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Joel 2

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1 Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of Jehovah cometh, for it is at hand;

2 a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and gross darkness, as the dawn spread upon the mountains; -- a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after them, to the years of generations and generations.

3 A fire devoureth before them, and behind them a flame burneth; the land is as a garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness: yea, and nothing escapeth them.

4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so they run.

5 Like the noise of chariots, on the tops of the mountains, they leap; like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

6 Before them the peoples are in anguish: all faces turn pale.

7 They run like mighty men; they climb the wall like men of war; and they march every one on his ways, and break not their ranks.

8 Neither doth one press upon another; they march every one in his path; and fall amid weapons, but are not wounded.

9 They spread themselves over the city; they run upon the wall; they climb up into the houses; they enter in by the windows like a thief.

10 The earth quaketh before them; the heavens tremble; the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.

11 And Jehovah uttereth his voice before his army; for his camp is very great; for strong is he that executeth his word: for the day of Jehovah is great and very terrible; and who can bear it?

12 Yet even now, saith Jehovah, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning;

13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving-kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

14 Who knoweth? He might return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, an oblation and a drink-offering for Jehovah your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, hallow a fast, proclaim a solemn assembly;

16 gather the people, hallow the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride from her closet.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare, O Jehovah, thy people, and give not thine inheritance to reproach, that they should be a byword of the nations. Wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

18 Then Jehovah will be jealous for his land, and will have pity on his people.

19 And Jehovah will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I send you corn, and new wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.

20 And I will remove far off from you him [that cometh] from the north, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, his face toward the eastern sea, and his rear toward the hinder sea; and his stench shall come up, and his ill odour shall come up, for he hath exalted himself to do great things.

21 -- Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for Jehovah doeth great things.

22 Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring; for the tree beareth its fruit; the fig-tree and the vine yield full increase.

23 And ye, children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in Jehovah your God; for he giveth you the early rain in due measure, and he causeth to come down for you the rain, the early rain, and the latter rain at the beginning [of the season].

24 And the floors shall be full of corn, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.

25 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you.

26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of Jehovah your God, who hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, Jehovah, [am] your God, and there is none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

28 And it shall come to pass afterwards [that] I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.

29 Yea, even upon the bondmen and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.

30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

31 The sun shall be changed to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.

32 And it shall be that whosoever shall call upon the name of Jehovah shall be saved: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as Jehovah hath said, and for the residue whom Jehovah shall call.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #251

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251. To demonstrate from the Word that it contains pairs of expressions which look like repetitions of the same thing would be tedious, since it would fill pages. But in order to remove any doubt, I should like to quote passages where nation and people, and joy and gladness are mentioned together. The passages in which nation 1 and people are named are the following:

Woe to the nation of sinners, a people burdened with iniquity, Isaiah 1:4.

The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light; you have increased the nation, Isaiah 9:2-3.

Assyria is the rod of my anger; I shall send him against a nation of hypocrites, against the people of my wrath shall I order him to march, Isaiah 10:5-6.

It will happen on that day, the nations will seek the root of Jesse, who stands as a sign to the peoples, Isaiah 11:10.

Jehovah who struck the peoples an incurable blow, mastering the nations with wrath, Isaiah 14:6.

On that day there will be brought as a gift to Jehovah Zebaoth a people torn apart and plundered, and a nation measured out and trampled, Isaiah 18:7.

A strong people will honour you, the city of powerful nations will fear you, Isaiah 25:3.

Jehovah will swallow up the veil over all peoples, the pall over all nations, Isaiah 25:7.

Approach, you nations, and listen, you peoples, Isaiah 34:1.

I have called you to be a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, Isaiah 42:6.

Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples assemble, Isaiah 43:9.

Look, I shall raise my hand towards the nations, and my signal towards the peoples, Isaiah 49:22.

I made him a witness to the peoples a prince and law-giver to the nations, Isaiah 55:4-5.

Look, a people coming from the land of the north, and a mighty nation from the corners of the earth, Jeremiah 6:22-23.

I shall make you not to hear any longer the slander of the nations, and you will no longer bear the reproaches of the peoples, Ezekiel 36:15.

All peoples and nations will worship Him, Daniel 7:14.

Lest the nations make a by-word of them, and say among the peoples, Where is their God? Joel 2:17.

The survivors of my people will plunder them, and the remnant of my nation will take their inheritance, Zephaniah 2:9.

Many people and numerous nations will come to seek Jehovah in Jerusalem, Zechariah 8:22.

My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to be a revelation to the nations, Luke 2:30-32.

You have redeemed us by your blood from every people and nation, Revelation 5:9.

You must prophesy again over the peoples and nations, Revelation 10:11.

You will set me to be head of the nations; a people whom I knew not shall serve me, Psalms 18:43.

Jehovah makes vain the counsel of the nations, overthrows the thoughts of the peoples, Psalms 33:10.

You make us a proverb among the nations, a wagging of the head among the peoples, Psalms 44:14.

Jehovah will set peoples subject to us, and nations beneath our feet. God reigns over the nations: the willing ones of the peoples are gathered, Psalms 47:3, 8-9.

The peoples shall confess you, and the nations shall shout for joy; because you will judge the peoples with righteousness and will lead the nations on the earth, Psalms 67:3-4.

Remember me, Jehovah, in showing favour to your people, that I may rejoice in the joy of your nations, Psalms 106:4-5.

There are other passages too.

The reason why nations and peoples are mentioned together is that nations means those who are in possession of good, and in the opposite sense, those who are in possession of evil; and peoples means those who are in possession of truths, and in the opposite sense, those who are in possession of falsities. Therefore, those who belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom are called peoples, and those who belong to His celestial kingdom are called nations. For all who possess truths and the intelligence they give are in the spiritual kingdom, and all who possess various kinds of good and the wisdom they give are in the celestial kingdom.

Footnotes:

1. The Latin word here translated 'nation' is frequently used in the plural to mean 'the heathen.'

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