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Joel 2

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1 σαλπίσατε σάλπιγγι ἐν σιων κηρύξατε ἐν ὄρει ἁγίῳ μου καὶ συγχυθήτωσαν πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν γῆν διότι πάρεστιν ἡμέρα κυρίου ὅτι ἐγγύς

2 ἡμέρα σκότους καὶ γνόφου ἡμέρα νεφέλης καὶ ὁμίχλης ὡς ὄρθρος χυθήσεται ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη λαὸς πολὺς καὶ ἰσχυρός ὅμοιος αὐτῷ οὐ γέγονεν ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν οὐ προστεθήσεται ἕως ἐτῶν εἰς γενεὰς γενεῶν

3 τὰ ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ πῦρ ἀναλίσκον καὶ τὰ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἀναπτομένη φλόξ ὡς παράδεισος τρυφῆς ἡ γῆ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ὄπισθεν αὐτοῦ πεδίον ἀφανισμοῦ καὶ ἀνασῳζόμενος οὐκ ἔσται αὐτῷ

4 ὡς ὅρασις ἵππων ἡ ὄψις αὐτῶν καὶ ὡς ἱππεῖς οὕτως καταδιώξονται

5 ὡς φωνὴ ἁρμάτων ἐπὶ τὰς κορυφὰς τῶν ὀρέων ἐξαλοῦνται καὶ ὡς φωνὴ φλογὸς πυρὸς κατεσθιούσης καλάμην καὶ ὡς λαὸς πολὺς καὶ ἰσχυρὸς παρατασσόμενος εἰς πόλεμον

6 ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ συντριβήσονται λαοί πᾶν πρόσωπον ὡς πρόσκαυμα χύτρας

7 ὡς μαχηταὶ δραμοῦνται καὶ ὡς ἄνδρες πολεμισταὶ ἀναβήσονται ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη καὶ ἕκαστος ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ αὐτοῦ πορεύσεται καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐκκλίνωσιν τὰς τρίβους αὐτῶν

8 καὶ ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἀφέξεται καταβαρυνόμενοι ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις αὐτῶν πορεύσονται καὶ ἐν τοῖς βέλεσιν αὐτῶν πεσοῦνται καὶ οὐ μὴ συντελεσθῶσιν

9 τῆς πόλεως ἐπιλήμψονται καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τειχέων δραμοῦνται καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκίας ἀναβήσονται καὶ διὰ θυρίδων εἰσελεύσονται ὡς κλέπται

10 πρὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν συγχυθήσεται ἡ γῆ καὶ σεισθήσεται ὁ οὐρανός ὁ ἥλιος καὶ ἡ σελήνη συσκοτάσουσιν καὶ τὰ ἄστρα δύσουσιν τὸ φέγγος αὐτῶν

11 καὶ κύριος δώσει φωνὴν αὐτοῦ πρὸ προσώπου δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ ὅτι πολλή ἐστιν σφόδρα ἡ παρεμβολὴ αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἰσχυρὰ ἔργα λόγων αὐτοῦ διότι μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου μεγάλη καὶ ἐπιφανὴς σφόδρα καὶ τίς ἔσται ἱκανὸς αὐτῇ

12 καὶ νῦν λέγει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν ἐπιστράφητε πρός με ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ ἐν νηστείᾳ καὶ ἐν κλαυθμῷ καὶ ἐν κοπετῷ

13 καὶ διαρρήξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ μὴ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν καὶ ἐπιστράφητε πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεὸν ὑμῶν ὅτι ἐλεήμων καὶ οἰκτίρμων ἐστίν μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος καὶ μετανοῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς κακίαις

14 τίς οἶδεν εἰ ἐπιστρέψει καὶ μετανοήσει καὶ ὑπολείψεται ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ εὐλογίαν θυσίαν καὶ σπονδὴν κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν

15 σαλπίσατε σάλπιγγι ἐν σιων ἁγιάσατε νηστείαν κηρύξατε θεραπείαν

16 συναγάγετε λαόν ἁγιάσατε ἐκκλησίαν ἐκλέξασθε πρεσβυτέρους συναγάγετε νήπια θηλάζοντα μαστούς ἐξελθάτω νυμφίος ἐκ τοῦ κοιτῶνος αὐτοῦ καὶ νύμφη ἐκ τοῦ παστοῦ αὐτῆς

17 ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς κρηπῖδος τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου κλαύσονται οἱ ἱερεῖς οἱ λειτουργοῦντες κυρίῳ καὶ ἐροῦσιν φεῖσαι κύριε τοῦ λαοῦ σου καὶ μὴ δῷς τὴν κληρονομίαν σου εἰς ὄνειδος τοῦ κατάρξαι αὐτῶν ἔθνη ὅπως μὴ εἴπωσιν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν

18 καὶ ἐζήλωσεν κύριος τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐφείσατο τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ

19 καὶ ἀπεκρίθη κύριος καὶ εἶπεν τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐξαποστέλλω ὑμῖν τὸν σῖτον καὶ τὸν οἶνον καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον καὶ ἐμπλησθήσεσθε αὐτῶν καὶ οὐ δώσω ὑμᾶς οὐκέτι εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι

20 καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ βορρᾶ ἐκδιώξω ἀφ' ὑμῶν καὶ ἐξώσω αὐτὸν εἰς γῆν ἄνυδρον καὶ ἀφανιῶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν πρώτην καὶ τὰ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν ἐσχάτην καὶ ἀναβήσεται ἡ σαπρία αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀναβήσεται ὁ βρόμος αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνεν τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ

21 θάρσει γῆ χαῖρε καὶ εὐφραίνου ὅτι ἐμεγάλυνεν κύριος τοῦ ποιῆσαι

22 θαρσεῖτε κτήνη τοῦ πεδίου ὅτι βεβλάστηκεν πεδία τῆς ἐρήμου ὅτι ξύλον ἤνεγκεν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ ἄμπελος καὶ συκῆ ἔδωκαν τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῶν

23 καὶ τὰ τέκνα σιων χαίρετε καὶ εὐφραίνεσθε ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ θεῷ ὑμῶν διότι ἔδωκεν ὑμῖν τὰ βρώματα εἰς δικαιοσύνην καὶ βρέξει ὑμῖν ὑετὸν πρόιμον καὶ ὄψιμον καθὼς ἔμπροσθεν

24 καὶ πλησθήσονται αἱ ἅλωνες σίτου καὶ ὑπερεκχυθήσονται αἱ ληνοὶ οἴνου καὶ ἐλαίου

25 καὶ ἀνταποδώσω ὑμῖν ἀντὶ τῶν ἐτῶν ὧν κατέφαγεν ἡ ἀκρὶς καὶ ὁ βροῦχος καὶ ἡ ἐρυσίβη καὶ ἡ κάμπη ἡ δύναμίς μου ἡ μεγάλη ἣν ἐξαπέστειλα εἰς ὑμᾶς

26 καὶ φάγεσθε ἐσθίοντες καὶ ἐμπλησθήσεσθε καὶ αἰνέσετε τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν ἃ ἐποίησεν μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰς θαυμάσια καὶ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῇ ὁ λαός μου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα

27 καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ισραηλ ἐγώ εἰμι καὶ ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι πλὴν ἐμοῦ καὶ οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῶσιν οὐκέτι πᾶς ὁ λαός μου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #10577

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10577. 'And I will be gracious to whom I am gracious, and I will show mercy to whom I show mercy' means that Divine Truth and Good will be revealed to those who are receptive. This is clear from the meaning of 'being gracious' as endowing with spiritual truth and good, in this instance revealing it, since the subject is the inner substance and the outward form of the Church, worship, and the Word; and from the meaning of 'showing mercy' as endowing with celestial truth and good, in this instance revealing it. The reason why among those who are receptive is meant is that the internal things of the Word, the Church, and worship are revealed to none but those who are receptive.

[2] The reason why 'being gracious' means endowing with spiritual truth and good, and 'showing mercy' endowing with celestial truth and good, is that grace is a term used in reference to faith and mercy is a term used in reference to love; and the good of faith is spiritual good, and the good of love is celestial good. What spiritual good and celestial good are, and what is the difference between them, see in the places referred to in 9277. Those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom speak of grace, whereas those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom speak of mercy, 598, 981, 5929. Unless there were such a difference between grace and mercy both expressions - 'being gracious' and 'showing mercy' - would not have been used. For the same reason Jehovah is called both 'gracious' and 'merciful' in Exodus 34:6; Joel 2:13; Psalms 103:8; 145:8. And in Isaiah,

Therefore Jehovah will remain to show you grace, and therefore He will exalt Himself to be merciful to you. Isaiah 30:18.

[3] Because there are two realities to which all things of the Church belong, namely love and faith, and since mercy belongs to love, and grace as well as truth belongs to faith, the Word uses the terms 'mercy' and 'grace' when the Lord is being implored; but it uses 'mercy' and 'truth' when He is being described, as in the following places: In David,

Your mercy is before my eyes, and I walk in Your truth. Psalms 26:3.

In the same author,

O Jehovah, Your mercy is in the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the skies. Psalms 36:5.

In the same author,

God will send from the heavens His mercy and His truth. Great even to heaven is Your mercy, and Your truth even to the skies. Psalms 57:3, 10.

In the same author,

Let mercy and truth meet, and let righteousness and peace kiss each other. Psalms 85:10.

In the same author,

I will sing of the mercy of Jehovah forever, to generation after generation [I will make known] Your truth with my mouth. For I have said, Forever will mercy be built, in the very heavens You will make firm Your truth. Righteousness and judgement are the support of Your throne, mercy and truth will stand before Your face. Psalms 89:1-2, 14.

'Mercy' in these places means love and 'truth' faith.

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

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