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Yoel 2

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1 תִּקְעוּ שֹׁופָר בְּצִיֹּון וְהָרִיעוּ בְּהַר קָדְשִׁי יִרְגְּזוּ כֹּל יֹשְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ כִּי־בָא יֹום־יְהוָה כִּי קָרֹוב׃

2 יֹום חֹשֶׁךְ וַאֲפֵלָה יֹום עָןָן וַעֲרָפֶל כְּשַׁחַר פָּרֻשׂ עַל־הֶהָרִים עַם רַב וְעָצוּם כָּמֹהוּ לֹא נִהְיָה מִן־הָעֹולָם וְאַחֲרָיו לֹא יֹוסֵף עַד־שְׁנֵי דֹּור וָדֹור׃

3 לְפָנָיו אָכְלָה אֵשׁ וְאַחֲרָיו תְּלַהֵט לֶהָבָה כְּגַן־עֵדֶן הָאָרֶץ לְפָנָיו וְאַחֲרָיו מִדְבַּר שְׁמָמָה וְגַם־פְּלֵיטָה לֹא־הָיְתָה לֹּו׃

4 כְּמַרְאֵה סוּסִים מַרְאֵהוּ וּכְפָרָשִׁים כֵּן יְרוּצוּן׃

5 כְּקֹול מַרְכָּבֹות עַל־רָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים יְרַקֵּדוּן כְּקֹול לַהַב אֵשׁ אֹכְלָה קָשׁ כְּעַם עָצוּם עֱרוּךְ מִלְחָמָה׃

6 מִפָּנָיו יָחִילוּ עַמִּים כָּל־פָּנִים קִבְּצוּ פָארוּר׃

7 כְּגִבֹּורִים יְרֻצוּן כְּאַנְשֵׁי מִלְחָמָה יַעֲלוּ חֹומָה וְאִישׁ בִּדְרָכָיו יֵלֵכוּן וְלֹא יְעַבְּטוּן אֹרְחֹותָם׃

8 וְאִישׁ אָחִיו לֹא יִדְחָקוּן גֶּבֶר בִּמְסִלָּתֹו יֵלֵכוּן וּבְעַד הַשֶּׁלַח יִפֹּלוּ לֹא יִבְצָעוּ׃

9 בָּעִיר יָשֹׁקּוּ בַּחֹומָה יְרֻצוּן בַּבָּתִּים יַעֲלוּ בְּעַד הַחַלֹּונִים יָבֹאוּ כַּגַּנָּב׃

10 לְפָנָיו רָגְזָה אֶרֶץ רָעֲשׁוּ שָׁמָיִם שֶׁמֶשׁ וְיָרֵחַ קָדָרוּ וְכֹוכָבִים אָסְפוּ נָגְהָם׃

11 וַיהוָה נָתַן קֹולֹו לִפְנֵי חֵילֹו כִּי רַב מְאֹד מַחֲנֵהוּ כִּי עָצוּם עֹשֵׂה דְבָרֹו כִּי־גָדֹול יֹום־יְהוָה וְנֹורָא מְאֹד וּמִי יְכִילֶנּוּ׃

12 וְגַם־עַתָּה נְאֻם־יְהוָה שֻׁבוּ עָדַי בְּכָל־לְבַבְכֶם וּבְצֹום וּבְבְכִי וּבְמִסְפֵּד׃

13 וְקִרְעוּ לְבַבְכֶם וְאַל־בִּגְדֵיכֶם וְשׁוּבוּ אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כִּי־חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם הוּא אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וְנִחָם עַל־הָרָעָה׃

14 מִי יֹודֵעַ יָשׁוּב וְנִחָם וְהִשְׁאִיר אַחֲרָיו בְּרָכָה מִנְחָה וָנֶסֶךְ לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃ ף

15 תִּקְעוּ שֹׁופָר בְּצִיֹּון קַדְּשׁוּ־צֹום קִרְאוּ עֲצָרָה׃

16 אִסְפוּ־עָם קַדְּשׁוּ קָהָל קִבְצוּ זְקֵנִים אִסְפוּ עֹולָלִים וְיֹנְקֵי שָׁדָיִם יֵצֵא חָתָן מֵחֶדְרֹו וְכַלָּה מֵחֻפָּתָהּ׃

17 בֵּין הָאוּלָם וְלַמִּזְבֵּחַ יִבְכּוּ הַכֹּהֲנִים מְשָׁרְתֵי יְהוָה וְיֹאמְרוּ חוּסָה יְהוָה עַל־עַמֶּךָ וְאַל־תִּתֵּן נַחֲלָתְךָ לְחֶרְפָּה לִמְשָׁל־בָּם גֹּויִם לָמָּה יֹאמְרוּ בָעַמִּים אַיֵּה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם׃

18 וַיְקַנֵּא יְהוָה לְאַרְצֹו וַיַּחְמֹל עַל־עַמֹּו׃

19 וַיַּעַן יְהוָה וַיֹּאמֶר לְעַמֹּו הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ לָכֶם אֶת־הַדָּגָן וְהַתִּירֹושׁ וְהַיִּצְהָר וּשְׂבַעְתֶּם אֹתֹו וְלֹא־אֶתֵּן אֶתְכֶם עֹוד חֶרְפָּה בַּגֹּויִם׃

20 וְאֶת־הַצְּפֹונִי אַרְחִיק מֵעֲלֵיכֶם וְהִדַּחְתִּיו אֶל־אֶרֶץ צִיָּה וּשְׁמָמָה אֶת־פָּנָיו אֶל־הַיָּם הַקַּדְמֹנִי וְסֹפֹו אֶל־הַיָּם הָאַחֲרֹון וְעָלָה בָאְשֹׁו וְתַעַל צַחֲנָתֹו כִּי הִגְדִּיל לַעֲשֹׂות׃

21 אַל־תִּירְאִי אֲדָמָה גִּילִי וּשְׂמָחִי כִּי־הִגְדִּיל יְהוָה לַעֲשֹׂות׃

22 אַל־תִּירְאוּ בַּהֲמֹות שָׂדַי כִּי דָשְׁאוּ נְאֹות מִדְבָּר כִּי־עֵץ נָשָׂא פִרְיֹו תְּאֵנָה וָגֶפֶן נָתְנוּ חֵילָם׃

23 וּבְנֵי צִיֹּון גִּילוּ וְשִׂמְחוּ בַּיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כִּי־נָתַן לָכֶם אֶת־הַמֹּורֶה לִצְדָקָה וַיֹּורֶד לָכֶם גֶּשֶׁם מֹורֶה וּמַלְקֹושׁ בָּרִאשֹׁון׃

24 וּמָלְאוּ הַגֳּרָנֹות בָּר וְהֵשִׁיקוּ הַיְקָבִים תִּירֹושׁ וְיִצְהָר׃

25 וְשִׁלַּמְתִּי לָכֶם אֶת־הַשָּׁנִים אֲשֶׁר אָכַל הָאַרְבֶּה הַיֶּלֶק וְהֶחָסִיל וְהַגָּזָם חֵילִי הַגָּדֹול אֲשֶׁר שִׁלַּחְתִּי בָּכֶם׃

26 וַאֲכַלְתֶּם אָכֹול וְשָׂבֹועַ וְהִלַּלְתֶּם אֶת־שֵׁם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה עִםָּכֶם לְהַפְלִיא וְלֹא־יֵבֹשׁוּ עַמִּי לְעֹולָם׃

27 וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי בְקֶרֶב יִשְׂרָאֵל אָנִי וַאֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְאֵין עֹוד וְלֹא־יֵבֹשׁוּ עַמִּי לְעֹולָם׃ ס

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1860

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1860. That 'there was thick darkness' means when hatred existed in place of charity is clear from the meaning of 'thick darkness'. In the Word 'darkness' means falsities, while 'thick darkness' means evils, as explained immediately below. 'Darkness' is when falsity exists in place of truth, and 'thick darkness' when evil exists in place of good, or what amounts entirely to the same, when hatred exists in place of charity. When hatred exists in place of charity the darkness is so thick that the person is not even aware of its being an evil, let alone of its being so great an evil as to thrust him down in the next life into hell; indeed people who are steeped in hatred find a certain delight and so to speak life in it. This very delight and life have the effect that he hardly knows other than that hatred is good. Whatever favors a person's pleasure and desire, because it favors his love, he feels as good - so much so that when he is told it is of hell he can hardly believe it. Even less can he believe it when he is told that such delight and life is converted in the next life into an utterly foul and corpse-like stench. Even less still can he believe that he is becoming a devil and a dreadful replica of hell; for hell consists of nothing else than varieties of hatred and other such forms.

[2] But of this anyone may know who has any power of thought; for if he were to describe hatred, or to represent it, or to portray it if he were able to in any way, he would not do so except by the use of devil-like forms such as these persons steeped in evil also assume after death. And what is extraordinary, such people can still declare that in the next life they will go to heaven, in some cases for merely saying that they have faith - though in fact the only forms occurring in heaven are those of charity, the nature of which may be seen in what has been told from experience in 553. Let those people now consider how these two forms - of hatred and of charity - can be in agreement in the same place.

[3] That 'darkness' means falsity and 'thick darkness' evil becomes clear from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,

Behold, darkness is covering the earth, and thick darkness the peoples. Isaiah 60:2.

In Joel,

Let all the inhabitants of the earth tremble, for the day of Jehovah is coming, a day of darkness and thick darkness. Joel 2:1-2.

In Zephaniah,

A day of wrath is that day, a day of vastation and desolation, a day of darkness and thick darkness. Zephaniah 1:15.

In Amos,

Is not the day of Jehovah darkness and not light, and thick darkness, and no brightness in it? Amos 5:20.

In these places 'the day of Jehovah' stands for the final period of the Church, which is also the subject here. 'Darkness' stands for falsities, 'thick darkness' for evils; hence both are mentioned. Otherwise there would be a repetition of the same thing, or a pointless excess of words. The term used in the original language however to express thick darkness in this verse embodies both within itself - falsity as well as evil, or gross falsity that produces evil, as well as gross evil that produces falsity.

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