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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 # 6000

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6000. 'And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night' means obscure revelation. This is clear from the meaning of 'God spoke in visions' as revelation. For revelations were made either by means of dreams, or by night visions, or by daytime visions, or by utterances made within a person, or by utterances made outside him by angels who had become visible, as well as by utterances made outside by angels who had not become visible. Various kinds of revelation are meant in the Word by all these. 'A vision of the night' means revelation that is obscure, since 'night' means obscurity, 1712, 2514, and in the spiritual sense obscurity implies that truth is not visible. In the Word 'night' also means falsity due to evil; for people who because of evil are subject to falsity dwell in the obscurity of night, which is why all in hell are said to be in night. Those in hell do, it is true, have an inferior kind of light, for they see one another; but that light is like the light emitted by a coal fire, which is turned into darkness and pitch darkness when heavenly light flows in. This is why the inhabitants of hell are said to be in night and are called angels of the night and darkness, whereas the inhabitants of heaven are called angels of the day and light.

[2] The meaning of 'the night' as obscurity and also falsity may be seen in addition from the following places in the Word: In John,

Jesus said, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day he does not stumble. But if anyone walks in the night he stumbles, because the light is not in him. John 11:9-10.

'Twelve hours' stands for all states of truth. 'Walking in the day' stands for living in the truth, and 'walking in the night' for living in falsity.

[3] In the same gospel,

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming when nobody will be able to work. John 9:4.

'Day' stands for truth coming from good, and 'night' for falsity coming from evil. The first period of the Church is what is meant by 'day', for at this time truth is entertained by people because they are governed by good. But the final period of the Church is what is meant by 'night', for at that time no truth at all is entertained by its members, because they are not governed by good; and when someone is not governed by good, that is, by charity towards the neighbour, then even if told perfect truths he does not entertain them. In this situation there is no perception at all of what truth is, because the light of truth falls on matters of a bodily and worldly nature, to which alone such people give their attention and which alone they love and consider to have any reality. It does not fall on things of a heavenly nature because they are considered to be of little or no value at all compared with other things. Consequently the light of truth is swallowed up by and snuffed out in what is a mass of thick darkness, like sunlight falling on an object that is black. This is what is meant by 'night is coming when nobody will be able to work'; and the situation is like this at the present day.

[4] In Matthew,

While the bridegroom was tarrying all the virgins were drowsy and went to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, Behold, the bridegroom is coming. Matthew 25:5-7.

'Midnight' too stands for the final period of the old Church when no faith at all exists because no charity at all does so, and also for the first period of the new Church. In Luke,

I tell you, in that night there will be two upon one bed; one will be taken, the other left. Luke 17:34.

'Night' in the same way here stands for the final period of the old Church, and the first of the new.

[5] In Matthew,

Jesus said to the disciples, All of you will be made to stumble [by sinning] against Me this night. And to Peter, This night, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times. Matthew 26:31, 34.

The Lord allowed Himself to be arrested at night, and this was a sign that Divine Truth dwelt for them in the obscurity of night and that falsity springing from evil existed in place of it. Peter's denial of the Lord three times that night also represented the final period of the Church when the truth of faith is indeed taught, but no one believes it. This final period is 'night' because at this time people utterly deny the Lord in their hearts. For like the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve apostles represented all the aspects of faith, 577, 2089, 2129 (end), 2130 (end), 3272, 3354, 3488, 3858, 3913, 3926, 3939, 4060; and Peter represented the faith of the Church, see Preface to Genesis 18, also Preface to Genesis 22, as well as 3750, 4738. So it was that the Lord said to Peter that he would deny Him three times that night, and to the disciples, 'All of you will be made to stumble [by sinning] against Me this night'.

[6] In Isaiah,

One was calling to me from Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, Morning comes, and also the night.

This refers to the Coming of the Lord, which is 'morning'. That Coming took place when spiritual truth existed no longer on earth, which is 'the night'.

[7] In Zechariah,

There will be one day, which is known to Jehovah, not day nor night, because around evening time there will be light. It will happen, that on that day living waters will go out from Jerusalem. And Jehovah will be King over all the earth; on that day there will be one Jehovah, and His name one. Zechariah 14:7-9.

This too refers to the Lord, and also to a new Church. The prophecy that Jehovah, who will be King, will be one and that His name will be one refers to the Lord's Divine Human, which will be one with the Divine Himself, called the Father. Prior to the Lord's Coming the Divine Human was Jehovah in the heavens; for it was by His passing through the heavens that He presented Himself as a Divine Person before the eyes of many on earth. In those times the Divine Human was not so much one with the Divine Himself, called the Father, as when the Lord had made the Divine Human within Himself completely one with the Father. Prior to His Coming the two were seemingly distinct and separate, as is evident from Genesis 19:24, where it says that Jehovah rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from 1 Jehovah out of heaven, 2447. A day when it will be 'not day nor night' is the time when the Lord was born, for then it was 'evening', that is, when representatives in the Church came to an end. 'Light around evening time' is Divine Truth which is to appear then.

[8] In Isaiah,

Surely at night Ar has been laid waste, Moab has been cut off; surely at night Kir of Moab has been laid waste. Isaiah 15:1.

'Moab' stands for natural good, and in the contrary sense for adulterated good, 2468; in this text a laying waste of that good is referred to. Acts of laying waste are said to happen at night because they are occasions when truth is rendered obscure and falsity enters in. In Jeremiah,

The great city will weep bitterly in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks. Lamentations 1:2.

This refers to a desolation of truth, 'night' standing for falsity.

[9] In David,

You will not be afraid of the terror of the night, of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the death that lays waste at noonday. Psalms 91:5-6.

'The terror of the night' stands for falsities arising from evil that come from hell. 'The arrow that flies by day' stands for falsity that is taught openly and is destructive of good. 'The death that lays waste at noonday' is evil that is openly practised in life and is destructive of good. In John,

The gates of the holy Jerusalem will not be shut by day, for there is no night there. Revelation 21:25.

There will be no night there, nor do they need a lamp or light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. Revelation 22:5.

'There will be no night there' stands for no falsity there. In Daniel,

Daniel said, I saw in my vision when it was night. After this also I saw in visions of the night. Daniel 7:2, 7.

'Visions of the night' also stands for obscure revelation; for that chapter in Daniel describes four beasts and their horns, and gives many details belonging to revelation that was obscure. Something similar is involved with the different coloured horses that Zechariah saw at night, Zechariah 1:8 and following verses.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. Two Latin words meaning from and with are in fact used here; they represent a double preposition in the Hebrew.

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