The Bible

 

耶利米书 49

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1 论亚扪人。耶和华如此以色列没有儿子麽?没有後嗣麽?玛勒堪为何得迦得之地为业呢?属他的民为何其中的城邑呢?

2 耶和华:日子将到,我必使人见打仗的喊声,是攻击亚扪人拉巴的喊声。拉巴要成为乱堆;属他的乡村(原文是女子)要被焚烧。先前得以色列地为业的,此时以色列倒要得他们的地为业。这是耶和华的。

3 希实本哪,你要哀号,因为地变为荒场。拉巴的居民(原文是女子)哪,要呼喊,以麻布束腰;要哭号,在篱笆中跑来跑去;因玛勒堪和属他的祭司、首领要一同被掳去。

4 背道的民(原文是女子)哪,你们为何因有山谷,就是水流的山谷夸张呢?为何倚靠财宝:谁能到我们这里呢?

5 ─万军之耶和华:我要使恐吓从四围的中临到你们;你们必被赶出,各一直前往,没有收聚逃民。

6 来我还要使被掳的亚扪人归回。这是耶和华的。

7 以东。万军之耶和华如此:提幔中再没有智慧麽?明哲人不再有谋略麽?他们的智慧尽归无有麽?

8 底但的居民哪,要转身逃跑在深密处;因为我向以扫追讨的时候,必使灾殃临到他。

9 摘葡萄的若到他那里,岂不剩下些葡萄呢?盗贼若夜间而,岂不毁坏直到够了呢?

10 我却使以扫赤露,显出他的隐密处;他不能自藏。他的後裔、弟兄、邻舍尽都灭绝;他也归於无有。

11 你撇下孤儿,我必保全他们的命;你的寡妇可以倚靠我。

12 耶和华如此:原不该那杯的一定要。你能尽免刑罚麽?你必不能免,一定要

13 耶和华:我指着自己起誓,波斯拉必令人惊骇、羞辱、咒诅,并且荒凉。他的一切城邑必变为永远的荒场。

14 我从耶和华那里见信息,并有使者被差往列国去,:你们聚集攻击以东,要起来争战。

15 我使你在列国中为最小,在世人中被藐视。

16 住在山穴中据守山顶的啊,论到你的威吓,你因中的狂傲自欺;你虽如大搭窝,我却从那里拉你来。这是耶和华的。

17 以东必令人惊骇;凡经过的人就受惊骇,又因他一切的灾祸嗤笑。

18 耶和华:必无在那里,也无在其中寄居,要像所多玛、蛾摩拉,和邻近的城邑倾覆的时候一样。

19 仇敌必像狮子从约但河边的丛林上来,攻击坚固的居所。转眼之间,我要使以东人逃跑,离开这地。谁蒙拣选,我就派谁治理这地。谁能比我呢?谁能给我定规日期呢?有何牧人能在我面前站立得住呢?

20 你们要耶和华攻击以东所说的谋略和他攻击提幔居民所定的旨意。仇敌定要将他们众微弱的拉去,定要使他们的居所荒凉。

21 因他们仆倒的声音就震动。人在红那里必见呼喊的声音

22 仇敌必如大飞起,展开翅膀攻击波斯拉。到那日,以东的勇士中疼痛如临产的妇人

23 论大马色。哈马和亚珥拔蒙羞,因他们见凶恶的信息就消化了。上有忧愁,不得平静

24 大马色发软,转身逃跑。战兢将他捉住;痛苦忧愁将他抓住,如产难的妇人一样。

25 我所喜乐可称赞的城,为何被撇弃了呢?

26 他的少年人必仆倒在街上;当那日,一切兵丁必默默无声。这是万军之耶和华的。

27 我必在大马色城中使着起,烧灭便哈达的宫殿

28 论巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒所攻打的基达和夏琐的诸国。耶和华如此:迦勒底人哪,起来上基达去,毁灭东方人。

29 他们的帐棚和羊群都要夺去,将幔子和一切器皿,并骆驼为自己掠去。人向他们喊着说:四围都有惊吓。

30 耶和华:夏琐的居民哪,要逃奔远方,在深密处;因为巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒设计谋害你们,起意攻击你们。

31 耶和华:迦勒底人哪,起来!上安逸无虑的居民那里去;他们是无无闩、独自居住的。

32 他们的骆驼必成为掠物;他们众多的牲畜必成为掳物。我必将剃周围头发的人分散四方(原文是),使灾殃从四围临到他们。这是耶和华的。

33 夏琐必成为野狗的处,永远凄凉;必无在那里,也无在其中寄居。

34 犹大王西底家登基的时候,耶和华论以拦的临到先知耶利米说:

35 万军之耶和华如此:我必折断以拦人的,就是他们为首的权力。

36 我要使风从方刮,临到以拦人,将他们分散方(原文是风)。这被赶散的人没有一国不到的。

37 耶和华:我必使以拦人在仇敌和寻索其命的人面前惊惶;我也必使灾祸,就是我的烈怒临到他们,又必使刀追杀他们,直到将他们灭尽。

38 我要在以拦设立我的宝座,从那里除灭君和首领。这是耶和华的。

39 到末後,我还要使被掳的以拦人归回。这是耶和华的。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #765

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765. 18:8 "Therefore her plagues will come in one day - death and mourning and hunger." This symbolically means that consequently, at the time of the Last Judgment the punishments for the evils they have done will come back on themselves - death, which is life in hell and an inner anguish at being cast down from their domination - mourning, which is an internal anguish owing to their poverty and wretchedness instead of opulence - and hunger, which is the loss of any understanding of truth.

"Therefore" refers to the fact that she said in her heart, "I sit as queen and am not a widow, and will not see grief," as explained just above in no. 764. In one day means, symbolically, at the time of the Last Judgment, called also the Day of Judgment. Plagues symbolize punishments for the evils they did in the world, which will then come back on them. Death symbolizes life in hell, and internal anguish at being cast down from their dominion, which in no. 763 above is called torment. We will say something about this death below. Mourning symbolizes an inner anguish owing to their poverty and wretchedness instead of wealth, as explained also in no. 764 above. Hunger symbolizes the loss of any understanding of truth.

People of the Roman Catholic religion who have exercised dominion from a love of self and without a love of useful services for their own sake, suffer these three plagues or punishments. They are also atheists at heart, since they attribute everything to their own prudence or to nature. All the rest of that tribe who are of the same character, but who do not think deeply within themselves, are idolaters.

That the plague or punishment called hunger means the loss of any understanding of truth may be seen in no. 323 above.

Every person, indeed, while living in the world, possesses rationality, that is, a faculty for understanding truth. This faculty continues to exist in every person after death. Yet those who from a love of self or a conceit in their own intelligence have imbued themselves with religious falsities in the world, after death refuse to understand truth, and to refuse is be virtually unable. This inability owing to a lack of will is found in all people of the character described, and it increases as the delight in their lust for falsity to gain dominion draws them to imbue themselves with new falsities to support it, so that intellectually they become embodiments of nothing but falsity and remain so to eternity.

Similar statements are made regarding Babylon in Jeremiah:

Your mother was deeply ashamed; she who bore you was filled with shame. Behold, the last of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land and a desert. Because of the wrath of Jehovah she shall not be inhabited, but shall be a complete wasteland. Everyone who passes by Babylon shall be astounded, and shall hiss at all her plagues. (Jeremiah 50:12-13)

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.