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Daniel 6

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1 καὶ ἀρταξέρξης ὁ τῶν μήδων παρέλαβε τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ δαρεῖος πλήρης τῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ ἔνδοξος ἐν γήρει

2 καὶ κατέστησε σατράπας ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτὰ ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ

3 καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν ἄνδρας τρεῖς ἡγουμένους αὐτῶν καὶ δανιηλ εἷς ἦν τῶν τριῶν ἀνδρῶν

4 ὑπὲρ πάντας ἔχων ἐξουσίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ δανιηλ ἦν ἐνδεδυμένος πορφύραν καὶ μέγας καὶ ἔνδοξος ἔναντι δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως καθότι ἦν ἔνδοξος καὶ ἐπιστήμων καὶ συνετός καὶ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ εὐοδούμενος ἐν ταῖς πραγματείαις τοῦ βασιλέως αἷς ἔπρασσε τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐβουλεύσατο καταστῆσαι τὸν δανιηλ ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς δύο ἄνδρας οὓς κατέστησε μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ σατράπας ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι ἑπτά

5 ὅτε δὲ ἐβουλεύσατο ὁ βασιλεὺς καταστῆσαι τὸν δανιηλ ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ τότε βουλὴν καὶ γνώμην ἐβουλεύσαντο ἐν ἑαυτοῖς οἱ δύο νεανίσκοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους λέγοντες ἐπεὶ οὐδεμίαν ἁμαρτίαν οὐδὲ ἄγνοιαν ηὕρισκον κατὰ τοῦ δανιηλ περὶ ἧς κατηγορήσουσιν αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα

6 καὶ εἶπαν δεῦτε στήσωμεν ὁρισμὸν καθ' ἑαυτῶν ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀξιώσει ἀξίωμα καὶ οὐ μὴ εὔξηται εὐχὴν ἀπὸ παντὸς θεοῦ ἕως ἡμερῶν τριάκοντα ἀλλ' ἢ παρὰ δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως εἰ δὲ μή ἀποθανεῖται ἵνα ἡττήσωσι τὸν δανιηλ ἐναντίον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ῥιφῇ εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων ᾔδεισαν γὰρ ὅτι δανιηλ προσεύχεται καὶ δεῖται κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτοῦ τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας

7 τότε προσήλθοσαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐκεῖνοι καὶ εἶπαν ἐναντίον τοῦ βασιλέως

8 ὁρισμὸν καὶ στάσιν ἐστήσαμεν ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ὃς ἂν εὔξηται εὐχὴν ἢ ἀξιώσῃ ἀξίωμά τι παρὰ παντὸς θεοῦ ἕως ἡμερῶν τριάκοντα ἀλλ' ἢ παρὰ δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως ῥιφήσεται εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων

9 καὶ ἠξίωσαν τὸν βασιλέα ἵνα στήσῃ τὸν ὁρισμὸν καὶ μὴ ἀλλοιώσῃ αὐτόν διότι ᾔδεισαν ὅτι δανιηλ προσεύχεται καὶ δεῖται τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας ἵνα ἡττηθῇ διὰ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ῥιφῇ εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων

10 καὶ οὕτως ὁ βασιλεὺς δαρεῖος ἔστησε καὶ ἐκύρωσεν

11 ἐπιγνοὺς δὲ δανιηλ τὸν ὁρισμόν ὃν ἔστησε κατ' αὐτοῦ θυρίδας ἤνοιξεν ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ αὐτοῦ κατέναντι ιερουσαλημ καὶ ἔπιπτεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας καθὼς ἐποίει ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ἐδεῖτο

12 καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐτήρησαν τὸν δανιηλ καὶ κατελάβοσαν αὐτὸν εὐχόμενον τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν

13 τότε οὗτοι οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐνέτυχον τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ εἶπαν δαρεῖε βασιλεῦ οὐχ ὁρισμὸν ὡρίσω ἵνα πᾶς ἄνθρωπος μὴ εὔξηται εὐχὴν μηδὲ ἀξιώσῃ ἀξίωμα παρὰ παντὸς θεοῦ ἕως ἡμερῶν τριάκοντα ἀλλὰ παρὰ σοῦ βασιλεῦ εἰ δὲ μή ῥιφήσεται εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἀκριβὴς ὁ λόγος καὶ μενεῖ ὁ ὁρισμός

13a καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ ὁρκίζομέν σε τοῖς μήδων καὶ περσῶν δόγμασιν ἵνα μὴ ἀλλοιώσῃς τὸ πρόσταγμα μηδὲ θαυμάσῃς πρόσωπον καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἐλαττώσῃς τι τῶν εἰρημένων καὶ κολάσῃς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὃς οὐκ ἐνέμεινε τῷ ὁρισμῷ τούτῳ καὶ εἶπεν οὕτως ποιήσω καθὼς λέγετε καὶ ἕστηκέ μοι τοῦτο

14 καὶ εἶπαν ἰδοὺ εὕρομεν δανιηλ τὸν φίλον σου εὐχόμενον καὶ δεόμενον τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτοῦ τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας

15 καὶ λυπούμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπεν ῥιφῆναι τὸν δανιηλ εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων κατὰ τὸν ὁρισμόν ὃν ἔστησε κατ' αὐτοῦ τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς σφόδρα ἐλυπήθη ἐπὶ τῷ δανιηλ καὶ ἐβοήθει τοῦ ἐξελέσθαι αὐτὸν ἕως δυσμῶν ἡλίου ἀπὸ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν σατραπῶν

16 καὶ οὐκ ἠδύνατο ἐξελέσθαι αὐτὸν ἀπ' αὐτῶν

17 ἀναβοήσας δὲ δαρεῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπε τῷ δανιηλ ὁ θεός σου ᾧ σὺ λατρεύεις ἐνδελεχῶς τρὶς τῆς ἡμέρας αὐτὸς ἐξελεῖταί σε ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν λεόντων ἕως πρωὶ θάρρει

18 τότε δανιηλ ἐρρίφη εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων καὶ ἠνέχθη λίθος καὶ ἐτέθη εἰς τὸ στόμα τοῦ λάκκου καὶ ἐσφραγίσατο ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ δακτυλίῳ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἐν τοῖς δακτυλίοις τῶν μεγιστάνων αὐτοῦ ὅπως μὴ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ἀρθῇ ὁ δανιηλ ἢ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸν ἀνασπάσῃ ἐκ τοῦ λάκκου

19 τότε ὑπέστρεψεν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὰ βασίλεια αὐτοῦ καὶ ηὐλίσθη νῆστις καὶ ἦν λυπούμενος περὶ τοῦ δανιηλ τότε ὁ θεὸς τοῦ δανιηλ πρόνοιαν ποιούμενος αὐτοῦ ἀπέκλεισε τὰ στόματα τῶν λεόντων καὶ οὐ παρηνώχλησαν τῷ δανιηλ

20 καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς δαρεῖος ὤρθρισε πρωὶ καὶ παρέλαβε μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τοὺς σατράπας καὶ πορευθεὶς ἔστη ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ λάκκου τῶν λεόντων

21 τότε ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκάλεσε τὸν δανιηλ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ λέγων ὦ δανιηλ εἰ ἄρα ζῇς καὶ ὁ θεός σου ᾧ λατρεύεις ἐνδελεχῶς σέσωκέ σε ἀπὸ τῶν λεόντων καὶ οὐκ ἠχρείωκάν σε

22 τότε δανιηλ ἐπήκουσε φωνῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ εἶπεν βασιλεῦ ἔτι εἰμὶ ζῶν

23 καὶ σέσωκέ με ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ τῶν λεόντων καθότι δικαιοσύνη ἐν ἐμοὶ εὑρέθη ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐναντίον δὲ σοῦ βασιλεῦ οὔτε ἄγνοια οὔτε ἁμαρτία εὑρέθη ἐν ἐμοί σὺ δὲ ἤκουσας ἀνθρώπων πλανώντων βασιλεῖς καὶ ἔρριψάς με εἰς τὸν λάκκον τῶν λεόντων εἰς ἀπώλειαν

24 τότε συνήχθησαν πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις καὶ εἶδον τὸν δανιηλ ὡς οὐ παρηνώχλησαν αὐτῷ οἱ λέοντες

25 τότε οἱ δύο ἄνθρωποι ἐκεῖνοι οἱ καταμαρτυρήσαντες τοῦ δανιηλ αὐτοὶ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν ἐρρίφησαν τοῖς λέουσι καὶ οἱ λέοντες ἀπέκτειναν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔθλασαν τὰ ὀστᾶ αὐτῶν

26 τότε δαρεῖος ἔγραψε πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι καὶ χώραις καὶ γλώσσαις τοῖς οἰκοῦσιν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ αὐτοῦ λέγων

27 πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ὄντες ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ μου ἔστωσαν προσκυνοῦντες καὶ λατρεύοντες τῷ θεῷ τοῦ δανιηλ αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι θεὸς μένων καὶ ζῶν εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος

28 ἐγὼ δαρεῖος ἔσομαι αὐτῷ προσκυνῶν καὶ δουλεύων πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας μου τὰ γὰρ εἴδωλα τὰ χειροποίητα οὐ δύνανται σῶσαι ὡς ἐλυτρώσατο ὁ θεὸς τοῦ δανιηλ τὸν δανιηλ

29 καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς δαρεῖος προσετέθη πρὸς τὸ γένος αὐτοῦ καὶ δανιηλ κατεστάθη ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας δαρείου καὶ κῦρος ὁ πέρσης παρέλαβε τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #10455

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10455. 'And he said to Moses, There is the noise of war in the camp' means an assault on the truth and good which are heaven and the Church's by falsities and evils which come from hell. This is clear from the meaning of 'the noise' as thought and affection, which are the inner components of the noise, and so the essential nature of the interiors, dealt with above in 10454; from the meaning of 'war' as truth which springs from good fighting with falsity that arises from evil, and in the contrary sense as falsity which arises from evil fighting against truth that springs from good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'the camp' as the Church and heaven, for they are what the camp of the Israelites represented, see 10038. From these meanings it is evident that 'the noise of war in the camp' means an assault on truth and good which are the Church and heaven's by falsities and evils which come from hell. They are said to come from hell because all falsities and evils originate there, and because at this point in the narrative 'the camp', when the golden calf was worshipped in it, means hell, see below in 10458.

[2] The reason why these things are meant by 'the noise of war in the camp' is that the subject at present in the internal sense is the interiors of the Israelite nation. Their interiors were contrary to the truths and forms of good of the Church and of heaven, so completely contrary that they cast them away. For self-love and love of the world had taken possession of the interiors of that nation, and where those loves reign the Church's truths and forms of good are subject to constant attack, no matter how holy the outward acts of worship seem to be. The holiness in those people's worship is a means to an end, and eminence and wealth are their ends in view, so that the things of heaven and the Church are means, and those of the world and self are ends. The end which a person has in view is the master, while the means is the servant. From this it follows that with people like this heaven is the servant and the world is the master, and consequently that the world occupies the highest position, thus that of the head, while heaven occupies a lower position, thus that of the feet. If therefore heaven does not pander to those loves it is cast underfoot, trampled on, and trodden into the ground. Such an inversion exists with those with whom self-love and love of the world reign, which also explains why such people when looked at by angels appear inverted, head downwards and feet upwards.

[3] The reason why 'war' means truth fighting with falsity, and in the contrary sense falsity fighting against truth, is that 'war' in the spiritual sense is nothing other. Such conflicts are also meant in the internal sense by 'wars' in the historical narratives of the Word, as well as by 'wars' in the prophetical parts, as becomes clear from the places quoted from the Word in 1664, 8273. Anyone who does not know that in the Word wars in a spiritual sense are meant by 'wars' cannot know the implications contained in the details regarding the wars mentioned in Daniel, Chapters 7, 8, 11, also those mentioned in places throughout the Book of Revelation, and those in the Gospels where the final times of the Church are the subject, Matthew 24:5-7; Mark 13:7-8, and in other places. So it is also that all weapons of war - swords, spears, shields, bows, arrows, and more - mean the implements of spiritual conflict; these have been dealt with in the explanations in various places.

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