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Giovedi, 28 marzo 2024 - San Castore di Tarso ( Letture di oggi)

Exodus 14


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1Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,2'Tel the Israelites to turn back and pitch camp in front of Pi-Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea,facing Baal-Zephon. You must pitch your camp opposite this place, beside the sea,3and then Pharaoh wil think, "The Israelites are wandering to and fro in the countryside; the desert hasclosed in on them."4I shal then make Pharaoh stubborn and he wil set out in pursuit of them; and I shall win glory formyself at the expense of Pharaoh and his whole army, and then the Egyptians wil know that I am Yahweh.' Andthe Israelites did this.5When Pharaoh king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, he and his officials changed theirattitude towards the people. 'What have we done,' they said, 'allowing Israel to leave our service?'6So Pharaoh had his chariot harnessed and set out with his troops,7taking six hundred of the best chariots and al the other chariots in Egypt, with officers in each.8Yahweh made Pharaoh king of Egypt stubborn, and he gave chase to the Israelites. The Israelitesmarched confidently away,9but the Egyptians, al Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, his horsemen and his army, gave chase andcaught up with them where they lay encamped beside the sea near Pi-Hahiroth, facing Baal-Zephon.10As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up -- and there were the Egyptians in pursuit of them!The Israelites were terrified and cried out to Yahweh for help.11To Moses they said, 'Was it for lack of graves in Egypt, that you had to lead us out to die in thedesert? What was the point of bringing us out of Egypt?12Did we not tell you as much in Egypt? Leave us alone, we said, we would rather work for theEgyptians! We prefer to work for the Egyptians than to die in the desert!'13Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid! Stand firm, and you wil see what Yahweh wil do torescue you today: the Egyptians you see today you wil never see again.14Yahweh will do the fighting for you; al you need to do is to keep calm.'15Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Why cry out to me? Tel the Israelites to march on.16Your part is to raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that theIsraelites can walk through the sea on dry ground,17while I, for my part, shal make the Egyptians so stubborn that they wil follow them, and I shall winglory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and al his army, chariots and horsemen.18And when I have won glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and his chariots and horsemen, theEgyptians wil know that I am Yahweh.'19Then the angel of God, who preceded the army of Israel, changed station and fol owed behind them.The pil ar of cloud moved from their front and took position behind them.20It came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. The cloud was dark, and the nightpassed without the one drawing any closer to the other the whole night long.21Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh drove the sea back with a strongeasterly wind al night and made the sea into dry land. The waters were divided22and the Israelites went on dry ground right through the sea, with wal s of water to right and left ofthem.23The Egyptians gave chase, and all Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea afterthem.24In the morning watch, Yahweh looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pil ar of fire andcloud and threw the Egyptian army into confusion.25He so clogged their chariot wheels that they drove on only with difficulty, which made the Egyptianssay, 'Let us flee from Israel, for Yahweh is fighting on their side against the Egyptians!'26Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea and let the waters flow back on theEgyptians and on their chariots and their horsemen.'27Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its bed. The fleeingEgyptians ran straight into it, and Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea.28The returning waters washed right over the chariots and horsemen of Pharaoh's entire army, whichhad fol owed the Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left.29The Israelites, however, had marched through the sea on dry ground, with wal s of water to right andleft of them.30That day, Yahweh rescued Israel from the clutches of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptianslying dead on the sea-shore.31When Israel saw the mighty deed that Yahweh had performed against the Egyptians, the peoplerevered Yahweh and put their faith in Yahweh and in Moses, his servant.