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Kohtunikud 1

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1 Pärast Joosua surma küsisid Iisraeli lapsed Issandalt, öeldes: 'Kes meist peab esimesena minema sõtta kaananlaste vastu?'

2 Ja Issand vastas: 'Mingu Juuda! Vaata, ma annan maa tema kätte.'

3 Siis ütles Juuda oma vennale Siimeonile: 'Tule koos minuga minu liisuosale ja sõdime kaananlaste vastu, siis tulen ka mina koos sinuga sinu liisuosale!' Ja Siimeon läks koos temaga.

4 Juuda läks ja Issand andis nende kätte kaananlased ja perislased; Besekis lõid nad neist maha kümme tuhat meest.

5 Besekis kohtasid nad Adoni-Besekit, sõdisid tema vastu ning lõid kaananlasi ja perislasi.

6 Adoni-Besek aga põgenes ja nad ajasid teda taga ning võtsid ta kinni ja raiusid tal pöidlad kätelt ja suured varbad jalgadelt.

7 Ja Adoni-Besek ütles: 'Seitsekümmend kuningat, kelle kätelt olid raiutud pöidlad ja jalgadelt suured varbad, olid korjamas raasukesi mu laua all. Nõnda nagu ma ise tegin, nõnda tasus Jumal mulle.' Ta viidi Jeruusalemma ja ta suri seal.

8 Ja juudalased sõdisid Jeruusalemma vastu, vallutasid selle, lõid elanikud maha mõõgateraga ja põletasid linna tulega.

9 Seejärel läksid juudalased sõdima kaananlaste vastu, kes elasid mäestikus, Lõunamaal ja madalikul.

10 Nii läks Juuda kaananlaste vastu, kes elasid Hebronis; Hebroni nimi oli muiste Kirjat-Arba; ja nad lõid Seesaid, Ahimani ja Talmaid.

11 Sealt läks ta Debiri elanike vastu; Debiri nimi oli muiste Kirjat-Seefer.

12 Ja Kaaleb ütles: 'Kes Kirjat-Seeferit lööb ja selle vallutab, sellele ma annan naiseks oma tütre Aksa.'

13 Kui Otniel, Kaalebi noorema venna Kenase poeg, selle vallutas, siis ta andis oma tütre Aksa temale naiseks.

14 Ja kui Aksa tuli, siis Otniel kehutas teda oma isalt põldu nõudma. Kui Aksa eesli seljast maha hüppas, küsis Kaaleb: 'Mida sa soovid?'

15 Ja ta vastas: 'Anna mulle üks kingitus! Et sa mind oled andnud kuivale maale, siis anna mulle ka veeallikaid!' Ja Kaaleb andis temale ülemised allikad ja alumised allikad.

16 Ja Moosese äia, keenlase lapsed olid tulnud Palmidelinnast koos juudalastega Juuda kõrbe, mis on Aradi Negebis; nad läksid ja elasid sealse rahva hulgas.

17 Ja Juuda läks oma venna Siimeoniga ja nad lõid neid kaananlasi, kes elasid Sefatis, ja hävitasid linna sootuks; ja linnale pandi nimeks Horma.

18 Ja Juuda vallutas Assa ja selle maa-ala, Askeloni ja selle maa-ala, Ekroni ja selle maa-ala.

19 Issand oli Juudaga ja seetõttu ta vallutas mäestiku; aga ta ei suutnud ära ajada oru elanikke, sest neil olid raudsõjavankrid.

20 Ja Kaalebile anti Hebron, nagu Mooses oli käskinud, ja tema ajas sealt ära kolm anaklast.

21 Aga benjaminlased ei ajanud ära jebuuslasi, kes elasid Jeruusalemmas, ja nii elavad jebuuslased Jeruusalemmas koos benjaminlastega tänapäevani.

22 Ka Joosepi sugu läks teele, nad läksid Peetelisse ja Issand oli nendega.

23 Kui Joosepi sugu laskis Peetelis maad kuulata, linna nimi oli muiste Luus,

24 siis luurajad nägid ühte meest linnast välja tulevat ning ütlesid sellele: 'Näita nüüd meile, kust me pääseme linna, siis me anname sulle armu!'

25 Siis ta näitas neile linna sissepääsu ja nad lõid mõõgateraga maha linna elanikud, mehe ja kogu tema suguvõsa aga lasksid nad minna.

26 Ja see mees läks hettide maale ja ehitas sinna linna ning pani sellele nimeks Luus; see on selle nimi tänapäevani.

27 Aga Manasse ei vallutanud Beet-Seani ega selle tütarlinnu, ei Taanakit ega selle tütarlinnu, ei Doori elanikke ega selle tütarlinnu, ei Jibleami elanikke ega selle tütarlinnu, ei Megiddo elanikke ega selle tütarlinnu, vaid kaananlased jäid elama sellele maale.

28 Aga kui Iisrael sai tugevamaks, siis nad panid kaananlastele peale töökohustuse ega ajanud neid hoopiski mitte ära.

29 Efraim ei ajanud ära kaananlasi, kes elasid Geseris, vaid kaananlased Geseris jäid elama tema keskele.

30 Sebulon ei ajanud ära Kitroni elanikke ega Nahaloli elanikke, vaid kaananlased elasid tema keskel ja said töökohustuslikeks.

31 Aaser ei ajanud ära Akko elanikke ega Siidoni, Ahlabi, Aksibi, Helba, Afiki ja Rehobi elanikke.

32 Nii elasid aaserlased maa elanike, kaananlaste keskel, sest nad ei ajanud neid ära.

33 Naftali ei ajanud ära Beet-Semesi elanikke ega Beet-Anati elanikke, vaid elas maa elanike, kaananlaste keskel; aga Beet-Semesi ja Beet-Anati elanikud said neile töökohustuslikeks.

34 Emorlased tõrjusid daanlased mäestikku ega lasknud neid tulla orgu.

35 Ja emorlased jäid elama Har-Heresisse, Ajjaloni ja Saalbimi; aga Joosepi soo käsi osutus neile rängaks ja nad said töökohustuslikeks.

36 Ja emorlaste maa-ala piir kulges Skorpionide tõusuteest Selasse ja kõrgemale.

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Exploring the Meaning of Judges 1

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

Judges 1: The continuing conquest of Canaan.

The book of Judges follows on almost seamlessly from Joshua. It is called ‘Judges’ because a number of regional leaders arose and made judgments for the people, often actively defending Israel from outside oppression. A pattern emerges in Judges: Israel disobeys the Lord – an enemy oppresses Israel – the Lord raises a leader – the leader is victorious against the enemy – there is peace for a time – Israel disobeys the Lord again.

There were twelve judges in all, about whom we either hear very much or next to nothing. The number twelve (as with the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve disciples, and other examples in the Word), stands for all the various aspects of spirituality that we need to understand, develop, and put to use. A clue is often found in the meaning of their names, because biblical names are nearly always linked to spiritual qualities, such as ‘courage’, or ‘one who walks with God’ (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 10216).

The theme of this first chapter is the further conquest of the land. The Israelites asked the Lord, “Who shall go up and fight for us?” And the Lord said that the tribe of Judah would go, because the Lord had delivered the land into their hand. Judah then called on the tribe of Simeon to join them, and they won many battles against the Canaanites still in the land.

One Canaanite king, Adoni-bezek, fled and was captured by the Israelites, who then cut off his thumbs and big toes. Adoni-bezek said that God had dealt justice by punishing him, as he had previously cut off seventy kings’ thumbs and big toes, and they had to gather scraps of food under his table.

Then Caleb, a leader of Israel during the journey through the wilderness, said that the man who took Kirjath-sepher (Caleb’s inheritance city) from the Canaanites would marry his daughter, Achsah. Caleb’s nephew, Othniel, took the city and Achsah was given to him. Achsah asked her father for the blessing of springs of water, and Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

Next, spies were sent to Bethel. They met a man there, and said that if he directed them the entrance to the city, they would show him mercy. He helped them, and they took the city but showed mercy on the man and all his family. After all of this, the man built a new city called Luz in the land of the Hittites.

The chapter ends by listing the twelve tribes, as well as the Canaanite peoples who remained unsubdued in each of their territories.

*****

The overarching spiritual theme of Judges is the process of our regeneration. As the opening of Judges reminds us, there were still parts of the land and various tribes that Israel needed to conquer. In fact, the Israelites never finished driving enemies out of their land. In the same way, we need to control our inherited human nature, but it is never completely wiped out (see Swedenborg’s work, Divine Love and Wisdom 238).

During regeneration, we will discover deeper and subtler self-centered states in ourselves, which need to be mitigated. Each judge raised by the Lord stands for our determination to deal with these states, using the Word as a guide. This brings us a period of peace, followed by the start of another personal discovery.

When the Israelites chose which tribes would fight for them, it was no coincidence that they selected Judah and Simeon. Judah (who was a prominent tribe of Israel) and Simeon (who usually acts with another tribe) stand for the highest things in our spiritual life: our love for the Lord, and our obedience to the Lord’s Word. Choosing Judah and Simeon as our strength will always bring victory in our regeneration (see Arcana Caelestia 3654 and Apocalypse Explained 443).

The spiritual meaning in the story of Adoni-bezek is about taking away the power of our self-love, as cutting off thumbs and big toes makes hands and feet virtually useless. When we work on our lower nature, we are to minimize its control over us. It is the same with any influences from hell; their power must end. Adoni-bezek’s comment about doing the same to seventy kings vividly describes how self-love can only lead to our downfall (Arcana Caelestia 10062[4]).

The delightful story of Caleb, Achsah and Othniel illustrates that after battle, there is rest and reward. In the same way, we strengthen the ‘marriage’ of good and truth in us after overcoming spiritual struggles (see Swedenborg’s work, Divine Love and Wisdom 409). The springs of water given to Achsah stand for the truths which flow into our mind, both about the ‘upper’ things of the Lord and heaven, and those ‘lower’ ones about spiritual life and responsibility.

The episode about the man from Bethel means that when we open up our life to the Lord to allow Him to guide us, we become blessed (Arcana Caelestia 3928). Then our life can be re-built in very practical and good ways, represented by the Hittites.

The final mention of the Canaanites still in the land points to the continuing presence of our unregenerate qualities. Although we may progress through the work of regeneration, we are still human, and we will always have flaws left to improve on.

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 5471

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5471. 'When he pleaded with us and we did not hear him' means its constant entreaty without ever gaining acceptance. This is clear from the meaning of 'pleading' as an entreaty; for a plea not to be alienated, when the subject is the inflow of good from the Divine, is an entreaty to be accepted. Good which flows in from the Lord is constantly at hand and so to speak entreating; but it is up to the individual to accept it. This explains why a plea not to become alienated means a constant entreaty, from which it follows that 'not hearing' means non-acceptance. The sense of the letter refers to a number of persons - to the ten sons of Jacob and to Joseph; but the internal sense makes them all refer to the one same subject. The truths known to the external Church or truths present within the natural, which are represented by 'the ten sons of Jacob', are the truths present within a person's external man, while the celestial of the spiritual, which is represented by 'Joseph', is truth from the Divine present in his internal man. The situation is the same here as it is with historical descriptions in other places in the Word; different spiritual realities are meant by the persons in those descriptions, and those realities all have regard to the one same subject.

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