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Juĝistoj 8

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1 Kaj la Efraimidoj diris al li:Kial vi tion faris al ni, ke vi ne vokis nin, kiam vi iris batali kontraux Midjan? Kaj ili forte kverelis kun li.

2 Sed li diris al ili:Kion mi faris nun similan al via faro? cxu la postkolekto de Efraim ne estas pli bona ol la tuta vinberkolekto de Abiezer?

3 En viajn manojn Dio transdonis Orebon kaj Zeebon, la princojn de Midjan; kaj kiel mi povis fari en komparo kun tio, kion vi faris? Tiam kvietigxis ilia kolero kontraux li, kiam li diris tion.

4 Kaj Gideon venis al Jordan kaj transiris, li kaj la tricent homoj, kiuj estis kun li, lacaj kaj persekutantaj.

5 Kaj li diris al la logxantoj de Sukot:Donu, mi petas, panojn al la homoj, kiuj sekvas min; cxar ili estas lacaj, kaj mi postkuras Zebahxon kaj Calmunan, regxojn de Midjan.

6 Sed la estroj de Sukot diris:CXu la manoj de Zebahx kaj Calmuna estas jam en viaj manoj, ke ni donu al via militistaro panon?

7 Tiam Gideon diris:Pro tio, kiam la Eternulo transdonos Zebahxon kaj Calmunan en miajn manojn, mi drasxos viajn korpojn per dornoj de dezerto kaj per kardoj.

8 Kaj li iris de tie al Penuel, kaj diris al gxiaj logxantoj tion saman; kaj la logxantoj de Penuel respondis al li tiel, kiel respondis la logxantoj de Sukot.

9 Kaj li diris ankaux al la logxantoj de Penuel jene:Kiam mi revenos felicxe, mi detruos cxi tiun turon.

10 Kaj Zebahx kaj Calmuna estis en Karkor, kaj kun ili estis ilia militistaro, cxirkaux dek kvin mil, cxiuj, kiuj restis el la tuta militistaro de la orientanoj; la nombro de la falintoj estis cent dudek mil homoj, kiuj povis eltiri glavon.

11 Kaj Gideon iris laux la vojo de la tendologxantoj orienten de Nobahx kaj Jogbeha, kaj venkobatis la tendaron, kiam la tendaro opiniis sin tute eksterdangxera.

12 Kaj Zebahx kaj Calmuna forkuris; sed li postkuris ilin, kaj kaptis Zebahxon kaj Calmunan, la du regxojn de Midjan, kaj la tutan militistaron li ektremigis.

13 Kaj revenis Gideon, filo de Joasx, de la milito, de la deklivo de HXeres.

14 Kaj li kaptis junulon el la logxantoj de Sukot, kaj demandis lin; kaj tiu skribis al li la estrojn de Sukot kaj gxiajn plejagxulojn, sepdek sep homojn.

15 Kaj li venis al la logxantoj de Sukot, kaj diris:Jen estas Zebahx kaj Calmuna, pri kiuj vi mokis min, dirante:CXu la manoj de Zebahx kaj Calmuna estas jam en viaj manoj, ke ni donu al viaj lacaj homoj panon?

16 Kaj li prenis la plejagxulojn de la urbo, kaj la dornojn de dezerto kaj la kardojn, kaj punis per ili la logxantojn de Sukot.

17 Kaj la turon de Penuel li detruis, kaj mortigis la logxantojn de la urbo.

18 Kaj li diris al Zebahx kaj Calmuna:Kiaj estis la homoj, kiujn vi mortigis cxe Tabor? Kaj ili diris:Ili estis tiaj, kiel vi, cxiuj aspektis kiel regxidoj.

19 Tiam li diris:Tio estis miaj fratoj, filoj de mia patrino. Per la vivo de la Eternulo, se vi restigus ilin vivaj, mi ne mortigus vin.

20 Kaj li diris al sia unuenaskito Jeter:Levigxu, mortigu ilin. Sed la junulo ne eltiris sian glavon; cxar li timis, cxar li estis ankoraux juna.

21 Kaj Zebahx kaj Calmuna diris:Levigxu mem kaj frapu nin, cxar kia estas la viro, tia estas lia forto. Tiam Gideon levigxis kaj mortigis Zebahxon kaj Calmunan, kaj li prenis la ornamajxojn, kiuj estis sur la koloj de iliaj kameloj.

22 Kaj la Izraelidoj diris al Gideon:Regu nin, vi kaj via filo kaj la filo de via filo; cxar vi savis nin el la manoj de Midjan.

23 Sed Gideon diris al ili:Mi ne regos vin, kaj ankaux mia filo ne regos vin:la Eternulo regu vin.

24 Kaj Gideon diris al ili:Mi petas de vi peton, cxiu el vi donu al mi la orelringon el sia militakiro. Ili havis orajn orelringojn, cxar estis afero kun Isxmaelidoj.

25 Kaj ili diris:Ni donos. Kaj ili sternis veston, kaj cxiu jxetis tien orelringon el sia militakiro.

26 Kaj la pezo de la oraj orelringoj, kiujn li elpetis, estis mil sepcent sikloj da oro, krom la ornamajxoj kaj la ringoj kaj la purpuraj vestoj, kiuj estis sur la regxoj de Midjan, kaj krom la kolornamajxoj, kiuj estis sur la koloj de iliaj kameloj.

27 Kaj Gideon faris el tio efodon, kaj lokmetis gxin en sia urbo, en Ofra; kaj cxiuj Izraelidoj malcxastigxis per gxi tie; kaj tio farigxis falilo por Gideon kaj por lia domo.

28 Kaj humiligxis la Midjanidoj antaux la Izraelidoj kaj ne levis plu sian kapon. Kaj la lando ripozis dum kvardek jaroj en la tempo de Gideon.

29 Kaj Jerubaal, filo de Joasx, iris kaj eklogxis en sia domo.

30 Kaj Gideon havis sepdek filojn, kiuj eliris el liaj lumboj, cxar li havis multe da edzinoj.

31 Kaj lia kromvirino, kiu estis en SXehxem, ankaux naskis al li filon, kaj li donis al li la nomon Abimelehx.

32 Kaj Gideon, filo de Joasx, mortis en tre maljuna ago; kaj oni enterigis lin en la tombo de Joasx, lia patro, en Ofra de la Abiezridoj.

33 Kiam Gideon mortis, la Izraelidoj denove malcxaste sekvis la Baalojn kaj elektis al si Baal-Beriton kiel sian dion.

34 Kaj la Izraelidoj ne memoris la Eternulon, sian Dion, kiu savadis ilin el la manoj de cxiuj iliaj malamikoj cxirkauxe.

35 Kaj ili ne estis favorkoraj al la domo de Jerubaal-Gideon rekompence al la tuta bono, kiun li faris al Izrael.

   

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Exploring the Meaning of Judges 8

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Judges 8: Gideon subdues the Midianites.

In this chapter, Gideon continued to dismantle Midian’s oppression over Israel, facing opposition from some of his fellow Israelites in the process. First, the men of Ephraim complained that he did not call them to war. Gideon replied by praising them for their vineyards, and for capturing the two Midianite princes. So, Ephraim’s indignation subsided.

Then Gideon went to the city of Succoth, and asked for bread to feed his army. But the men of Succoth refused, instead taunting him because he had not yet captured the kings of Midian. Gideon told them them he would punish them with thorns and briars, after he had killed the two kings. The people of Penuel were equally dismissive when Gideon asked them for help, and he swore to tear down their tower.

In due course, Gideon captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. Gideon told his oldest son to kill them, but he was young, and too afraid to do it. So Gideon killed the two kings, and punished the people of Succoth and Penuel.

When he returned from battle, the people of Israel asked Gideon to rule over them. However, he refused, saying that the Lord would rule Israel. He then collected gold from people’s earrings, used it to make an ephod (a priest’s garment), and set it up in his own city, Ophrah. The people began to worship it, and it became a snare for Gideon.

And Israel had peace for forty years under Gideon. Gideon had seventy sons, and died at an old age. As soon as he passed away, the Israelites forgot all the goodness that the Lord had shown them, and turned to worship other gods.

*****

The message of Gideon’s exchange with the Ephraimites is that sincerity and openness are the most powerful response to confrontation. Gideon, led by his trust in the Lord, could see the reason for Ephraim’s outburst, so he dealt with it by praising their strengths. This encounter shows how our faith in the Lord gives us a broader perspective, granting us the ability to respond rather than react (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 8159[3]).

When Gideon lashes out at the people of Succoth and Penuel, it may appear that he is acting purely from anger, and a wish to retaliate. In reality, he is filled with zeal to drive out the Midianites and free Israel. It is unthinkable to him that his own people would refuse to give his soldiers food. In our own lives, we can at times be astounded by our own resistance to serving the Lord’s purpose. We are constantly torn between two forces: heaven and hell (Arcana Caelestia 3839[3]).

The killing of the two Midianite kings reflects the need for justice in spiritual matters. If we fail to heed the truths we know and believe, we will suffer the consequences of fear and guilt. These are not inflicted by the Lord, but follow on from our own choices (Arcana Caelestia 2447). Gideon’s son’s inability to kill the kings means that behind spiritual justice, there must be an understanding of the essential value of all life (Arcana Caelestia 5826[2]).

Gideon’s ephod is a symbol showing how easily we can deviate from obeying the Lord. The text does not tell us the reason for Gideon’s actions, but perhaps he felt it was better for the people to worship something superficially related to worshiping the Lord, rather than following a foreign god. Seeing a priest’s garment reminds us that a priest serves the Lord. But we can so easily focus on the majesty of the ephod itself, and think no more about the priest’s duty nor about the Lord. We sometimes drift further from the Lord without even realizing it (see Swedenborg’s work, Divine Providence 327).

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 5826

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5826. 'You know that my wife bore me two sons' means if spiritual good is what the Church possesses, internal good and truth will exist. This is clear from the representation of Israel, who says these things about himself, as spiritual good from the natural, dealt with immediately above in 5825; from the representation of Rachel, to whom the wife who had borne him two sons refers here, as the affection for interior truth, dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819; and from the representation of Joseph and Benjamin,' the two sons she had borne, as internal good and truth, 'Joseph' being internal good and 'Benjamin' internal truth.

[2] What is meant by internal good and truth existing if spiritual good is what the Church possesses is this: Spiritual good, which 'Israel' represents, is the good of truth, that is, truth existing in will and action. This truth or good of truth causes a person to be a Church. When truth has been implanted in his will - something he perceives to have happened from the fact that he feels an affection for truth because his intention is to live according to it - internal good and truth are present in him. When that internal good and truth are present in a person he has the Lord's kingdom within him and he is consequently the Church; and together with those who are very similar to him he constitutes the Church at large. From this it may be recognized that for the Church to be the Church spiritual good, which is the good of truth, must exist and not simply truth by itself. At the present day it is by virtue of truth alone that a Church is called the Church, and it is what marks off one Church from another. Let anyone ask himself whether truth is anything unless it has life in view. What are religious teachings without that end in view? What for example are the Ten Commandments if separated from a life led according to them? For if someone knows them and the full extent of their meaning and yet leads a life contrary to them, what use are they? Surely none at all; indeed do they not serve to condemn some people? The same is so with other religious teachings that are derived from the Word. These too, being spiritual laws, are commandments for leading a Christian life; they likewise have no use at all unless they are made a person's guide to life. Let anyone weigh up what resides with himself and discover whether he has anything there which really is anything other than what enters into the life he leads, or whether life which really is his life resides anywhere else in a person than in his will.

[3] This is the reason why the Lord has declared in the Old Testament and confirmed in the New that all the Law and all the Prophets are founded on love to God and love towards the neighbour, thus on life. They are not founded on faith apart from life, nor thus in any way at all on faith alone, nor consequently on confidence; for without charity towards the neighbour such confidence is impossible. If it seems to exist with the wicked at times when their lives are in danger or death is at hand it is a spurious or false confidence; for among such people in the next life not a trace of this confidence can be seen, however ardently they may have appeared when near to death to profess that they possessed it. But faith, no matter whether you call it confidence or else trust, does nothing for the wicked, as the Lord Himself teaches in John,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, who were born, not of blood, 1 nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13.

[4] Those born of blood' stands for those who do violence to charity, 374, 1005, also those who render truth profane, 4735. 'Those born of the will of the flesh' stands for those governed by evils that spring from self-love and love of the world, 3813. 'Those born of the will of man' stands for those governed by utterly false notions; for 'man' (vir) means truth and in the contrary sense falsity. 'Those born of God' stands for those who have been regenerated by the Lord and are consequently governed by good. The latter are the ones who receive the Lord; they are the ones who believe in His name; and they, not the former, are the ones to whom He gives power to be sons of God. From all this it is quite evident what contribution faith alone makes to salvation.

[5] To take the matter further, if a person is to undergo regeneration and become a Church he must be led by means of truth into good, which happens when truth becomes truth existing in will and action. This truth is good and is called the good of truth. It constantly brings forth new truths, since then for the first time it is fruitful. The truth that is brought forth or made fruitful from it is what is called internal truth; and the good from which it springs is called internal good. For nothing becomes internal until it has been implanted in the will, the will being the inmost part of a person. As long as good and truth remain outside the will and solely in the understanding they are outside the person; for the understanding is outside, the will inside.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, bloods

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