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Exodus 17

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1 And all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys according to the mouth of Jehovah, and they encamped in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink.

2 And the people strove with Moses, and they said, Give ye water to us and we will drink. And Moses said to them, why strive you with me? why do you tempt Jehovah?

3 And the people thirsted there for waters, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Why is this, that thou hast made us come·​·up out·​·of Egypt, to put· me ·to·​·death, and my sons, and my livestock, with thirst?

4 And Moses cried to Jehovah, saying, What shall I do for this people? A·​·little more and they will stone me.

5 And Jehovah said to Moses, Pass·​·on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, with which thou smotest the river, take in thy hand, and go.

6 Behold, I stand before thee there on the rock in Horeb*; and thou shalt smite the rock, and waters shall come·​·out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel.

7 And he called the name of the place Massah* and Meribah*, on·​·account·​·of the strife of the sons of Israel, and on·​·account·​·of their tempting Jehovah, saying, Is Jehovah in the midst of us, or not?

8 And Amalek came, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.

9 And Moses said to Joshua, Choose for us men, and go·​·out, fight against Amalek; tomorrow I will stand·​·up on the head of the hill, and the rod of God will be in my hand.

10 And Joshua did as Moses had said to him, in fighting against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron and Hur went·​·up to the head of the hill.

11 And it was, when Moses lifted·​·high his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he rested his hand, that Amalek prevailed.

12 And the hands of Moses were heavy, and they took a stone, and set it under him, and he sat upon it; and Aaron and Hur upheld his hands, one on this side, and one on that; and his hands were steady* even·​·until the setting* of the sun.

13 And Joshua overcame* Amalek and his people with the mouth of the sword.

14 And Jehovah said to Moses, Write this for a memorial in the book, and set it in the ears of Joshua, that wiping I will wipe·​·out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.

15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi*.

16 And he said, Because there is a hand against the throne of Jah, the war of Jehovah is against Amalek from generation to generation.

   


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

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Elders

  
St. Stephen before the High Priest and Elders of the Sanhedrin, by Mariotto di Nardo

Like most meanings in the Bible this can change depending on context to a meaning perverted into the opposite. Instead of a mind full of knowledge and love of the neighbor, the love can be twisted around to pride in one's own self-intelligence and lead toward evil instead of good. The elders and chief priests who sat in judgment on Jesus in Caiaphas' house show the other side of the representation. Elders are mentioned in the Bible mainly in two ways: First the elders of Israel: and second the 24 elders seated about the throne of God in Revelation. In both cases, they mean wisdom, which comes from using the truths we've learned to do what's right in our everyday lives. The elders of Israel mean the chief things of wisdom in the church called Israel. The elders mentioned in Revelation 4 mean the wisdom of the highest heavens, and by extension the whole of the heavens.

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Revelation 4

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1 After these things I looked and saw a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, like a trumpet speaking with me, was one saying, "Come up here, and I will show you the things which must happen after this."

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit. Behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne

3 that looked like a jasper stone and a sardius. There was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald to look at.

4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones. On the thrones were twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white garments, with crowns of gold on their heads.

5 Out of the throne proceed lightnings, sounds, and thunders. There were seven lamps of fire burning before his throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6 Before the throne was something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal. In the midst of the throne, and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.

7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle.

8 The four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within. They have no rest day and night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come!"

9 When the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to him who sits on the throne, to him who lives forever and ever,

10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever, and throw their crowns before the throne, saying,

11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, the Holy One, to receive the glory, the honor, and the power, for you created all things, and because of your desire they existed, and were created!"