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Hošea 2

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1 "A djece Izraelove bit će brojem k'o pijeska u moru što se izmjerit' ne može ni izbrojit'. Umjesto da im govore: 'Vi niste moj narod,' zvat će ih: 'Sinovi Boga živoga.'

2 Ujedinit će se sinovi Judini i sinovi Izraelovi, postavit će sebi jednoga glavara i otići će iz zemlje; jer velik će biti dan jizreelski.

3 Recite braći svojoj: 'Narode moj,' sestrama svojim: 'Mila.'

4 Podignite tužbu, podignite, protiv majke svoje, jer ona mi nije više žena, a ja joj muž više nisam. Nek' odbaci od sebe bludničenja i preljube izmeđ' svojih dojki,

5 da je golu ne svučem te učinim da bude k'o na dan rođenja; da je ne obratim u pustinju, da je u zemlju suhu ne obratim i žeđu ne umorim.

6 Ja joj djece neću milovati, jer djeca su to bludnička.

7 Da, bludu se odala mati njihova, sramotila se ona koja ih zače. Da, rekla je: 'Trčat ću za svojim milosnicima, za njima koji mi daju kruh moj i vodu, vunu moju i lan, ulje i piće moje.'

8 Stoga ću put joj trnjem zagraditi, zidom opkoliti, da ne nađe više svojih staza.

9 I trčat će za milosnicima, ali ih stići neće, tražit će ih, al' ih neće pronaći. Tada će reći: 'Idem se vratiti prvome mužu, jer sretnija bijah prije nego sada.'

10 I ona nije razumjela da joj ja davah i žito i mošt i ulje, da je ja obasipah srebrom i zlatom od kojega načiniše baale.

11 Stoga ću uzeti natrag svoje žito u svoje vrijeme i svoj mošt u pravi čas; oduzet ću svoju vunu i svoj lan kojima je imala pokriti golotinju svoju;

12 sad ću joj otkriti sramotu na oči njenih milosnika, i nitko je iz moje neće izbaviti ruke.

13 Učinit ću kraj svim njenim veseljima, svetkovinama, mlađacima, subotama i svim blagdanima njezinim.

14 Opustošit ću joj čokote i smokve za koje je govorila: 'To je plaća što mi je dadoše moji milosnici.' Obratit ću ih u šikarje, i životinje će ih poljske obrstiti.

15 Kaznit ću je za dane Baalove kojima je kad palila, kitila se grivnom i kolajnom i trčala za svojim milosnicima; a mene je zaboravljala - riječ je Jahvina.

16 Stoga ću je, evo, primamiti, odvesti je u pustinju i njenu progovorit' srcu.

17 I vratit ću joj ondje njene vinograde, i od Doline ću akorske učiniti vrata nade. Ondje će mi odgovarat' ona kao u dane svoje mladosti, kao u vrijeme kada je izišla iz Egipta.

18 U onaj dan - riječ je Jahvina - ti ćeš me zvati: 'Mužu moj', a nećeš me više zvati: 'Moj Baale.'

19 Uklonit ću joj iz usta imena baalska i neće im više ime spominjati.

20 U onaj dan, učinit ću za njih savez sa životinjama u polju, sa pticama nebeskim i gmazovima zemskim; luk, mač i boj istrijebit ću iz zemlje da mirno u njoj počiva.

21 Zaručit ću te sebi dovijeka; zaručit ću te u pravdi i u pravu, u nježnosti i u ljubavi;

22 zaručit ću te sebi u vjernosti i ti ćeš spoznati Jahvu.

23 U onaj dan - riječ je Jahvina - odazvat ću se nebesima, a ona će se zemlji odazvati;

24 zemlja će se odazvati žitu, moštu i ulju, a oni će se odazvati Jizreelu.

25 I posijat ću ga u zemlji, zamilovat ću Nemilu, Ne-narodu mom reći ću: 'Ti si narod moj!' a on će reći: 'Bože moj!'"

   

Iz Swedenborgovih djela

 

Sacred Scripture #79

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79. There are many passages in the prophets about our understanding of the Word, passages about the church, where it tells us that the church exists only where the Word is properly understood, and that the quality of a church depends on the quality of the understanding of the Word among its members. There are also many passages in the prophets that describe the church among the Israelite and Jewish people, a church that was utterly destroyed and annihilated by the distortion of the Word’s meaning or message, for this is exactly what destroys a church.

[2] The name Ephraim in the prophets, especially in Hosea, symbolizes both true and false understandings of the Word, because Ephraim in the Word means the understanding of the Word in the church. It is because the understanding of the Word makes a church that Ephraim is called “a precious child, and one born of delights” (Jeremiah 31:20), “the firstborn” (Jeremiah 31:9), “the strength of Jehovah’s head” (Psalms 60:7; 108:8), “powerful” (Zechariah 10:7), and “filled with a bow” (Zechariah 9:13); and the children of Ephraim are called “armed” and “bow-shooters” (Psalms 78:9). The bow means a body of teaching from the Word fighting against what is false.

So too, Ephraim was transferred to the right of Israel and blessed, and accepted in place of Reuben (Genesis 48:5, 11, and following; [1 Chronicles 5:1]). And therefore Ephraim, together with his brother Manasseh, was exalted over all by Moses in his blessing of the children of Israel in the name of their father Joseph (Deuteronomy 33:13-17).

[3] The prophets, especially Hosea, also use “Ephraim” to describe what the church is like when its understanding of the Word has been lost, as we can see from the following:

Israel and Ephraim will stumble. Ephraim will be desolate. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment. I will be like a lion to Ephraim: I will tear them and leave; I will carry them off and no one will rescue them. (Hosea 5:5, 9, 11, 14)

What shall I do to you, Ephraim? Your holiness goes away like a cloud at dawn and like the morning dew that falls. (Hosea 6:4)

[4] They will not dwell in the land of Jehovah: Ephraim will go back to Egypt and will eat what is unclean in Assyria. (Hosea 9:3)

The land of Jehovah is the church, Egypt is the preoccupation of the earthly self with mere facts, and Assyria is rationalizing based on those facts; all of which lead to distortion of the Word in regard to the way it is understood. That is why it says that Ephraim will go back to Egypt and will eat what is unclean in Assyria.

[5] Ephraim feeds on the wind and chases the east wind. Every day he increases lies and devastation. He makes a covenant with Assyria, and oil is carried down into Egypt. (Hosea 12:1)

To feed on the wind, chase the east wind, and increase lies and devastation is to distort what is true and in this way destroy the church.

[6] Much the same is also meant by Ephraim’s whoredom, since whoredom means distortion of the way the Word is understood - that is, distortion of its genuine truth. See the following passages:

I know Ephraim; he has committed whoredom in every way and Israel has been defiled. (Hosea 5:3)

I have seen something foul in the house of Israel: Ephraim has committed whoredom there, and Israel has been defiled. (Hosea 6:10)

Israel is the church itself and Ephraim is the understanding of the Word that is the source of the church and that determines its quality, so it says that Ephraim has committed whoredom and Israel has been defiled.

[7] Since the church among Jews had been completely destroyed because of its distortions, it says of Ephraim,

Am I to give you up, Ephraim? Am I to hand you over, Israel? Like Admah? Shall I make you like Zeboiim? (Hosea 11:8)

Since the book of the prophet Hosea, from the first chapter to the last, is about the distortion of the Word and the consequent destruction of the church, and since whoredom means the distortion of truth in the church, the prophet was commanded to represent that state of the church by taking a whore as his wife and fathering children by her (chapter 1); and also by forming a relationship with a woman who was committing adultery (chapter 3).

[8] These instances have been presented so that readers may know and be assured from the Word that the quality of a church depends on the quality of the understanding of the Word in it - outstanding and priceless if its understanding comes from genuine truths from the Word, but in ruins, actually filthy, if it comes from distortions.

For further evidence that Ephraim means the understanding of the Word, and in its opposite sense a distorted understanding leading to the destruction of the church, you may check some other passages that deal with Ephraim: Hosea 4:17-18; 7:1, 11; 8:9, 11; 9:11-13, 16; 10:11; 11:3; 12:1, 8, 14; 13:1, 8, 14; Isaiah 17:3; 28:1; Jeremiah 4:15; 31:6, 18; 50:19; Ezekiel 37:16; 48:5; Obadiah verse 19; Zechariah 9:10.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.

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