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Amos 4

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1 ἀκούσατε τὸν λόγον τοῦτον δαμάλεις τῆς βασανίτιδος αἱ ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῆς σαμαρείας αἱ καταδυναστεύουσαι πτωχοὺς καὶ καταπατοῦσαι πένητας αἱ λέγουσαι τοῖς κυρίοις αὐτῶν ἐπίδοτε ἡμῖν ὅπως πίωμεν

2 ὀμνύει κύριος κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ διότι ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται ἐφ' ὑμᾶς καὶ λήμψονται ὑμᾶς ἐν ὅπλοις καὶ τοὺς μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰς λέβητας ὑποκαιομένους ἐμβαλοῦσιν ἔμπυροι λοιμοί

3 καὶ ἐξενεχθήσεσθε γυμναὶ κατέναντι ἀλλήλων καὶ ἀπορριφήσεσθε εἰς τὸ ὄρος τὸ ρεμμαν λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός

4 εἰσήλθατε εἰς βαιθηλ καὶ ἠνομήσατε καὶ εἰς γαλγαλα ἐπληθύνατε τοῦ ἀσεβῆσαι καὶ ἠνέγκατε εἰς τὸ πρωὶ θυσίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὴν τριημερίαν τὰ ἐπιδέκατα ὑμῶν

5 καὶ ἀνέγνωσαν ἔξω νόμον καὶ ἐπεκαλέσαντο ὁμολογίας ἀπαγγείλατε ὅτι ταῦτα ἠγάπησαν οἱ υἱοὶ ισραηλ λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός

6 καὶ ἐγὼ δώσω ὑμῖν γομφιασμὸν ὀδόντων ἐν πάσαις ταῖς πόλεσιν ὑμῶν καὶ ἔνδειαν ἄρτων ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς τόποις ὑμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἐπεστρέψατε πρός με λέγει κύριος

7 καὶ ἐγὼ ἀνέσχον ἐξ ὑμῶν τὸν ὑετὸν πρὸ τριῶν μηνῶν τοῦ τρυγήτου καὶ βρέξω ἐπὶ πόλιν μίαν ἐπὶ δὲ πόλιν μίαν οὐ βρέξω μερὶς μία βραχήσεται καὶ μερίς ἐφ' ἣν οὐ βρέξω ἐπ' αὐτήν ξηρανθήσεται

8 καὶ συναθροισθήσονται δύο καὶ τρεῖς πόλεις εἰς πόλιν μίαν τοῦ πιεῖν ὕδωρ καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐμπλησθῶσιν καὶ οὐκ ἐπεστρέψατε πρός με λέγει κύριος

9 ἐπάταξα ὑμᾶς ἐν πυρώσει καὶ ἐν ἰκτέρῳ ἐπληθύνατε κήπους ὑμῶν ἀμπελῶνας ὑμῶν καὶ συκῶνας ὑμῶν καὶ ἐλαιῶνας ὑμῶν κατέφαγεν ἡ κάμπη καὶ οὐδ' ὧς ἐπεστρέψατε πρός με λέγει κύριος

10 ἐξαπέστειλα εἰς ὑμᾶς θάνατον ἐν ὁδῷ αἰγύπτου καὶ ἀπέκτεινα ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ τοὺς νεανίσκους ὑμῶν μετὰ αἰχμαλωσίας ἵππων σου καὶ ἀνήγαγον ἐν πυρὶ τὰς παρεμβολὰς ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ μου καὶ οὐδ' ὧς ἐπεστρέψατε πρός με λέγει κύριος

11 κατέστρεψα ὑμᾶς καθὼς κατέστρεψεν ὁ θεὸς σοδομα καὶ γομορρα καὶ ἐγένεσθε ὡς δαλὸς ἐξεσπασμένος ἐκ πυρός καὶ οὐδ' ὧς ἐπεστρέψατε πρός με λέγει κύριος

12 διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως ποιήσω σοι ισραηλ πλὴν ὅτι οὕτως ποιήσω σοι ἑτοιμάζου τοῦ ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸν θεόν σου ισραηλ

13 διότι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ στερεῶν βροντὴν καὶ κτίζων πνεῦμα καὶ ἀπαγγέλλων εἰς ἀνθρώπους τὸν χριστὸν αὐτοῦ ποιῶν ὄρθρον καὶ ὁμίχλην καὶ ἐπιβαίνων ἐπὶ τὰ ὕψη τῆς γῆς κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ὄνομα αὐτῷ

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Arcana Coelestia # 5198

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5198. 'Seven cows were coming up' means the truths belonging to the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'cows' as the truths belonging to the natural, dealt with below. The reason there were seven is that 'seven' means that which is holy, 395, 433, 716, and therefore this number contributes to any matter under consideration the idea of holiness, dealt with in 881. The matter under consideration here is likewise of a holy nature since it concerns a further rebirth of the natural through the joining of this to the celestial of the spiritual. As regards 'cows' or 'young cows' meaning the truths belonging to the natural, this becomes clear from the fact that 'bulls' and 'young bulls' mean forms of good belonging to the natural, 2180, 2566, 2781, 2830. For in the Word, when a male means good, its female means truth, and conversely when the male means truth its female means good, so that 'a cow' means some truth belonging to the natural, because 'a bull' means some form of good belonging to it.

[2] All beasts without exception that are mentioned in the Word mean affections, evil and useless beasts meaning evil affections, gentle and useful ones meaning good affections, see 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 714, 715, 719, 776, 1823, 2179, 2180, 3218, 3519. The reason why they have such a meaning lies in the representations that occur in the world of spirits, for whenever a discussion about affections is taking place in heaven, beasts corresponding to affections of the kind under discussion are represented in the world of spirits, as I have also been allowed quite often to see. On several occasions I have wondered about the origin of that phenomenon, but have been led to perceive that the lives led by beasts are nothing else than affections; for they respond instinctively, devoid of reason, to their innate affections and are led by these to fulfill their specific functions. No other physical forms are suited to these affections devoid of reason than the kinds in which they are seen on earth. This explains why, when the discussion in heaven is about affections alone, the ultimate forms that those affections take in the world of spirits are the same in appearance as the physical forms of such beasts; for those affections cannot be clothed with any other forms than ones such as correspond to them. I have also seen beasts, the like of which do not appear anywhere at all in the natural world. They were the forms taken by affections that are not known and by affections that are mingled together.

[3] Here then is the reason why in the Word affections are meant by 'beasts', though which particular affections are meant cannot be seen from anywhere else than the internal sense. 'Bulls' means the good belonging to the natural, as may be seen in the paragraphs listed above; and as for the meaning of 'cows' as the truths belonging to the natural, this becomes clear from other places where they are referred to, such as Isaiah 11:7; Hosea 4:16; Amos 4:1, as well as from the reference in Numbers 19:2-10 to the water of separation by which they were to be made clean and which was prepared from the red cow burned to ashes outside the camp, with which cedar wood was mixed, hyssop, and twice-dyed scarlet. When the meaning of this procedure is disclosed with the help of the internal sense, it shows that 'the red cow', meaning unclean truth within the natural, is made clean by 'burning', and also by the kinds of things meant by 'cedar wood, hyssop, and twice-dyed scarlet'. The water prepared by that process represented the means of purification.

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

Bible

 

Numbers 18

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1 Yahweh said to Aaron, "You and your sons and your fathers' house with you shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary; and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood.

2 Your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, bring near with you, that they may be joined to you, and minister to you: but you and your sons with you shall be before the tent of the testimony.

3 They shall keep your commands, and the duty of all the Tent: only they shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary and to the altar, that they not die, neither they, nor you.

4 They shall be joined to you, and keep the responsibility of the Tent of Meeting, for all the service of the Tent: and a stranger shall not come near to you.

5 "You shall perform the duty of the sanctuary, and the duty of the altar; that there be wrath no more on the children of Israel.

6 I, behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are a gift, given to Yahweh, to do the service of the Tent of Meeting.

7 You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil; and you shall serve: I give you the priesthood as a service of gift: and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death."

8 Yahweh spoke to Aaron, "I, behold, I have given you the command of my wave offerings, even all the holy things of the children of Israel; to you have I given them by reason of the anointing, and to your sons, as a portion forever.

9 This shall be yours of the most holy things, [reserved] from the fire: every offering of theirs, even every meal offering of theirs, and every sin offering of theirs, and every trespass offering of theirs, which they shall render to me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons.

10 You shall eat of it like the most holy things. Every male shall eat of it. It shall be holy to you.

11 "This is yours, too: the wave offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the children of Israel. I have given them to you, and to your sons and to your daughters with you, as a portion forever. Everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.

12 "All the best of the oil, and all the best of the vintage, and of the grain, the first fruits of them which they give to Yahweh, to you have I given them.

13 The first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to Yahweh, shall be yours; everyone who is clean in your house shall eat of it.

14 "Everything devoted in Israel shall be yours.

15 Everything that opens the womb, of all flesh which they offer to Yahweh, both of man and animal shall be yours: nevertheless you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and you shall redeem the firstborn of unclean animals.

16 You shall redeem those who are to be redeemed of them from a month old, according to your estimation, for five shekels of money, after the shekel of the sanctuary (the same is twenty gerahs).

17 "But you shall not redeem the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat. They are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and shall burn their fat for an offering made by fire, for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh.

18 Their flesh shall be yours, as the wave offering breast and as the right thigh, it shall be yours.

19 All the wave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to Yahweh, have I given you, and your sons and your daughters with you, as a portion forever: it is a covenant of salt forever before Yahweh to you and to your seed with you."

20 Yahweh said to Aaron, "You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.

21 "To the children of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they serve, even the service of the Tent of Meeting.

22 Henceforth the children of Israel shall not come near the Tent of Meeting, lest they bear sin, and die.

23 But the Levites shall do the service of the Tent of Meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations; and among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

24 For the tithe of the children of Israel, which they offer as a wave offering to Yahweh, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance: therefore I have said to them, 'Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.'"

25 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

26 "Moreover you shall speak to the Levites, and tell them, 'When you take of the children of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall offer up a wave offering of it for Yahweh, a tithe of the tithe.

27 Your wave offering shall be reckoned to you, as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress.

28 Thus you also shall offer a wave offering to Yahweh of all your tithes, which you receive of the children of Israel; and of it you shall give Yahweh's wave offering to Aaron the priest.

29 Out of all your gifts you shall offer every wave offering of Yahweh, of all its best, even the holy part of it out of it.'

30 "Therefore you shall tell them, 'When you heave its best from it, then it shall be reckoned to the Levites as the increase of the threshing floor, and as the increase of the winepress.

31 You shall eat it in every place, you and your households: for it is your reward in return for your service in the Tent of Meeting.

32 You shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have heaved from it its best: and you shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, that you not die.'"