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耶利米哀歌 1

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1 先前滿有人民的城,現在何竟獨!先前在列國中為大的,現在竟如寡婦;先前在諸省中為王后的,現在成為進貢的。

2 她夜間痛哭,淚流滿腮;在一切所親的中間沒有一個安慰她的。她的朋友都以詭詐待她,成為她的仇敵。

3 猶大因遭遇苦難,又因多服勞苦就遷到外邦。她在列國中,尋不著安息;追逼她的都在狹窄之地將她追上。

4 錫安的徑因無人守聖節就悲傷;她的城淒涼;她的祭司歎息;她的處女受艱難,自己也愁苦。

5 她的敵人為首;她的仇敵亨通;因耶和華為她許多的罪過使她受苦;她的孩童被敵人擄去。

6 錫安城(原文是女子;下同)的威榮全都失去。她的首領像不著場的鹿;在追趕的人前無力行走。

7 耶路撒冷在困苦窘迫之時,就追想古時一切的樂境。她百姓落在敵人中,無人救濟;敵人見,就因她的荒涼嗤笑。

8 耶路撒冷大大犯罪,所以成為不潔之物;素來尊敬她的,見她赤露就都藐視她;她自己也歎息退後。

9 她的污穢是在衣襟上;她不思想自己的結局,所以非常地敗落,無人安慰她。她說:耶和華啊,求你我的苦難,因為仇敵誇大。

10 敵人伸,奪取她的美物;她眼見外邦人進入她的聖所─論這外邦人,你曾吩咐不可入你的會中。

11 她的民都歎息,尋求食物;他們用美物換糧食,要救性命。他們說:耶和華啊,求你觀,因為我甚是卑賤。

12 你們一切過的人哪,這事你們不介意麼?你們要觀:有像這臨到我的痛苦沒有─就是耶和華在他發烈怒的日子使我所受的苦?

13 他從使進入我的骨頭,剋制了我;他鋪下羅,絆我的,使我回;他使我終日淒涼發昏。

14 我罪過的軛是他所綁的,猶如軛繩縛在我頸項上;他使我的力量衰敗。主將我交在我所不能敵擋的人中。

15 主輕棄我中間的一切勇士,招聚多人(原文是大會)攻擊我,要壓碎我的少年人。主將猶大居民踹下,像在酒醡中一樣。

16 我因這些事哭泣;我眼淚汪汪;因為那當安慰我、救我性命的,離我甚遠。我的兒女孤苦,因為仇敵得了勝。

17 錫安舉,無人安慰耶和華雅各已經出令,使四圍的人作他仇敵;耶路撒冷在他們中間像不潔之物。

18 耶和華是公的!他這樣待我,是因我違背他的命令。眾民哪,請我的話,我的痛苦;我的處女和少年人都被擄去。

19 我招呼我所親的,他們卻愚弄我。我的祭司長老正尋求食物、救性命的時候,就在城中絕氣。

20 耶和華啊,求你觀,因為我在急難中。我腸擾亂;我在我裡面翻,因我大大悖逆。在外,刀使人喪子;在家,猶如死亡。

21 見我歎息的有人;安慰我的卻無人!我的仇敵都見我所遭的患難;因你做這事,他們都喜樂。你必使你報告的日子到,他們就像我一樣。

22 願他們的惡行都呈在你面前;你怎樣因我的一切罪過待我,求你照樣待他們;因我歎息甚多,中發昏。

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3081

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3081. 'A virgin, and no man had known her' means pure from everything false. This is clear from the meaning of 'a virgin'. The word 'virgin' occurs in various places in the Word, where it means the Lord's kingdom, and also the Church, and therefore means every person who is the Lord's kingdom or who is the Church; and it receives this meaning from conjugial love which exists in chaste virgins. Conjugial love in the spiritual sense is the affection for good present in truth, and the affection for truth grounded in good, from which affections, when joined so to speak in marriage, conjugial love flows, see 2508, 2618, 2727-2729. And because conjugial love, as has been stated, is seen in a virgin, the Lord's kingdom, which is also compared to and actually called a marriage, is called a virgin. The reason 'no man had known her' means pure from everything false is that 'a man' (vir) in the Word means not only rational truth but also in the contrary sense falsity, see 265, 749, 1007, so that 'known by a man' means defiled by falsity, and 'not known by a man' pure from falsity. The word 'man' (vir) is not used here in the sense of a husband.

[2] 'A virgin' in the Word means those who are in the Lord's kingdom, or what amounts to the same, who have the Lord's kingdom within them. This is clear in John,

These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are virgins, these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes; for they are spotless before God's throne. Revelation 14:4-5.

[3] Plainly, these are called 'virgins, who follow the Lamb', that is, who are in the Lord's kingdom; and they are also said to be 'spotless'. In the proper sense they are 'virgins' who are governed by love to the Lord - that is, who are celestial - and so who are moved by an affection for good. They too are called 'virgins' who are governed by charity towards the neighbour - that is, who are spiritual - and so are moved by the affection for truth, as becomes clear from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,

She has spurned you, she has scorned you, the virgin daughter of Zion; she wags her head behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem. Isaiah 37:22.

These words are addressed to the king of Asshur. 'The virgin daughter of Zion' stands for the celestial Church, 'the daughter of Jerusalem' for the spiritual Church.

[4] In Jeremiah,

Again I will build you, and you will be built, O virgin of Israel! Again you will adorn yourself with your timbrels and will go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. And their life 1 will become like a watered garden, and they will not sorrow any more: Then will the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together. Jeremiah 31:4, 12-13.

'Virgin of Israel' stands for the spiritual Church. The affection for truth which springs from good which exists with that Church is described here and elsewhere as 'timbrels' and 'dances'. In the same prophet,

The roads of Zion mourn, her priests groan, her virgins are dejected. The Lord has trodden the winepress for the virgin daughter of Judah. See my grief - my virgins and my young men have gone into captivity. Lamentations 1:4, 15, 18.

'Virgins' stands for affections for good and truth. Elsewhere in the same prophet,

Women have been ravished in Zion, virgins in the cities of Judah. Lamentations 5:11.

'Virgins' stands for affections for good.

[5] In Amos,

They will run to and fro to seek the Word of Jehovah, and will not find it. On that day the beautiful virgins and the young men will faint for thirst. Amos 8:12-13.

'The beautiful virgins' stands for affections for truth, 'the young men' for truths, or what amounts to the same, those with whom truths exist, of whom it is said that 'they will run to and fro to seek the Word of Jehovah, and will not find it', and so 'will faint for thirst'.

[6] In Zechariah,

Jehovah their God will save them on that day; as a flock - His people. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins. Zechariah 9:16-17.

'The young men' stands for truths, 'the virgins' for affections. In David,

All glorious is the king's daughter within, in her clothing with gold interweavings; in embroidered robes she is led to the king. Virgins following her, her friends, have been brought to You. Psalms 45:13-14.

'The king's daughter' stands for the Lord's spiritual kingdom. 'Virgins following her, her friends' stands for affections for truth.

[7] In the same author,

They have seen Your goings, O God, the goings of my God in the sanctuary. The singers went before, players of the stringed instrument after, in the midst of the young women playing timbrels. Psalms 68:24-25.

'The young women playing timbrels' also stands for affections for truth. But young women are distinguished from virgins by innocence, the word 'virgins' being used because of conjugial love, thus of those in whom innocence is present since conjugial love is innocence itself, see 2736. This explains why in the verses quoted from John they are said 'to follow the Lamb wherever He goes', for 'the Lamb' is used to mean the Lord's innocence. Furthermore all in heaven are called virgins from the innocence present in their good. According to the amount and particular nature of the innocence present in that good 'they follow the Lamb'.

Footnotes:

1. literally, soul

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