The Bible

 

Isaiah 43

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1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.

4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.

5 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west;

6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

8 Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.

9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.

13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?

14 Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.

15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.

16 Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;

17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.

19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.

22 But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.

23 Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.

24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.

25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.

27 Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.

28 Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #251

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251. To demonstrate from the Word that it contains pairs of expressions which look like repetitions of the same thing would be tedious, since it would fill pages. But in order to remove any doubt, I should like to quote passages where nation and people, and joy and gladness are mentioned together. The passages in which nation 1 and people are named are the following:

Woe to the nation of sinners, a people burdened with iniquity, Isaiah 1:4.

The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light; you have increased the nation, Isaiah 9:2-3.

Assyria is the rod of my anger; I shall send him against a nation of hypocrites, against the people of my wrath shall I order him to march, Isaiah 10:5-6.

It will happen on that day, the nations will seek the root of Jesse, who stands as a sign to the peoples, Isaiah 11:10.

Jehovah who struck the peoples an incurable blow, mastering the nations with wrath, Isaiah 14:6.

On that day there will be brought as a gift to Jehovah Zebaoth a people torn apart and plundered, and a nation measured out and trampled, Isaiah 18:7.

A strong people will honour you, the city of powerful nations will fear you, Isaiah 25:3.

Jehovah will swallow up the veil over all peoples, the pall over all nations, Isaiah 25:7.

Approach, you nations, and listen, you peoples, Isaiah 34:1.

I have called you to be a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, Isaiah 42:6.

Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples assemble, Isaiah 43:9.

Look, I shall raise my hand towards the nations, and my signal towards the peoples, Isaiah 49:22.

I made him a witness to the peoples a prince and law-giver to the nations, Isaiah 55:4-5.

Look, a people coming from the land of the north, and a mighty nation from the corners of the earth, Jeremiah 6:22-23.

I shall make you not to hear any longer the slander of the nations, and you will no longer bear the reproaches of the peoples, Ezekiel 36:15.

All peoples and nations will worship Him, Daniel 7:14.

Lest the nations make a by-word of them, and say among the peoples, Where is their God? Joel 2:17.

The survivors of my people will plunder them, and the remnant of my nation will take their inheritance, Zephaniah 2:9.

Many people and numerous nations will come to seek Jehovah in Jerusalem, Zechariah 8:22.

My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to be a revelation to the nations, Luke 2:30-32.

You have redeemed us by your blood from every people and nation, Revelation 5:9.

You must prophesy again over the peoples and nations, Revelation 10:11.

You will set me to be head of the nations; a people whom I knew not shall serve me, Psalms 18:43.

Jehovah makes vain the counsel of the nations, overthrows the thoughts of the peoples, Psalms 33:10.

You make us a proverb among the nations, a wagging of the head among the peoples, Psalms 44:14.

Jehovah will set peoples subject to us, and nations beneath our feet. God reigns over the nations: the willing ones of the peoples are gathered, Psalms 47:3, 8-9.

The peoples shall confess you, and the nations shall shout for joy; because you will judge the peoples with righteousness and will lead the nations on the earth, Psalms 67:3-4.

Remember me, Jehovah, in showing favour to your people, that I may rejoice in the joy of your nations, Psalms 106:4-5.

There are other passages too.

The reason why nations and peoples are mentioned together is that nations means those who are in possession of good, and in the opposite sense, those who are in possession of evil; and peoples means those who are in possession of truths, and in the opposite sense, those who are in possession of falsities. Therefore, those who belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom are called peoples, and those who belong to His celestial kingdom are called nations. For all who possess truths and the intelligence they give are in the spiritual kingdom, and all who possess various kinds of good and the wisdom they give are in the celestial kingdom.

Footnotes:

1. The Latin word here translated 'nation' is frequently used in the plural to mean 'the heathen.'

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