Suci 6
1
Opet su Izraelci činili što je zlo u Jahvinim očima; i Jahve ih predade u ruke Midjancima za sedam godina.
2
Teška bijaše ruka Midjanaca nad Izraelom. Da bi izmakli Midjancima, Izraelci se sklanjahu u gorske pukotine, spilje i skrovišta.
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I kada bi Izraelci posijali, dolazili bi na njih Midjanci i Amalečani i sinovi Istoka.
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Utaborivši se na njihovoj zemlji, uništavali bi rod zemlje sve do Gaze. Ne ostavljahu Izraelu ništa da se prehrani, ni ovce ni koze, ni vola ni magarca,
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jer dolažahu sa svojim stadima i svojim šatorima u takvu mnoštvu kao skakavci; ne bijaše broja njima ni njihovim devama; preplavili bi zemlju, opustošili je.
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Tako su Midjanci bacili Izraela u veliku bijedu te Izraelci zavapiše Jahvi.
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Kad su Izraelci zavapili Jahvi zbog Midjanaca,
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Jahve posla Izraelcima proroka koji im reče: "Ovako kaže Jahve, Bog Izraelov: 'Ja sam vas izveo iz Egipta, izbavio vas iz kuće ropstva.
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Ja sam vas oslobodio od ruke Egipćana i od ruke svih vaših tlačitelja. Protjerao sam ih pred vama, dao vam njihovu zemlju
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i rekao vam: Ja sam Jahve, Bog vaš. Ne štujte bogova Amorejaca u kojih zemlji živite. Ali vi ne poslušaste moga glasa.'"
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Anđeo Jahvin dođe i sjede pod hrast kod Ofre koji pripadaše Joašu Abiezerovu. Njegov sin Gideon vrhao je pšenicu na tijesku da bi je sačuvao od Midjanaca.
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I ukaza mu se Anđeo Jahvin i reče mu: "Jahve s tobom, hrabri junače!"
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Gideon mu odgovori: "Oh, gospodaru, ako je Jahve s nama, zašto nas sve ovo snađe? Gdje su sva ona čudesa njegova o kojima nam pripovijedahu oci naši govoreći: 'Nije li nas Jahve iz Egipta izveo?' A sada nas je Jahve ostavio, predao nas u ruke Midjancima."
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Jahve se tad okrenu prema njemu i reče mu: "Idi s tom snagom u sebi i izbavit ćeš Izraela iz ruke Midjanaca. Ne šaljem li te ja?"
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"Ali, gospodaru", odgovori mu Gideon, "kako ću izbaviti Izraela? Moj je rod najmanji u Manašeovu plemenu, a ja sam posljednji u kući svoga oca."
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Jahve mu reče: "Ja ću biti s tobom te ćeš pobijediti Midjance kao jednoga."
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Gideon mu reče: "Ako sam našao milost u tvojim očima, daj mi znak da ti govoriš sa mnom.
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Nemoj otići odavde dok se ne vratim s darom i stavim ga preda te." A on odgovori: "Ostat ću dok se ne vratiš."
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Gideon ode, zgotovi jare i od efe brašna načini beskvasne hljebove, stavi meso u košaricu i juhu u lonac pa donese sve to pod hrast.
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Anđeo Jahvin reče mu: "Uzmi meso i beskvasne hljebove, stavi ih na tu stijenu, a juhu prolij." On učini tako.
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Anđeo Jahvin tad uze štap što ga je držao i vrhom dotaknu meso i beskvasne hljebove. Oganj planu iz stijene, spali meso i beskvasne hljebove. Anđeo Jahvin nato iščeze pred njegovim očima.
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Tad Gideon vidje da je to bio Anđeo Jahvin i reče: "Jao, Jahve, Gospode! Anđela Jahvina vidjeh licem u lice!"
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Jahve mu odgovori: "Mir s tobom! Ne boj se, nećeš umrijeti!"
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Gideon podiže na tome mjestu žrtvenik Jahvi i nazva ga "Jahve-Mir". Žrtvenik još i danas stoji u Ofri Abiezerovoj.
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Iste noći Jahve reče Gideonu: "U svojega oca uzmi utovljena junca, junca od sedam godina, i razori Baalov žrtvenik i posijeci gaj pokraj njega.
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Potom podigni žrtvenik Jahvi, Bogu svome, na vrhu te gorske stijene i dobro ga uredi. Uzmi junca i prinesi paljenicu na drvima Ašere što ih u gaju nasiječeš."
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Tada Gideon uze deset ljudi između svojih slugu i učini kako mu je zapovjedio Jahve. Ali kako se bojao svoje obitelji i građana, učini to noću.
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Kad su građani sutradan poranili, a to razoren Baalov žrtvenik i gaj posječen pored njega, a junac žrtvovan kao paljenica na novom oltaru.
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I pitahu jedni druge: "Tko je to učinio?" Ispitaše, istražiše pa rekoše: "Gideon, Joašev sin, učini to."
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Tada građani rekoše Joašu: "Izvedi sina da umre jer je razorio Baalov žrtvenik i posjekao gaj pored njega."
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Joaš odgovori svima koji stajahu oko njega: "Zar ćete vi braniti Baala? Zar ćete ga vi spasavati? Tko brani Baala, bit će pogubljen prije sutrašnjeg dana. Ako je on bog, neka se sam brani od Gideona što mu je razorio žrtvenik."
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Toga dana prozvali su Gideona Jerubaal jer se govorilo: "Neka sam Baal s njim obračuna što mu je srušio žrtvenik."
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Svi Midjanci, Amalečani i sinovi Istoka bijahu se sakupili i, prešavši Jordan, utaborili se u Jizreelskoj ravnici.
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Duh Jahvin obuze Gideona i on zasvira u rog, a Abiezerov rod stade iza njega.
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Posla on glasnike po svem plemenu Manašeovu te i oni stadoše iza njega. Posla glasnike i u pleme Ašerovo, Zebulunovo i Naftalijevo te im i oni krenuše u susret.
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Gideon reče Bogu: "Ako zaista hoćeš osloboditi Izraela mojom rukom, kao što si obećao,
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evo ću metnuti ovčje runo na gumno: ako bude rose samo na runu, a zemlja ostane suha, tada ću znati da ćeš mojom rukom izbaviti Izraela, kao što si obećao."
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I bi tako. Gideon urani sutradan te iscijedi rosu iz runa - punu zdjelu vode.
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Opet Gideon reče Bogu: "Ne razgnjevi se na me što ti progovaram još jednom. Dopusti mi da još ovaj put pokušam s runom: neka samo runo bude suho, a neka po svoj zemlji bude rosa!"
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I Bog one noći učini tako: samo je runo ostalo suho, a po svoj zemlji pala rosa.
Arcana Coelestia # 4588
4588. 'That the midwife said to her, Do not be afraid' means perception received from the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' in the historical narratives of the Word as perception, dealt with in 1791, 1815, 1819, 1822, 1898, 1919, 2080, 2619, 2862, 3395, 3509, and from the meaning of 'the midwife' as the natural. The reason 'the midwife' here means the natural is that when anyone undergoes interior temptations, that is, when the interior man undergoes temptations, the natural is like a midwife. For unless the natural assists no birth of interior truth is possible, since it is the natural that receives interior truths into its bosom once these are born; indeed it is the natural that enables them to push their way out. The same applies to instances of spiritual birth, in that reception must take place wholly within the natural. This is the reason why, when a person is being regenerated, the natural is first of all made ready to receive, and to the extent it is then able to receive, interior truths and goods are able to emerge and multiply. This also explains why, if the natural man has not been made ready during the life of the body to receive the truths and goods of faith, that person cannot receive them in the next life and so cannot be saved. This is the implication of the common saying 'As the tree falls, so it must lie', meaning, What a person is when he dies, so he comes to be. For a person has with him in the next life his whole natural memory, that is, the memory belonging to his external man, though he is not allowed to use it in that life, 2469-2494. In the next life therefore that memory serves as the groundwork on which interior truths and goods rest; but if that groundwork is not able to support the goods and truths which flow into it from within, interior goods and truths are either annihilated, or perverted, or cast aside. From all this it may be seen that the natural is like a midwife.
[2] The likeness of the natural to a midwife, inasmuch as it is a recipient when the interior man gives birth, becomes clear also from the internal sense of what is recorded concerning the midwives who, contrary to Pharaoh's orders, allowed the sons of the Hebrew women to live. This is described in Moses as follows,
The king of Egypt spoke to the midwives of the Hebrew women, and he said, When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women and see them on the stools, if it is a son you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter she shall be allowed to live. And the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt told them, but allowed the sons to live. And the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them Why have you done this thing and allowed the sons to live? And the midwives said to Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are lively; before the midwife reaches them they have given birth. And God did well to the midwives; and the people multiplied and became extremely numerous. And it happened because the midwives feared God, that He made them houses. Exodus 1:15-21.
'The daughters and sons' to whom the Hebrew women gave birth represent the goods and truths of a new Church; 'the midwives' represent the natural, inasmuch as this is the recipient of goods and truths; 'the king of Egypt' represents factual knowledge in general, 1164, 1165, 1186, that wipes out truths, as happens when factual knowledge enters into matters of faith by a wrong path, which it does when nothing except that dictated by sensory experience and factual knowledge is believed. The fact that 'the midwives' in that passage means receptions of truth, within the natural, will in the Lord's Divine mercy be corroborated when the contents of that chapter in Exodus come up for explanation.
