The Bible

 

Hosea 9

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1 Ne gxoju, ho Izrael, ne estu gaja, kiel la popoloj, cxar vi malcxaste forigxis de via Dio, vi preferas proamajxajn donacojn ol cxiujn grenejojn plenajn de greno.

2 Tial drasxejo kaj vinpremejo ne nutros ilin, la mosto mankos en gxi.

3 Ili ne logxos en la lando de la Eternulo; Efraim revenos en Egiptujon, kaj en Asirio ili mangxos malpurajxon.

4 Ili ne versxoferos al la Eternulo vinon, kaj ne estos agrablaj al Li; iliaj oferoj estos kiel pano de suferantoj:cxiuj gxiaj mangxantoj farigxos malpuraj; cxar ilia pano devas esti nur por ili mem, gxi ne devas veni en la domon de la Eternulo.

5 Kion vi faros en la tago de solena kunveno kaj en la tago de festo de la Eternulo?

6 CXar vidu, ili forkuras de malfelicxo; Egiptujo ilin kolektos, Memfis ilin enterigos; sur la loko, kie trovigxis iliaj amataj argxentajxoj, kreskos urtiko, dornoj estos en iliaj tendoj.

7 Venis la tempo de punvizito, Venis la tagoj de repago; Izrael ekscios, cxu malsagxa estis la profeto, cxu freneza estis la viro inspirita, parolante pri viaj multaj malbonagoj kaj pri la granda malboneco.

8 La gardisto de Efraim estis antauxe kun mia Dio; nun profeto metas kaptilojn sur cxiuj liaj vojoj, kaj malamo estas en la domo de lia Dio.

9 Profunde ili malbonigxis, kiel en la tagoj de Gibea; Li rememoros iliajn malbonagojn, Li punos iliajn pekojn.

10 Kiel vinberojn en la dezerto Mi trovis Izraelon; kiel unuan frukton sur la figarbo en la komenco de gxia matureco Mi vidis viajn patrojn; sed ili iris al Baal-Peor, kaj konsekris sin al la hontindajxo, kaj farigxis abomeninduloj, kiel ilia amato.

11 La honoro de Efraim forflugos kiel birdo; ne estos nasko, nek gravedeco, nek gravedigxo.

12 Kaj se ili ecx edukus siajn infanojn, Mi tamen seninfanigos ilin, ke ili ne havu homojn; cxar ve al ili, kiam Mi forigos Min de ili.

13 Efraim, kiel Mi vidas, estas plantita sur bela loko, kiel Tiro; tamen Efraim elirigos siajn infanojn al la mortiganto.

14 Donu al ili, ho Eternulo, tion, kion Vi promesis doni; Donu al ili ventron aborteman kaj mamojn sekigxintajn.

15 Ilia tuta malboneco estas en Gilgal; tie Mi ekmalamis ilin; pro iliaj malbonaj agoj Mi elpelos ilin el Mia domo; Mi ne plu amos ilin; cxiuj iliaj princoj estas defalintoj.

16 Efraim estas batita; ilia radiko sekigxis; ili ne plu donos fruktojn; ecx se ili naskos, Mi mortigos la karan frukton de ilia ventro.

17 Mia Dio ilin forpusxos, cxar ili ne auxskultis Lin; kaj ili vagados inter la nacioj.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3605

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3605. 'Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him' means that natural good found the conjunction with truth - inverted as regards order - repugnant. This is clear from the meaning of 'hating' here in the internal sense as repugnance, dealt with below; from the representation of 'Esau' as natural good, and of 'Jacob' as natural truth, dealt with above; and from the meaning of 'a blessing' as conjunction, dealt with above in 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565, 3584. As regards its being a conjunction with truth - inverted as regards order - that is represented by Jacob, this is clear from what has been stated and shown above in 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603.

[2] The reason why 'hating' in the internal sense means repugnance is that it has reference to good, represented by 'Esau', and good does not even know what hatred is, since it is the complete opposite of it. Things that are opposites cannot possibly coexist in the same subject. But instead of hatred, good - or the person in whom good is present - feels a certain kind of repugnance, and this is why hatred here in the internal sense means repugnance. Actually the internal sense is intended primarily for those who are in heaven, and therefore when it comes down from there and passes into the literal sense, the feeling of repugnance enters into words that denote hatred when historical narratives refer to hatred. Yet at the same time no idea of hatred is present in the minds of those in heaven. This is similar to what has been told from experience in Volume One, in 1875, about the words in the Lord's Prayer, Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The idea of temptation and evil is rejected until something purely angelic, that is to say, good, devoid of any idea of temptation or evil remains. And coupled with this purely angelic idea there is a kind of indignation and a repugnance to any thought of evil when thinking about the Lord.

[3] It is similar with those places in the Word where one reads about Jehovah or the Lord hating, as in Zechariah,

Let none of you in your hearts think evil of his companion, nor love any lying oath, for all these things I hate, says Jehovah. Zechariah 8:17.

In Moses,

You shall not erect for yourself a pillar, which Jehovah your God hates. Deuteronomy 16:22.

In Jeremiah,

My heritage has become to Me like a lion in the forest It has lifted up its voice against Me, therefore I hate it. Jeremiah 12:8.

In Hosea,

In Gilgal I hate them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house; I will love them no more. Hosea 9:15.

Here 'the hatred' that is attributed to Jehovah or the Lord is not in the internal sense hatred but mercy, for the Divine is mercy. But when that mercy flows down to someone who is under the influence of evil he is exposed to the punishment that goes with evil, in which case mercy looks like hatred. And because it looks like hatred it is also called such in the sense of the letter.

[4] The same applies when in the Word anger, wrath, or fury are attributed to Jehovah or the Lord, dealt with in 245, 592, 696, 1093, 1683, 1874, 2335, 2395, 2447. The Jewish and Israelitish people more than all others were such that as soon as they detected any enmity present even with allies they believed that they were entitled to treat them cruelly, not only killing them but also exposing their bodies to wild animals and birds. And because the Lord's inflowing mercy was converted in this way into such hatred with them, a hatred directed, as has been stated, not only against enemies but also against allies, they inevitably believed that Jehovah too was capable of hating, being angry, wrathful, and furious. This is the reason why the Word has spoken in this way according to the appearance. For what a person is in himself determines how he sees the Lord, 1838, 1861, 2706. But the nature of hatred in the case of these in whom love and charity, that is, good, are present, is clear from the Lord's words in Matthew,

You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who hurt and persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:43-45.

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