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Jeremiah 44

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1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,

2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth in them.

3 Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.

4 Yet I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.

5 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods.

6 Wherefore my fury and my anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.

7 Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Why do ye commit this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;

8 In that ye provoke me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye are gone to dwell, that ye may cut yourselves off, and that ye may be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

9 Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?

10 They are not humbled even to this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.

11 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.

12 And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.

13 For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:

14 So that none of the remnant of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt, to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,

16 As for the word that thou hast spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken to thee.

17 But we will certainly do whatever thing proceedeth from our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings to her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then we had plenty of provisions, and were well, and saw no evil.

18 But since we ceased to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings to her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink-offerings to her, did we make for her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings to her, without our men?

20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people who had given him that answer, saying,

21 The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?

22 So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.

23 Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil hath happened to you, as at this day.

24 Moreover, Jeremiah said to all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:

25 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings to her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.

26 Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, the LORD GOD liveth.

27 Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there shall be an end of them.

28 Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that have gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.

29 And this shall be a sign to you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:

30 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give Pharaoh-hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 5608

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5608. 'Even our young children' means aspects even more internal. This is clear from the meaning of 'young children' as things that are more internal, 5604. The reason more internal things are meant by 'young children' and also by 'boys (or older children)' is that innocence is meant by both these, and innocence is something inmost. The situation in heaven is that the inmost or third heaven consists of those in whom innocence dwells because they are moved by love to the Lord. For the Lord is Innocence itself, so that those who are there because they are moved by love to Him have innocence dwelling within them. And although they are the wisest ones of all in heaven, they look to others there like young children. For this reason, as well as for the reason that innocence dwells in young children, innocence is meant in the Word by 'young children'.

[2] Since innocence is the inmost virtue of heaven, innocence must exist inwardly with all who are in heaven. It is like entities of a consecutive nature in relation to those that come into being simultaneously, that is, entities existing separated from one another in distinct degrees in relation to ones that come into being from these. For everything that comes into being simultaneously has its origin in entities of a consecutive nature. When simultaneous things take rise from consecutive ones they position themselves in the same order as that in which they existed initially, separated into distinct degrees. Take, by way of illustration, end, cause, and effect. These exist consecutively, distinct and separate from one another. When they come into being simultaneously they position themselves in the same order; that is to say, the end takes up the inmost position, the cause the position after this, and the effect the one that comes last. The effect comes into being simultaneously with the others; for unless the cause is present within the effect, and the end within the cause, no effect exists. If you remove the cause from the effect you destroy the effect, and all the more so if you remove the end from the cause. The end enables the cause to be a cause, and the cause enables the effect to be an effect.

[3] The same is so in the spiritual world; just as end, cause, and effect are distinct and separate from one another, so in the spiritual world are love to the Lord, charity towards the neighbour, and the deeds of charity. When these three are made one, that is, when they come forth simultaneously, the first has to be within the second, and the second within the third. Likewise within the deeds of charity: unless charity flowing from affection or the heart is present inwardly in those deeds, they are not the deeds of charity; and unless love to the Lord is present inwardly in charity it is not charity. If therefore you take away the inward substance, the outward form perishes; for the outward form is brought into being and kept in being by the loves existing in order within it. The same is so with innocence. It makes one with love to the Lord. Unless innocence is present inwardly in charity it is not charity. Consequently unless charity that has innocence within it is present inwardly in the deeds of charity, they are not the deeds of charity. This being so, innocence must be present inwardly with all who are in heaven.

[4] The truth of this, as well as the fact that innocence is meant by 'young children', is clear in Mark,

Jesus said to the disciples, Let the young children come to Me and do not hinder them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, Whoever has not received the kingdom of God like a young child will not enter into it. Taking them up therefore in His arms, He laid His hand upon them, and blessed them. Mark 10:14-16; Luke 18:15-17; Matthew 18:3

Here 'the young children' clearly means innocence, for the reason that innocence resides with young children, and for the reason that in heaven forms of innocence are seen as young children. No one can enter heaven unless he possesses some measure of innocence, see 4797.

[5] What is more, young children allow themselves to be governed by angels who are filled with innocence; children do not act independently, the way adults govern personal behaviour by the exercise of their own judgement and will. The fact that young children allow themselves to be governed by angels is clear from the Lord's words in Matthew,

See that you do not despise any one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father. Matthew 18:10.

No one can see God's face except by virtue of having innocence.

[6] Innocence is meant by 'young children' in the following places as well:

In Matthew,

Out of the mouth of young children and sucklings You have perfected praise. Matthew 21:16; Psalms 8:1.

In the same gospel,

You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to young children. Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21.

The innocence meant by 'young children' is true wisdom; for genuine innocence dwells within wisdom, 2305, 2306, 4797. This explains why it is said that 'out of the mouth of young children and sucklings You have perfected praise', and also that such matters 'have been revealed to young children'.

[7] In Isaiah,

The young cow and the bear will feed; their young will lie down together. And a suckling will play over the viper's hole. Isaiah 11:7-8.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom, specifically to the state of peace and innocence there. 'Suckling' stands for innocence. The impossibility that any evil can befall those in whom innocence is present is meant by 'the suckling will play over the viper's hole' - 'vipers' being utterly deceitful persons. This chapter in Isaiah refers quite explicitly to the Lord. In Joel,

Blow the trumpet in Zion; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the young children and those sucking at the breast. Joel 2:15-16.

The elders' stands for the wise ones, 'the young children and those sucking at the breast' for the innocent ones.

[8] In the following places too 'young children' is used to mean innocence, but here innocence that has been destroyed: In Jeremiah,

Why are you committing great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, young child and suckling from the midst of Judah, so that I leave you no remnant? Jeremiah 44:7.

In the same prophet,

Lift up to Him your hands for the soul of your young children who faint through famine at the head of every street. Lamentations 2:19.

In Ezekiel,

Go through Jerusalem and strike; do not let your eye spare, and show no pity. [Utterly slay] old man, young man, virgin, and young child. Ezekiel 9:5-6

In Micah,

The women of My people you cast out from each one's pleasant house; from her young children you take away My honour for ever. Micah 2:9.

[9] As regards the innocence present in young children, this is solely external, not internal; and because it is not internal it cannot be linked to any wisdom and exist together with it. But the innocence in angels, especially in those of the third heaven, is internal, and so exists joined to wisdom, 2305, 2306, 3494, 4563, 4797. Furthermore the human being has been created in such a way that when he grows old and becomes like a young child, the innocence of wisdom links itself to the innocence of ignorance that had been his when he was a young child, and in this condition, as a true young child, he passes over into the next life.

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

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