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Venerdi, 29 marzo 2024 - Santi Simplicio e Costantino ( Letture di oggi)

Isaiah 44


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1And now listen, Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen.2Thus says Yahweh who made you, who formed you in the womb; he will help you. Do not be afraid,Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen.3For I shal pour out water on the thirsty soil and streams on the dry ground. I shal pour out my spirit onyour descendants, my blessing on your offspring,4and they wil spring up among the grass, like wil ows on the banks of a stream.5One person wil say, 'I belong to Yahweh,' another wil cal himself by Jacob's name. On his handanother wil write 'Yahweh's' and be surnamed 'Israel'.6Thus says Yahweh, Israel's king, Yahweh Sabaoth, his redeemer: I am the first and I am the last; thereis no God except me.7Who is like me? Let him cal out, let him affirm it and convince me it is so; let him say what has beenhappening since I instituted an eternal people, and predict to them what will happen next!8Have no fear, do not be afraid: have I not told you and revealed it long ago? You are my witnesses. Isthere any God except me? There is no Rock; I know of none.9The makers of idols are all nothingness; the works they delight in serve no purpose. And these are thewitness against them: they see nothing, they know nothing; and so they wil be put to shame.10Who ever fashioned a god or cast an image without hope of gain?11Watch how al its devotees wil be put to shame, and the men who made it too, who are only human.Let them al assemble, let them stand forward and feel both fear and shame!12The blacksmith makes an axe over the charcoal, beats it into shape with a hammer, works on it withhis strong arm. Then he feels hungry and his strength deserts him; having drunk no water, he is exhausted.13The wood carver takes his measurements, outlines the image with chalk, executes it with the chisel,fol owing the outline with a compass. He makes it look like a human being, with human standards of beauty, sothat it can reside in a house.14He has cut down cedars, has selected an oak and a terebinth which he has grown for himself amongthe trees in the forest and has planted a pine tree which the rain has nourished.15Once it is suitable to burn, he takes some of it to warm himself; having kindled it, he bakes bread. Buthe also makes a god and worships it; he makes an idol from it and bows down before it.16Half of it he burns on the fire, over this half he roasts meat, eats it and is replete; at the same time hewarms himself and says, 'Ah, how warm I am, watching the flames!'17With the remainder he makes a god, his idol, bows down before it, worships it and prays to it. 'Save me,' he says, 'for you are my god.'18They know nothing, they understand nothing, since their eyes are incapable of seeing and their heartsof reflecting.19Not one of them looks into his heart, not one of them has the knowledge and wit to think, 'I burned halfof it on the fire and cooked food over the embers. Am I right to make something disgusting out of what is left?Am I right to bow down before a block of wood?'20He hankers after ashes, his deluded heart has led him astray; he wil not save himself, he will notthink, 'What I have in my hand is nothing but a lie!'21Remember these things, Jacob, and Israel, since you are my servant. I formed you, you are myservant; Israel, I shall not forget you.22I have dispel ed your acts of revolt like a cloud and your sins like a mist. Come back to me, for I haveredeemed you.23Heavens, shout for joy, for Yahweh has acted! Underworld, shout aloud! Shout for joy, you mountains,forests and al your trees! For Yahweh has redeemed Jacob and displayed his glory in Israel.24Thus says Yahweh, your redeemer, he who formed you in the womb: I, Yahweh, have made althings, I alone spread out the heavens. When I hammered the earth into shape, who was with me?25I, who foil the omens of soothsayers and make fools of diviners, who confound sages turning theirknowledge into folly,26who confirm the word of my servant and make the plans of my envoys succeed; who say toJerusalem, 'You wil be inhabited,' and to the towns of Judah, 'You wil be rebuilt and I shall restore the ruins ofJerusalem';27who say to the ocean, 'Dry up! I shal make your rivers run dry';28who say to Cyrus, 'My shepherd.' He wil perform my entire wil by saying to Jerusalem, 'You wil berebuilt,' and to the Temple, 'You wil be refounded.'