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L'ordine di partenza

33 Il Signore parlò a Mosè: «Su, esci di qui tu e il popolo che hai fatto uscire dal paese d'Egitto, verso la terra che ho promesso con giuramento ad Abramo, a Isacco e a Giacobbe, dicendo: Alla tua discendenza la darò. Manderò davanti a te un angelo e scaccerò il Cananeo, l'Amorreo, l'Hittita, il Perizzita, l'Eveo e il Gebuseo. Và pure verso la terra dove scorre latte e miele... Ma io non verrò in mezzo a te, per non doverti sterminare lungo il cammino, perché tu sei un popolo di dura cervice».

Il popolo udì questa triste notizia e tutti fecero lutto: nessuno più indossò i suoi ornamenti.

Il Signore disse a Mosè: «Riferisci agli Israeliti: Voi siete un popolo di dura cervice; se per un momento io venissi in mezzo a te, io ti sterminerei. Ora togliti i tuoi ornamenti e poi saprò che cosa dovrò farti».

Gli Israeliti si spogliarono dei loro ornamenti dal monte Oreb in poi.

La tenda

Mosè a ogni tappa prendeva la tenda e la piantava fuori dell'accampamento, ad una certa distanza dall'accampamento, e l'aveva chiamata tenda del convegno; appunto a questa tenda del convegno, posta fuori dell'accampamento, si recava chiunque volesse consultare il Signore.

Quando Mosè usciva per recarsi alla tenda, tutto il popolo si alzava in piedi, stando ciascuno all'ingresso della sua tenda: guardavano passare Mosè, finché fosse entrato nella tenda. Quando Mosè entrava nella tenda, scendeva la colonna di nube e restava all'ingresso della tenda. Allora il Signore parlava con Mosè. 10 Tutto il popolo vedeva la colonna di nube, che stava all'ingresso della tenda e tutti si alzavano e si prostravano ciascuno all'ingresso della propria tenda. 11 Così il Signore parlava con Mosè faccia a faccia, come un uomo parla con un altro. Poi questi tornava nell'accampamento, mentre il suo inserviente, il giovane Giosuè figlio di Nun, non si allontanava dall'interno della tenda.

Preghiera di Mosè

12 Mosè disse al Signore: «Vedi, tu mi ordini: Fà salire questo popolo, ma non mi hai indicato chi manderai con me; eppure hai detto: Ti ho conosciuto per nome, anzi hai trovato grazia ai miei occhi. 13 Ora, se davvero ho trovato grazia ai tuoi occhi, indicami la tua via, così che io ti conosca, e trovi grazia ai tuoi occhi; considera che questa gente è il tuo popolo».

14 Rispose: «Io camminerò con voi e ti darò riposo». 15 Riprese: «Se tu non camminerai con noi, non farci salire di qui. 16 Come si saprà dunque che ho trovato grazia ai tuoi occhi, io e il tuo popolo, se non nel fatto che tu cammini con noi? Così saremo distinti, io e il tuo popolo, da tutti i popoli che sono sulla terra».

17 Disse il Signore a Mosè: «Anche quanto hai detto io farò, perché hai trovato grazia ai miei occhi e ti ho conosciuto per nome».

Mosè sulla montagna

18 Gli disse: «Mostrami la tua Gloria!».

19 Rispose: «Farò passare davanti a te tutto il mio splendore e proclamerò il mio nome: Signore, davanti a te. Farò grazia a chi vorrò far grazia e avrò misericordia di chi vorrò aver misericordia». 20 Soggiunse: «Ma tu non potrai vedere il mio volto, perché nessun uomo può vedermi e restare vivo». 21 Aggiunse il Signore: «Ecco un luogo vicino a me. Tu starai sopra la rupe: 22 quando passerà la mia Gloria, io ti porrò nella cavità della rupe e ti coprirò con la mano finché sarò passato. 23 Poi toglierò la mano e vedrai le mie spalle, ma il mio volto non lo si può vedere».

The Lord Instructs Israel to Leave

33 The Lord told Moses, “Go up[a] from here, you and the people whom you brought out of Egypt, to the land about which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob saying, ‘I’ll give it to your descendants.’[b] I’ll send an angel in front of you and I’ll drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey, but I won’t go up among you, because you are an obstinate[c] people, and otherwise I might consume you along the way.”

When the people heard this troubling word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. The Lord had told Moses, “Say to the Israelis, ‘You are an obstinate people,[d] and if for one moment I went up among you, I would put an end to you. Now take off your ornaments so I may decide[e] what to do with you.’” So the Israelis did not wear[f] their ornaments from Mount Horeb onward.

God’s Presence at the Tent of Meeting

Moses used to take the tent and set it up outside the camp at a distance from the camp, and he called it the Tent of Meeting. When anyone sought the Lord, he would go out to the Tent of Meeting which was outside the camp. When Moses would go out to the tent, all the people would get up, and each would stand in the doorway of his tent, watching Moses until he entered the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stand at the doorway of the tent while God[g] spoke with Moses. 10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the doorway of the tent, all of them[h] would get up and prostrate themselves in worship, each one at the doorway of his tent. 11 The Lord would speak to Moses face to face just as a man speaks with his friend. When Moses[i] returned to the camp, Nun’s son Joshua, his young servant, would not leave the tent.

The Promise of God’s Presence on the Journey

12 Moses told the Lord, “Look, you have told me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you haven’t let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name,’ and also, ‘You have found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now, if I’ve found favor in your sight, please show me your ways so I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. And remember,[j] this nation is your people.”

14 He said, “My presence will go with you, and I’ll give you rest.” 15 Then Moses[k] told the Lord,[l] “If your presence does not go with us,[m] don’t bring us up from here. 16 Otherwise,[n] how shall it be known that your people and I have received favor from you, unless you go with us and that we, your people and I, are distinguished from all the people on the surface of the earth?”

Moses Sees God’s Glory

17 The Lord told Moses, “I’ll do the very[o] thing that you have said, because you have found favor in my sight and I know you by name.”

18 Then Moses[p] said, “Please show me your glory.”

19 God[q] said, “I’ll cause all my goodness to pass before you, and I’ll proclaim the name ‘the Lord’ before you. I’ll be gracious to whom I’ll be gracious, and I’ll show compassion on whom I’ll show compassion. 20 But,” he said, “You cannot see my face, because a man cannot see me and live.”

21 The Lord said, “Look, there is a place near[r] me where you can stand on the rock; 22 and as my glory passes by, I’ll put you in a crevice in the rock, and cover you with my hand until I’ve passed by. 23 Then I’ll remove my hand so you may see my back, but my face must not be seen.”

Footnotes

  1. Exodus 33:1 Lit. go, go up
  2. Exodus 33:1 Lit. your seed
  3. Exodus 33:3 Lit. stiff-necked
  4. Exodus 33:5 Lit. stiff-necked
  5. Exodus 33:5 Lit. know
  6. Exodus 33:6 Lit. stripped themselves of
  7. Exodus 33:9 Lit. he
  8. Exodus 33:10 Lit. all the people
  9. Exodus 33:11 Lit. he
  10. Exodus 33:13 Or consider; Lit. see
  11. Exodus 33:15 Lit. he
  12. Exodus 33:15 Lit. to him
  13. Exodus 33:15 Lit. does not go
  14. Exodus 33:16 Lit. For
  15. Exodus 33:17 Lit. this
  16. Exodus 33:18 Lit. he
  17. Exodus 33:19 Lit. He
  18. Exodus 33:21 Or with

33 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: God, get thee up from this place, thou and thy people which thou has brought out of the land of Egypt, into the land concerning which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying: To thy seed I will give it.

And I will send an angel before thee, that I may cast out the Chanaanite, and the Amorrhite, and the Hethite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite.

That thou mayst enter into the land that floweth with milk and honey. For I will not go up with thee, because thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I destroy thee in the way.

And the people hearing these very bad tidings, mourned: and no man put on his ornaments according to custom.

And the Lord said to Moses: Say to the children of Israel: Thou are a stiffnecked people; once I shall come up in the midst of thee, and shall destroy thee. Now presently lay aside thy ornaments, that I may know what to do with thee.

So the children of Israel laid aside their ornaments by mount Horeb.

Moses also taking the tabernacle, pitched it without the camp afar off, and called the name thereof, The tabernacle of the covenant. And all the people that had any question, went forth to the tabernacle of the covenant, without the camp.

And when Moses went forth to the tabernacle, all the people rose up, and every one stood in the door of his pavilion, and they beheld the back of Moses, till he went into the tabernacle.

And when he was gone into the tabernacle of the covenant, the pillar of the cloud came down, and stood at the door, and he spoke with Moses.

10 And all saw that the pillar of the cloud stood at the door of the tabernacle. And they stood, and worshipped at the doors of their tents.

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man is wont to speak to his friend. And when he returned into the camp, his servant Josue the son of Nun, a young man, departed not from the tabernacle.

12 And Moses said to the Lord; Thou commandest me to lead forth this people: and thou dost not let me know whom thou wilt send with me, especially whereas thou hast said: I know thee by name, and thou hast found favour in my sight.

13 If therefore I have found favour in thy sight, shew me thy face, that I may know thee, and may find grace before thy eyes: look upon thy people this nation.

14 And the Lord said: My face shall go before thee, and I will give thee rest.

15 And Moses said: If thou thyself dost not go before, bring us not out of this place.

16 For how shall we be able to know, I and thy people, that we have found grace in thy sight, unless thou walk with us, that we may be glorified by all people that dwell upon the earth?

17 And the Lord said to Moses: This word also, which thou hast spoken, will I do: for thou hast found grace before me, and thee I have known by name.

18 And he said: shew me thy glory.

19 He answered: I will shew thee all good, and I will proclaim in the name of the Lord before thee: and I will have mercy on whom I will, and I will be merciful to whom it shall please me.

20 And again he said: Thou canst not see my face: for man shall not see me and live.

21 And again he said: Behold there is a place with me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock.

22 And when my glory shall pass, I will set thee in a hole of the rock, and protect thee with my right hand, till I pass:

23 And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face thou canst not see.