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约书亚记 8

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1 耶和华对约书亚:不要惧,也不要惊惶。你起来,率领一切兵丁上艾城去,我已经把艾城的王和他的民、他的城,并他的,都交在你里。

2 你怎样待耶利哥耶利哥的王,也当照样待艾城和艾城的王。只是城内所夺的财物和牲畜,你们可以取为自己的掠物。你要在城设下伏兵。

3 於是,约书亚和一切兵丁都起来,要上艾城去。约书亚选了三万大能的勇士,夜间打发他们前往,

4 吩咐他们说:你们要在城埋伏,不可离城太远,都要各自准备。

5 我与我所带领的众民要向城前往。城里的人像初次出来攻击我们的时候,我们就在他们面前逃跑

6 他们必出来追赶我们,直到我们引诱他们离开城;因为他们必:这些人像初次在我们面前逃跑。所以我们要在他们面前逃跑

7 你们就从埋伏的地方起来,夺取那城,因为耶和华─你们的必把城交在你们里。

8 你们夺了城以後,就放烧城,要照耶和华的行。这是我吩咐你们的。

9 约书亚打发他们前往,他们就上埋伏的地方去,住在伯特利和艾城的中间,就是在艾城的西边。这夜约书亚却在民中住宿。

10 约书亚清起来,点齐百姓,他和以色列的长老在百姓前面上艾城去。

11 众民,就是他所带领的兵丁,都上去,向前直往,到城前,在艾城边安营。在约书亚和艾城中间有一山谷。

12 他挑了约有五,使他们埋伏在伯特利和艾城的中间,就是在艾城的西边,

13 於是安置了百姓,就是城的全军和城西的伏兵。这夜约书亚进入山谷之中

14 艾城的王见这景况,就和全城的人,清急忙起来,按所定的时候,出到亚拉巴前,要与以色列人交战;王却不知道在城有伏兵。

15 约书亚和以色列众人在他们面前装败,往那通旷野逃跑

16 城内的众民都被招聚,追赶他们;艾城人追赶的时候,就被引诱离开城。

17 艾城和伯特利城没有一不出来追赶以色列人的,撇了敞开的城门,去追赶以色列人

18 耶和华吩咐约书亚:你向艾城伸出里的短枪,因为我要将城交在你里。约书亚就向城伸出里的短枪。

19 他一伸,伏兵就从埋伏的地方急忙起来,夺了城,跑进城去,放焚烧。

20 艾城的人回头一,不料,城中烟气冲,他们就无力向左向右逃跑。那往旷野逃跑的百姓便转身攻击追赶他们的人。

21 约书亚和以色列众人见伏兵已经夺了城,城中烟气飞腾,就转身回去,击杀艾城的人。

22 伏兵也出城迎击艾城人,艾城人就困在以色列人中间,前後都是以色列人。於是以色列人击杀他们,没有留下一个,也没有一个逃脱的,

23 生擒了艾城的王,将他解到约书亚那里。

24 以色列人在田间和旷野杀尽所追赶一切艾城的居民。艾城人倒在刀下,直到灭尽;以色列众人就回到艾城,用刀杀了城中的人。

25 当日杀毙的,连带女共有一万,就是艾城所有的

26 约书亚没有收回里所伸出来的短枪,直到把艾城的一切居民尽行杀灭。

27 惟独城中的牲畜和财物,以色列人都取为自己的掠物,是照耶和华所吩咐约书亚的

28 约书亚将艾城焚烧,使城永为高堆、荒场,直到今日;

29 又将艾城王上,直到晚上。日落的时候,约书亚吩咐人把尸首从上取,丢在城门口,在尸首上成一石头,直存到今日。

30 那时,约书亚在以巴路上为耶和华以色列的筑一座

31 是用没有动过器的整石头筑的,照着耶和华仆人摩西所吩咐以色列人的话,正如摩西律法上所的。众人在这上给耶和华奉献燔祭和平安祭。

32 约书亚在那里,当着以色列人面前,将摩西的律法抄石头上。

33 以色列众人,无论是本地人、是寄居的,和长老长,并审判,都站在约柜两旁,在抬耶和华约柜的祭司利未人面前,一半对着基利心,一半对着以巴路,为以色列祝福,正如耶和华仆人摩西先前所吩咐的。

34 ,约亚将律法上祝福、咒诅的,照着律法上一切所的,都宣读了一遍。

35 摩西所吩咐的一切,约书亚在以色列会众和妇女、孩子,并他们中间寄居的外人面前,没有一句不宣读的。

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 585

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585. And repented not of the works of their hands, signifies who did not actually turn themselves away from such things as are from self [proprium]. This is evident from the signification of "to repent," as being to turn oneself away actually from evil (of which presently) and from the signification of "the works of their hands," as being such things as man thinks, wills, and does, from self [proprium]. That this is the signification of "the works of their hands," will appear from the passages in the Word that follow, also from this, that works are things of the will, and of the understanding therefrom, or of love and of faith therefrom (See above, n. 98); also that "hands" signify power, and "their hands" self-power, thus whatever with man comes forth from self.

[2] In respect to man's self it is to be known that it is nothing but evil and falsity therefrom; the voluntary self [proprium voluntarium] is evil, and the intellectual self therefrom [proprium intellectuale] is falsity. This self man derives mainly from parents, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers, in a long series back, so that at length the hereditary, which is his self, is nothing but evil gradually heaped up and condensed. For every man is born into two diabolical loves, the love of self and the love of the world, from which loves all evils and all falsities therefrom pour forth as from their own fountains; and as man is born into these loves he is also born into evils of every kind (respecting which more may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n.65-83).

[3] Because man, in respect to his self is such, means have been given by the Divine mercy of the Lord, by which man can be withdrawn from his self; these means are given in the Word; and when man cooperates with these means, that is, when he thinks and speaks, wills and acts, from the Divine Word, he is kept by the Lord in things Divine, and is thus withheld from self; and when this continues there is formed with man by the Lord as it were a new self, both voluntary and intellectual, which is wholly separated from man's self; thus man becomes as it were created anew, and this is what is called his reformation and regeneration by truths from the Word, and by a life according to them. (Respecting this see also The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, in the article on Remission of Sins, n.159-172; and on Regeneration, n. 173-186.) To repent is to actually turn oneself away from evils, because every man is such as his life is, and the life of man consists mainly in willing and consequent doing; and from this it follows that repentance which is merely of the thought and of the lips, and not at the same time of the will and of action therefrom, is not repentance, for then the life remains the same afterwards as it was before. This makes evident that to repent is to actually turn oneself away from evils, and to enter upon a new life (on this see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n.159-172).

[4] That "the works of the hands" signify such things as man thinks, wills, and does from self, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Jeremiah:

Provoke Me not to anger by the work of your hands, that I may not do evil to you; yet ye have not hearkened unto Me, that ye might provoke Me to anger by the work of your hands, for evil to you. Many nations and great kings shall make them to serve; that I may recompense them according to their work and according to the doing of their hands (Jeremiah 25:6, 7, 14).

"The work and doing of the hands" means in the nearest sense their molten images and idols; but in the spiritual sense the "work of the hands" signifies all the evil and falsity that are from self-love and self-intelligence. "Molten images and idols" which are called "the work of the hands" have a like signification, as will be seen in what follows, where the signification of "idols" is given. As man's self [proprium] is nothing but evil, thus is opposed to the Divine, it is said, "Provoke Me not to anger by the work of your hands, that I may not do evil to you;" "to provoke God to anger" signifies to be opposed to Him, which is the source of evil to man; and because all evils and falsities are from man's self [proprium], it is said, "Many nations and great kings make them to serve," which signifies that evils from which are falsities, and falsities from which are evils, will take possession of them; "many nations" meaning evils from which are falsities, and "great kings" falsities from which are evils.

[5] In the same:

The sons of Israel have provoked Me to anger by the work of their hands (Jeremiah 32:30).

And in the same:

Ye provoke Me to anger by the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt (4 Jeremiah 44:8).

"The works of their hands" mean here in the spiritual sense worship from falsities of doctrine which are from self-intelligence; such worship is signified by "burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt;" for "to burn incense" signifies worship; "other gods" signify falsities of doctrine, and the "land of Egypt" signifies the natural in which man's self [proprium] has its seat, and thus whence self-intelligence comes. Thus is this Word understood in heaven.

[6] In the same:

I will speak with them My judgments upon all their wickedness, that they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, and have bowed themselves down to the works of their own hands (Jeremiah 1:16).

Here also "to burn incense to other gods" signifies worship from the falsities of doctrine, and "to bow themselves down to the works of their own hands" signifies worship from such things as are from self-intelligence; that this is from self [proprium] and not from the Divine is signified by "that they have forsaken Me."

[7] In Isaiah:

In that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall see the Holy One of Israel, and he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he shall not see that which his fingers have made (Isaiah 17:7, 8).

This is said of the Lord's coming and of a new church at that time. "The Maker to whom a man shall then look" means the Lord in relation to Divine good, and "the Holy One of Israel whom his eyes shall see" means the Lord in relation to Divine truth. The "altars, which are the work of hands, and which the fingers have made, to which a man shall not look," signify worship from evils and the consequent falsities of doctrine that are from self-intelligence. So these words mean that everything of doctrine will be from the Lord and not from man's self [proprium], which is the case when man is in the spiritual affection of truth, that is, when he loves truth itself because it is truth, and not for the most part because it gives him reputation and a name.

[8] In the same:

Jehovah gave the gods of the kings of Assyria to the fire; for they were no gods, but the work of man's hands, wood and stone (Isaiah 37:19).

"The gods of the kings of Assyria" signify the reasonings from falsities and evils, which are in accord with man's self [proprium]; wherefore they are called "the work of man's hands;" "wood and stone," that is, idols of wood and stone, signify the evils and falsities of religion and of doctrine that are from self [proprium].

[9] In the same:

In that day they shall reject everyone the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which your hands have made for you, a sin; and then shall the Assyrian fall (Isaiah 31:7, 8).

This describes the establishment of the church; and the "idols of silver and the idols of gold, which in that day they shall reject" signify the falsities and evils of religion and of worship which they call truths and goods; and because the falsities and evils of religion and of worship are from self-intelligence it is said, "which your hands have made for you;" that there shall then be no reasonings from such things is signified by "then shall the Assyrian fall."

[10] In Jeremiah:

Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner; his 1 garment is hyacinthine and purple; they are all the work of the wise (Jeremiah 10:9).

This describes the falsity and evil of religion and of worship which are confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word. "Silver spread into plates from Tarshish" signifies the truths of the Word in that sense; and "gold from Uphaz" signifies the good of the Word in that sense; and because those falsities and evils are from self-intelligence they are called "the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner;" the truth of good also and the good of truth from the sense of the letter of the Word, by which the falsities of evil and the evils of falsity, which are from self-intelligence, are confirmed and as it were invested, are signified by "his garment is hyacinthine and purple, they are all the work of the wise."

[11] Moreover, the work of the workman, the artificer, and the mechanic," signifies in the Word whatever of doctrine, religion, and worship is from self-intelligence. This is why the altar, and also the temple, were built, by command, of whole stones, and not hewn by any workman or artificer. Respecting the altar it is thus said in Moses:

If thou makest to Me an altar of stones thou shalt not build it of hewn stones, for if thou move a tool upon it thou wilt profane it (Exodus 20:25).

And in Joshua:

Joshua built an altar unto the God of Israel in Mount Ebal, an altar of whole stones, on which no one had moved iron (Joshua 8:30, 31).

And respecting the temple, in the first book of Kings:

The temple at Jerusalem was built of stone, whole as it was brought; for there was neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was building (1 Kings 6:7).

The altar, and afterwards the temple, were the chief representatives of the Lord in relation to Divine good and Divine truth, therefore "the stones of which they were built" signified the truths of doctrine, of religion and of worship; "stones" signifying in the Word truths. That nothing of self-intelligence must approach the truths of doctrine and thus worship, and consequently be in it, was represented by the stones of which the temple and the altar were built, being whole, and not hewn; for such is the signification of "the work of the workman and of the artificer;" "tool," also "hammer" and "axe" and "iron," in general, signify truth in its ultimate, and such truth is falsified chiefly by man's self, for this truth is the same as the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word.

[12] Thus much respecting the signification of "the works of man's hands;" but where "works of the hands" are attributed in the Word to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, they signify the reformed or regenerated man, also the church, and in particular the doctrine of truth and good of the church. This is the signification of "the works of the hands" in the following passages. In David:

The works of the hands of Jehovah are verity and judgment (Psalms 111:7).

In the same:

Jehovah will perfect for me; O Jehovah, Thy mercy is forever; neglect not the works of Thine own hands (Psalms 138:8).

In Isaiah:

Thy people shall be all righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the shoot of My plants, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified (Isaiah 60:21).

In the same:

O Jehovah, Thou art our Father; we are the clay and Thou our Potter; and we all are the work of Thy hands (Isaiah 64:8).

In the same:

Woe unto him that striveth with his Former! A potsherd with the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to its potter, What makest thou? or thy work, Hath he no hands? Thus saith Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and thy 2 Former, They have asked Me signs respecting My sons, and respecting the work of My hands they command Me (Isaiah 45:9, 11).

That here "Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, the Former," means the Lord, is evident from what follows in verse 13; and "the work of His hands" means a man regenerated by Him, thus the man of the church.

[13] In the same:

Jehovah of Hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isaiah 19:25).

"Egypt" here signifies the natural, "Assyria" the rational, and "Israel" the spiritual; and "Assyria" is called "the work of Jehovah's hands" because the rational is what is reformed in man, for it is the rational that receives truths and goods, and from this the natural; the spiritual is what regenerates, that is, the Lord by spiritual influx; in a word, the rational is the medium between the spiritual and the natural, and the spiritual, which regenerates, flows in through the rational into the natural, and thus the natural is regenerated. In Moses:

Bless, O Jehovah, his strength, and accept the work of his hands (Deuteronomy 33:11).

This is said of Levi, who signifies the good of charity, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect to that good; reformation by means of it is meant by "the work of his hands."

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. Latin has "his," the Hebrew "their," as also found in AE 587; AC 1551, 9466.

2. Latin has "thy," the Hebrew "his," as also found in AE 706; AC 88, 878.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.