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Lamentations 4

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1 πῶς ἀμαυρωθήσεται χρυσίον ἀλλοιωθήσεται τὸ ἀργύριον τὸ ἀγαθόν ἐξεχύθησαν λίθοι ἅγιοι ἐπ' ἀρχῆς πασῶν ἐξόδων

2 υἱοὶ σιων οἱ τίμιοι οἱ ἐπηρμένοι ἐν χρυσίῳ πῶς ἐλογίσθησαν εἰς ἀγγεῖα ὀστράκινα ἔργα χειρῶν κεραμέως

3 καί γε δράκοντες ἐξέδυσαν μαστούς ἐθήλασαν σκύμνοι αὐτῶν θυγατέρες λαοῦ μου εἰς ἀνίατον ὡς στρουθίον ἐν ἐρήμῳ

4 ἐκολλήθη ἡ γλῶσσα θηλάζοντος πρὸς τὸν φάρυγγα αὐτοῦ ἐν δίψει νήπια ᾔτησαν ἄρτον ὁ διακλῶν οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῖς

5 οἱ ἔσθοντες τὰς τρυφὰς ἠφανίσθησαν ἐν ταῖς ἐξόδοις οἱ τιθηνούμενοι ἐπὶ κόκκων περιεβάλοντο κοπρίας

6 καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθη ἀνομία θυγατρὸς λαοῦ μου ὑπὲρ ἀνομίας σοδομων τῆς κατεστραμμένης ὥσπερ σπουδῇ καὶ οὐκ ἐπόνεσαν ἐν αὐτῇ χεῖρας

7 ἐκαθαριώθησαν ναζιραῖοι αὐτῆς ὑπὲρ χιόνα ἔλαμψαν ὑπὲρ γάλα ἐπυρρώθησαν ὑπὲρ λίθους σαπφείρου τὸ ἀπόσπασμα αὐτῶν

8 ἐσκότασεν ὑπὲρ ἀσβόλην τὸ εἶδος αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐπεγνώσθησαν ἐν ταῖς ἐξόδοις ἐπάγη δέρμα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ὀστέα αὐτῶν ἐξηράνθησαν ἐγενήθησαν ὥσπερ ξύλον

9 καλοὶ ἦσαν οἱ τραυματίαι ῥομφαίας ἢ οἱ τραυματίαι λιμοῦ ἐπορεύθησαν ἐκκεκεντημένοι ἀπὸ γενημάτων ἀγρῶν

10 χεῖρες γυναικῶν οἰκτιρμόνων ἥψησαν τὰ παιδία αὐτῶν ἐγενήθησαν εἰς βρῶσιν αὐταῖς ἐν τῷ συντρίμματι τῆς θυγατρὸς λαοῦ μου

11 συνετέλεσεν κύριος θυμὸν αὐτοῦ ἐξέχεεν θυμὸν ὀργῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνῆψεν πῦρ ἐν σιων καὶ κατέφαγεν τὰ θεμέλια αὐτῆς

12 οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν βασιλεῖς γῆς πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν οἰκουμένην ὅτι εἰσελεύσεται ἐχθρὸς καὶ ἐκθλίβων διὰ τῶν πυλῶν ιερουσαλημ

13 ἐξ ἁμαρτιῶν προφητῶν αὐτῆς ἀδικιῶν ἱερέων αὐτῆς τῶν ἐκχεόντων αἷμα δίκαιον ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς

14 ἐσαλεύθησαν ἐγρήγοροι αὐτῆς ἐν ταῖς ἐξόδοις ἐμολύνθησαν ἐν αἵματι ἐν τῷ μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτοὺς ἥψαντο ἐνδυμάτων αὐτῶν

15 ἀπόστητε ἀκαθάρτων καλέσατε αὐτούς ἀπόστητε ἀπόστητε μὴ ἅπτεσθε ὅτι ἀνήφθησαν καί γε ἐσαλεύθησαν εἴπατε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν οὐ μὴ προσθῶσιν τοῦ παροικεῖν

16 πρόσωπον κυρίου μερὶς αὐτῶν οὐ προσθήσει ἐπιβλέψαι αὐτοῖς πρόσωπον ἱερέων οὐκ ἔλαβον πρεσβύτας οὐκ ἠλέησαν

17 ἔτι ὄντων ἡμῶν ἐξέλιπον οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν εἰς τὴν βοήθειαν ἡμῶν μάταια ἀποσκοπευόντων ἡμῶν ἀπεσκοπεύσαμεν εἰς ἔθνος οὐ σῷζον

18 ἐθηρεύσαμεν μικροὺς ἡμῶν τοῦ μὴ πορεύεσθαι ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις ἡμῶν ἤγγικεν ὁ καιρὸς ἡμῶν ἐπληρώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἡμῶν πάρεστιν ὁ καιρὸς ἡμῶν

19 κοῦφοι ἐγένοντο οἱ διώκοντες ἡμᾶς ὑπὲρ ἀετοὺς οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων ἐξήφθησαν ἐν ἐρήμῳ ἐνήδρευσαν ἡμᾶς

20 πνεῦμα προσώπου ἡμῶν χριστὸς κυρίου συνελήμφθη ἐν ταῖς διαφθοραῖς αὐτῶν οὗ εἴπαμεν ἐν τῇ σκιᾷ αὐτοῦ ζησόμεθα ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν

21 χαῖρε καὶ εὐφραίνου θύγατερ ιδουμαίας ἡ κατοικοῦσα ἐπὶ γῆς καί γε ἐπὶ σὲ διελεύσεται τὸ ποτήριον κυρίου καὶ μεθυσθήσῃ καὶ ἀποχεεῖς

22 ἐξέλιπεν ἡ ἀνομία σου θύγατερ σιων οὐ προσθήσει ἔτι ἀποικίσαι σε ἐπεσκέψατο ἀνομίας σου θύγατερ εδωμ ἀπεκάλυψεν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσεβήματά σου

   

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.

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