The Bible

 

以賽亞書 1

Study

1 當烏西雅、約坦、亞哈斯、希西家作猶大的時候,亞摩斯的兒子以賽亞得默示,論到猶大耶路撒冷

2 哪,要啊,側耳而!因為耶和華:我養育兒女,將他們養大,他們竟悖逆我。

3 牛認識主人,認識主人的槽,以色列卻不認識;我的民卻不留意。

4 嗐!犯罪的國民,擔著罪孽的百姓;行惡的種類,敗壞的兒女!他們離棄耶和華,藐視以色列的聖者,與他生疏,往後退步。

5 你們為甚麼屢次悖逆,還要受責打嗎?你們已經滿疼痛,全心發昏。

6 掌到頂,沒有一處完全的,盡是傷口、青腫,與新打的傷痕,都沒有收口,沒有纏裹,也沒有用膏滋潤。

7 你們的土已經荒涼;你們的城邑被焚燬。你們的田在你們眼前為外邦人所侵吞,既被外邦人傾覆就成為荒涼。

8 僅存錫安城(原文是女子),好像葡萄園的草棚,瓜田的茅屋,被圍困的城邑。

9 若不是萬軍之耶和華我們稍留種,我們早已像所多瑪、蛾摩拉的樣子了。

10 你們這所多瑪的官長啊,要耶和華的!你們這蛾摩拉的百姓啊,要側耳我們的訓誨!

11 耶和華:你們所獻的許多祭物與我何益呢?公綿的燔祭和肥畜的脂油,我已經夠了;公牛的血,羔的血,公山的血,我都不喜悅。

12 你們朝見我,誰向你們討這些,使你們踐踏我的院宇呢?

13 你們不要再獻虛浮的供物。香品是我所憎惡的;朔和安息日,並宣召的大會,也是我所憎惡的;作罪孽,又守嚴肅會,我也不能容忍。

14 你們的朔和節期,我心裡恨惡,我都以為麻煩;我擔當,便不耐煩。

15 你們舉禱告,我必遮眼不看;就是你們多多地祈禱,我也不。你們的都滿了殺人的血。

16 你們要濯、自潔,從我眼前除掉你們的惡行,要止住作惡,

17 學習行善,尋求公平,解救受欺壓的;給孤兒伸冤,為寡婦辨屈。

18 耶和華:你們來,我們彼此辯論。你們的罪雖像硃紅,必變成白;雖紅如丹顏,必白如羊毛。

19 你們若甘心從,必上的美物,

20 若不聽從,反倒悖逆,必被刀吞滅。這是耶和華的。

21 可歎,忠信的城變為妓女!從前充滿了公平,公居在其中,現今卻有兇手居住。

22 你的子變為渣滓;你的酒用攙對。

23 你的官長居心悖逆,與盜賊作伴,各都喜賄賂,追求贓私。他們不為孤兒伸冤;寡婦的案件也不得呈到他們面前。

24 因此,─萬軍之耶和華以色列的大能者:哎!我要向我的對頭雪恨,向我的敵人報仇

25 我必反加在你身上,煉盡你的渣滓,除淨你的雜質。

26 我也必復還你的審判官,像起初一樣,復還你的謀士,像起先一般。然,你必稱為公之城,忠信之邑。

27 錫安必因公平得蒙救贖;其中歸正的人必因公得蒙救贖。

28 但悖逆的和犯罪的必一同敗亡;離棄耶和華的必致消滅。

29 那等人必因你們所喜愛的橡樹抱愧;你們必因所選擇的園子蒙羞。

30 因為,你們必如子枯乾的橡樹,好像無澆灌的園子。

31 有權勢的必如麻瓤;他的工作好像火星,要一同焚燬,無人撲滅。

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #474

Study this Passage

  
/ 1232  
  

474. And he said to me, These are they who come out of great tribulation.- That this signifies information that they are those who have been in temptations, is evident from the signification of, "he said to me," as denoting information; and from the signification of tribulation, or great affliction, as denoting temptations, of which we shall speak presently. Something shall first be said here concerning the temptations which those undergo in the spiritual world who are in falsities from ignorance, and who are here treated of. Only those undergo temptations there who have lived a good life in the world according to their religion, wherein were falsities of doctrine in which they believed. For by temptations falsities are shaken off, truths are implanted, and thus they are prepared for heaven; for all those who shall come into heaven must be in truths; wherefore so long as they are in falsities they cannot come into heaven. The reason is, that the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord makes heaven, and makes the life of the angels there, therefore falsities, because they are opposed to truths, and because opposites destroy, must first be removed, and they cannot be removed except by temptations.

[2] That temptations perform this use, may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, (n. 187-201), where temptations are treated of. The reason why they are let into temptations in the spiritual world after the life in the body, is, that they could not be tempted in the world on account of the falsities of religion in which they were, and which were everywhere dominant. It must be understood, that all those who are let into temptations are saved; but the evil, who are in falsities from evil, are not tempted, for with them truths cannot be implanted, because the evils of their lives offer a hindrance; but truths are taken away from them, and therefore they remain in pure falsities, and are then immersed deeply in hell, according to the quality of evil from which such falsity springs. In a word, those who are about to come into heaven are vastated in regard to their falsities, and those who are about to go into hell are vastated in regard to truths; that is, falsities are removed from those who are about to go to heaven, and truths are taken away from those who are about to go to hell. For no one can enter heaven with falsities, nor hell with truths, because truths from good make heaven, and falsities from evil make hell. The temptations of those whose falsities have to be removed are treated of in many passages in the Word, and especially in David, and are called afflictions, tribulations, and vastations; but there is no need to quote those passages here, since it can be seen without them that tribulations and afflictions, when spoken of in reference to good, mean, in the spiritual sense, temptations.

  
/ 1232  
  

Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.