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Lunedi, 29 aprile 2024 - Santa Caterina da Siena ( Letture di oggi)

Ezekiel 8


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KING JAMES BIBLENEW JERUSALEM
1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me.1 In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting at home and the elders of Judah weresitting with me, when suddenly the hand of the Lord Yahweh fel on me there.
2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.2 I looked, and there was a form with the appearance of a human being. Downwards from what seemedto be the waist there was fire; and upwards from the waist there was a bril iance like the glitter of amber.
3 And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.3 Something like a hand was stretched out and it took me by a lock of my hair; and the spirit lifted mebetween heaven and earth and, in visions from God, took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance of the inner northgate, where stands the idol that provokes jealousy.
4 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, according to the vision that I saw in the plain.4 There was the glory of the God of Israel; it looked like what I had seen in the val ey.
5 Then said he unto me, Son of man, lift up thine eyes now the way toward the north. So I lifted up mine eyes the way toward the north, and behold northward at the gate of the altar this image of jealousy in the entry.5 He said, 'Son of man, raise your eyes to the north.' I raised my eyes to the north, and there, to the northof the altar gate, stood this statue of jealousy at the entrance.
6 He said furthermore unto me, Son of man, seest thou what they do? even the great abominations that the house of Israel committeth here, that I should go far off from my sanctuary? but turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations.6 He said, 'Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the monstrous, loathsome things that the Houseof Israel is practising here, to drive me out of my sanctuary? And you wil see practices more loathsome still.'
7 And he brought me to the door of the court; and when I looked, behold a hole in the wall.7 He next took me to the entrance to the court. I looked; there was a hole in the wal .
8 Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged in the wall, behold a door.8 He said, 'Son of man, bore through the wal .' I bored through the wall, until I had made an opening.
9 And he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here.9 He said, 'Go in and look at the loathsome things they are doing inside.'
10 So I went in and saw; and behold every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, pourtrayed upon the wall round about.10 I went in and looked and there was every kind of reptile and repulsive animal, and al the foul idols ofthe House of Israel, carved al round the walls.
11 And there stood before them seventy men of the ancients of the house of Israel, and in the midst of them stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan, with every man his censer in his hand; and a thick cloud of incense went up.11 Seventy elders of the House of Israel were worshipping the idols -- among them Jaazaniah son ofShaphan -- each one with his censer in his hand, from which rose a fragrant cloud of incense.
12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth.12 He said, 'Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the House of Israel do in the dark, each in hispersonal image-shrine? They say, "Yahweh cannot see us; Yahweh has abandoned the country." '
13 He said also unto me, Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do.13 He said, 'You wil see them at practices more loathsome stil .'
14 Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz.14 He next took me to the entrance of the north gate of the Temple of Yahweh where women were sitting,weeping for Tammuz.
15 Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations than these.15 He said, 'Son of man, do you see that? You will see even more loathsome things than that.'
16 And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD's house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.16 He then led me to the inner court of the Temple of Yahweh. And there, at the entrance to Yahweh'ssanctuary, between the portico and the altar, there were about twenty-five men, with their backs to Yahweh'ssanctuary and their faces turned towards the east. They were prostrating themselves to the east, before therising sun.
17 Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.17 He said to me, 'Son of man, do you see that? Is it not bad enough for the House of Judah to be doingthe loathsome things they are doing here? But they fil the country with violence and provoke my anger further;look at them now putting that branch to their nostrils.
18 Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.18 And so I shal react in fury; I shal show neither pity nor mercy. They may cry as loudly as they like to me; I wil not listen.'