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Hosea 4

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1 Höret, ihr Kinder Israel, des HERRN Wort! denn der HERR hat Ursache, zu schelten, die im Lande wohnen; denn es ist keine Treue, keine Liebe, keine Erkenntnis Gottes im Lande;

2 sondern Gotteslästern, Lügen, Morden, Stehlen und Ehebrechen hat überhandgenommen und eine Blutschuld kommt nach der andern.

3 Darum wird das Land jämmerlich stehen, und allen Einwohnern wird's übel gehen; denn es werden auch die Tiere auf dem Felde und die Vögel unter dem Himmel und die Fische im Meer weggerafft werden.

4 Doch man darf nicht schelten noch jemand strafen; denn dein Volk ist wie die, so den Priester schelten.

5 Darum sollst du bei Tage fallen und der Prophet des Nachts neben dir fallen; also will ich deine Mutter zu Grunde richten.

6 Mein Volk ist dahin, darum daß es nicht lernen will. Denn du verwirfst Gottes Wort; darum will ich dich auch verwerfen, daß du nicht mein Priester sein sollst. Du vergißt das Gesetz deines Gottes; darum will ich auch deine Kinder vergessen.

7 Je mehr ihrer wird, je mehr sie wider mich sündigen; darum will ich ihre Ehre zu Schanden machen.

8 Sie fressen die Sündopfer meines Volks und sind begierig nach ihren Sünden.

9 Darum soll es dem Volk gleich wie dem Priester gehen; denn ich will ihr Tun heimsuchen und ihnen vergelten, wie sie verdienen,

10 daß sie werden essen, und nicht satt werden, Hurerei treiben und sich nicht ausbreiten, darum daß sie den HERRN verlassen haben und ihn nicht achten.

11 Hurerei, Wein und Most machen toll.

12 Mein Volk fragt sein Holz, und sein Stab soll ihm predigen; denn der Hurerei-Geist verführt sie, daß sie wider ihren Gott Hurerei treiben.

13 Oben auf den Bergen opfern sie, und auf den Hügeln räuchern sie, unter den Eichen, Linden und Buchen; denn die haben feinen Schatten. Darum werden eure Töchter auch zu Huren und eure Bräute zu Ehebrechrinnen werden.

14 Und ich will's auch nicht wehren, wenn eure Töchter und Bräute geschändet werden, weil ihr einen andern Gottesdienst anrichtet mit den Huren und opfert mit den Bübinnen. Denn das törichte Volk will geschlagen sein.

15 Willst du, Israel, ja huren, daß sich doch nur Juda nicht auch verschulde. Geht nicht hin gen Gilgal und kommt nicht hinauf gen Beth-Aven und schwört nicht: So wahr der HERR lebt!

16 Denn Israel läuft wie eine tolle Kuh; so wird sie auch der HERR weiden lassen wie ein Lamm in der Irre.

17 Denn Ephraim hat sich zu den Götzen gesellt; so laß ihn hinfahren.

18 Sie haben sich in die Schwelgerei und Hurerei gegeben; ihre Herren haben Lust dazu, daß sie Schande anrichten.

19 Der Wind mit seinen Flügeln wird sie zusammen wegtreiben; sie müssen über ihrem Opfer zu Schanden werden.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3122

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3122. With regard to this truth, by which charity is meant, there is more to be said: The most ancient people, who were celestial, understood nothing else by mercy and truth from the Lord than the reception 1 of the influx of love to the Lord and from this of charity towards the neighbour; but the ancients, who were spiritual, took mercy and truth present with them from the Lord to mean charity and faith. The reason for this was that those who were celestial never thought about the things that are matters of faith or truth but about those that are matters of love or good, as becomes clear from what has been stated already about the celestial man in 202, 337, 2669, 2715. Furthermore it was by means of charity towards the neighbour that celestial people were led into love to the Lord when they were being reformed and regenerated. From this it is evident that 'mercy from the Lord' is used to mean nothing else than a perception of the influx of love to Him, and 'truth' to mean the influx of charity towards the neighbour from that inflowing love.

[2] With those who are spiritual however it is different. These do think about the things that are matters of faith, and when they are being reformed and regenerated it is by means of the things which are matters of faith that they are led into charity towards the neighbour. Consequently when spiritual people are the subject 'mercy from the Lord' is used to mean the influx of charity towards the neighbour, and 'truth' to mean the influx of faith. Nevertheless once the spiritual man has been regenerated this faith becomes charity, for now he acts from charity, so much so that anyone among them who does not act from charity is not regenerate, whereas anyone who does act from charity is regenerate. Also, he now has no interest at all in matters of faith or truth, for his life springs from the good of faith, and no longer from the truth of faith. Indeed truth has now so joined itself to good that it ceases to be seen except as the form which good takes, that is, faith is now nothing else so to speak than the form which charity takes.

[3] From this one may see what the most ancient people meant, and what the ancients meant, by mercy and truth which are mentioned so many times in the Word, as in David,

The king will dwell for ever before God. Prepare mercy and truth, let them watch over him. Psalms 61:7.

In the same author,

Mercy and truth will meet, righteousness and peace will kiss each other. Psalms 85:10.

In the same author,

The Lord God is great in mercy and truth. Psalms 86:15.

In the same author,

My truth and My mercy will be with Him. Psalms 89:24.

In the same author,

Jehovah has remembered His mercy and His truth to the house of Israel. Psalms 98:3.

In the same author,

O Jehovah, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for the sake of Your mercy and Your truth. Psalms 115:1.

In Micah,

Jehovah God will give truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old. Micah 7:20.

Here 'Jacob' stands for the Lord's external man, 'Abraham' for the internal as regards the human. In Hosea,

Jehovah's controversy with the inhabitants of the land because there is no truth, and no mercy, and no knowledge of God. Hosea 4:1.

'No truth' stands for no reception of the influx of charity, 'no mercy' for no reception of the influx of love, 'no knowledge of God' for no reception of the influx of the truth of faith.

Footnotes:

1. Or, reading what Swedenborg has in his rough draft the perception

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #5248

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5248. 'And changed his clothes' means the change made so far as coverings of the interior natural were concerned, by the putting on of what was rightly suited to this. This is clear from the meaning of 'changing as removing and casting aside, and from the meaning of 'clothes' as the coverings of the interior natural, dealt with below. The putting on of what was rightly suited, meant by 'new clothes', follows on from this. Frequent reference is made in the Word to clothes, by which are meant lower or outward things which, being such, serve to cover higher or inward ones. 'Clothes' consequently means the external part of man and therefore what is natural, since this covers the internal and the spiritual part of him. In particular 'clothes' means truths that are matters of faith since these cover forms of good that are embodiments of charity. This meaning of 'clothes' has its origin in the clothes that spirits and angels are seen to be wearing. Spirits are seen dressed in clothes that have no brightness, whereas angels are seen dressed in clothes full of brightness and so to speak made of brightness. For the actual brightness that surrounds them looks like a robe, much like the Lord's garments when He was transfigured, which were 'as the light', Matthew 17:2, and 'glistening white', Luke 9:29. From the clothes they wear one can also tell what kinds of spirits and angels they are so far as truths of faith are concerned since these are represented by their clothes, though only truths of faith such as exist within the natural. The truths of faith such as exist within the rational are revealed in the face and in the beauty it possesses. The brightness of their garments has its origin in the good of love and charity, for that good shines through and is the producer of the brightness. From all this one may see what is represented in the spiritual world by clothes and as a consequence what is meant in the spiritual sense by 'clothes'.

[2] But the clothes which Joseph changed - that is, cast aside - were those of the pit or prison-clothing, which mean the delusions and false ideas that are stirred up by evil genii and spirits in a state involving temptations. Consequently the expression 'he changed his clothes' means a casting aside and a change made in the coverings of the interior natural. And the clothes which he put on were ones such as were properly suitable, so that the putting on of what was rightly suited is meant. See what has been stated and shown already regarding clothes,

Celestial things are unclothed, but not so spiritual and natural ones, 297.

'Clothes' are truths, which are of a lower nature when they are compared with what they cover, 1073, 2576.

'Changing one's garments' was representative of the need to put on holy truths, and therefore 'changes of garments' had the same meaning, 4545.

'Rending one's clothes' was representative of mourning on account of the loss of truth, 4763.

What is meant by someone entering who was not wearing a wedding garment, 2132.

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