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Lamentations 1

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1 א How does the city sit alone, that had many people! How has she become as a widow! She that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how has she become for a tribute!

2 ב Weeping she weeps in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; there is none to comfort her from all her lovers; all her companions have acted·​·treacherously with her, they have become enemies to her.

3 ג Judah is gone·​·into·​·exile because of affliction, and because of much servitude; she dwells among the nations, she finds no rest; all her persecutors overtook her between the straits.

4 ד The ways of Zion are mourning, because none come to the solemn·​·occasions; all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are made·​·sorrowful, and there is for her bitterness.

5 ה Her adversaries have become the head, her enemies are·​·tranquil; for Jehovah has made· her ·sorrowful for the multitude of her transgressions; her babes have gone into captivity before the adversary.

6 ו And from the daughter of Zion all her honor is gone·​·out; her princes are become as stags that find no pasture, and they are gone without power before the pursuer.

7 ז Jerusalem remembered, in the days of her affliction and of her being·​·dominated, all her desired things that were from the ancient days; when her people fell into the hand of the adversary, and none did help her, the adversaries saw her, and did mock at her Sabbath.

8 ח Jerusalem has sinned a sin; therefore she is isolated*; all who honored her consider her worthless, for they have seen her nakedness: she even sighs, and turns·​·back backward.

9 ט Her uncleanness is in her skirts; she remembers not her last times; therefore she came·​·down in wonders; she had no comfort. O Jehovah, see my affliction; for the enemy has magnified himself.

10 י The adversary has spread his hand on all her desired things; for she has seen the nations coming·​·into her sanctuary, whom Thou didst command that they should not come into the assembly to Thee.

11 כ All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their desired things for food to return the soul; see, O Jehovah, and look; for I have become worthless.

12 ל Is it nothing to you, all who pass·​·by the way? Look, and see if there·​·be any pain as my pain, which is enacted on me, with which Jehovah has made· me ·sorrowful in the day of His fierce anger.

13 מ From on·​·high has He sent fire into my bones, and it has had·​·dominion over them; He has spread a net for my feet, He has returned me backward: He has given me desolation and infirmity all the day.

14 נ The yoke of my transgressions is bound by His hand; they are wreathed, and come·​·up upon my neck: He has made my power to stumble, the Lord has given me into their hands, from whom I am· not ·able to rise·​·up.

15 ס The Lord has trampled·​·down all my powerful·​·ones in my midst; He has called the congregation against me to break my young·​·men: the Lord has trodden the wine·​·press for the virgin daughter of Judah.

16 ע For these things I weep; my eye, my eye runs down with water, because the comforter that should turn·​·back my soul is far from me; my sons are desolate, because the enemy prevailed.

17 פ Zion spreads her hands, and there is none to comfort her; Jehovah has commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be all around him: Jerusalem is isolated among them.

18 צ Jehovah, He is just; for I have rebelled against His mouth; hear, I pray you, all peoples, and see my pain; my virgins and my young·​·men have gone into captivity.

19 ק I called for my lovers, but they deceived me; my priests and my elders gave up the expired in the city, when they sought their food to turn·​·back their souls.

20 ר See, O Jehovah, for I am·​·in·​·adversity; my bowels churn, my heart is turned within me, for rebelling I have rebelled; on the street the sword bereaves, in the houses it is as death.

21 ש They have heard that I sigh; there is none to comfort me: all my enemies have heard of my evil state; they have·​·joy that Thou hast done it: Thou wilt bring the day that Thou hast called, and they shall be like me.

22 ת Let all their evil come before Thee; and act unto them, as Thou hast acted unto me for all my transgressions; for my sighings are many, and my heart is infirm.


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

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Arcana Coelestia # 3081

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3081. 'A virgin, and no man had known her' means pure from everything false. This is clear from the meaning of 'a virgin'. The word 'virgin' occurs in various places in the Word, where it means the Lord's kingdom, and also the Church, and therefore means every person who is the Lord's kingdom or who is the Church; and it receives this meaning from conjugial love which exists in chaste virgins. Conjugial love in the spiritual sense is the affection for good present in truth, and the affection for truth grounded in good, from which affections, when joined so to speak in marriage, conjugial love flows, see 2508, 2618, 2727-2729. And because conjugial love, as has been stated, is seen in a virgin, the Lord's kingdom, which is also compared to and actually called a marriage, is called a virgin. The reason 'no man had known her' means pure from everything false is that 'a man' (vir) in the Word means not only rational truth but also in the contrary sense falsity, see 265, 749, 1007, so that 'known by a man' means defiled by falsity, and 'not known by a man' pure from falsity. The word 'man' (vir) is not used here in the sense of a husband.

[2] 'A virgin' in the Word means those who are in the Lord's kingdom, or what amounts to the same, who have the Lord's kingdom within them. This is clear in John,

These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins, these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes; for they are spotless before God's throne. Revelation 14:4-5.

[3] Plainly, these are called 'virgins, who follow the Lamb', that is, who are in the Lord's kingdom; and they are also said to be 'spotless'. In the proper sense they are 'virgins' who are governed by love to the Lord - that is, who are celestial - and so who are moved by an affection for good. They too are called 'virgins' who are governed by charity towards the neighbour - that is, who are spiritual - and so are moved by the affection for truth, as becomes clear from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,

She has spurned you, she has scorned you, the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem. Isaiah 37:22.

These words are addressed to the king of Asshur. 'The virgin daughter of Zion' stands for the celestial Church, 'the daughter of Jerusalem' for the spiritual Church.

[4] In Jeremiah,

Again I will build you, and you will be built, O virgin of Israel! Again you will adorn yourself with your timbrels and will go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. And their life 1 will become like a watered garden, and they will not sorrow any more: Then will the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together. Jeremiah 31:4, 12-13.

'Virgin of Israel' stands for the spiritual Church. The affection for truth which springs from good which exists with that Church is described here and elsewhere as 'timbrels' and 'dances'. In the same prophet,

The roads of Zion mourn, her priests groan, her virgins are dejected. The Lord has trodden the winepress for the virgin daughter of Judah. See my grief - my virgins and my young men have gone into captivity. Lamentations 1:4, 15, 18.

'Virgins' stands for affections for good and truth. Elsewhere in the same prophet,

Women have been ravished in Zion, virgins in the cities of Judah. Lamentations 5:11.

'Virgins' stands for affections for good.

[5] In Amos,

They will run to and fro to seek the Word of Jehovah, and will not find it. On that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint for thirst. Amos 8:12-13.

'The beautiful virgins' stands for affections for truth, 'the young men' for truths, or what amounts to the same, those with whom truths exist, of whom it is said that 'they will run to and fro to seek the Word of Jehovah, and will not find it', and so 'will faint for thirst'.

[6] In Zechariah,

Jehovah their God will save them on that day; as a flock - His people. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins. Zechariah 9:16-17.

'The young men' stands for truths, 'the virgins' for affections. In David,

All glorious is the king's daughter within, in her clothing with gold interweavings; in embroidered robes she is led to the king. Virgins following her, her friends, have been brought to You. Psalms 45:13-14.

'The king's daughter' stands for the Lord's spiritual kingdom. 'Virgins following her, her friends' stands for affections for truth.

[7] In the same author,

They have seen Your goings, O God, the goings of my God in the sanctuary. The singers went before, players of the stringed instrument after, in the midst of the young women playing timbrels. Psalms 68:24-25.

'The young women playing timbrels' also stands for affections for truth. But young women are distinguished from virgins by innocence, the word 'virgins' being used because of conjugial love, thus of those in whom innocence is present since conjugial love is innocence itself, see 2736. This explains why in the verses quoted from John they are said 'to follow the Lamb wherever He goes', for 'the Lamb' is used to mean the Lord's innocence. Furthermore all in heaven are called virgins from the innocence present in their good. According to the amount and particular nature of the innocence present in that good 'they follow the Lamb'.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, soul

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