The Bible

 

Ámos 8

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1 Ily dolgot láttatott velem az Úr Isten: Ímé, egy kosár érett gyümölcs.

2 És mondá: Mit látsz Ámós? És mondám: Egy kosár érett gyümölcsöt. És mondá az Úr nékem: Eljött vége az én népemnek, az Izráelnek; nem bocsátok meg néki többé!

3 Azon a napon jajjá változnak a templomi énekek, így szól az Úr Isten, és temérdek lesz a hulla; szó nélkül hányák mindenüvé.

4 Halljátok meg ezt ti, kik a szegényre törtök, és e föld szegényeinek kipusztítására.

5 Mondván: Mikor múlik el az újhold, hogy gabonát árulhassunk? és a szombat, hogy megnyithassuk a gabonás [házat?] hogy megkisebbítsük a vékát, és megnagyobbítsuk az árát, és hamis mértékkel csalhassunk?!

6 Hogy megvegyük a szegényeket pénzen, és a szûkölködõt egy öltõ saruért, és eladhassuk a gabona hulladékát?!

7 Megesküdt az Úr a Jákób büszkeségére: Soha el nem felejtem semmi cselekedetöket!

8 Ne rendüljön-é meg e miatt a föld? És ne búsuljon-é annak minden lakosa?! Bizony felindul egészen, mint a folyam, és dagad és apad, mint Égyiptom folyója.

9 És lészen azon a napon, azt mondja az Úr Isten: Lenyugtatom a napot délben, és besötétítem a földet fényes nappal.

10 Ünnepeiteket búra változtatom; és minden dalotokat szomorú énekké! Gyászruhát borítok minden derékra, és kopaszságot minden fejre, és olyanná teszem, mint a ki egyetlen fiát siratja; a vége pedig, mint a keserûség napja!

11 Ímé, napok jõnek, azt mondja az Úr Isten, és éhséget bocsátok e földre; nem kenyér után való éhséget, sem víz után való szomjúságot, hanem az Úr beszédének hallgatása után.

12 És vándorolni fognak tengertõl tengerig és északtól fogva napkeletig. Futkosnak, hogy keressék az Úrnak beszédét, de nem találják meg.

13 Azon a napon elepednek a deli szûzek, meg az ifjak is, a szomjúság miatt!

14 A kik Samaria bûnére esküsznek, és ezt mondják: Él a te istened, oh Dán: és él a te útad, oh Beérseba! Bizony elhullanak és nem kelnek fel többé!

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3707

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3707. 'And your seed will be as the dust of the earth' means that Divine natural Truth would be as natural good. This is clear from the meaning of 'seed' as truth, dealt with immediately above in 3706, 'your seed' - that is, Jacob's - consequently meaning Divine natural Truth, for as shown above 'Jacob' represents the Lord's Divine Natural; and from the meaning of 'the dust of the earth' as good, dealt with in 1610. Consequently 'your seed will be as the dust of the earth' means in the internal sense that Divine natural Truth will be as Divine natural Good. The reason 'the dust of the earths means good is that 'the earth' means the Lord's kingdom and accordingly good, as shown just above in 3705. 'The dust of the earth' therefore means good, though natural good since the earth, as also shown in that place, means that which is lower in the Lord's kingdom, thus the natural, while heaven when mentioned as well means that which is interior, or the rational. This is why the fruitfulness of good and the multiplication of truth are described in various places by means of expressions stating that someone's seed will be as the stars of heaven and as the dust of the earth. 'The stars of heaven' in that case means rational concepts, and 'the dust of the earth' natural images, which will increase in this fashion. What is meant by natural truth becoming as natural good will in the Lord's Divine mercy be explained later on.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1610

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1610. That 'I will make your seed as the dust of the earth' means being multiplied beyond measure is clear without explanation. Here it is said that his seed would be made as 'the dust of the earth', in other parts of the Word as 'the dust of the sea', and in yet other parts as 'the stars of heaven'. Each of these phrases has its own particular meaning. 'Dust of the earth' has regard to those things that are celestial, for, as shown already, 'the earth' means the celestial aspect of love; 'dust of the sea' has regard to those things that are spiritual, for 'the sea', as has also been shown, means the spiritual aspect of love; while 'as the stars of heaven' means both but in a higher degree. And because these things cannot be numbered they therefore became common expressions to describe growth and multiplication beyond measure.

[2] The statement that his seed, that is, the faith that is the expression of love, or simply love, was to be multiplied beyond measure means in the highest sense the Lord, and in particular His Human Essence, for the Lord as regards the Human Essence is called 'the seed of the woman', dealt with in 256. When the Lord's Human Essence is meant, the infinite celestial and spiritual is understood by the words 'multiplied beyond measure'; but when faith that is the expression of charity, or simply charity, among the human race is meant by 'the seed', the multiplication without measure of that seed in everyone who leads a charitable life is understood. Such multiplication takes place in the next life with everyone who leads a charitable life. With him the multiplication of charity and of the faith deriving from it, together with their associated happiness, is so great that one can only describe it as being beyond measure and defying description. When the human race is meant by 'the seed', the multiplication of this in the Lord's kingdom is also beyond measure - not only from those who are inside the Church, and their children, but also from those who are outside the Church, and their children. Consequently the Lord's kingdom or heaven is boundless. That boundlessness will in the Lord's Divine mercy be spoken of elsewhere.

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