The Bible

 

Amos 3

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1 Auxskultu cxi tiun vorton, kiun la Eternulo eldiris pri vi, ho Izraelidoj, pri la tuta gento, kiun Mi elkondukis el la lando Egipta:

2 nur vin Mi distingis el cxiuj gentoj de la tero, tial Mi punos vin pro cxiuj viaj malbonagoj.

3 CXu iras du kune, se ili ne interkonsentis?

4 CXu leono krias en la arbaro, se gxi ne havas dissxirotajxon? cxu leonido auxdigas sian vocxon el sia kaverno, se gxi nenion kaptis?

5 CXu birdo falas en kaptilon sur la tero, se ne ekzistas birdokaptisto? cxu kaptilo levigxas de la tero, se nenio kaptigxis per gxi?

6 CXu oni blovas per korno en urbo, kaj la popolo ne ektimas? cxu okazas malfelicxo en urbo, se tion ne faris la Eternulo?

7 La Sinjoro, la Eternulo, faras nenion, ne malkasxinte Sian sekreton al Siaj servantoj, la profetoj.

8 Kiam leono ekkriis, kiu ne ektimos? kiam la Sinjoro, la Eternulo, parolis, kiu tiam ne profetos?

9 Auxdigu en la palacoj de Asxdod kaj en la palacoj de la lando Egipta, kaj diru:Kolektigxu sur la montoj de Samario, kaj rigardu, kia granda tumulto estas en gxi kaj kia granda rabado estas farata meze de gxi.

10 Ili ne povoscias agi juste, diras la Eternulo; trezoroj, akiritaj per rabado kaj perfortado, estas en iliaj palacoj.

11 Tial tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Malamiko aperos kaj cxirkauxos la landon, kaj li desxiros de vi vian forton, kaj viaj palacoj estos prirabitaj.

12 Tiele diras la Eternulo:Kiel pasxtisto savas el la busxo de leono du krurojn aux parton de orelo, tiel savigxos la Izraelidoj, kiuj sidos en Samario sur la rando de lito kaj en Damasko sur kusxejo.

13 Auxskultu, kaj atestu kontraux la domo de Jakob, diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo, Dio Cebaot.

14 CXar en la tago, kiam Mi punos Izraelon pro liaj krimoj, Mi punos ankaux la altarojn en Bet-El, kaj dehakitaj estos la kornoj de la altaro kaj falos sur la teron.

15 Kaj Mi frapos la vintran domon kune kun la somera domo; kaj malaperos la domoj eburaj, kaj multe da domoj malaperos, diras la Eternulo.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #162

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162. (Verse 21) And I gave her time to repent of her whoredom; and she repented not. That this signifies that those who are in falsities neither turn themselves to truths, nor by truths, is evident from the signification of repenting of whoredom, as being to turn from falsities to truths; for whoredom signifies the falsification of truth; and to repent is to turn from such falsities, because repentance is an actual turning from falsities to truths, and dissociation and separation from the former (as may be seen above, n. 143). Also from the signification of her not repenting, as being that they do not turn themselves from falsities to truths. These things are said concerning Jezebel, but they are to be understood of those who, from the delight of the loves of self and of the world, have falsified truths and adulterated goods; for in the prophetical parts of the Word one person is named, and thereby are meant all those who are of such a quality.

[2] Something shall be said briefly concerning the circumstance that those who falsify truths in themselves by applying them to the delight of the love of self, do not afterwards turn themselves to truths. Man, from his Spiritual or Internal, and from his Intellectual, sees the truths which pertain to the church from the Word, but he receives them there only in proportion as he so loves them as to be willing to do them. When man thus wills to do them, his internal or spiritual man calls forth and elevates to itself from the natural man and its memory the truths which are therein, and conjoins them to the love of his will; thus the internal spiritual man is opened, where the interior or higher mind dwells, and is successively filled and perfected. But if he suffers the natural delight, which is the delight of the love of self and of the world, to predominate, he then sees all things from that delight, and, in this case, if he perceives truths, he applies them to his own love, and falsifies them. When this is the case, the internal spiritual man is closed, because it is accommodated to the reception of such things as pertain to heaven, and cannot endure truths to be falsified. Wherefore, when truths are falsified, it contracts and closes up, like a fibril when touched with a prickle or sting; and the internal being once closed, the love of self or the love of the world reigns, or both together, and they form the external or natural man altogether in opposition to the internal or spiritual man. This is why those who have falsified truths by applying them to the delights of the love of self and of the world cannot afterwards turn themselves to truths. This is what is meant by these words,

"I gave" to the woman Jezebel "time to repent of her whoredom, and she repented not."

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