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Jeremiah 31

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1 At that time, an affirmation of Jehovah, I am for God to all families of Israel, And they -- they are to Me for a people.

2 Thus said Jehovah: Found grace in the wilderness Hath a people remaining from the sword Going to cause it to rest -- Israel.

3 From afar Jehovah hath appeared to me, With love age-during I have loved thee, Therefore I have drawn thee [with] kindness.

4 Again do I build thee, And thou hast been built, O virgin of Israel, Again thou puttest on thy tabrets, And hast gone out in the chorus of the playful.

5 Again thou dost plant vineyards In mountains of Samaria, Planters have planted, and made common.

6 For there is a day, Cried have watchmen on mount Ephraim, `Rise, and we go up to Zion, unto Jehovah our God;

7 For thus said Jehovah: Sing, O ye to Jacob, [with] joy, And cry aloud at the head of the nations, Sound ye, praise ye, and say, Save, O Jehovah, thy people, the remnant of Israel.

8 Lo, I am bringing them in from the north country, And have gathered them from the sides of the earth, Among them [are] blind and lame, Conceiving and travailing one -- together, A great assembly -- they turn back hither.

9 With weeping they come in, And with supplications I bring them, I cause them to go unto streams of waters, In a right way -- they stumble not in it, For I have been to Israel for a father, And Ephraim -- My first-born [is] he.

10 Hear a word of Jehovah, O nations, And declare ye among isles afar off, and say: He who is scattering Israel doth gather him, And hath kept him as a shepherd [doth] his flock,

11 For Jehovah hath ransomed Jacob, And redeemed him from a hand stronger than he.

12 And they have come in, And have sung in the high place of Zion, And flowed unto the goodness of Jehovah, For wheat, and for new wine, and for oil, And for the young of the flock and herd, And their soul hath been as a watered garden, And they add not to grieve any more.

13 Then rejoice doth a virgin in a chorus, Both young men and old men -- together, And I have turned their mourning to joy, And have comforted them, And gladdened them above their sorrow,

14 And satisfied the soul of the priests [with] fatness, And My people with My goodness are satisfied, An affirmation of Jehovah.

15 Thus said Jehovah, A voice in Ramah is heard, wailing, weeping most bitter, Rachel is weeping for her sons, She hath refused to be comforted for her sons, because they are not.

16 Thus said Jehovah: Withhold thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears, For there is a reward for thy work, An affirmation of Jehovah, And they have turned back from the land of the enemy.

17 And there is hope for thy latter end, An affirmation of Jehovah, And the sons have turned back [to] their border.

18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself, `Thou hast chastised me, And I am chastised, as a heifer not taught, Turn me back, and I Turn back, For thou [art] Jehovah my God.

19 For after my turning back I repented, And after my being instructed I struck on the thigh, I have been ashamed, I have also blushed, For I have borne the reproach of my youth.

20 A precious son is Ephraim to Me? A child of delights? For since My speaking against him, I do thoroughly remember him still, Therefore have My bowels been moved for him, I do greatly love him, An affirmation of Jehovah.

21 Set up for thee signs, make for thee heaps, Set thy heart to the highway, the way thou wentest, Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back unto these thy cities.

22 Till when dost thou withdraw thyself, O backsliding daughter? For Jehovah hath prepared a new thing in the land, Woman doth compass man.

23 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Still they say this word in the land of Judah, And in its cities, In My turning back [to] their captivity, Jehovah doth bless thee, habitation of righteousness, Mountain of holiness.

24 And dwelt in Judah have husbandmen, and in all its cities together, And they have journeyed in order.

25 For I have satiated the weary soul, And every grieved soul I have filled.'

26 On this I have awaked, and I behold, and my sleep hath been sweet to me.

27 Lo, days are coming, an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have sown the house of Israel, And the house of Judah, With seed of man, and seed of beast.

28 And it hath been, as I watched over them to pluck up, And to break down, and to throw down, And to destroy, and to afflict; So do I watch over them to build, and to plant, An affirmation of Jehovah.

29 In those days they do not say any more: Fathers have eaten unripe fruit, And the sons' teeth are blunted.

30 But -- each for his own iniquity doth die, Every man who is eating the unripe fruit, Blunted are his teeth.

31 Lo, days are coming, an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have made with the house of Israel And with the house of Judah a new covenant,

32 Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers, In the day of My laying hold on their hand, To bring them out of the land of Egypt, In that they made void My covenant, And I ruled over them -- an affirmation of Jehovah.

33 For this [is] the covenant that I make, With the house of Israel, after those days, An affirmation of Jehovah, I have given My law in their inward part, And on their heart I do write it, And I have been to them for God, And they are to me for a people.

34 And they do not teach any more Each his neighbour, and each his brother, Saying, Know ye Jehovah, For they all Know Me, from their least unto their greatest, An affirmation of Jehovah; For I pardon their iniquity, And of their sin I make mention no more.

35 Thus said Jehovah, Who is giving the sun for a light by day, The statutes of moon and stars for a light by night, Quieting the sea when its billows roar, Jehovah of Hosts [is] His name:

36 If these statutes depart from before Me, An affirmation of Jehovah, Even the seed of Israel doth cease From being a nation before Me all the days.

37 Thus said Jehovah: If the heavens above be measured, And the foundations of earth below searched, Even I kick against all the seed of Israel, For all that they have done, An affirmation of Jehovah.

38 Lo, days [are coming], an affirmation of Jehovah, And the city hath been built to Jehovah, From the tower of Hananeel to the gate of the corner.

39 And gone out again hath the measuring line Over-against it, unto the height of Gareb, And it hath compassed to Goah.

40 And all the valley of the carcases and of the ashes, And all the fields unto the brook Kidron, Unto the corner of the horse-gate eastward, [Are] holy to Jehovah, it is not plucked up, Nor is it thrown down any more to the age!

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 3880

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3880. 'And she said, This time I will confess Jehovah' means in the highest sense the Lord, in the internal sense the Word, in the external sense doctrine from the Word - the Divinity of love, also His celestial kingdom being meant here. This is clear from the meaning of 'confessing'. As regards 'confessing' - in the external sense or inner sense nearest to the literal - meaning doctrine from the Word, this is self-evident, since confession, even in everyday speech, is nothing else than a declaration of personal conviction before the Lord and so comprehends within it the things which a person believes and which for him therefore constitute doctrine. That 'confessing' in the internal sense means the Word follows from this, for all teaching regarding faith and charity must be drawn from the Word. Of himself man does not know anything about celestial and spiritual things, and therefore he knows them only from Divine revelation, which is the Word. The reasons why 'confessing' in the highest sense means the Lord are that the Lord is the Word and therefore doctrine from the Word, and that the Word in the internal sense, having regard to the Lord alone, deals with His kingdom, 1871, 2859, 2894, 3245, 3305, 3393, 3432, 3439, 3454. This is why 'confessing Jehovah' means the Divinity of love, also His celestial kingdom, for the Lord is Divine Love itself and the influx of this love makes His kingdom, doing so by means of the Word received from Him. For 'Judah' who received his name from the expression 'confessing Jehovah' means the Divinity of love, also the Lord's celestial kingdom, see what has been shown already in 3654; and this explains why it is stated here that 'confessing' has that meaning.

[2] But what 'confessing' or 'confession' really is will be seen from places in the Word where these expressions are used, as in Isaiah,

You will say on that day, I will confess You O Jehovah; for You were angry with me, Your anger turned away, and You comforted me. And you will say on that day, Confess Jehovah, call on His name, make His deeds known among the people, make mention that His name is exalted. Isaiah 12:1, 4.

In David, we will confess You O God; we will confess, and Your name is near. They tell of Your wonders. Psalms 75:1.

In the same author,

A Psalm for confession. Make a joyful noise to Jehovah, all the earth. He made us and not we ourselves, His people and the flock of His pasture; therefore we are His, His people and the flock of His pasture. 1 Enter through His gates in confession, His courts in praise; confess Him, bless His name, for Jehovah is good, His mercy is for ever, and His truth from generation to generation. Psalms 100:1-5.

What 'confessing' and 'confession' mean here is self-evident, namely acknowledging Jehovah or the Lord, and the things that are His - that acknowledgement clearly being doctrine and the Word.

[3] In Isaiah,

Jehovah will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places. Gladness and joy will be found in her, confession and the voice of song. Isaiah 51:3.

In Jeremiah,

Thus said Jehovah, Behold, I will bring back the captivity of the tents of Jacob and have compassion on his dwellings. And the city will be built upon its mound, and the palace will be inhabited in its accustomed manner. And there will come out from these confession and the voice of those amusing themselves. Jeremiah 30:18-19.

In David,

I will confess Jehovah according to His righteousness, and will sing of the name of Jehovah Most High. Psalms 7:17.

In the same author,

When I shall have gone to the house of God with the voice of song and of confession, a multitude keeping festival. Psalms 42:4.

In the same author,

I will confess You among the nations, O Lord, I will make melody to You among the peoples, for great even to heaven is Your mercy. Psalms 57:9-10.

[4] From these places it is evident that 'confession' has reference to the celestial form of love, for in the descriptions 'confession and the voice of song', 'confession and the voice of those amusing themselves', 'I will confess You among the nations and I will make melody to You among the peoples', 'confession' is used to mean something distinct and separate from that meant in phrases describing the spiritual form of love. 'Confession' or 'confessing' is a celestial term, whereas 'the voice of song', 'the voice of those amusing themselves', and also 'making melody' are spiritual expressions. In addition confession is said to occur 'among the nations' but melody to be made 'among the peoples' because 'the nations' means those who are governed by good, 'the peoples' those who are governed by truth, 1416, 1849, 2928, that is, those governed by celestial love and those governed by spiritual love. For in the Word, in the Prophets, dual expressions commonly occur in which one has reference to what is celestial or good, the other to what is spiritual or true, so that the Divine marriage may exist in every individual part of the Word, and so a marriage of good and truth, see 683, 793, 801, 2173, 2516, 2712, 3132. From this it is also evident that confession implies the celestial form of love and that genuine confession, or that which flows from the heart, flows from nothing else than good. But confession which flows from truth is called 'the voice of song', 'the voice of those amusing themselves', and 'making melody'.

[5] A similar duality occurs in the following places: In David,

I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify Him with confession. Psalms 69:30.

In the same author,

I will confess You on a ten-stringed instrument, Your truth, O my God. I will sing to You with the harp, O Holy One of Israel. Psalms 71:22.

'Singing with the harp' and all other stringed instruments mean spiritual things, see 418-420. In the same author,

Enter His gates in confession, His courts in praise; confess Him, bless His name. Psalms 100:4.

'Confession' and 'confessing' flow from the love of good, but 'praise' and 'blessing' from the love of truth. In the same author,

Reply to Jehovah by means of confession; make melody to our God with the harp. Psalms 147:7.

In the same author,

I will confess You in the great congregation, I will praise You among a numerous people. Psalms 35:18.

In the same author,

I will confess Jehovah with my mouth, and in the midst of many will I praise Him. Psalms 109:30.

In the same author,

We, Your people and the flock of Your pasture, will confess You for ever; generation after generation we will recount Your praise. Psalms 79:13.

In the same author,

Let them confess Jehovah for His mercy, and for His marvellous works to the children of men. Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of confession, and proclaim His works with a song. Psalms 107:21-22.

[6] In all these places it is evident that dual expressions occur describing the same thing, which would be seen as pointless repetitions if one did not embody something celestial, which is good, and the other something spiritual, which is truth, and so did not embody the Divine marriage. The Lord's kingdom is that marriage. This arcanum is present in every part of the Word but it cannot possibly be disclosed except by means of the internal sense, and of knowledge derived from this, showing which in a dual expression belongs to the celestial category and which to the spiritual. But a general impression of what the celestial is and what the spiritual, to which reference has often been made already, must exist first.

[7] True confession of the heart, because it flows from celestial love, is confession in the genuine sense. The person with whom it exists acknowledges that everything good comes from the Lord and everything evil from self. When that acknowledgement exists with him it is a state of humiliation, for in this case he acknowledges the Lord to be everything in him and he himself in comparison to be nothing. And when confession is made in this state it flows from celestial love.

[8] But the sacrifices of confession which were offered in the Jewish Church were thanksgivings, and in the universal sense were called eucharistic and repayment sacrifices, of which there were two kinds - those of confession and those that were votive. As regards sacrifices of confession embodying the celestial form of love within them, this becomes clear from the institution of them, described in Moses as follows,

This is the law of the sacrifice of eucharistic offerings made to Jehovah. If someone offers it as a confession, he shall offer in addition to the sacrifice of confession unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and fine flour fried, cakes mixed with oil. With leavened cakes of bread he shall offer his gift, in addition to the sacrifice of confession. Leviticus 7:11-13, 15.

All the things mentioned here, such as 'unleavened cakes mixed with oil', 'unleavened wafers anointed with oil', 'fine flour fried', 'leavened cakes of bread' mean the celestial things of love and faith and so mean confessions. It also means that these must be present within humiliation. For 'fine flour' and cakes made from it mean the celestial element of love and from this the spiritual element of faith, which is charity, see 2177; 'unleavened' means purification from evils and falsities, 2342; 'oil' means the celestial element of love, 886, 3728, as does 'bread' also, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735.

[9] Votive offerings however, which constituted the second kind of eucharistic sacrifices, in the external sense meant repayment, in the internal sense the will that the Lord should provide, and in the highest sense a state of Providence, see 3732. This is why both types of offerings are mentioned in various places in the Word, as in David,

Sacrifice to God confession, and render to the Most High your vows. He who sacrifices confession honours Me, and he who sets in order the way, to him will I show the salvation of God. Psalms 50:14, 23.

In the same author,

Upon me, O God, are Your vows; I will repay confessions to You. Psalms 56:12.

In the same author,

To You will I sacrifice the sacrifice of confession, and on the name of Jehovah will I call. I will render my vows to Jehovah. Psalms 116:17-18.

[10] In Jonah,

I with the voice of confession will sacrifice to You; that which I have vowed I will render. Jonah 2:9.

From all this one may now see what 'confession' is, from which Judah received his name, namely this: In the highest sense the Lord and the Divinity of love; in the internal sense the Word, and also the Lord's celestial kingdom; and in the more exterior sense doctrine from the Word which the celestial Church possesses. Evidence that these things are meant in the Word by 'Judah' may be seen in what is presented below.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The first and second halves of this sentence are in fact alternative ways of understanding the original Hebrew.

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