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Jeremia 44

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1 Jen estas la vorto, kiu aperis al Jeremia pri cxiuj Judoj, kiuj logxas en la lando Egipta, kiuj logxas en Migdol, en Tahxpanhxes, en Nof, kaj en la lando Patros:

2 Tiele diras la Eternulo Cebaot, Dio de Izrael:Vi vidis la tutan malbonon, kiun Mi venigis sur Jerusalemon kaj sur cxiujn urbojn de Judujo; jen ili estas nun dezertaj, kaj neniu logxas en ili,

3 pro iliaj malbonagoj, kiujn ili faris, kolerigante Min, irante incensi kaj servi al aliaj dioj, kiujn ne konis ili, nek vi, nek viaj patroj.

4 Mi sendis al vi cxiujn Miajn servantojn, la profetojn, Mi konstante sendadis, dirante:Ne faru tiun abomenindan aferon, kiun Mi malamas.

5 Sed ili ne obeis, kaj ne alklinis sian orelon, por deturni sin de siaj malbonagoj, por ne incensi al aliaj dioj.

6 Pro tio elversxigxis Mia indigno kaj kolero, kaj gxi ekbrulis en la urboj de Judujo kaj sur la stratoj de Jerusalem, kaj ili ruinigxis kaj dezertigxis, kiel oni nun vidas.

7 Kaj nun tiele diras la Eternulo, Dio Cebaot, Dio de Izrael:Kial vi faras grandan malbonon al viaj propraj animoj, por ke ekstermigxu cxe vi viroj kaj virinoj, infanoj kaj sucxinfanoj en Judujo, por ke nenio restu cxe vi?

8 Kial vi kolerigas Min per la faroj de viaj manoj, incensante al aliaj dioj en la lando Egipta, kien vi venis, por tie logxi, por ke vi ekstermigxu kaj por ke vi farigxu objekto de malbeno kaj de honto inter cxiuj nacioj de la tero?

9 CXu vi forgesis la malbonajxojn de viaj patroj kaj la malbonajxojn de la regxoj de Judujo, la malbonajxojn de iliaj edzinoj, viajn malbonajxojn, kaj la malbonajxojn de viaj edzinoj, kiujn ili faris en la lando Juda kaj sur la stratoj de Jerusalem?

10 Ili ne humiligxis gxis la nuna tago, ili ne timas kaj ne agas laux Mia instruo kaj laux Miaj legxoj, kiujn Mi donis al vi kaj al viaj patroj.

11 Tial tiele diras la Eternulo Cebaot, Dio de Izrael:Jen Mi turnos Mian vizagxon kontraux vin por malfelicxo kaj por ekstermi la tutan Judujon.

12 Kaj Mi prenos la restajxon de la Judoj, kiuj turnis sian vizagxon, por iri en la landon Egiptan, por tie eklogxi, kaj ili cxiuj ekstermigxos en la lando Egipta; ili falos de glavo, de malsato ili ekstermigxos, de la malgrandaj gxis la grandaj; de glavo kaj de malsato ili mortos, kaj ili farigxos objekto de jxuro, de teruro, de malbeno, kaj de honto.

13 Kaj Mi punos tiujn, kiuj logxas en la lando Egipta, kiel Mi punis Jerusalemon, per glavo, per malsato, kaj per pesto.

14 Kaj neniu savigxos nek restos el la restajxo de la Judoj, kiuj venis en la landon Egiptan, por logxi tie kelktempe kaj por poste reiri en la landon Judan, kien ili sopiras per sia animo reveni kaj tie logxi; ili ne revenos, krom tiuj, kiuj forkuros.

15 Tiam respondis al Jeremia cxiuj viroj, kiuj sciis, ke iliaj edzinoj incensas al aliaj dioj, kaj cxiuj virinoj, kiuj staris en granda amaso, kaj la tuta popolo, kiu logxis en la lando Egipta, en Patros; ili diris:

16 Tion, kion vi diris al ni en la nomo de la Eternulo, ni ne obeos al vi;

17 sed ni faros cxion laux la vortoj, kiuj eliras el nia busxo, ni incensos al la regxino de la cxielo, ni versxos al sxi versxoferojn, kiel faris ni kaj niaj patroj, niaj regxoj kaj niaj eminentuloj, en la urboj de Judujo kaj sur la stratoj de Jerusalem; tiam ni havis abundan panon, kaj estis al ni bone, kaj malbonon ni ne vidis.

18 Sed de tiu tempo, kiam ni cxesis incensi al la regxino de la cxielo kaj versxi al sxi versxoferojn, cxio mankas al ni, kaj ni pereas de glavo kaj de malsato.

19 Kaj kiam ni incensas al la regxino de la cxielo kaj versxas al sxi versxoferojn, cxu sen la scio de niaj edzoj ni faras al sxi kukojn kun sxia bildo kaj versxas al sxi versxoferojn?

20 Tiam Jeremia diris al la tuta popolo, pri la viroj kaj virinoj, kaj pri cxiuj el la popolo, kiuj respondis al li:

21 GXuste tiun incensadon, kiun vi faradis en la urboj de Judujo kaj sur la stratoj de Jerusalem, vi kaj viaj patroj, viaj regxoj kaj viaj eminentuloj kaj la popolo de la lando-gxuste tion la Eternulo ja rememoris, kaj gxi atingis Lian koron.

22 Kaj la Eternulo ne plu povis toleri viajn malbonajn agojn, la abomenindajxojn, kiujn vi faris; tial via lando farigxis dezerto, objekto de teruro kaj de malbeno, kaj neniu logxas en gxi, kiel oni nun vidas.

23 Pro tio, ke vi incensadis kaj pekadis antaux la Eternulo kaj ne obeis la vocxon de la Eternulo kaj ne agadis laux Lia instruo, laux Liaj legxoj kaj ordonoj-pro tio trafis vin tiu malbono, kiel vi nun vidas.

24 Kaj Jeremia diris al la tuta popolo kaj al cxiuj virinoj:Auxskultu la vorton de la Eternulo, cxiuj Judoj, kiuj estas en la lando Egipta!

25 Tiele diras la Eternulo Cebaot, Dio de Izrael:Vi kaj viaj edzinoj parolis per via busxo kaj plenumis per viaj manoj tion, kion vi diris:Ni plenumos nian solenan promeson, kiun Ni faris, incensi al la regxino de la cxielo kaj versxi al sxi versxoferojn; vi efektive plenumas viajn promesojn, kaj faras, kion vi promesis.

26 Tial auxskultu la vorton de la Eternulo, cxiuj Judoj, kiuj logxas en la lando Egipta:Jen Mi jxuris per Mia granda nomo, diras la Eternulo, ke la busxo de neniu Judo en la tuta lando Egipta plu vokos Mian nomon, dirante:Kiel vivas la Sinjoro, la Eternulo.

27 Jen Mi viglos super ili por malbono, ne por bono; kaj cxiuj Judoj, kiuj estas en la lando Egipta, pereos de glavo kaj de malsato, gxis ili tute ekstermigxos.

28 Nur malgranda nombro da homoj, kiuj savigxos de glavo, revenos el la lando Egipta en la landon Judan; kaj la tuta restajxo de la Judoj, kiuj venis en la landon Egiptan, por tie logxi, ekscios, kies vorto plenumigxas, Mia aux ilia.

29 Kaj jen estas por vi la pruvosigno, diras la Eternulo, ke Mi punos vin sur cxi tiu loko, por ke vi sciu, ke plenumigxos Miaj vortoj sur vi por malbono:

30 tiele diras la Eternulo:Jen Mi transdonos Faraonon HXofran, regxon de Egiptujo, en la manojn de liaj malamikoj, kaj en la manojn de tiuj, kiuj celas lian morton, kiel Mi transdonis Cidkijan, regxon de Judujo, en la manon de Nebukadnecar, regxo de Babel, lia malamiko kaj celanto de lia morto.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 10177

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10177. 'And you shall make an altar for burning incense' means that which is representative of the Lord, of His hearing and receiving with pleasure everything of worship that springs from love and charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'an altar for burning incense' as that which is representative of such things of worship as are raised up to the Lord. The fact that they are things springing from love and charity will be evident from what follows below. 'An altar' has the same meaning as whatever is placed on it; and this is so because the altar is that which contains and whatever is placed on it is the contents, and container and contents make a single unit, like a table and the bread that is on it or a cup and the wine that is in it.

[2] The reason why an altar and not a table was made for burning incense was that among the Israelite nation altars were the chief representative signs of worship springing from love. For fire burned on them, and 'fire' means the love and charity from which worship springs. Regarding altars, that they were the chief representative signs of worship, see 4192, 4541, 8623, 8935, 8940, 9714.

[3] The reason why the altar of incense represented the hearing and receiving of everything of worship that springs from love and charity was that the creation of the cloud of smoke was a sign of that which is raised up on high, and the odour of the smoke was a sign of that which is pleasing, consequently of that which is heard and received by the Lord. And what springs from love and charity, this alone is pleasing to and received by the Lord. This also explains why that altar was overlaid with gold and was called the golden altar; for 'gold' means the good of love and charity, see the places referred to in 9874, and what has been stated in 9874, 9881.

[4] The reason why that alone which springs from love and charity is pleasing to the Lord, and is therefore heard and received by Him, is that love constitutes all that a person is; for a person is such as his love is. This explains why angels in heaven live as embodiments of love and charity. To them the form of love and charity is the human form, because the Lord, who is within them and gives them form, is - as to His Divine Human - Divine Love itself. From their faces therefore, from their speech, from their gestures, and especially from the spheres of their affections which flow out of them to a long way off, one can perceive clearly what kinds of love reign in them.

[5] And since love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour originate in the Lord, and since love is a spiritual bonding, whatever emanates from these is heard and received by the Lord. Any holy and religious respect paid to Him that does not spring from them is indeed heard but it is not received with pleasure. It is a hypocritical holiness and respect, something merely outward, devoid of anything inward. Outward holiness devoid of anything inward reaches no further than the outskirts of heaven and dwindles away there. But outward holiness springing from inward reaches right on into heaven, according to the essential nature of that inward holiness, thus reaches towards the Lord. For outward holiness devoid of that inward holiness is a product solely of the lips and movements of the body, whereas outward holiness springing from inward comes at the same time from the heart. Regarding these two kinds of holiness, see what has been stated and shown in 8252-8257.

[6] In the tent of meeting outside the veil there was the table on which the loaves of the presence were laid, also the lampstand with its lamps, and the altar of incense. The loaves of the presence represented love to the Lord, the lamps of the lampstand represented charity and faith, and the incense on the altar represented worship springing from them, which is why it was burned every morning and every evening, when the lamps were 'adorned'. From this as well it is evident that the burning of incense represented worship of the Lord which springs from love and charity. The actual tent in which those objects resided represented heaven, where all worship is such. The loaves represented celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, see 9545; the lampstand represented spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbour and the good of faith, 9548-9561; and the tent represented heaven, 9457, 9481, 9485, 9784, 9963.

[7] When the word 'worship' is used the holiness which is expressed by means of prayers, adorations, thanksgivings, and similar acts of devotion that emanate from inward feelings of love and charity should be understood. These constituents of worship are what should be understood by 'the burning of incense', as may be recognized from the following places: In David,

My prayers are acceptable, [as] incense before You. Psalms 141:2.

In John,

The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:8.

In the same book,

An angel holding a golden censer ... And much incense was given to him, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. The smoke of the incense went up from the prayers of the saints. Revelation 8:3-4.

[8] Since incense was a sign of worship and of its being raised up, thus of its being heard and received by the Lord, Moses commanded [those who rebelled against him] to take censers with incense in them, and to burn it before Jehovah, in order that they might consequently know whom Jehovah would choose, thus whom He would hear, Numbers 16:1ff. And when the people grumbled Aaron ran with incense, into the midst of the congregation, when a plague began, and in so doing stopped it, Numbers 16:46-48. In Malachi,

From the rising of the sun even to its setting Jehovah's name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense has been offered to My name, and a pure minchah. Malachi 1:11.

'A pure minchah' is added because the good of love is meant by it, 10137. In Moses,

The sons of Levi will teach Jacob [Your] judgements and Israel Your law. They will put incense in Your nose, and burnt offering on Your altar. Deuteronomy 33:10.

The expression 'putting incense in the nose' is used because perception is meant by 'the nostrils', 4624-4634. 'Burnt offering' is added here because by this too that which springs from the good of love is meant.

[9] But in the contrary sense 'burning incense' means worship springing from contrary loves, namely self-love and love of the world, for example burning incense to other gods, Jeremiah 1:16; 44:3, 5; burning incense to idols, Ezekiel 8:11; 16:18; and burning incense to the baalim, Hosea 2:13.

[10] Because the burning of incense served to mean such things as rise upwards to and are accepted with pleasure by the Divine it was also one of the religious practices among gentiles. The use of frankincense, censers, and incense-boxes by the Romans and other nations is well known from historical evidence. That kind of religious practice was derived from the Ancient Church, which was spread through many regions of Asia, such as Syria, Arabia, Babylon, Egypt, and Canaan. That Church had been a representative Church, thus a Church consisting in outward forms that represented inner realities, that is, celestial and spiritual things. A large number of religious practices, one of which was the burning of incense, were passed on from that Church to surrounding nations, and from these through Greece into Italy. Another practice like this was the care of the perpetual fire entrusted to chaste virgins whom they called the Vestal Virgins.

[11] The incense that was burned in the Ancient Church, and consequently in the Israelite Church, was prepared from fragrant substances, such as stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense, because perception was meant by an odour, and delightful perception by a fragrant odour, see 925, 1514, 1517-1519, 3577, 4624-4634, 4748, 10054. But 'frankincense' in particular means the truth of faith, and therefore when frankincense is mentioned in the Word oil, bread, minchah, or else gold, by which the good of love is meant, is linked with it, as in Isaiah,

All those from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will proclaim the praises of Jehovah. Isaiah 60:6.

Similarly those who came from the east, in Matthew,

Wise men from the east came, seeking the Lord who had then been born ... opening their treasures; and they presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:1-2, 11.

In the Word those who were from the east and were called 'sons of the east' mean people who possessed the cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth, see 3249, 3762. 'Sheba' has the same meaning, 1171, 3240. And for the meaning of 'gold' as the good of love, see the places referred to in 9874 or 9881.

[12] In Jeremiah,

They will bring burnt offering and sacrifice, and minchah, and frankincense. Jeremiah 17:26.

'Minchah' in like manner means the good of love, 9992, 10137. From all this it is evident that in the Word 'frankincense' means truth that composes faith; for where good is spoken of in the Word, so too is truth, on account of the heavenly marriage, which is that of goodness and truth, in every single part of it, see the places referred to in 9263[end], 9314. For the same reason also oil as well as frankincense was placed on a minchah, Leviticus 2:1-2, 15, though not on a minchah required for a sin offering, Leviticus 5:11, nor on a minchah for jealousy, Numbers 5:15. The reason why they were not placed on these minchahs was that such minchahs were presented for expiation from evils, and as long as a person is at the stage of expiation he cannot receive the good of love or truth of faith, because evils stand in the way. It is different after they have been expiated or removed.

[13] The good of love cannot be imparted to anyone unless at the same time the truth of faith is as well. For good brings truth into being, and in that truth it acquires a particular quality and receives an outward form. This was why every minchah had frankincense on it, as did the loaves of the presence which were laid on the table in the tent of meeting, Leviticus 24:7, the good of love being meant by 'loaves', 3478, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 8410, 9323, 9545, 10040, 10137.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.