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Josue 24

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1 At pinisan ni Josue ang lahat ng mga lipi ng Israel sa Sichem, at tinawag ang mga matanda ng Israel at ang kanilang mga pangulo, at ang kanilang mga hukom, at ang kanilang mga pinuno; at sila'y nagsiharap sa Dios.

2 At sinabi ni Josue sa buong bayan, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoon, ng Dios ng Israel, Ang inyong mga magulang ay tumahan nang unang panahon sa dako roon ng Ilog, na dili iba't si Thare, na ama ni Abraham at ama ni Nachor: at sila'y naglingkod sa ibang mga dios.

3 At kinuha ko ang inyong amang si Abraham mula sa dako roon ng Ilog at pinatnubayan ko siya sa buong lupain ng Canaan, at pinarami ko ang kaniyang binhi at ibinigay ko sa kaniya si Isaac.

4 At ibinigay ko kay Isaac si Jacob at si Esau: at ibinigay ko kay Esau ang bundok ng Seir upang ariin; at si Jacob at ang kaniyang mga anak ay bumabang pumasok sa Egipto.

5 At aking sinugo si Moises at si Aaron, at sinalot ko ang Egipto, ayon sa aking ginawa sa gitna niyaon: at pagkatapos ay inilabas ko kayo.

6 At inilabas ko ang inyong mga magulang sa Egipto: at kayo'y naparoon sa dagat; at hinabol ng mga taga Egipto ang inyong mga magulang, ng mga karo at ng mga nangangabayo hanggang sa Dagat na Mapula.

7 At nang sila'y dumaing sa Panginoon ay nilagyan niya ng kadiliman ang pagitan ninyo at ang mga taga Egipto, at itinabon ang dagat sa kanila, at tinakpan sila; at nakita ng inyong mga mata kung ano ang aking ginawa sa Egipto at kayo'y tumahan sa ilang na malaon.

8 At ipinasok ko kayo sa lupain ng mga Amorrheo, na tumatahan sa dako roon ng Jordan, at sila'y nakipagbaka sa inyo; at ibinigay ko sila sa inyong kamay, at inyong inari ang kanilang lupain: at nilipol ko sila sa harap ninyo.

9 Nang magkagayo'y tumindig si Balac na anak ni Zippor, na hari sa Moab, at dumigma laban sa Israel; at siya'y nagsugo at tinawag si Balaam na anak ni Beor, upang sumpain kayo:

10 Nguni't hindi ko dininig si Balaam; kaya't binasbasan nga niya kayo: gayon iniligtas ko kayo sa kaniyang kamay.

11 At kayo'y tumawid sa Jordan at dumating sa Jerico: at ang mga tao sa Jerico ay nakipaglaban sa inyo, ang Amorrheo, at ang Pherezeo, at ang Cananeo, at ang Hetheo, at ang Gergeseo, ang Heveo, at ang Jebuseo, at ibinigay ko sila sa inyong kamay.

12 At sinugo ko ang malalaking putakti sa unahan ninyo, na siyang nagtaboy sa kanila sa harap ninyo, sa makatuwid baga'y sa dalawang hari ng mga Amorrheo: hindi sa pamamagitan ng inyong tabak, ni ng inyong busog.

13 At aking binigyan kayo ng lupain na hindi ninyo binukid, at ng mga bayang hindi ninyo itinayo, at inyong tinatahanan; at mga ubasan at mga olibohan na hindi ninyo itinanim ay inyong kinakain.

14 Ngayon nga ay matakot kayo sa Panginoon, at paglingkuran ninyo siya sa pagtatapat at sa katotohanan: at inyong alisin ang mga dios na mga pinaglingkuran ng inyong mga magulang sa dako roon ng Ilog at sa Egipto; at inyong paglingkuran ang Panginoon.

15 At kung inaakala ninyong masama na maglingkod sa Panginoon, ay piliin ninyo sa araw na ito kung sino ang inyong paglilingkuran; kung ang mga dios ng inyong mga magulang na pinaglingkuran sa dako roon ng Ilog, o ang dios ng mga Amorrheo na ang lupain nila ay inyong tinatahanan: nguni't sa ganang akin at ng aking sangbahayan ay maglilingkod kami sa Panginoon.

16 At ang bayan ay sumagot at nagsabi, Malayo nawa sa amin na aming pabayaan ang Panginoon sa paglilingkod sa ibang mga dios:

17 Sapagka't ang Panginoon nating Dios ay siyang nagsampa sa atin at sa ating mga magulang mula sa lupain ng Egipto, mula sa bahay ng pagkaalipin, at siyang gumawa ng mga dakilang tandang yaon sa ating paningin, at iningatan tayo sa lahat ng daan na ating pinaroonan, at sa gitna ng lahat ng mga bayan na ating dinaanan:

18 At itinaboy ng Panginoon sa harap natin ang lahat ng mga bayan, ang mga Amorrheo na tumahan sa lupain: kaya't kami ay maglilingkod din sa Panginoon; sapagka't siya'y ating Dios.

19 At sinabi ni Josue sa bayan, Kayo'y hindi makapaglilingkod sa Panginoon; sapagka't siya'y isang banal na Dios; siya'y mapanibughuing Dios; hindi niya ipatatawad ang inyong pagsalangsang ni ang inyong mga kasalanan.

20 Kung inyong pabayaan ang Panginoon, at maglingkod sa ibang mga dios: ay hihiwalay nga siya at gagawan kayo ng kasamaan at lilipulin kayo pagkatapos na kaniyang nagawan kayo ng mabuti.

21 At sinabi ng bayan kay Josue, Hindi: kundi kami ay maglilingkod sa Panginoon.

22 At sinabi ni Josue sa bayan, Kayo'y mga saksi laban sa inyong sarili na inyong pinili sa inyo ang Panginoon, upang paglingkuran siya. At sinabi nila, Kami ay mga saksi.

23 Ngayon nga'y alisin ninyo, sabi niya, ang ibang mga dios na nasa gitna ninyo at ikiling ninyo ang inyong puso sa Panginoon, na Dios ng Israel.

24 At sinabi ng bayan kay Josue, Ang Panginoon nating Dios ay aming paglilingkuran, at ang kaniyang tinig ay aming didinggin.

25 Sa gayo'y nakipagtipan si Josue sa bayan nang araw na yaon, at nilagdaan niya sila ng palatuntunan at ng ayos sa Sichem.

26 At sinulat ni Josue ang mga salitang ito sa aklat ng kautusan ng Dios; at siya'y kumuha ng malaking bato, at inilagay sa lilim ng encina na nasa tabi ng santuario ng Panginoon.

27 At sinabi ni Josue sa buong bayan, Narito, ang batong ito ay magiging saksi laban sa atin, sapagka't narinig nito ang lahat ng mga salita ng Panginoon, na kaniyang sinalita sa atin: ito nga'y magiging saksi laban sa inyo, baka ninyo itakuwil ang inyong Dios.

28 Sa gayo'y pinapagpaalam ni Josue ang bayan, bawa't isa sa kaniyang mana.

29 At nangyari, pagkatapos ng mga bagay na ito, na si Josue, na anak ni Nun na lingkod ng Panginoon, ay namatay na may isang daan at sangpung taon ang gulang.

30 At inilibing nila siya sa hangganan ng kaniyang mana sa Timnath-sera, na nasa lupaing maburol ng Ephraim sa hilagaan ng bundok ng Gaas.

31 At naglingkod ang Israel sa Panginoon sa lahat ng mga araw ni Josue, at sa lahat ng mga araw ng mga matandang natirang nabuhay kay Josue at nakilala ang lahat na gawa ng Panginoon, na kaniyang ginawa sa Israel.

32 At ang mga buto ni Jose, na isinampa ng mga anak ni Israel mula sa Egipto ay inilibing nila sa Sichem, sa putol ng lupa na binili ni Jacob sa mga anak ni Hemor na ama ni Sichem ng isang daang putol na salapi: at mga naging mana ng mga anak ni Jose.

33 At namatay si Eleazar na anak ni Aaron; at inilibing nila siya sa burol ni Phinees na kaniyang anak na nabigay sa kaniya sa lupaing maburol ng Ephraim.

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #2760

Studere hoc loco

  
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2760. PREFACE 1

How deluded those people are who confine themselves to the sense of the letter and do not look for the internal sense in other places where this is explained in the Word becomes quite clear from the great number of heresies there are, each one of which confirms its own doctrinal position from the literal sense of the Word. It is particularly clear from that great heresy which insane and hellish self-love and love of the world have made out of the Lord's words to Peter,

I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:15-19.

[2] People who keep rigidly to the sense of the letter imagine that these words refer to the man Peter and that such great power was given to him. Although they know that Peter was just an ordinary simple human being who by no means exercised such power, and that the exercise of that power is contrary to the Divine, they nevertheless adopt and stoutly defend a literal interpretation of what the Lord said, because of the insane and hellish self-love and love of the world which fill them with the desire to arrogate such power to themselves on earth and in heaven and to make gods of themselves. But the internal sense of those words is that faith itself in the Lord, which exists solely with those in whom love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour are present, possesses that power, yet not faith but the Lord, the Source of faith. In the words addressed to Peter 'rock' is used to mean that faith, as it is everywhere else in the Word. It is on this faith that the Church is built, and against this faith that the gates of hell do not prevail. It is that faith also which holds the keys of the kingdom of heaven, for that faith closes heaven to prevent evils and falsities entering in, and it opens heaven to goods and truths. This is the internal sense of these words.

[3] Like the twelve tribes of Israel the twelve apostles represented nothing else than all aspects of such faith, 577, 2089, 2129, 2130 (end). Peter represented faith itself, James charity, and John the good works that flow from charity - see the Preface to Genesis 18 - as in a similar way did Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, Jacob's three eldest sons, in the Jewish and

Israelitish representative Church, a point that is clear from a thousand places in the Word. And it was because Peter represented faith that those words were addressed to him. From all these considerations one may recognize what darkness it is into which people plunge themselves, and others with them, who explain everything literally, as they do who, taking literally the words addressed to Peter, use them to take the power of saving the human race away from the Lord and arrogate it to themselves.

2 2760. In John - in the Book of Revelation - the Word as to its internal sense is described as follows,

I saw heaven standing open, and, behold, a White Horse; and He who sat on it was called faithful and true, and in righteousness He judges and goes into battle. His eyes a flame of fire, and on His head many jewels, He has a name written which nobody knows but He Himself, and He is clothed in a garment dyed with blood, and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies that are in heaven were following Him on white horses and were clothed in linen, white and clean. And on His garment and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Revelation 19:11-14, 16.

What each individual part of this description embodies nobody can know except from the internal sense. Plainly, each one is representative and carries a spiritual meaning, such as 'heaven standing open'; 'the horse which was white'; 'He who sat on it was called faithful and true, and in righteousness He judges and goes into battle'; 'His eyes a flame of fire'; 'on His head many jewels'; 'He has a name which nobody knows but He Himself'; 'He is clothed in a garment dyed with blood'; 'the armies in heaven following Him on white horses'; 'clothed in linen, white and clean'; 'on His garment and on His thigh He has a name written'. It is stated openly that the One sitting on the White Horse is the Word, and that He is the Lord who is the Word, for it is said, 'His name is called the Word of God', and after that, 'on His garment and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords'.

[2] From the interpretation of each individual expression it is evident that the Word as to the internal sense is described here. 'Heaven standing open' represents and means that the internal sense of the Word is not seen except in heaven and by those to whom heaven stands open, that is, those in whom love to the Lord and faith in Him-derived from that love are present. 'The horse which was white' represents and means the understanding of the Word as regards its interior contents. The next paragraph shows that 'a white horse' has this representation and meaning. 'He who sat on it' is, it is clear, the Word and the Lord who is the Word. He is called 'faithful' and 'one who judges out of righteousness' by virtue of good, and 'true' and 'one who goes into battle out of righteousness' by virtue of truth; for the Lord Himself is righteousness. 'His eyes a flame of fire' means Divine Truth glowing from the Divine Good that issues from His Divine Love. 'On His head many jewels' means all things of faith. 'He has a name written which nobody knows but He Himself' means that nobody sees the essential nature of the Word in the internal sense except the Lord Himself and he to whom He reveals it. 'Clothed in a garment dyed with blood' means the Word in the letter. 'The armies in heaven that were following Him on white horses' means people who have an understanding of the Word as regards its interior contents. 'Clothed in linen, white and clean' means that in these same persons love and faith derived from love are present. 'On His garment and on His thigh a name written' means truth and good. From these verses in Revelation and from those which come before and after them it is evident that around the last period [of the Church] the internal sense of the Word will be opened. But what is going to happen in that last period is also described in verses 17-21 of that chapter.

V:

1. i.e. to Volume Three of the Latin

2. The preface to the third volume of the Latin edition has been included here in section 2760. The text of section 2760, as Swedenborg numbered it, starts where this footnote has been inserted.

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