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Matteo 13

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1 ORA in quel giorno stesso, Gesù, uscito di casa, si pose a sedere presso del mare.

2 E molte turbe si raunarono appresso di lui, talchè egli, entrato in una navicella, si pose a sedere; e tutta la moltitudine stava in piè in su la riva.

3 Ed egli ragionava loro molte cose, in parabole, dicendo: Ecco, un seminatore uscì fuori a seminare.

4 E mentre egli seminava, una parte della semenza cadde lungo la strada, e gli uccelli vennero, e la mangiarono tutta.

5 Ed un’altra cadde in luoghi pietrosi, ove non avea molta terra, e subito nacque, perciocchè non avea profondo terreno;

6 ma, essendo levato il sole, fu riarsa; e, perciocchè non avea radice, si seccò.

7 Ed un’altra cadde sopra le spine, e le spine crebbero, e l’affogarono.

8 Ed un’altra cadde in buona terra, e portò frutto, qual granel cento, qual sessanta, qual trenta.

9 Chi ha orecchie da udire, oda.

10 Allora i discepoli, accostatisi, gli dissero: Perchè parli loro in parabole?

11 Ed egli, rispondendo, disse loro: Perciocchè a voi è dato di conoscere i misteri del regno de’ cieli, ma a loro non è dato.

12 Perciocchè, a chiunque ha, sarà dato, ed egli soprabbonderà; ma, a chiunque non ha, eziandio quel ch’egli ha gli sarà tolto.

13 Perciò, parlo io loro in parabole, perchè veggendo non veggono, udendo non odono, e non intendono.

14 E si adempie in loro la profezia d’Isaia, che dice: Bene udirete, ma non intenderete; ben riguarderete, ma non vedrete.

15 Perciocchè il cuore di questo popolo è ingrassato, e odono gravemente con gli orecchi, e chiudono gli occhi; acciocchè non veggano con gli occhi, e non odano con gli orecchi, e non intendano col cuore, e non si convertano, ed io non li sani.

16 Ma, beati gli occhi vostri, perchè veggono; e le vostre orecchie, perchè odono.

17 Perciocchè, io vi dico in verità, che molti profeti e giusti hanno desiderato di veder le cose che voi vedete e non le hanno vedute; e di udir le cose che voi udite, e non le hanno udite.

18 Voi dunque intendete la parabola del seminatore.

19 Quando alcuno ode la parola del regno, e non l’intende, il maligno viene, e rapisce ciò ch’era stato seminato nel cuor di esso. Un tale è la semenza seminata lungo la strada.

20 E colui che è seminato in luoghi pietrosi è colui che ode la parola, e subito con allegrezza la riceve;

21 ma non ha radice in sè, anzi è di corta durata: ed avvenendo tribolazione, o persecuzione, per la parola, incontanente è scandalezzato.

22 E colui che è seminato fra le spine è colui che ode la parola; ma la sollecitudine di questo secolo e l’inganno delle ricchezze, affogano la parola; ed essa diviene infruttuosa.

23 Ma colui che è seminato nella buona terra è colui che ode la parola, e l’intende; il quale ancora frutta, e fa qual cento, qual sessanta, qual trenta.

24 EGLI propose loro un’altra parabola, dicendo: Il regno de’ cieli è simile ad un uomo che seminò buona semenza nel suo campo.

25 Ma, mentre gli uomini dormivano, venne il suo nemico, e seminò delle zizzanie per mezzo il grano, e se ne andò.

26 E quando l’erba fu nata, ed ebbe fatto frutto, allora apparvero eziandio le zizzanie.

27 E i servitori del padron di casa vennero a lui, e gli dissero: Signore, non hai tu seminata buona semenza nel tuo campo? onde avvien dunque che vi son delle zizzanie?

28 Ed egli disse loro: Un uomo nemico ha ciò fatto. E i servitori gli dissero: Vuoi dunque che andiamo, e le cogliamo?

29 Ma egli disse: No; che talora, cogliendo le zizzanie, non diradichiate insieme con esse il grano.

30 Lasciate crescere amendue insieme, infino alla mietitura; e nel tempo della mietitura, io dirò a’ mietitori: Cogliete prima le zizzanie, e legatele in fasci, per bruciarle; ma accogliete il grano nel mio granaio.

31 EGLI propose loro un’altra parabola, dicendo: Il regno de’ cieli è simile ad un granel di senape, il quale un uomo prende, e lo semina nel suo campo.

32 Esso è bene il più piccolo di tutti i semi; ma quando è cresciuto è la maggiore di tutte l’erbe, e divien albero, talchè gli uccelli del cielo vengono, e si riparano ne’ suoi rami.

33 Egli disse loro un’altra parabola: Il regno de’ cieli è simile al lievito, il quale una donna prende, e lo ripone dentro tre staia di farina, finchè tutta sia levitata.

34 Tutte queste cose ragionò Gesù in parabole alle turbe; e non parlava loro senza parabola;

35 acciocchè si adempiesse ciò che fu detto dal profeta: Io aprirò la mia bocca in parabole; io sgorgherò cose occulte fin dalla fondazione del mondo.

36 ALLORA Gesù, licenziate le turbe, se ne ritornò a casa, e i suoi discepoli gli si accostarono, dicendo: Dichiaraci la parabola delle zizzanie del campo.

37 Ed egli, rispondendo, disse loro: Colui che semina la buona semenza è il Figliuol dell’uomo.

38 E il campo è il mondo, e la buona semenza sono i figliuoli del regno, e le zizzanie sono i figliuoli del maligno.

39 E il nemico che le ha seminate è il diavolo, e la mietitura è la fin del mondo, e i mietitori son gli angeli.

40 Siccome adunque si colgono le zizzanie, e si bruciano col fuoco, così ancora avverrà nella fin del mondo.

41 Il Figliuol dell’uomo manderà i suoi angeli, ed essi raccoglieranno dal suo regno tutti gli scandali, e gli operatori d’iniquità;

42 e li getteranno nella fornace del fuoco. Ivi sarà il pianto e lo stridor de’ denti.

43 Allora i giusti risplenderanno come il sole, nel regno del Padre loro. Chi ha orecchie da udire, oda.

44 DI nuovo, il regno de’ cieli è simile ad un tesoro nascosto in un campo, il quale un uomo, avendolo trovato, nasconde; e per l’allegrezza che ne ha, va, e vende tutto ciò ch’egli ha, e compera quel campo.

45 Di nuovo, il regno de’ cieli è simile ad un uomo mercatante, il qual va cercando di belle perle.

46 E trovata una perla di gran prezzo, va, e vende tutto ciò ch’egli ha, e la compera.

47 Di nuovo, il regno de’ cieli è simile ad una rete gettata in mare, la qual raccoglie d’ogni maniera di cose.

48 E quando è piena, i pescatori la traggono fuori in sul lito; e postisi a sedere, raccolgono le cose buone ne’ lor vasi, e gettan via ciò che non val nulla.

49 Così avverrà nella fin del mondo: gli angeli usciranno, e metteranno da parte i malvagi d’infra i giusti;

50 e li getteranno nella fornace del fuoco. Ivi sarà il pianto e lo stridor de’ denti.

51 Gesù disse loro: Avete voi intese tutte queste cose? Essi gli dissero: Sì, Signore.

52 Ed egli disse loro: Perciò ogni Scriba, ammaestrato per lo regno de’ cieli, è simile ad un padrone di casa, il qual trae fuori dal suo tesoro cose vecchie, e nuove.

53 ORA, quando Gesù ebbe finite queste parabole si dipartì di là.

54 Ed essendo venuto nella sua patria, li insegnava nella lor sinagoga, talchè essi stupivano, e dicevano: Onde viene a costui cotesta sapienza, e coteste potenti operazioni?

55 Non è costui il figliuolo del falegname? sua madre non si chiama ella Maria? e i suoi fratelli Giacomo, e Iose, e Simone, e Giuda?

56 E non son le sue sorelle tutte appresso di noi? onde vengono dunque a costui tutte queste cose?

57 Ed erano scandalizzati di lui. E Gesù disse loro: Niun profeta è sprezzato, se non nella sua patria, e in casa sua.

58 Ed egli non fece quivi molte potenti operazioni, per la loro incredulità.

   


To many Protestant and Evangelical Italians, the Bibles translated by Giovanni Diodati are an important part of their history. Diodati’s first Italian Bible edition was printed in 1607, and his second in 1641. He died in 1649. Throughout the 1800s two editions of Diodati’s text were printed by the British Foreign Bible Society. This is the more recent 1894 edition, translated by Claudiana.

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Apocalypse Revealed # 675

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675. To this I will append the following account:

I saw a piece of paper sent down by the Lord through heaven into a society of Englishmen - though that society was one of their smallest - in which there were also two bishops. The piece of paper contained an exhortation to acknowledge the Lord as God of heaven and earth, as He Himself taught (Matthew 28:18 1 ), and to turn away from a doctrine of faith that justifies apart from works of the law, because the doctrine is wrong.

Many of the people read the piece of paper and made copies of it, and they thought and spoke rationally about what it contained from an interior power to judge, so that they were enlightened by the Lord and received that enlightenment with a clarity of sight more innate in the English than in others.

After their acceptance of these ideas, however, they said to each other, "Let us ask the bishops."

And they asked the bishops, but the bishops contradicted the ideas and disapproved them. However, the bishops there were some of those who in the world had become callous with respect to the spiritual aspects of faith and charity, owing to a love of dominion over the sanctities of the church and a love of their eminence in consequence of them also in political affairs. After a brief consultation with each other, therefore, they sent the piece of paper back to the heaven from which it came.

When the bishops did this, most of the laity, after some murmuring, turned away from their earlier acceptance, and their light in spiritual matters, which before had shone, was suddenly extinguished.

Then, after they were warned a second time, but in vain, I saw that society sink down - though how deeply I did not see - so that it disappeared from the sight of angels, who worship the Lord only and reject faith alone.

[2] Several days later I saw as many as a hundred people ascend from the lower earth to which that small society had sunk. They came over to me, and a wise man among them said, "Listen to this amazing thing. When we sank down, the place looked to us at first like a lake, but a little while later like dry land, and afterward like a small city, in which we each had his own house, though a poor one.

"The next day we took counsel with each other as to what we should do. Many said we should go to the two bishops and gently blame them for sending the piece of paper back to the heaven from which it descended, on which account this has befallen us.

"They chose some representatives who went to the bishops," and the wise man speaking with me said he was one of them. "And then some of the wiser among us spoke to the bishops," he said, "as follows:

"'Hear us, you church fathers. We believed that more than others we had a church among us that deserved to be called foremost in the Christian world, and a religion that deserved to be called great. But we were given an enlightenment from heaven, and in that enlightenment a perception that there is no longer any church in the Christian world today, and no longer any religion.'

[3] "The bishops said, 'What are you saying? Does the church not exist where the Word is found? Where Christ the Savior is known? And where the sacraments are celebrated?'

"To this our spokesman replied, 'These things embody the church and they form the church, but they do not form it around a person but within a person.'

"Going on then he said, 'As regards the church: Can the church exist where people worship three gods? Can the church exist where its entire doctrine rests on a single saying of Paul misinterpreted, and so not on the Word? Can the church exist when people do not turn to the Savior of the world, and where they divide Him in two?

"'As for religion: Who can deny that religion consists in refraining from evil and doing good? Is there any religion where people are taught that faith alone saves, and not charity? Is there any religion where people are taught that charity emanating from people is nothing but moral and civic charity? Who does not see that in such charity there is no religion? Is there any deed or work in faith alone? And yet religion consists in doing.

"'In the entire world is there any nation having in it some religion that excludes anything saving from goods of charity, which are good works, even though everything connected with religion consists in goodness, and everything connected with the church consists in doctrine, which ought to teach truths, and through truths, goodness?

"'See, church fathers, what glory we would have if a church that does not now exist and if a religion that does not now exist should begin and arise with us.'

[4] "The bishops then replied, 'You speak too arrogantly. Faith in act, the faith that fully justifies and saves, is it not the church? And faith in state, the faith that emanates and perfects, is it not religion? Apprehend that, my children.'

"But then the wise Englishman said, 'Listen, you church fathers. A person who produces faith in act, does he not do so like a log? Does the church exist in a log that is, according to your notion, then brought to life? Is not faith in state but a continuation and extension of faith in act? And since, according to your notion, everything saving resides in faith, and nothing in the good of charity issuing from a person, where then is religion?'

"At that the bishops said, 'Friend, you speak as you do because you do not know the mysteries of justification by faith alone, and someone who does not know these does not know the path of salvation from within. Your path is an external and untutored way. Go that way if you wish, but provided you know that all good comes from God and none from man, and that in spiritual matters a person can therefore do nothing at all of himself.'

[5] "Annoyed at that, the Englishman speaking with them said, 'I know your mysteries of justification better than you, and I tell you plainly that I have seen in your interior mysteries nothing but phantoms. Does religion not involve acknowledging and loving God and shunning and hating the devil? Is God not good itself, and the devil evil itself? Who in the entire world, if he has any religion, does not know this? To acknowledge and love God - is that not to do good because it is of God and from God? And to shun and hate the devil - is that not to refrain from evil because it is of the devil and from the devil?

"'Your faith in act, which you say is faith that completely justifies and saves, or to say the same thing, your act of justification by faith alone - does it teach the doing of any good that is of God and from God? And does it teach the shunning of any evil that is of the devil and from the devil? Not in the least, because you have determined that there is no salvation in either.

"'Your faith in state, which you say is faith that emanates and perfects - unless it is the same as faith in act, how can that faith in state be perfected when you exclude from it any good issuing from a person as though originating from him, saying, "How can a person be saved by any good issuing from him, when salvation is by grace? And what is good issuing from a person but merit-seeking? And yet the merit of Christ is everything. Consequently to do good for the sake of salvation would be to attribute to self what is Christ's alone, and therefore it would be to try to justify and save oneself. Moreover, how can anyone do good when the Holy Spirit accomplishes everything without the least help of the person? What need then is there for any additional good on the person's part, when any good issuing from the person is in itself not good. And so on."

[6] "'Are these not your mysteries? But in my eyes they are nothing but sophistries and shams concocted in order to set aside good works that are works of charity so as to establish your faith alone. And because you do this, you view people in relation to those works, and in relation to everything spiritual in general having to do with the church and religion, as being like logs or inanimate statues, and not as human beings created in the image of God, to whom have been given, and are continually given, the faculties of understanding and willing, of believing and loving, and of speaking and acting, entirely as though of themselves, especially in spiritual matters, because they are what make a person human. If a person did not think and act in spiritual matters as though of himself, what then would faith be, what then would charity be, and what then would worship be - indeed, what then would the church and religion be?

"'You know that to do good to the neighbor out of love is charity. But you do not know what charity is, even though charity is the soul, life force and essence of faith. And because charity is all of that, what then is faith divorced from charity but lifeless? And a lifeless faith is nothing but a phantom. I call it a phantom, because the Apostle James calls faith without good works not only lifeless but also the faith of demons.' 2

[7] "When he heard his faith called lifeless, the faith of demons, and a phantom, then one of the two bishops became so enraged that he snatched the miter from his head and threw it onto the table, saying, 'I will not take it up again until I have taken vengeance on the enemies of the faith of our church.' And he shook his head, muttering to himself and saying, 'That James! That James!'

"His miter had on it a plaque, which had engraved on it, 'FAITH ALONE.'

"And suddenly then a monster rising up from the earth appeared, with seven heads, having feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion, altogether like the beast described in Revelation 13:1-2, an image of which was made and worshiped, verses 14, 15, in the same chapter.

"This phantom took the miter from the table, and widening the lower part, placed it on its seven heads. At that the earth opened under its feet and it sank into hell.

"Seeing this, the bishop cried out, 'A violation! A violation!'

"We then departed from them, and suddenly we saw a stairway before us, by which we ascended and returned above ground into the sight of heaven, where we were before."

This is the account the wise Englishman related to me.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'"

2James 2:14-26

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

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Isaiah 24

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1 Behold, Yahweh makes the earth empty, makes it waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants.

2 It will be as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest.

3 The earth will be utterly emptied and utterly laid waste; for Yahweh has spoken this word.

4 The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish.

5 The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

7 The new wine mourns. The vine languishes. All the merry-hearted sigh.

8 The mirth of tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases.

9 They will not drink wine with a song. Strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it.

10 The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

11 There is a crying in the streets because of the wine. All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone.

12 The city is left in desolation, and the gate is struck with destruction.

13 For it will be so in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done.

14 These shall lift up their voice. They will shout for the majesty of Yahweh. They cry aloud from the sea.

15 Therefore glorify Yahweh in the east, even the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea!

16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous! But I said, "I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!" The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.

17 Fear, the pit, and the snare, are on you who inhabitant the earth.

18 It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the midst of the pit will be taken in the snare; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

19 The earth is utterly broken. The earth is torn apart. The earth is shaken violently.

20 The earth will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will fall and not rise again.

21 It shall happen in that day that Yahweh will punish the army of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the earth.

22 They shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; and after many days shall they be visited.

23 Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders will be glory.