¹ LA parola del Signore mi fu ancora indirizzata, dicendo:

² E tu, figliuol d’uomo, non giudicherai tu, non giudicherai tu la città di sangue, e non le farai tu conoscere tutte le sue abbominazioni? Di’ adunque:

³ Così ha detto il Signore Iddio: Il tempo della città che spande il sangue dentro di sè, e che fa degl’idoli contro a sè stessa, per contaminarsi, viene.

⁴ Tu ti sei resa colpevole per lo tuo sangue, che tu hai sparso; e ti sei contaminata per li tuoi idoli, che tu hai fatti; ed hai fatti avvicinare i tuoi giorni, e sei giunta alla fine de’ tuoi anni; perciò, ti ho messa in vituperio appo le nazioni, e in derizione appo tutti i paesi.

⁵ I paesi che son vicini, e quelli che son lontani di te, si faran beffe di te, o tu contaminata di fama, grande in ruina.

⁶ Ecco, i principi d’Israele, dentro di te, si son dati a spandere il sangue, ciascuno secondo il suo potere.

⁷ Si è sprezzato in te padre, e madre; si è usata storsione contra il forestiere in mezzo di te; si è oppressato in te l’orfano, e la vedova.

⁸ Tu hai sprezzate le mie cose sante, ed hai profanati i miei sabati.

⁹ Uomini sparlatori, e calunniatori sono stati in mezzo di te, per ispandere il sangue; e si è mangiato in te sopra i monti; si son commesse scelleratezze in mezzo di te.

¹⁰ Le vergogne del padre si sono scoperte in te; si è sforzata in te la donna appartata per la sua immondizia.

¹¹ L’uno ha commessa abbominazione con la moglie del suo prossimo; l’altro ha contaminata la sua nuora con iscelleratezza; e l’altro ha violata la sua sorella, figliuola di suo padre, dentro di te.

¹² Si son presi presenti in te, per ispandere il sangue; tu hai presa usura, e vantaggio, ed hai frodati i tuoi prossimi con oppressione, e mi hai dimenticato, dice il Signore Iddio.

¹³ Laonde ecco, io mi son battuto a palme, per la tua avarizia, che hai usata; e per lo tuo sangue che è stato in mezzo di te.

¹⁴ Potrà il cuor tuo esser fermo, o le tue mani esser forti al tempo che io opererò contro a te? Io, il Signore, ho parlato, ed altresì opererò.

¹⁵ E ti dispergerò fra le nazioni, io ti sventolerò per i paesi, e farò venir meno in te la tua immondizia.

¹⁶ E tu sarai profanata dentro di te, nel cospetto delle nazioni; e conoscerai che io sono il Signore.

¹⁷ La parola del Signore mi fu ancora indirizzata, dicendo:

¹⁸ Figliuol d’uomo, la casa d’Israele mi è divenuta schiuma; tutti quanti son rame, e stagno, e ferro, e piombo, in mezzo d’un fornello; son divenuti schiuma d’argento.

¹⁹ Perciò, così ha detto il Signore Iddio: Perciocchè voi tutti siete divenuti schiume, però, ecco, io vi raduno in mezzo di Gerusalemme.

²⁰ Come si raduna l’argento, e il rame, e il ferro, e il piombo, e lo stagno, in mezzo d’un fornello, per soffiarvi su il fuoco per fonder quelle cose: così vi raccorrò nella mia ira, e nel mio cruccio, e vi porrò quivi, e vi struggerò.

²¹ Così vi radunerò, e soffierò sopra voi nel fuoco della mia indegnazione; e voi sarete strutti in mezzo di quella.

²² Come l’argento si strugge nel fornello, così sarete strutti in mezzo di quella; e voi conoscerete che io, il Signore, avrò versata l’ira mia sopra voi.

²³ La parola del Signore mi fu ancora indirizzata, dicendo:

²⁴ Figliuol d’uomo, dille: Tu sei un paese che non sei stato nettato, che non sei stato bagnato d’alcuna pioggia nel giorno del cruccio.

²⁵ Vi è una cospirazione de’ suoi profeti in mezzo di lei; han divorate le anime come un leone ruggente, che rapisce la preda; han tolte le facoltà, e le cose preziose; han moltiplicate le vedove in mezzo di essa.

²⁶ I suoi sacerdoti han violata la mia Legge, ed han profanate le mie cose sante; non han posta differenza tra la cosa santa, e la profana, e non hanno insegnato a discerner tra la cosa monda, e l’immonda; e si sono turati gli occhi, per non prender guardia a’ miei sabati, ed io sono stato profanato nel mezzo di loro.

²⁷ I suoi principi sono stati dentro di essa come lupi che rapiscono la preda, spandendo il sangue, e distruggendo le anime, per saziar la loro avarizia.

²⁸ E i suoi profeti han fatto loro uno smalto mal tegnente; hanno avute visioni di vanità, ed hanno loro indovinata menzogna, dicendo: Così ha detto il Signore Iddio; benchè il Signore non avesse parlato.

²⁹ Il popolo del paese ha fatte delle storsioni, e rapine, ed han fatta violenza al povero, ed al bisognoso; hanno oppressato il forestiere, senza che gli si sia fatta ragione.

³⁰ Ed io ho cercato d’infra loro alcuno che facesse alcun riparo; e che si presentasse davanti a me alla rottura, per lo paese; acciocchè io non lo desertassi; ma non ne ho trovato alcuno.

³¹ Perciò, io spanderò sopra loro l’ira mia; io li consumerò col fuoco della mia indegnazione; io renderò loro la lor via in sul capo, dice il Signore Iddio.

²⁵ Quest’è la tua sorte, la parte delle tue misure, da parte mia, dice il Signore; perciocchè tu mi hai dimenticato, e ti sei confidata in menzogna.

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

² "Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' houses,

³ from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all who enter into the service, to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

⁴ "This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting, the most holy things.

⁵ When the camp moves forward, Aaron shall go in, and his sons, and they shall take down the veil of the screen, and cover the ark of the Testimony with it,

⁶ and shall put a covering of sealskin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth all of blue, and shall put in its poles.

⁷ "On the table of show bread they shall spread a blue cloth, and put on it the dishes, the spoons, the bowls, and the cups with which to pour out; and the continual bread shall be on it.

⁸ They shall spread on them a scarlet cloth, and cover the same with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in its poles.

⁹ "They shall take a blue cloth, and cover the lampstand of the light, and its lamps, and its snuffers, and its snuff dishes, and all its oil vessels, with which they minister to it.

¹⁰ They shall put it and all its vessels within a covering of sealskin, and shall put it on the frame.

¹¹ "On the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth, and cover it with a covering of sealskin, and shall put in its poles.

¹² "They shall take all the vessels of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame.

¹³ "They shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth on it.

¹⁴ They shall put on it all its vessels, with which they minister about it, the fire pans, the flesh hooks, the shovels, and the basins; all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of sealskin, and put in its poles.

¹⁵ "When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary, and all the furniture of the sanctuary, as the camp moves forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it: but they shall not touch the sanctuary, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the Tent of Meeting.

¹⁶ "The duty of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest shall be the oil for the light, the sweet incense, the continual meal offering, and the anointing oil, the requirements of all the tabernacle, and of all that is in it, the sanctuary, and its furnishings."

¹⁷ Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,

¹⁸ "Don't cut off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites;

¹⁹ but thus do to them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them everyone to his service and to his burden;

²⁰ but they shall not go in to see the sanctuary even for a moment, lest they die."

²¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

²² "Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses, by their families;

²³ you shall count them from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old; all who enter in to wait on the service, to do the work in the Tent of Meeting.

²⁴ "This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in bearing burdens:

²⁵ they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle, and the Tent of Meeting, its covering, and the covering of sealskin that is above on it, and the screen for the door of the Tent of Meeting,

²⁶ and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and around the altar, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatever shall be done with them. Therein shall they serve.

²⁷ At the commandment of Aaron and his sons shall be all the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their burden, and in all their service; and you shall appoint their duty to them in all their responsibilities.

²⁸ This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the Tent of Meeting: and their duty shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

²⁹ "As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers' houses;

³⁰ you shall count them from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who enters on the service, to do the work of the Tent of Meeting.

³¹ This is the duty of their burden, according to all their service in the Tent of Meeting: the tabernacle's boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets,

³² and the pillars of the court around it, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their instruments, and with all their service: and by name you shall appoint the instruments of the duty of their burden.

³³ This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the Tent of Meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest."

³⁴ Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers' houses,

³⁵ from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting.

³⁶ Those who were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred fifty.

³⁷ These are those who were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.

³⁸ Those who were numbered of the sons of Gershon, their families, and by their fathers' houses,

³⁹ from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,

⁴⁰ even those who were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers' houses, were two thousand six hundred thirty.

⁴¹ These are those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, all who served in the Tent of Meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Yahweh.

⁴² Those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers' houses,

⁴³ from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered into the service, for work in the Tent of Meeting,

⁴⁴ even those who were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand two hundred.

⁴⁵ These are those who were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of Yahweh by Moses.

⁴⁶ All those who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers' houses,

⁴⁷ from thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the Tent of Meeting,

⁴⁸ even those who were numbered of them, were eight thousand five hundred eighty.

⁴⁹ According to the commandment of Yahweh they were numbered by Moses, everyone according to his service, and according to his burden. Thus were they numbered by him, as Yahweh commanded Moses.