The Bible

 

Joel 2

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1 Trubite u trubu na Sionu! Dižite uzbunu na svetoj mi gori! Neka svi stanovnici zemlje dršću, jer dolazi Jahvin dan. Da, on je blizu.

2 Dan pun mraka i tmine, Dan oblačan i crn. K'o zora po gorama se prostire narod jak i mnogobrojan, kakva ne bje nikad prije, niti će ga igda biti do vremena najdaljih.

3 Pred njim oganj proždire, za njim plamen guta. Zemlja je k'o vrt rajski pred njim, a za njim pustinja tužna. Ništa mu ne umiče.

4 Nalik su na konje, jure poput konjanika.

5 Buče kao bojna kola, po gorskim vrhuncima skaču, pucketaju k'o plamen ognjeni kad strnjiku proždire, kao vojska jaka u bojnome redu.

6 Pred njima narodi dršću i svako lice problijedi.

7 Skaču k'o junaci, k'o ratnici se na zidove penju. Svaki ide pravo naprijed, ne odstupa od svog puta.

8 Ne tiskaju jedan drugog, već svak' ide svojom stazom. Padaju od strijela ne kidajuć' redova.

9 Na grad navaljuju, na zidine skaču, penju se na kuće i kroz okna ulaze poput lupeža.

10 Pred njima se zemlja trese, nebo podrhtava, sunce, mjesec mrčaju, zvijezdama se trne sjaj.

11 I Jahve glas svoj šalje pred vojsku svoju. I odista, tabor mu je silno velik, zapovijedi njegove moćan izvršitelj. Da, velik je Jahvin dan i vrlo strašan. Tko će ga podnijeti?

12 "Al' i sada - riječ je Jahvina - vratite se k meni svim srcem svojim posteć', plačuć' i kukajuć'."

13 Razderite srca, a ne halje svoje! Vratite se Jahvi, Bogu svome, jer on je nježnost sama i milosrđe, spor na ljutnju, a bogat dobrotom, on se nad zlom ražali.

14 Tko zna neće li se opet ražaliti, neće li blagoslov ostaviti za sobom! Prinose i ljevanice Jahvi, Bogu našemu!

15 Trubite u trubu na Sionu! Sveti post naredite, oglasite zbor svečani,

16 narod saberite, posvetite zbor. Saberite starce, sakupite djecu, čak i nejač na prsima. Neka ženik iziđe iz svadbene sobe a nevjesta iz odaje.

17 Između trijema i žrtvenika neka tuže svećenici, sluge Jahvine. Neka mole: "Smiluj se, Jahve, svojem narodu! Ne prepusti baštine svoje sramoti, poruzi naroda. Zašto da se kaže među narodima: Gdje im je Bog?"

18 Tad Jahve, ljubomoran na zemlju svoju, smilova se svom narodu.

19 Odgovori Jahve svojem narodu: "Šaljem vam, evo, žita, vina i ulja da se njime nasitite. Nikad više neću pustiti da budete na sramotu narodima.

20 Protjerat ću Sjevernjaka od vas daleko, odagnat ga u zemlju suhu i pustu, prethodnicu u Istočno more, zalaznicu u Zapadno more. Dići će se njegov smrad, dizat će se trulež njegova." (Jer učini stvari velike.)

21 O zemljo, ne boj se! Budi sretna, raduj se, jer Jahve učini djela velika.

22 Zvijeri poljske, ne bojte se; pašnjaci u pustinji opet se zelene, voćke daju rod, smokva i loza nose izobila.

23 Sinovi sionski, radujte se, u Jahvi se veselite, svojem Bogu; jer vam daje kišu jesensku u pravoj mjeri, izli na vas kišu, jesensku i proljetnu kišu kao nekoć.

24 Gumna će biti puna žita, kace će se prelijevati od vina i ulja.

25 "Nadoknadit ću vam godine koje izjedoše skakavac, gusjenica, ljupilac i šaška, silna vojska moja što je poslah na vas."

26 Jest ćete izobila, jest ćete do sita, slavit ćete ime Jahve, svojeg Boga, koji je s vama čudesno postupao. ("Moj se narod neće postidjeti nikad više.")

27 "Znat ćete da sam posred Izraela, da sam ja Jahve, vaš Bog, i nitko više. Moj se narod neće postidjeti nikad više."

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3391

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3391. 'That Abimelech the king of the Philistines looked through a window and saw' means the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational concepts held within cognitions. This is clear from the representation of 'Abimelech' as the doctrine of faith which has regard to rational concepts, dealt with in 2504, 2509, 2510, 2533; from the meaning of 'the king of the Philistines' as matters of doctrine, dealt with in 3365; and from the meaning of 'a window' as the understanding part of the mind, dealt with in 655, 658, and therefore internal sight, for this in former times was meant by 'windows'. Thus 'looking through a window' is perceiving things that are seen through internal sight. In general those things are cognitions which belong to the external man; but rational concepts - or what amounts to the same, appearances of truth, which are spiritual truths, 3368 - are not cognitions but are held within cognitions since they belong to the rational man, and so to the internal man. And it is characteristic of the internal man to regard the things belonging to the external man, and so to regard the truths held within cognitions. Since cognitions belong to the natural man they are consequently the recipient vessels for rational concepts. For Divine truths flow into the rational part of the mind and by way of the rational into the natural, where they present themselves like an image produced by many objects reflected in a mirror, see 3368.

[2] That 'windows' means the things that constitute internal sight, that is, the understanding, which are referred to by the single term 'intellectual concepts' is clear from the places in the Word introduced in 655, as well as from the following: In Joel,

They will run about the city, they will run on the wall, they will climb into the houses, they will go in through the windows like a thief. Joel 2:9.

This refers to the evils and falsities present in the final days of the Church. 'Climbing into the houses' stands for destroying goods which belong to the will - 'houses' being goods that belong to the will, see 710, 2233, 2234; and 'going in through the windows' for destroying truths and cognitions of those which belong to the understanding. In Zephaniah,

Jehovah will stretch out His hand over the north and will destroy Asshur. Herds will lie down in the midst of her, every wild beast of that nation. The spoonbill also and the duck will lodge in its pomegranates. 1 A voice will sing in the window, dryness will be on the threshold, for the cedar has been laid bare. Zephaniah 2:13-14.

This refers to the destruction of the truths of faith by means of reasonings, meant by Asshur, 119, 1186. 'A voice will sing in the window' stands for the desolation of truth, and so of the ability to understand what is true.

[3] In the Book of Judges,

She looked through the window, and the mother of Sisera exclaimed through the lattices, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Judges 5:28.

These words come in the prophecy of Deborah and Barak and have to do with the resurgence of the spiritual Church. 'Looking through the window' stands for the reasonings of those who deny truths and in so doing destroy things that belong to the Church; for such reasonings are intellectual concepts in the contrary sense. In Jeremiah,

Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness, and his upper rooms without judgement, who says, I will build myself a wide house and spacious upper rooms, and he cuts out windows for himself, panelling it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion. Jeremiah 22:13-14.

'Building a house without righteousness, and upper rooms without judgement' stands for building a religion out of what is not good and not truth - 'righteousness and judgement' meaning good and truth, see 2235. 'Cutting out windows for oneself, panelling it with cedar, and painting it with vermilion' stands for falsifying truths, intellectual and spiritual. The windows of the Temple in Jerusalem represented nothing else than such things as constitute intellectual and thus spiritual concepts. The windows of the new temple that are mentioned in Ezekiel, 40:16, 22, 25, 33, 36; 41:16, 26, have a similar meaning, for anyone may see that the new temple, the new Jerusalem, and the new earth described in that prophet mean nothing else than the Lord's kingdom, and that accordingly the details mentioned concerning them are the kind of things that belong to that kingdom.

Footnotes:

1. The original Hebrew word is thought to describe capitals shaped like pomegranates.

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