The Bible

 

Genesis 3

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1 Gyvatė buvo gudresnė už visus žemės gyvūnus, kuriuos Viešpats Dievas sutvėrė. Ji tarė moteriai: “Ar tikrai Dievas pasakė: ‘Nevalgykite nuo visų sodo medžių’?”

2 Moteris atsakė gyvatei: “Mums leista valgyti sodo medžių vaisius,

3 išskyrus vaisius medžio, kuris yra sodo viduryje. Dievas įsakė: ‘Nevalgykite nuo jo ir nelieskite jo, kad nemirtumėte’ ”.

4 Gyvatė atsakė: “Nemirsite!

5 Dievas žino, kad tą dieną, kurią valgysite nuo jo, atsivers jūsų akys ir jūs tapsite kaip dievai, pažindami gera ir bloga”.

6 Kai moteris pamatė, kad medžio vaisiai yra tinkami maistui, patrauklūs akims ir, vieną suvalgius, galima įsigyti išminties, ji paėmė jo vaisių, pati valgė ir davė savo vyrui, ir jis valgė.

7 Tada atsivėrė abiejų akys ir jie suprato esą nuogi; juodu supynė figmedžio lapus ir pasidarė prijuostes.

8 Dienai atvėsus, išgirdę Viešpaties Dievo, vaikščiojančio sode, balsą, Adomas ir jo žmona pasislėpė nuo Viešpaties Dievo veido tarp sodo medžių.

9 Viešpats Dievas pašaukė Adomą: “Kur tu esi?”

10 O tas atsiliepė: “Išgirdau Tavo balsą ir, išsigandęs, kad esu nuogas, pasislėpiau”.

11 Dievas tarė: “Kas tau pasakė, kad tu nuogas? Gal valgei nuo medžio, nuo kurio tau įsakiau nevalgyti?”

12 Žmogus atsakė: “Moteris, kurią Tu man davei, davė man nuo to medžio, ir aš valgiau”.

13 Tada Viešpats Dievas tarė moteriai: “Kodėl tu taip padarei?” Moteris atsakė: “Gyvatė mane apgavo, ir aš valgiau”.

14 Tada Viešpats Dievas tarė gyvatei: “Kadangi taip padarei, esi prakeikta tarp visų gyvulių ir laukinių žvėrių. Tu slinksi pilvu ir dulkes ėsi per visą savo gyvenimą!

15 Aš sukelsiu priešiškumą tarp tavęs ir moters, tarp tavo sėklos ir moters sėklos. Ji sutrins tau galvą, o tu gelsi jai į kulnį”.

16 Moteriai Jis tarė: “Aš padauginsiu tavo nėštumo vargus ir su skausmu tu gimdysi vaikus; tave trauks prie tavo vyro, o jis tau viešpataus”.

17 O Adomui Jis tarė: “Kadangi tu paklausei savo žmonos ir valgei nuo medžio, apie kurį tau buvau įsakęs: ‘Nevalgyk nuo jo’,­prakeikta bus žemė dėl tavęs! Vargdamas turėsi maitintis iš jos visą savo gyvenimą.

18 Erškėčius ir usnis ji augins tau, ir tu valgysi lauko augalus.

19 Valgysi prakaitu uždirbtą duoną, kol sugrįši į žemę, iš kurios esi paimtas. Esi dulkė ir dulke vėl pavirsi”.

20 Adomas pavadino savo žmoną Ieva, nes ji tapo visų gyvųjų motina.

21 Viešpats Dievas padarė Adomui ir jo žmonai kailinius rūbus ir jais apvilko juos.

22 Tada Viešpats Dievas tarė: “Štai žmogus tapo kaip vienas iš mūsų, pažindamas gera ir bloga; ir dabar, kad jis, ištiesęs savo ranką, neskintų nuo gyvybės medžio ir nevalgytų, ir negyventų per amžius”.

23 Todėl Viešpats Dievas išvarė jį iš Edeno sodo dirbti žemę, iš kurios jis buvo paimtas.

24 Išvaręs žmogų, į rytus nuo Edeno sodo Viešpats pastatė cherubus su švytruojančiu ugniniu kardu saugoti kelią prie gyvybės medžio.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #788

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788. 18:19 "And they put dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and mourning, and saying, 'Woe, woe, that great city!'" This symbolizes their interior and exterior grief and mourning, which is a lamentation that so eminent a religion was completely destroyed and condemned.

Putting dust on their heads symbolizes their interior and exterior grief and mourning over the destruction and damnation, as we will show below. To cry out, weeping and mourning, symbolizes their exterior grief and mourning - to weep symbolizing a mourning of the soul, and to grieve a grief of the heart. "Woe, woe, that great city!" symbolizes a grievous lamentation over the destruction and damnation. That "woe" symbolizes a lamentation over a calamity, misfortune, or damnation, and that "woe, woe," therefore symbolizes a grievous lamentation, may be seen in nos. 416, 769, 785; and that the city symbolizes the Roman Catholic religion may be seen in no. 785 and elsewhere.

That putting dust on the head symbolizes an interior grief and mourning over a destruction and damnation is clear from the following passages:

They will cry bitterly and cast dust on their heads; they will roll about in ashes. (Ezekiel 27:30)

(The daughters) of Zion sit on the ground...; they have cast dust on their heads... (Lamentations 2:10)

(Job's friends) rent their tunics and sprinkled dust upon their heads... (Job 2:12)

Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne... (Isaiah 47:1)

And so on elsewhere.

The people put dust on their heads when they grieved deeply, because dust symbolized something damned, as is apparent from Genesis 3:14, Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 10:10-12, and dust on the head represented the people's acknowledgment that of themselves they were damned, and thus their repentance, as in Matthew 11:21, Luke 10:13.

Dust symbolizes something damned because the land over the hells in the spiritual world consists of nothing but dust, without grass or plants.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

The Bible

 

Revelation 18

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1 After these things, I saw another angel coming down out of the sky, having great authority. The earth was illuminated with his glory.

2 He cried with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and she has become a habitation of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird!

3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her sexual immorality, the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from the abundance of her luxury."

4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, "Come out of her, my people, that you have no participation in her sins, and that you don't receive of her plagues,

5 for her sins have reached to the sky, and God has remembered her iniquities.

6 Return to her just as she returned, and repay her double as she did, and according to her works. In the cup which she mixed, mix to her double.

7 However much she glorified herself, and grew wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, 'I sit a queen, and am no widow, and will in no way see mourning.'

8 Therefore in one day her plagues will come: death, mourning, and famine; and she will be utterly burned with fire; for the Lord God who has judged her is strong.

9 The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived wantonly with her, will weep and wail over her, when they look at the smoke of her burning,

10 standing far away for the fear of her torment, saying, 'Woe, Woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For your judgment has come in one hour.'

11 The merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their merchandise any more;

12 merchandise of gold, silver, precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple, silk, scarlet, all expensive wood, every vessel of ivory, every vessel made of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble;

13 and cinnamon, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, sheep, horses, chariots, and people's bodies and souls.

14 The fruits which your soul lusted after have been lost to you, and all things that were dainty and sumptuous have perished from you, and you will find them no more at all.

15 The merchants of these things, who were made rich by her, will stand far away for the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning;

16 saying, 'Woe, Woe, the great city, she who was dressed in fine linen, purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls!

17 For in an hour such great riches are made desolate.' Every shipmaster, and everyone who sails anywhere, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood far away,

18 and cried out as they looked at the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like the great city?'

19 They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, Woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!' For in one hour is she made desolate.

20 "Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints, apostles, and prophets; for God has judged your judgment on her."

21 A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down, and will be found no more at all.

22 The voice of harpists, minstrels, flute players, and trumpeters will be heard no more at all in you. No craftsman, of whatever craft, will be found any more at all in you. The sound of a mill will be heard no more at all in you.

23 The light of a lamp will shine no more at all in you. The voice of the bridegroom and of the bride will be heard no more at all in you; for your merchants were the princes of the earth; for with your sorcery all the nations were deceived.

24 In her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on the earth."