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Amos 5

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1 Hear ye this word which I take·​·up against you, a lamentation, O house of Israel.

2 The virgin of Israel has fallen; she shall not arise again; she is abandoned on her ground; there is none to raise· her ·up.

3 For thus says the Lord Jehovih*: The city that went·​·out by a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went·​·out by a hundred shall have ten left, to the house of Israel.

4 For thus says Jehovah to the house of Israel: Inquire·​·after Me, and live;

5 but inquire· not ·after Bethel, nor come into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba, for Gilgal exiled shall be exiled, and Bethel shall be for sorrow.

6 Inquire·​·after Jehovah, and you shall live, lest He come·​·mightily as fire on the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel,

7 you who turn judgment to wormwood, and replace justice in the earth!

8 He who makes the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow·​·of·​·death into the morning, and darkens the day into night; who calls to the waters of the sea, and spills them on the faces of the earth: Jehovah is His name,

9 who strengthens devastation against the strong, and devastation shall come against the fortress.

10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abominate him who speaks in integrity.

11 Therefore because your treading is upon the poor, and you take from him burdens of grain, you shall build houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them; you shall plant vineyards of desire, but you shall not drink wine of them.

12 For I know your many transgressions and your numerous sins; being·​·an·​·adversary to the just, taking a bribe*, and they caused the needy to go·​·aside in the gate.

13 Therefore those having·​·intelligence shall be·​·still in that time, for it is an evil time.

14 Inquire·​·after good, and not evil, in·​·order·​·that you may live; and so Jehovah, the God of Armies, shall be with you, as you have said.

15 Hate evil, and love good, and place judgment in the gate; perhaps Jehovah God of Armies will be·​·gracious·​·to those who·​·are·​·left of Joseph.

16 Therefore Jehovah, the God of Armies, the Lord, says thus: Wailing shall be in all streets, and they shall say in all the avenues, Alas, alas! And they shall call the farmer to mourning and wailing, to those knowing lamentation,

17 and in all vineyards shall be wailing, for I will pass·​·through in the midst·​·of thee, says Jehovah.

18 Woe to you who long·​·for the day of Jehovah! To what end is this to you? The day of Jehovah, it is darkness, and not light,

19 As if a man did flee from before a lion, and a bear fell·​·upon him; or he came·​·into the house, and supported his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

20 Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light, and thick·​·darkness, and no brightness for it?

21 I hate, I reject your festivals, and I will not smell your days of restraint*,

22 for if you offer·​·up to Me burnt·​·offerings and your gift·​·offerings, I will not be·​·well·​·pleased; and I will not look·​·on the peace·​·offerings of your fatlings.

23 Remove from upon Me the noise of thy songs, and the psalm of thy psalteries I will not hear.

24 But let judgment roll down as waters, and justice as a strong brook.

25 Have you presented to Me sacrifices and gift·​·offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

26 But you have carried Siccuth your king, and Kiiun your images, the star of your gods, which you made for yourselves.

27 And I will cause you to go into exile beyond Damascus, says Jehovah, whose name is The God of Armies.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

True Christian Religion # 689

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689. The reason why John's baptising prepared the way was that by this means, as shown above, people were introduced into the coming church of the Lord, and brought into the company of those in heaven who were awaiting and longing for the Messiah. They were thus protected by angels to prevent devils breaking out of hell and destroying them. This is why it says in Malachi, 'Who will endure the day of his coming' and 'so that Jehovah may not come and strike the land with a curse' (Malachi 4:6). Likewise in Isaiah:

Look, the cruel day of Jehovah is coming, a day of wrath and an explosion of anger. I shall make the heaven tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place on the day of the explosion of His anger, Isaiah 13:6, 9, 13, 22; 22:5, 12.

Also in Jeremiah that day is called a day of laying waste, of revenge and ruin (Jeremiah 4:9; 7:32; 46:10, 21; 47:4; 49:8, 26). In Ezekiel it is called a day of wrath, of cloud and thick darkness (Ezekiel 13:5; 30:2-3, 9; 34:11-12; 38:14, 16, 18-19). Equally in Amos (Amos 5:13, 18, 20; 8:3, 9, 13); in Joel, the great and terrible day of Jehovah, and who will endure it? (Joel 2:1-2, 11; 3:2, 4). In Zephaniah:

On that day there will be a shout. The great day of Jehovah is at hand, the day of the explosion of His anger is that day, the day of anguish and affliction, the day of laying waste and devastation. On the day of the explosion of Jehovah's anger the whole earth will be consumed, and He will bring about an ending with all the inhabitants of the earth, Zephaniah 1:7-18.

There are other passages too.

[2] From these it is plain that if the way had not been prepared by baptism for Jehovah to come down into the world, the effect of which in the heavens was to shut off the hells and to protect the Jews from total extinction, [all there would have been struck with a curse and would have perished] 1 . Jehovah also says to Moses:

In a single moment, if I were to go up in your midst, I should consume the people, Exodus 33:5.

The truth of this is clearly to be seen from John's words to the crowds who came out to be baptised by him:

You brood of vipers, who has warned you to run away from the wrath to come? Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7.

For John also teaching about Christ and His coming when he baptised, see Luke 3:16; John 1:25-26, 31-33; 3:26. These passages make it plain how John prepared the way.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The sentence is incomplete; the words in brackets are restored from 688.

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