The Bible

 

Klagesangene 2

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1 Hvor har dog Herren i Vrede lagt mulm over Zion, slængt Israels herlighed ned fra Himmel til Jord og glemt sine Fødders Skammel på sin Vredes Dag.

2 Herren har skånselsløst opslugt hver Bolig i Jakob, han nedbrød i Vrede Judas Datters Borge, slog dem til Jorden, skændede ige og Fyrster,

3 afhugged i glødende Vrede hvert Horn i Israel; sin højre drog han tilbage for Fjendens Åsyn og brændte i Jakob som en Lue, der åd overalt.

4 På Fjendevis spændte han Buen, stod som en Uven; han dræbte al Øjnenes Lyst i Zions Datters Telt, udgød sin Vrede som Ild.

5 Herren har vist sig som Fjende, opslugt Israel, opslugt alle Paladser, lagt Borgene øde, ophobet Jammer på Jammer i Judas Datter.

6 Han nedrev sin Hytte, lagde sit Feststed øde, HE EN lod Fest og Sabbat gå ad Glemme i Zion, bortstødte i heftig Vrede Konge og Præst.

7 Herren forkasted sit Alter, brød med sin Helligdom, hengav i Fjendens Hånd dets Paladsers Mure; man skreg i HE ENs Hus som på Festens Dag.

8 HE EN fik i Sinde at ødelægge Zions Datters Mur, han udspændte Snoren, holdt ikke sin Hånd fra Fordærv, lod Vold og Mur få Sorg, de vansmægted sammen.

9 I Jorden sank hendes Porte, Slåerne brød han. Blandt Folkene bor uden Lov hendes Konge og Fyrster, og ikke fanger Profeterne Syn fra HE EN.

10 Zions datters Ældste sidderJorden i Tavshed; på Hovedet kaster de Støv, de er klædt i Sæk; Jerusalems Jomfruer sænker mod Jord deres Hoved.

11 Mine Øjne hensvinder i Gråd, mit Indre gløder, mit Hjerte er knust, fordi mit Folk er brudt sammen; thi Børn og spæde forsmægter på Byens Torve;

12 hver spørger sin Moder: "Hvor er der Korn og Vin?" forsmægter på Byens Torve som en, der er såret, idet de udånder Sjælen ved Moderens Bryst.

13 Med hvad skal jeg stille dig lige, Jerusalems Datter, hvormed skal jeg ligne og trøste dig, Zions Jomfru? Thi dit Sammenbrud er stort som Havet, hvo læger dig vel?

14 Profeternes Syner om dig var Tomhed og Løgn, de afsløred ikke din Skyld for at vende din Skæbne, Synerne gav dig kun tomme, vildende Udsagn.

15 Over dig slog de Hænderne sammen, de, hvis Vej faldt forbi, de hån fløjted, rysted på Hoved ad Jerusalems Datter: "Er det da Byen, man kaldte den fuldendt skønne, al Jordens Glæde?"

16 De opspærred Munden imod dig, alle dine Fjender, hånfløjted, skar Tænder og sagde: "Vi opslugte hende; ja, det er Dagen, vi vented, vi fik den at se."

17 HE EN har gjort, som han tænkte, fuldbyrdet det Ord, han sendte i fordums Dage, brudt ned uden Skånsel, ladet Fjender glæde sig over dig, rejst Uvenners Horn.

18 åb højt til Herren, du Jomfru, Zions Datter, lad Tårerne strømme som Bække ved Dag og ved Nat, und dig ej o, lad ikke dit Øje få Hvile!

19 Stå op og klag dig om Natten, når Vagterne skifter, udøs dit Hjerte som Vand for Herrens Åsyn, løft dine Hænder til ham for Børnenes Liv, som forsmægter af Hunger ved alle Gadernes Hjørner.

20 HE E se til og agt på, mod hvem du har gjort det. Skal Kvinder da æde den Livsfrugt, de kælede for, myrdes i Herrens Helligdom Præst og Profet?

21 I Gaderne ligger på Jorden unge og gamle, mine Jomfruer og mine Ynglinge faldt for Sværdet; på din Vredesdag slog du ihjel, hugged ned uden Skånsel.

22 Du bød mine ædsler til Fest fra alle Sider. På HE ENs Vredes Dag undslap og frelstes ingen; min Fjende tilintetgjorde dem, jeg plejed og fostred.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #299

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299. And he who sat on it had a bow. This symbolizes their having a doctrine of truth and goodness from the Word, from which they fought against falsities and evils emanating from hell, thus fighting against hell.

He who sat on the white horse in Revelation 19:11-13 means the Lord in relation to the Word, but he who sat on this white horse means an angelic person in relation to a doctrine of truth and goodness from the Word, thus a doctrine from the Lord, like the army of the Lord in heaven which followed the Lord on white horses in Revelation 19:14.

Regarding Him who sat on the white horse in Revelation 19, we are told that out of his mouth went a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations, and the sword going out of His mouth symbolizes the Divine truth of the Word fighting against falsities and evils (nos. 52, 108, 117). Here, however, we are told that he who sat on this white horse had a bow, and the bow symbolizes a doctrine of truth and goodness from the Word fighting against evils and falsities.

To fight against falsities and evils is also to fight against the hells, as evils and falsities emanate from there, and therefore this, too, is symbolically meant.

[2] That a bow in the Word symbolizes doctrine doing battle in both senses can be seen from the following passages:

(Jehovah's) arrows are sharp, and all His bows bent; His horses' hooves are accounted as rocks. (Isaiah 5:28)

(The Lord) has bent his bow like an enemy... (Lamentations 2:4)

O Jehovah..., You ride on Your horses; ...Your bow will be bared. (Habakkuk 3:8-9)

He gave the nations before Him, and made Him rule over kings. He gave them as the dust to His sword, as... stubble to His bow. (Isaiah 41:2)

Because the subject is Jehovah or the Lord, a bow in these places symbolizes the Word, from which the Lord fights in a person against evils and falsities.

I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; the war bow shall be cut off. Rather He shall speak peace to the nations. (Zechariah 9:10)

They bend their tongue, their bow a lie, and not the truth... (Jeremiah 9:3)

Lo, the wicked bend their bow; they make ready their arrows on the bowstring, to shoot in the dark the upright in heart. (Psalms 11:2)

They will provoke Joseph and shoot at him; the archers will hate him. But he will rest on the tautness of his bow... by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob... (Genesis 49:23-24)

Set yourselves in array against Babylon... All you who bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrow, for she has sinned against Jehovah. (Jeremiah 50:14, cf. 50:29)

David lamented... over Saul... to teach the children of Judah the Bow. (2 Samuel 1:17-18)

This lamentation describes the combat of truth against falsities.

[3] Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: "Lo, I am breaking the bow of Elam, the source of its might." (Jeremiah 49:35)

(Jehovah) made Me a polished arrow; in His quiver He has hidden Me. (Isaiah 49:2)

Behold, children are a heritage from Jehovah... Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them. (Psalms 127:3-5)

Children here and elsewhere symbolize doctrinal truths.

In Salem shall be (Jehovah's) tabernacle... There He broke the strings of the bow, the shield, the sword, and the war. (Psalms 76:1-3)

(Jehovah) will make wars cease... He will break the bow..., cut asunder the spear; He will burn the chariot with fire. (Psalms 46:9; cf. Ezekiel 39:8-9, Hosea 2:18)

In these places a bow symbolizes a doctrine of truth fighting against falsities, and in an opposite sense, a doctrine of falsity fighting against truths. Arrows accordingly symbolize truths or falsities.

Since a war in the Word symbolizes a spiritual war, therefore the weapons of war - such as the sword, spear, shield, buckler, bow, and arrows - symbolize the kind of things that have to do with that war.

  
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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.