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Amos 1

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1 Parole di Amos, uno dei pastori di Tekoa, rivelategli in visione, intorno ad Israele, ai giorni di Uzzia, re di Giuda, e ai giorni di Geroboamo, figliuolo di Joas, re d’Israele, due anni prima del terremoto.

2 Egli disse: L’Eterno rugge da Sion, e fa risonar la sua voce da Gerusalemme; i pascoli dei pastori fanno cordoglio, e la vetta del Carmelo è inaridita.

3 Così parla l’Eterno: Per tre misfatti di Damasco, anzi per quattro, io non revocherò la mia sentenza. Perché hanno tritano Galaad con trebbie di ferro,

4 io manderò nella casa di Hazael un fuoco, che divorerà i palazzi di Ben-hadad;

5 e romperò le sbarre di Damasco, sterminerò da Bikath-aven ogni abitante e da Beth-eden colui che tiene lo scettro; e il popolo di Siria andrà in cattività a Kir, dice l’Eterno.

6 Così parla l’Eterno: Per tre misfatti di Gaza, anzi per quattro, io non revocherò la mia sentenza. Perché hanno menato in cattività intere popolazioni per darle in mano ad Edom,

7 io manderò dentro alle mura di Gaza un fuoco, che ne divorerà i palazzi;

8 e sterminerò da Asdod ogni abitante, e da Askalon colui che tiene lo scettro, volgerò la mia mano contro Ekron, e il resto dei Filistei perirà, dice il Signore, l’Eterno.

9 Così parla l’Eterno: Per tre misfatti di Tiro, anzi per quattro, io non revocherò la mia sentenza. Perché han dato in mano ad Edom intere popolazioni, da loro menate in cattività, e non si sono ricordati del patto fraterno,

10 io manderò dentro alle mura di Tiro un fuoco, che ne divorerà i palazzi.

11 Così parla l’Eterno: Per tre misfatti d’Edom, anzi per quattro, io non revocherò la mia sentenza. Perché ha inseguito il suo fratello con la spada, soffocando ogni compassione, e perché la sua ira dilania sempre, ed egli serba la sua collera in perpetuo,

12 io manderò in Teman un fuoco, che divorerà i palazzi di Botsra.

13 Così parla l’Eterno: Per tre misfatti dei figliuoli d’Ammon, anzi per quattro, io non revocherò la mia sentenza. Perché hanno sventrato le donne incinte di Galaad per allargare i loro confini,

14 io accenderò dentro alle mure di Rabba un fuoco, che ne divorerà i palazzi in mezzo ai clamori d’un giorno di battaglia, in mezzo alla burrasca in un giorno di tempesta;

15 e il loro re andrà in cattività: egli, insieme coi suoi capi, dice l’Eterno.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #533

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533. CHAPTER 9.

1. AND the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the well of the abyss.

2. And he opened the well of the abyss; and there arose a smoke out of the well, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the well.

3. And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

4. And it was said to them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but those men only who have not the seal of God in their foreheads.

5. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should torment them five months; and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion when it striketh a man.

6. And in those days men shall seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

7. And the likenesses of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for war; and on their heads as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron and the voice of their wings was as the voice of chariots of many horses running to battle.

10. And they had tails like unto scorpions; and there were stings in their tails; and their power was to hurt men five months.

11. And they had a king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he hath the name Apollyon.

12. One woe is past; behold there come yet two woes after these.

13. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

14. Saying to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet, Loose the four angels that are bound at the great river Euphrates.

15. And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, that they should slay the third part of men.

16. And the number of the armies of the horsemen was two myriads of myriads; and I heard the number of them.

17. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them having breastplates fiery, and purple, and sulphurous; and the heads of the horses as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths went forth fire, smoke, and brimstone.

18. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which went forth out of their mouths.

19. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails; for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

20. And the rest of men who were not killed in these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not adore demons, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood, which can neither see, hear, nor walk.

21. And they repented not of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thefts.

EXPLANATION.

Verses 1, 2. AND the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the well of the abyss. And he opened the well of the abyss; and there arose a smoke out of the well, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the well.- "And the fifth angel sounded," signifies influx out of heaven manifesting that the state of the church was altogether changed; "and I saw a star from heaven fallen unto the earth," signifies the cognitions of truth falsified, and thus turned into falsities; "and to him was given the key of the well of the abyss," signifies communication and conjunction with the hells; "and he opened the well of the abyss," signifies communication and conjunction with the hells, where and whence such falsities are; "and there arose a smoke out of the well, as the smoke of a great furnace," signifies dense falsities thence from the evils of earthly and corporeal loves; "and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the well," signifies that the light of truth from the Lord became thick darkness by means of infernal falsities.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #429

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429. And I heard the number of them that were sealed.- That this signifies the quality of those who are in good, and separated from the evil, is evident from the signification of number, which denotes the quality of the thing treated of, with which signification we shall deal presently; and from the signification of the sealed, as denoting those who are in good, distinct and separate from others. Concerning which signification see just above (n. 427:1).

Number and measure are mentioned in many places in the Word, and it is supposed that nothing more is meant by these than number and measure; but by number and measure in the spiritual sense is meant the quality of the thing treated of. The quality itself is determined by the numbers expressed, as in this place by a hundred and forty and four thousand, and afterwards by twelve thousand out of every tribe. The signification of these numbers shall therefore be explained in the following article. The reason why number signifies the quality of the thing treated of, is that the Word is spiritual, and consequently every detail contained in it is spiritual, and spiritual things are not numbered and measured, but yet they fall into numbers and measures when they [descend] out of the spiritual world, or out of heaven, where angels are, into the natural world or earth, where men are; and similarly, when they pass out of the spiritual sense of the Word in which angels are, into the natural sense of the Word in which men are. The natural sense of the Word is the sense of its letter. This is the reason that in this sense there are numbers, and that they signify spiritual things, or such as relate to heaven and the church. It has been often shown me that the spiritual things of heaven, such as those which the angels think and speak, also fall into numbers. When they were conversing, their discourse fell into pure numbers, and these were seen upon paper; they afterwards said that it was their discourse which had fallen into numbers, and that those numbers in a series contained everything they uttered. I was also instructed as to their signification, and how they were to be understood; upon this subject we shall have frequent occasion to speak in the following pages. But concerning writings from heaven in pure numbers, see Heaven and Hell 263). That all numbers in the Word signify things pertaining to heaven and the church, see also above (n. 203, 336).

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