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

Numbers 11


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1Now the people began to complain, which was offensive to Yahweh's ears. When Yahweh heard, hisanger was aroused and the fire of Yahweh broke out among them; it devoured one end of the camp.2The people appealed to Moses who interceded with Yahweh and the fire died down.3So the place was cal ed Taberah, because the fire of Yahweh had broken out among them.4The rabble who had joined the people were feeling the pangs of hunger, and the Israelites began toweep again. 'Who wil give us meat to eat?' they said.5'Think of the fish we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic!6But now we are withering away; there is nothing wherever we look except this manna!'7The manna was like coriander seed and had the appearance of bdellium.8The people went round gathering it, and ground it in a mill or crushed it with a pestle; it was thencooked in a pot and made into pancakes. It tasted like cake made with oil.9When the dew fell on the camp at night-time, the manna fell with it.10Moses heard the people weeping, each family at the door of its tent. Yahweh's anger was greatlyaroused; Moses too found it disgraceful,11and he said to Yahweh: 'Why do you treat your servant so badly? In what respect have I failed towin your favour, for you to lay the burden of al these people on me?12Was it I who conceived all these people, was I their father, for you to say to me, "Carry them in yourarms, like a foster-father carrying an unweaned child, to the country which I swore to give their fathers"?13Where am I to find meat to give al these people, pestering me with their tears and saying, "Give usmeat to eat"?14I cannot carry al these people on my own; the weight is too much for me.15If this is how you mean to treat me, please kil me outright! If only I could win your favour and bespared the sight of my misery!'16Yahweh said to Moses, 'Col ect me seventy of the elders of Israel, men you know to be the people'selders and scribes. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting, and let them stand beside you there.17I shall come down and talk to you there and shal take some of the spirit which is on you and put iton them. Then they wil bear the burden of the people with you, and you will no longer have to bear it on yourown.18'And say to the people, "Purify yourselves for tomorrow and you wil have meat to eat, since youhave wept in Yahweh's hearing, saying: Who wil give us meat to eat? How happy we were in Egypt! Very wel ,Yahweh wil give you meat to eat.19You wil eat it not for one day, or two, or five, or ten or twenty,20but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and sickens you, since you have rejectedYahweh who is among you, and have wept before him saying: Why did we ever leave Egypt?" '21Moses said, 'The people round me number six hundred thousand foot soldiers, and you say, "I shalgive them meat to eat for a whole month"!22If al the flocks and herds were slaughtered, would that be enough for them? If al the fish in the seaswere collected, would that be enough for them?'23Yahweh said to Moses, 'Is the arm of Yahweh so short? You shal see whether the promise I havemade to you comes true or not.'24Moses went out and told the people what Yahweh had said. Then he col ected seventy of thepeople's elders and stationed them round the Tent.25Yahweh descended in the cloud. He spoke to him and took some of the spirit that was on him andput it on the seventy elders. When the spirit came on them they prophesied -- but only once.26Two men had stayed back in the camp; one was called Eldad and the other Medad. The spirit camedown on them; though they had not gone to the Tent, their names were enrol ed among the rest. These began toprophesy in the camp.27A young man ran to tel Moses this. 'Look,' he said, 'Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.'28Joshua son of Nun, who had served Moses since he was a boy, spoke up and said, 'My lord Moses,stop them!'29Moses replied, 'Are you jealous on my account? If only al Yahweh's people were prophets, andYahweh had given them his spirit!'30Moses then went back to the camp with the elders of Israel.31A wind, sent by Yahweh, started blowing from the sea bringing quails which it deposited on thecamp. They lay for a distance of a day's march either side of the camp, two cubits thick on the ground.32The people were up al that day and night and all the next day collecting quails: the least gatheredby anyone was ten homer; then they spread them out round the camp.33The meat was still between their teeth, not even chewed, when Yahweh's anger was aroused by thepeople. Yahweh struck them with a very great plague.34The name given to this place was Kibroth-ha-Taavah, because it was there that they buried thepeople who had indulged their greed.35From Kibroth-ha-Taavah the people set out for Hazeroth, and at Hazeroth they pitched camp.