves were regarded as property. "If the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money" obviously this implies a degree of leniency towards the owner's actions, again reflecting that slave-owner relationship. These laws attempt to balance the interests of slave owners with certain protections for slaves, albeit its still within a system that inherently lacked equality. The context only sets forth the conditions under which physical discipline could occur, alongside the penalties or lack thereof, depending on the outcome of such actions. This argument attempts to frame the passage as merely a legal technicality where it doesn't support slaves being beat. However the fact still remains that a slave owner could beat their slave with enough severity to necessitate days of recovery without significant consequence. Again, when you never condemn something even if it obviously goes against all your morals, it says a lot. You have permission to beat your slave, just to an extend (Near death) Also, once again, lets not forget that this verse is part of the Mosaic Law, given by God himself to Moses to relay to the Israelites regarding the treatment of slaves.

Conclusion

The Bible not only never condemns slavery, but also supports it.
When you consider the prevalence of slavery in biblical times and its direct contradiction with the core moral teachings of the Bible you would expect it to be littered with passages unequivocally condemning such a widely recognized evil practice. But instead, apart from never denouncing slavery, the Bible provides detailed instructions on managing and participating in it.
When juxtaposed with the Bible's explicit commandments against other immoral acts, this silence on slavery is very telling.
(I like murder analogy a lot) If the Bible never condemned murder but, instead, provided guidelines for permissible types of killing, we'd rightly conclude it condones violence. The same logic applies to slavery.

Just tried to reset the price a bit, this food was around 35g in s3 so I thought 20-22 would be fine (it was around 12 in EU, spent around 1 mln gold, and then this happened ;
[08:00:34] [W To] [Benjman-Arc]: why you undercutting bvy 3 g? [08:00:55] [W From] [Benjman-Arc]: why not ? [08:01:03] [W To] [Benjman-Arc]: coz it will sell anyway ? [08:01:08] [W From] [Benjman-Arc]: no [08:01:11] [W From] [Benjman-Arc]: i have big stocks [08:01:23] [W To] [Benjman-Arc]: how big ? :) [08:01:29] [W From] [Benjman-Arc]: in 1h price will be at 12g so... [08:01:49] [W To] [Benjman-Arc]: well if peoplke will undercut without sense then yes [08:01:59] [W To] [Benjman-Arc]: if we will control market then no :P [08:02:25] [W From] [Benjman-Arc]: it's not without sense, cost to make them is low [08:02:42] [W To] [Benjman-Arc]: people who buying it dont care [08:02:48] [W To] [Benjman-Arc]: they are m+/raiders [08:02:54] [W To] [Benjman-Arc]: needit and have no idea about crafting :P [08:03:11] [W From] [Benjman-Arc]: y but I prefer to sell at 19g than no sell at 22 [08:03:31] [W From] [Benjman-Arc]: it's a matter of minute someone come and put 50K at 12g [08:04:16] [W To] [Benjman-Arc]: its early , it should keep the price till 15-16 [08:04:26] [W From] [Benjman-Arc]: y maybe
​
This guy dropped the price to 15,5g within 20 minutes, only we posted auctions during this time.
​
It's normal and it's not worth resetting fast markets anymore?

The ice queen you melted away so long ago is back my heart is cold and bitter like I was bf you came along loosing you isn't a bad thing really it reminded me of who I am bf you and IDOC brain washed me tried to turn me into something I'm not the fact of the matter is this I learbed alot from you things that I'll take to my grave you taught me how to survive how to get even with those ppl you taught me how to utilize the 48 laws and you taught me the art of Seduction someday i hope it all bites you in the ass. The biggest comfort I have is the next 12 years of your life you won't have what I have seen u go be that gangster u call your self be flashy and shit like you were. being without you I have way less enemies and I'm cool with that it's funny how someone whom was sent to hurt me bc of you has now fallen for me and showed me what a piece of trash you are I have giving you everything but I won't give you my life