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Amos 7

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1 Således lod den Herre Herren mig skue: Se, græshopper kom til syne, da Efterslætten var ved at gro frem, Efterslætten efter Kongens Høst.

2 Og da de var ved helt at afæde Jordens Urter, sagde jeg: "Herre, HE E, tilgiv dog! Hvorledes skal Jakob stå det igennem, så lille han er?"

3 Og HE EN angrede. "Det skal ej ske!" sagde HE EN.

4 Således lod den Herre HE EN mig skue: Se, den Herre HE EN kaldte Ild frem til Straf, og den fortærede det store Verdensdyb; men da den vilde til at fortære Agerlandet,

5 sagde jeg: "Herre, HE E, hold inde! Hvorledes skal Jakob stå det igennem, så lille han er?"

6 Og HE EN angrede. "Ej heller det skal ske!" sagde den Herre HE EN.

7 Således lod han mig skue: Se, Herren stod på en Mur med et Blylod i Hånden.

8 Og HE EN sagde til mig:"Hvad ser du, Amos?" Jeg svarede: "Et Blylod!" Da sagde Herren: "Se, jeg sænker Loddet i mit Folk Israel: jeg vil ikke spare det længer.

9 Isaks Høje bliver øde, Israels Helligdomme styrtes, med Sværd står jeg op mod Jeroboams Hus."

10 Men Amazja, Betels Præst sendte Bud til Kong Jeroboam af Israel og lod sige: "Amos stifter en Sammensværgelse imod dig midt i Israels Hus; Landet kan ikke bære alle hans Ord.

11 Thi således siger Amos: For Sværdet skal Jeroboam , og Israel skal bortføres fra sin Jord."

12 Og Amazja sagde til Amos: "Seer, gå din Vej og se at komme til Judas Land! Der kan du tjene dit Brød og profetere.

13 Men i Betel må du ikke profetere længer, thi det er kongens Helligdom og igets Tempel."

14 Amos svarede Amazja: "Jeg er hverken Profet eller Profetlærling: jeg er Fårehyrde og avler Morbærfigen;

15 men HE EN tog mig fra Hjorden og sagde til mig: Gå hen og profeter for mit Folk Israel!

16 hør nu HE ENs Ord! Du siger: Du må ikke profetere mod Israel, ej prædike mod Israels Hus!

17 Derfor, så siger HE EN: Din Hustru bliver Skøge i Byen, dine Sønner og Døtre skal falde for Sværd; din Jord skal udskiftes med Snor, og selv skal du på uren Jord. Og bort fra sin Jord skal Israel føres."

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #10441

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10441. 'And repent [of the evil] against Your people' means having mercy on them. This is clear from the meaning of 'repenting', when it has reference to Jehovah, as having mercy. The reason why 'repenting' means having mercy is that Jehovah does not ever repent, since He foresees and makes provision for all things from eternity. Repentance is a reaction that can take place only in someone who has no knowledge of the future and who sees, as events unfold, that he has made a mistake. Nevertheless the Word speaks of Jehovah's reacting in that kind of way because the sense of the letter consists of ideas of things as man sees them. For it is intended for very simple people and for young children, who at first go no further than that sense. Also young children and very simple people's interests lie in the most external things, from which they start out and in which after this their inner thoughts and feelings terminate. For this reason the Word in the letter must be understood differently by those who have become wiser.

[2] The situation with the Word is similar to that with the human being. Everything within him terminates in flesh and bones; these are the container of everything there. Unless they existed in place of a foundation or support a person could not remain in being; for he would have no final level in which all things within him could terminate and on which they could rest. The situation is similar with the Word. This must have a final level in which everything within it terminates; that final level is the sense of the letter, and the inner things are the heavenly matters belonging to the internal sense. From all this it is now evident that the way things appear to man is the reason why Jehovah is said to repent, when in fact He does not repent.

[3] The fact that Jehovah is said to repent is clear from a large number of places in the Word, such as the following: In Jeremiah,

If [a nation] does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, I will repent of the good with which I said I would benefit it. Jeremiah 18:10.

In the same prophet,

It may be that they will listen and every man turn from his evil way, that I may repent of the evil which I am thinking to do to them on account of the wickedness of their doings. Jeremiah 26:3.

In Ezekiel,

When My anger is accomplished and I make My wrath rest on them, I will repent. Ezekiel 5:13.

In Amos,

Jehovah repented. It shall not happen, He said. Amos 7:3, 6.

In Moses,

Jehovah will judge His people, and repent over 1 His servants. Deuteronomy 32:36.

In Jonah,

The king of Nineveh said, Who knows, God may turn and be moved to repentance 2 , and turn from the heat of His anger, and we may not perish! And they turned from their evil way; therefore God repented of the evil which He had said He would do to them, so that He did not do it. Jonah 3:9-10.

In the Book of Genesis,

Jehovah repented that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. Genesis 6:6.

In the first Book of Samuel,

I have repented that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me. 1 Samuel 15:11, 35.

[4] From these places which speak of Jehovah's having repented, when in fact He cannot repent since He knows all things before He does them, it is evident that 'repenting' means having mercy. The fact that Jehovah never repents is also clear from the Word, as in Moses,

Jehovah 3 is not a man (vir), that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will not act? Or has He spoken, and will not carry it out? Numbers 23:19.

And in the first Book of Samuel,

The Invincible One of Israel does not lie, nor does He repent, for He is not a man (homo), that He should repent. 1 Samuel 15:29.

The fact that when Jehovah is said to repent His mercy is meant is clear in Joel,

Jehovah is gracious and merciful, long-suffering, and great in compassion, and One who is accustomed to repent of evil. Joel 2:13.

And in Jonah,

God is gracious and merciful, long-suffering, and great in kindness, and One who repents of evil. Jonah 4:2.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. has compassion on

2. literally, be led by repentance

3. The Hebrew at this point uses the word meaning God.

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