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

Acts of the Apostles 9


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1'When Yahweh your God has annihilated the nations whose country Yahweh your God is going to giveyou, and you have dispossessed them and are living in their towns and in their houses,2you must set aside three towns, central y placed in the country which Yahweh your God is giving youfor your own.3You wil keep the approaches to them in good order, dividing the area of the country which Yahwehyour God is giving you as your heritage, into three parts, so that any kil er can flee to these towns.4Here is an example of how someone may save his life by fleeing to them. 'If anyone has struck hisfel ow accidental y, without any previous feud with him5(for example, he goes with his fel ow into the forest to cut wood; his arm swings the axe to fel a tree;the head slips off the handle and strikes his companion dead), that man may take refuge in one of these townsand save his life.6It must not be allowed that the avenger of blood, in the heat of his anger, should pursue the kil er andthat the length of the road should help him to overtake and wound him fatal y; for the man has not deserved todie, having had no previous feud with his victim.7'Hence I am giving you this order: You must set aside three towns,8and if Yahweh your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors that he would, andgives you the whole country which he promised to give to your ancestors-9provided that you keep and observe al the commandments which I am enjoining on you today, lovingYahweh your God and always following his ways-then, to those three towns you wil add three more.10In this way, innocent blood will not be shed in the country which Yahweh your God is going to giveyou as your heritage; otherwise you would incur blood-guilt.11'But if it happens that a man has a feud with his fel ow and lies in wait for him and attacks him andfatal y wounds him and he dies, and the man takes refuge in one of these towns,12the elders of his own town must send there and have him taken and handed over to the avenger ofblood, to be put to death.13You must show him no pity. You must banish the shedding of innocent blood from Israel, and thenyou wil prosper.14'You must not displace your neighbour's boundary mark, positioned by men of old in the heritagesoon to be yours, in the country which Yahweh your God is about to give you.15'A single witness wil not suffice to convict anyone of a crime or offence of any kind; whatever themisdemeanour, the evidence of two witnesses or three is required to sustain the charge.16'If someone gives false evidence against anyone, laying a charge of apostasy,17both parties to this dispute before Yahweh must appear before the priests and judges then in office.18The judges wil make a careful enquiry, and if it turns out that the witness is a liar and has made a false accusation against his brother,19you must treat the witness as he would have treated his brother. You must banish this evil fromamong you.20The rest, hearing of this, wil be afraid and never again do such an evil thing among you.21You must show no pity. 'Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.'