The Bible

 

Daniyel 8

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1 בשנת שלוש למלכות בלאשצר המלך חזון נראה אלי אני דניאל אחרי הנראה אלי בתחלה׃

2 ואראה בחזון ויהי בראתי ואני בשושן הבירה אשר בעילם המדינה ואראה בחזון ואני הייתי על אובל אולי׃

3 ואשא עיני ואראה והנה איל אחד עמד לפני האבל ולו קרנים והקרנים גבהות והאחת גבהה מן השנית והגבהה עלה באחרנה׃

4 ראיתי את האיל מנגח ימה וצפונה ונגבה וכל חיות לא יעמדו לפניו ואין מציל מידו ועשה כרצנו והגדיל׃

5 ואני הייתי מבין והנה צפיר העזים בא מן המערב על פני כל הארץ ואין נוגע בארץ והצפיר קרן חזות בין עיניו׃

6 ויבא עד האיל בעל הקרנים אשר ראיתי עמד לפני האבל וירץ אליו בחמת כחו׃

7 וראיתיו מגיע אצל האיל ויתמרמר אליו ויך את האיל וישבר את שתי קרניו ולא היה כח באיל לעמד לפניו וישליכהו ארצה וירמסהו ולא היה מציל לאיל מידו׃

8 וצפיר העזים הגדיל עד מאד וכעצמו נשברה הקרן הגדולה ותעלנה חזות ארבע תחתיה לארבע רוחות השמים׃

9 ומן האחת מהם יצא קרן אחת מצעירה ותגדל יתר אל הנגב ואל המזרח ואל הצבי׃

10 ותגדל עד צבא השמים ותפל ארצה מן הצבא ומן הכוכבים ותרמסם׃

11 ועד שר הצבא הגדיל וממנו הרים התמיד והשלך מכון מקדשו׃

12 וצבא תנתן על התמיד בפשע ותשלך אמת ארצה ועשתה והצליחה׃

13 ואשמעה אחד קדוש מדבר ויאמר אחד קדוש לפלמוני המדבר עד מתי החזון התמיד והפשע שמם תת וקדש וצבא מרמס׃

14 ויאמר אלי עד ערב בקר אלפים ושלש מאות ונצדק קדש׃

15 ויהי בראתי אני דניאל את החזון ואבקשה בינה והנה עמד לנגדי כמראה גבר׃

16 ואשמע קול אדם בין אולי ויקרא ויאמר גבריאל הבן להלז את המראה׃

17 ויבא אצל עמדי ובבאו נבעתי ואפלה על פני ויאמר אלי הבן בן אדם כי לעת קץ החזון׃

18 ובדברו עמי נרדמתי על פני ארצה ויגע בי ויעמידני על עמדי׃

19 ויאמר הנני מודיעך את אשר יהיה באחרית הזעם כי למועד קץ׃

20 האיל אשר ראית בעל הקרנים מלכי מדי ופרס׃

21 והצפיר השעיר מלך יון והקרן הגדולה אשר בין עיניו הוא המלך הראשון׃

22 והנשברת ותעמדנה ארבע תחתיה ארבע מלכיות מגוי יעמדנה ולא בכחו׃

23 ובאחרית מלכותם כהתם הפשעים יעמד מלך עז פנים ומבין חידות׃

24 ועצם כחו ולא בכחו ונפלאות ישחית והצליח ועשה והשחית עצומים ועם קדשים׃

25 ועל שכלו והצליח מרמה בידו ובלבבו יגדיל ובשלוה ישחית רבים ועל שר שרים יעמד ובאפס יד ישבר׃

26 ומראה הערב והבקר אשר נאמר אמת הוא ואתה סתם החזון כי לימים רבים׃

27 ואני דניאל נהייתי ונחליתי ימים ואקום ואעשה את מלאכת המלך ואשתומם על המראה ואין מבין׃

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9815

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9815. 'For glorious adornment' means in order to display Divine Truth as it exists in its inward form and its outward form in the spiritual kingdom lying adjacent to the celestial kingdom. This is clear from the meaning of 'glory' as Divine Truth, dealt with in the Preface to Genesis 18, and in 5922, 9429; and from the meaning of 'adornment' too as Divine Truth, but as it exists in its outward form. For the splendour and beauty of Divine Truth as they appear in outward things are meant by 'adornment'. So it is that the Word as to its internal sense is described as 'glory', but as to its external sense, in respect of the splendour and beauty which the internal imparts to it, is described as 'adornment'. Consequently the spiritual heaven, meant here by the holy garments that were 'for glorious adornment', is the glory, insofar as Divine Truth in its inward form is present there; and it is the adornment too, insofar as Divine Truth in its outward form is also present there.

[2] Something similar is meant by 'adornment' in the following places: In Jeremiah,

In His anger the Lord covers the daughter of Zion with a cloud. He has cast down from heaven to earth the adornment of Israel, and does not remember His footstool. Lamentations 2:1.

'The daughter of Zion' stands for the celestial Church, 'the adornment of Israel' for the spiritual Church, which is called 'the adornment' by virtue of the splendour and beauty of truth. Something similar occurs in Isaiah,

I have caused My righteousness to draw near, it is not far off, and My salvation will not delay. I will give salvation in Zion, My adornment to Israel. Isaiah 46:13.

In the same prophet,

Look out from heaven, from the dwelling-place of Your holiness and of Your adornment. Isaiah 63:15.

'The dwelling-place of holiness' stands for the celestial kingdom, and 'the dwelling-place of adornment' for the spiritual kingdom. In Daniel,

There came out one small-sized horn, and it grew exceedingly towards the south, and towards the east, and towards the adornment. 1 Daniel 8:9.

And elsewhere in the same prophet,

The king of the north too will stand in the land of adornment 1 with destruction in his hand; 2 and when he comes into the land of adornment 1 many will collapse. Daniel 11:16, 41.

'The land of adornment' stands for the Lord's Church where God's truth or the Word is.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. the land of Israel

2. literally, consummation through his hand

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 18

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1 Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.

2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,

3 and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don't go away from your servant.

4 Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

5 I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said."

6 Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly prepare three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes."

7 Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it.

8 He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.

9 They asked him, "Where is Sarah, your wife?" He said, "See, in the tent."

10 He said, "I will certainly return to you when the season comes round. Behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

12 Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"

13 Yahweh said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Will I really bear a child, yet I am old?'

14 Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son."

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, "I didn't laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."

16 The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way.

17 Yahweh said, "Will I hide from Abraham what I do,

18 since Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?

19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him."

20 Yahweh said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,

21 I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know."

22 The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh.

23 Abraham drew near, and said, "Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?

24 What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?

25 Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn't the Judge of all the earth do right?"

26 Yahweh said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake."

27 Abraham answered, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.

28 What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?" He said, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."

29 He spoke to him yet again, and said, "What if there are forty found there?" He said, "I will not do it for the forty's sake."

30 He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?" He said, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."

31 He said, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake."

32 He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the ten's sake."

33 Yahweh went his way, as soon as he had finished communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.