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Jeremia 50

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1 Jen estas la vorto, kiun la Eternulo diris per la profeto Jeremia pri Babel kaj pri la lando de la HXaldeoj:

2 Sciigu al la nacioj kaj proklamu, levu standardon, proklamu, ne kasxu, diru:Prenita estas Babel, hontigita estas Bel, frakasita estas Merodahx, hontigitaj estas gxiaj idoloj, frakasitaj estas gxiaj statuoj.

3 CXar eliris kontraux gxin popolo el la nordo, kiu faros gxian landon dezerto, kaj ne plu estos logxanto en gxi:de homo gxis bruto cxio forigxos kaj foriros.

4 En tiuj tagoj kaj en tiu tempo, diras la Eternulo, venos la idoj de Izrael kune kun la idoj de Jehuda; ili iros kaj ploros, kaj sercxos la Eternulon, sian Dion.

5 Pri la vojo al Cion ili demandos, tien estos turnita ilia vizagxo:Venu, ni aligxos al la Eternulo per interligo eterna, neforgesebla.

6 Mia popolo estis kiel erarvagantaj sxafoj:ili pasxtistoj delogis ilin, erarvagigis ilin sur la montoj; de monto sur monteton ili vagis, ili forgesis sian sxafejon.

7 CXiuj, kiuj renkontis ilin, mangxis ilin; kaj iliaj malamikoj diris:Ni ne estas kulpaj, cxar ili pekis antaux la Eternulo, la logxejo de la vero, antaux la espero de iliaj patroj, la Eternulo.

8 Kuru el Babel kaj eliru el la lando de la HXaldeoj, kaj estu kiel virkaproj antaux la sxafoj.

9 CXar jen Mi vekos kaj venigos sur Babelon amason da grandaj popoloj el lando norda, kaj ili arangxos sin kontraux gxi, kaj gxi estos venkoprenita; iliaj sagoj, kiel lerta heroo, ne revenas vane.

10 Kaj HXaldeujo farigxos militakiro; cxiuj gxiaj prirabantoj satigxos, diras la Eternulo.

11 CXar vi gxojis, cxar vi triumfis, ho rabintoj de Mia heredajxo, cxar vi saltis, kiel bovidino sur herbo, kaj blekis, kiel fortaj cxevaloj,

12 tre hontigita estas via patrino, mokata estas via naskintino; jen estas la estonteco de la nacioj:dezerto, nelogxata tero, kaj stepo.

13 De la kolero de la Eternulo gxi farigxos nelogxata, kaj gxi tuta farigxos dezerta; cxiu, kiu iros preter Babel, miros kaj fajfos pri cxiuj gxiaj vundoj.

14 Pretigu vin kontraux Babel cxirkauxe, cxiuj strecxantoj de pafarkoj, pafu sur gxin, ne domagxu sagojn; cxar gxi pekis antaux la Eternulo.

15 Triumfe kriu kontraux gxi cxirkauxe; mallevigxis gxia mano, falis gxia fundamento, detruigxis gxiaj muregoj; cxar tio estas vengxo de la Eternulo; vengxu al gxi; kiel gxi agis, tiel agu kontraux gxi.

16 Ekstermu el Babel semanton kaj rikoltanton en la tempo de rikoltado; de la glavo de la tirano cxiu sin turnu al sia popolo, kaj cxiu forkuru en sian landon.

17 Izrael estas kiel disjxetita sxafaro; leonoj lin dispelis:la unua mangxis lin la regxo de Asirio, kaj cxi tiu lasta, Nebukadnecar, regxo de Babel, rompis al li la ostojn.

18 Tial tiele diras la Eternulo Cebaot, Dio de Izrael:Jen Mi punos la regxon de Babel kaj lian landon, kiel Mi punis la regxon de Asirio.

19 Kaj Mi revenigos Izraelon en lian logxejon, kaj li pasxtigxos sur Karmel kaj Basxan, kaj sur la monto de Efraim kaj en Gilead lia animo satigxos.

20 En tiuj tagoj kaj en tiu tempo, diras la Eternulo, oni sercxos malbonagon de Izrael, sed gxi ne estos, kaj pekon de Jehuda, sed gxi ne trovigxos; cxar Mi pardonos al tiuj, kiujn Mi restigos.

21 Iru kontraux la landon de la maldolcxigantoj, kontraux gxin kaj kontraux la logxantojn de la punejo; ruinigu kaj ekstermu cxion post ili, diras la Eternulo, kaj faru cxion tiel, kiel Mi ordonis al vi.

22 Bruo de batalo estas en la lando, kaj granda frakasado.

23 Kiele rompita kaj frakasita estas la martelo de la tuta tero! kiele dezertigxis Babel inter la nacioj!

24 Mi starigis reton por vi, kaj vi estas kaptita, ho Babel, antaux ol vi tion rimarkis; vi estas trovita kaj kaptita, cxar vi levigxis kontraux la Eternulon.

25 La Eternulo malfermis Sian trezorejon, kaj elprenis el tie la ilojn de Sia kolero; cxar ion por fari havas la Sinjoro, la Eternulo Cebaot, en la lando de la HXaldeoj.

26 Iru kontraux gxin de plej malproksime, malfermu gxiajn grenejojn, piedpremu gxin kiel amasajxon, ekstermu gxin, ke nenio de gxi restu.

27 Dishaku per glavo cxiujn gxiajn bovojn; ili estu bucxataj. Ve al ili! cxar venis ilia tago, la tempo de ilia puno.

28 Auxdigxas vocxo de forkurantoj kaj forsavigxantoj el la lando Babela, por sciigi en Cion pri la vengxo de la Eternulo, nia Dio, pri la vengxo pro Lia templo.

29 Alvoku multajn kontraux Babelon, cxiujn, kiuj strecxas pafarkon; starigxu tendare cxirkaux gxi, ke neniu povu forsavigxi el gxi; repagu al gxi laux gxiaj agoj:cxion, kion gxi faris, faru al gxi; cxar gxi estis malhumila kontraux la Eternulo, kontraux la Sanktulo de Izrael.

30 Pro tio gxiaj junuloj falos sur gxiaj stratoj, kaj cxiuj gxiaj militistoj pereos en tiu tago, diras la Eternulo.

31 Jen Mi estas kontraux vi, ho malhumilulo, diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo Cebaot; cxar venis via tago, la tempo de via puno.

32 Kaj la malhumilulo falpusxigxos kaj falos, kaj neniu lin levos; kaj Mi ekbruligos fajron en liaj urboj, kaj gxi ekstermos cxiujn liajn cxirkauxajxojn.

33 Tiele diras la Eternulo Cebaot:Turmentataj estas la idoj de Izrael kune kun la idoj de Jehuda; kaj cxiuj iliaj kaptintoj forte ilin tenas, ne volas forliberigi ilin.

34 Sed ilia Liberiganto estas forta, Eternulo Cebaot estas Lia nomo; Li defendos ilian aferon tiel, ke la tero skuigxos kaj la logxantoj de Babel ektremos.

35 Glavo falu sur la HXaldeojn, diras la Eternulo, sur la logxantojn de Babel, sur gxiajn eminentulojn kaj sagxulojn;

36 glavo sur la antauxdiristojn, ke ili malsagxigxu; glavo sur gxiajn heroojn, ke ili senkuragxigxu;

37 glavo sur gxiajn cxevalojn kaj sur gxiajn cxarojn, kaj sur cxiujn diversgentajn logxantojn, kiuj estas en gxi, ke ili farigxu kiel virinoj; glavo sur gxiajn trezorojn, ke ili estu disrabitaj.

38 Sekeco trafu gxiajn akvojn, ke ili malaperu; cxar tio estas lando de idoloj, kaj pri siaj monstroj ili fanfaronas.

39 Tial tie eklogxos stepaj bestoj kaj sxakaloj, kaj strutoj en gxi logxos; gxi neniam plu estos logxata, kaj neniu tie havos domon en cxiuj venontaj generacioj.

40 Kiel Dio renversis Sodomon kaj Gomoran kaj iliajn najbarlokojn, diras la Eternulo, tiel ankaux tie restos neniu kaj logxos neniu homido.

41 Jen venas popolo el nordo, granda nacio kaj multe da regxoj levigxas de la randoj de la tero.

42 Pafarkon kaj lancon ili tenas forte; kruelaj ili estas kaj senkompataj; ilia vocxo bruas kiel maro; sur cxevaloj ili rajdas, armite por la batalo kiel unu homo, kontraux vin, ho filino de Babel.

43 Auxdis la regxo de Babel la sciigon pri ili, kaj senfortigxis liaj manoj; suferego atakis lin, doloro kiel cxe naskantino.

44 Jen kiel leono li supreniras de la majesta Jordan kontraux la fortikan logxejon; cxar Mi rapide forpelos ilin de tie, kaj Mi estrigos tie tiun, kiu estas elektita. CXar kiu estas simila al Mi? kiu donos al Mi decidojn? kaj kiu estas la pasxtisto, kiu povas kontrauxstari al Mi?

45 Tial auxskultu la decidon de la Eternulo, kiun Li decidis pri Babel, kaj Liajn intencojn, kiujn Li havas pri la lando de la HXaldeoj:la knaboj- pasxtistoj ilin fortrenos, kaj detruos super ili ilian logxejon.

46 De la famo pri la preno de Babel ektremos la tero, kaj krio estos auxdata cxe la nacioj.

   

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Apocalypse Explained #131

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131. These things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword. That this signifies the Lord who alone fights in temptations, is evident from the signification of a sword, as being truth fighting against falsity, and, in an opposite sense, falsity fighting against truth. It is called sharp, and two-edged, because it cuts on both sides. Because this is signified by sword, therefore it also signifies dispersion of falsities, and also temptation. That it signifies dispersion of falsities, may be seen above (n. 73). That it signifies temptation is because, in what is written to the angels of this church, temptations are treated of, and also because temptation is a combat of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth. (That spiritual temptation is such combat, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 187-201.) The reason why by these things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword, is meant the Lord as alone fighting in temptations is, that, in the preceding chapter, ver. 16, it is said that out of the mouth of the Son of man was seen going forth a sharp two-edged sword; and by the Son of man is meant the Lord as to Divine truth, as may be seen above, n. 63. (That the Lord alone fights in temptations, and not man at all, may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, 195-200.) The reason why by a sword is signified the combat of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth, is, that by wars in the Word, are signified spiritual wars; and spiritual wars are those that take place between truths and falsities. And because wars in the Word have such a signification, therefore also all the arms used in war, as a sword, a spear, a bow, darts, a shield, and many others, signify specifically something pertaining to spiritual combat, especially the sword, because in wars they formerly fought with swords. (That wars signify spiritual combats may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 1659, 1664, 8295, 10455; and that hence, particular arms of war signify what belongs to spiritual combat, may be seen, n. 1788, 2686.)

[2] That a sword in the Word signifies truth combating against falsity, and falsity against truth, and hence the dispersion of falsities, and also spiritual temptation, is evident from many passages, of which we will adduce a few only by way of confirmation. Thus in Matthew:

Jesus said, that he was not come to send peace upon earth, but a sword (10:34);

where, by sword is meant the combat of temptation; the reason it is so said, was, that men at that time were immersed in falsities, and the Lord revealed interior truths; and falsities cannot be cast forth except by combats from those truths.

[3] In Luke:

Jesus said to the disciples "Now he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise a scrip; and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one" (22:35-38).

By a purse and scrip are signified spiritual knowledges (cognitiones), thus truths; by garments are signified things proper to themselves; and by a sword is signified combat.

[4] Again in Jeremiah:

"O sword, against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants of Babylon, and against her princes, and against her wise men. O sword, against liars that they may become foolish; O sword, against her mighty men that they may be dismayed; O sword, against her horses and against her chariots; O sword, against her treasures that they may be spoiled; a drought upon her waters, that they may be dried up" (50:35-38).

By sword is here signified the dispersion and vastation of truth by each of those against whom it is denounced, as by the Chaldeans, the inhabitants of Babylon, the princes and wise men thereof, liars, mighty men, horses, chariots and treasures, are signified the persons or things that will be vastated; as by horses are signified intellectual things; by chariots, doctrinals; and by treasures, knowledges (cognitiones); hence it is said a drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried up; for waters signify the truths of the church, and a drought by which they are dried up, signifies vastation. (That drought and drying up denote where there is no truth, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 8185; that waters denote the truths of the church, may be seen above, n. 71; that treasure denotes knowledges, n. 1694, 4508, 10227; that horses denote intellectual things and chariots doctrinals, may be seen in the small work, The White Horse 2-5.)

[5] In Isaiah:

"Jehovah shall contend, and by his sword with all flesh, and the slain of Jehovah shall be multiplied" (66:16).

In Jeremiah:

"Upon all the hills in the desert the spoilers have come, because the sword of Jehovah devoureth from the end of the earth even to the end of the earth" (12:12).

In Ezekiel:

"Prophesy, and say, a sword well sharpened, and also well polished; it is sharpened to slay a slaughter, it is polished to glitter; the sword shall be repeated the third time; the sword of the slain, the sword of great slaughter penetrating into the secret chambers, that the heart may faint, and offences may be multiplied; against all their gates will I set the point of the sword; ah! it has become lightning" (21:9, 10, 14, 15, 28).

In Isaiah:

"Bring waters to meet him that is thirsty, with bread prevent him that wandereth; for before the sword shall they wander, before the drawn sword, and before the bended bow, and for the grievousness of war" (21:14, 15).

In Ezekiel:

"They shall quake with fear when I shall brandish my sword before their faces, that they may tremble every moment, a man for his own soul; by the swords of the mighty casting down the multitude of them" (32:10-12).

In David:

"The saints will be joyful in glory; they will sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand" (Psalms 149:5, 6).

In the same:

"Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O mighty. In thy honour ascend thy chariot, ride on the Word of truth; thy right hand shall teach thee wonderful things. Thine arrows are sharp" (Psalms 45:3-5).

And in the Apocalypse:

"And there was given to him sitting on the red horse a great sword" (6:4).

And in another place:

"And out of the mouth of him sitting upon the white horse goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse" (19:15, 21).

By sword in the above passages is signified truth combating and destroying; this destruction is especially evident in the spiritual world, where those who are in falsities cannot sustain the truth. They are in a state of anguish, as if struggling with death when they come into the sphere of light, that is, where Divine truth is, and also they are thus deprived of truths, and vastated.

[6] As most expressions in the Word have also an opposite sense, so also has sword, and in that sense it signifies falsity combating against truth and destroying it. The vastations of the church, which take place when there are no longer any truths, but only falsities, are described in the Word by a sword, as in the following passages:

"They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive among all nations; at length Jerusalem shall be trodden down of" all "nations, until the times of the nations shall be fulfilled" (Luke 21:24).

The consummation of the age, here treated of, is the last time of the church, when falsities shall prevail. To fall by the edge of the sword, denotes that truths would be destroyed by falsity; nations denote evils; by Jerusalem is signified the church.

[7] In Isaiah:

"I will make a man more rare than fine gold. Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is gathered together shall fall by the sword" (13:12, 15).

By the man who is rare, is denoted those who are in truths; to be thrust through and to fall by the sword, denotes to be consumed by falsities.

[8] In the same:

"In that day they shall cast away every man the idols of his silver, and the idols of his gold, which your own hands have made unto you. Then shall Asshur fall by the sword, not of a man (vir) and the sword, not of a man (homo), shall devour him; but he who fleeth before the sword, his young men shall be for tribute" (31:7, 8).

The idols which their hands have made denote falsities from their own intelligence; by Asshur is denoted the Rational by which this is effected. To fall by the sword, not of a man (vir), and not of a man (homo), denotes not to be destroyed by any combat of truth against falsity. By he who fleeth before the sword, his young men shall be for tribute, is denoted, that the truth which is not destroyed shall be made subservient to falsities. That this is the meaning of those words is not evident in the sense of the letter; it is therefore evident how far removed is the spiritual sense from the sense of the letter.

[9] In Jeremiah:

"I have smitten your sons in vain; and they received not correction; your own sword hath devoured your prophets" (2:30).

In the same:

"Behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine. By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed. If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword; and if I enter into the city, then behold the sicknesses of famine" (14:13-18).

Both these passages treat of the vastation of the church as to truth: by prophets are meant those who teach truths, and by the sword which consumes them, falsity combating and destroying. By field is signified the church; by city doctrine; the slain with the sword in the field, denote those in the church with whom truths are destroyed; by the sicknesses of famine in the city is signified a defect of all truth in doctrine.

[10] In the same:

"They have denied Jehovah, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us: neither shall we see sword and famine" (5:12).

In the same:

"The young men shall die by the sword; their sons and their daughters shall die by famine" (11:22).

By young men are signified those who are in truths, and, in the abstract, truths themselves; to die by the sword is to be destroyed by falsities; sons and daughters signify the knowledges of truth and good; by famine is meant a defect of them.

[11] In Lamentations:

"We get our bread with the peril of our souls, because of the sword of the wilderness" (5:9).

By wilderness is meant where there is no good because no truth; by the sword thereof, the destruction of truth; bread denotes good, which is obtained with the peril of the soul because all good is implanted in man by truth.

[12] In Ezekiel:

"The sword without, and the pestilence and famine within; he that is in the field shall die by the sword, and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him" (7:15).

By sword is here meant the destruction of truth; by pestilence, consequent extinction; and famine signifies a complete defect. The signification is similar in other places; as in Jeremiah (21:7; 29:17, 18; 34:17).

[13] In Zechariah:

"Woe to the shepherd of nought deserting the flock, a sword upon his arm, and upon his right eye; his arm in drying up shall dry up, and his right eye in darkening shall be darkened" (11:17).

A sword upon the arm denotes the destruction of the Voluntary as to good; by a sword upon the right eye is signified the destruction of the Intellectual as to truth; that all good and all truth would perish, is signified by its being said, that the arm in drying up shall dry up, and the right eye in darkening shall be darkened.

[14] In Isaiah:

"Thus shall ye say unto your master, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, wherewith the servants of the king of Asshur have blasphemed Jehovah. Behold, I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. And Sennacherib the king of Asshur returned; and it came to pass, when he bowed himself in the house of Nisroch his god, his two sons smote him with the sword" (37:6, 7, 37, 38).

Because it is the Rational that acknowledges and that denies the Divine, and when it denies it seizes eagerly on every falsity instead of truth, and thus perishes, therefore this representative came to pass, that is, that the king of Asshur, because he blasphemed Jehovah, was smitten with the sword by his sons, in the house of Nisroch his god. Asshur signifies the Rational in both senses (see Arcana Coelestia 119, 1186); the sons of that king signify falsities, and the sword signifies destruction by them. So also, in Moses, it was commanded that the city which worshipped other gods should be smitten with the sword, and burned with fire (Deuteronomy 13:12, 13, 15, 16).

[15] This statute was made, because at that time all things were representative; to worship other gods is to worship from falsities; to be smitten with the sword is to perish by falsity; and to be burned with fire is to perish by the evil of falsity.

[16] In the same:

"Whosoever toucheth one that is slain with the sword in the field shall be unclean" (Numbers 19:16, 18, 19).

The slain in the field with the sword, represented those within the church who destroyed the truths which they had; by field is meant the church.

[17] That sword signifies falsities destroying truth is clear in David:

"The sons of men are inflamed; their teeth are as spears and darts, and their tongue a sharp sword" (Psalms 57:4).

"Behold, they belch out with their mouth, swords are in their lips" (Psalms 59:7).

Working iniquity "they whet their tongue like a sword; they make ready their bow with bitter words" (Psalms 64:3).

From these considerations it is clear what is signified by the words of the Lord to Peter:

"All they that take the sword shall perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:51, 52);

that is, those who believe falsities will perish by them.

[18] From these things it is now clear what is signified in the Word by sword in both senses. The reason why such things are signified by it, is also from appearances in the spiritual world. When spiritual combats take place there, which are combats of truth against falsity, and of falsity against truth, various weapons of war are seen there, as swords, spears, shields, and similar things; not that these combats are carried on by such things, for they are appearances only, representative of spiritual combats. When falsities fight keenly against truths, sometimes the glitter or sheen of a sword waving itself on both sides, and striking with great terror, is seen, by which those are dispersed who fight from falsities.

[19] From this it is clear what is meant by these words in Ezekiel:

"They shall be horribly afraid when I shall brandish my sword before their faces, that they may tremble at every moment for their own soul" (Ezekiel 32:10, 11, 12).

In the same:

"Prophesy, and say, a sword has been sharpened, and also well polished, that it may shine, that the heart may faint, ah! it has become lightning" (Ezekiel 21:9, 10, 15).

The reason why a sword causes such great terror is that iron, of which it is made, signifies truth in ultimates, and glitter and sheen are from the light of heaven, and its shining upon it; the light of heaven is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord; Divine truth, thus falling into those who are filled with falsity, strikes terror.

[20] It is therefore clear what is signified when Adam was cast out

By cherubim being placed at the east of Eden, and the flame of a sword turning every way, and brandishing itself to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24).

By the tree of life is signified celestial love, which is love to the Lord; by cherubim a guard; by the flame of a sword turning itself every way, the terrible driving away and rejection of all who are in falsities; the east of Eden denotes where the presence of the Lord is in that celestial love. By those words therefore is signified that all approach to the acknowledgment of the Lord alone is closed to those who do not live a life of love. That by sword is signified falsity is quite clear in Ezekiel, where is thus said of the prince of Tyre:

"They shall unsheath swords upon the beauty of thy wisdom" (28:7).

By the prince of Tyre is here signified intelligence derived from the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth; and because this is extinguished by falsities it is therefore said that they should unsheathe their swords upon wisdom, which could not have been said unless by swords were meant falsities.

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

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