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Иеремия 44

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1 Слово, которое было к Иеремии о всех Иудеях, живущих в земле Египетской, поселившихся в Магдоле и Тафнисе, и в Нофе, и в земле Пафрос:

2 так говорит Господь Саваоф, Бог Израилев: вы видели все бедствие, какое Я навел на Иерусалим и на все города Иудейские; вот, они теперь пусты, и никто неживет в них,

3 за нечестие их, которое они делали, прогневляя Меня, ходя кадить и служить иным богам, которых не знали ни они, ни вы, ни отцы ваши.

4 Я посылал к вам всех рабов Моих, пророков, посылал с раннего утра, чтобы сказать: „не делайте этого мерзкого дела, котороеЯ ненавижу".

5 Но они не слушали и не приклонили уха своего, чтобы обратиться от своего нечестия, не кадить иным богам.

6 И излилась ярость Моя и гнев Мой и разгорелась в городах Иудеи и наулицах Иерусалима; и они сделались развалинами и пустынею, как видите ныне.

7 И ныне так говорит Господь Бог Саваоф, Бог Израилев: зачем вы делаете это великое зло душам вашим, истребляя у себя мужей и жен, взрослых детей и младенцев из среды Иудеи, чтобы не оставить у себя остатка,

8 прогневляя Меня изделием рук своих, каждением иным богам в земле Египетской, куда вы пришли жить, чтобы погубить себя и сделаться проклятием и поношением у всех народов земли?

9 Разве вы забыли нечестие отцов ваших и нечестие царей Иудейских, ваше собственное нечестие и нечестие жен ваших, какое они делали в земле Иудейской и на улицах Иерусалима?

10 Не смирились они и до сего дня, и не боятся и не поступают по закону Моему и по уставам Моим, которые Я дал вам и отцам вашим.

11 Посему так говорит Господь Саваоф, Бог Израилев: вот, Я обращу противвас лице Мое на погибель и на истребление всей Иудеи

12 и возьму оставшихся Иудеев, которые обратили лице свое, чтобы идти в землю Египетскую и жить там, и все они будут истреблены, падут в земле Египетской; мечом и голодом будут истреблены; от малого и до большого умрут от меча и голода, и будут проклятием и ужасом, поруганием и поношением.

13 Посещу живущих в земле Египетской, как Я посетил Иерусалим, мечом, голодом и моровою язвою,

14 и никто не избежит и не уцелеет из остатка Иудеев, пришедших в землю Египетскую, чтобы пожить там и потом возвратиться в землю Иудейскую, куда они всею душею желают возвратиться, чтобы жить там; никто не возвратится, кроме тех, которые убегут оттуда.

15 И отвечали Иеремии все мужья, знавшие, что жены их кадят иным богам, и все жены, стоявшие там в большом множестве, и весь народ, живший в земле Египетской, в Пафросе, и сказали:

16 слова, которое ты говорил нам именем Господа, мы не слушаем от тебя;

17 но непременно будем делать все то, что вышло из уст наших, чтобы кадить богине неба и возливать ей возлияния, как мы делали, мы и отцы наши, цари наши и князья наши, в городах Иудеи и на улицах Иерусалима, потому что тогда мы были сыты и счастливы и беды не видели.

18 А с того времени, как перестали мы кадить богине неба и возливатьей возлияния, терпим во всем недостаток и гибнем от меча и голода.

19 И когда мы кадили богине неба и возливали ей возлияния, то разве без ведома мужей наших делали мы ей пирожки с изображением ее и возливали ей возлияния?

20 Тогда сказал Иеремия всему народу, мужьям и женам, и всему народу, который так отвечал ему:

21 не это ли каждение, которое совершали вы в городах Иудейских и на улицах Иерусалима, вы и отцы ваши, цари ваши и князья ваши, и народ страны, воспомянул Господь? И не оно ливзошло Ему на сердце?

22 Господь не мог более терпеть злых дел ваших и мерзостей, какие выделали; поэтому и сделалась земля ваша пустынею и ужасом, и проклятием, без жителей, каквидите ныне.

23 Так как вы, совершая то курение, грешили пред Господом и не слушали гласа Господа, и не поступали по закону Его и по установлениям Его, и по повелениям Его, то и постигло вас это бедствие, как видите ныне.

24 И сказал Иеремия всему народу и всем женам: слушайте слово Господне, все Иудеи, которые в земле Египетской:

25 так говорит Господь Саваоф, Бог Израилев: вы и жены ваши, что устами своими говорили, то и руками своими делали; вы говорите: „станем выполнять обеты наши, какие мы обещали, чтобы кадить богине неба и возливать ей возлияние", – твердо держитесь обетов ваших и в точности исполняйте обеты ваши.

26 За то выслушайте слово Господне, все Иудеи, живущие в земле Египетской: вот, Я поклялся великим именем Моим, говорит Господь, что не будет уже на всей земле Египетской произносимо имя Мое устами какого-либо Иудея, говорящего: „жив Господь Бог!"

27 Вот, Я буду наблюдать над вами к погибели, а не к добру; и все Иудеи, которые в земле Египетской, будут погибать от меча и голода, доколе совсем не истребятся.

28 Только малое число избежавших от меча возвратится из земли Египетской в землю Иудейскую, и узнают все оставшиеся Иудеи, которые пришли в землю Египетскую, чтобы пожить там, чье слово сбудется: Мое или их.

29 И вот вам знамение, говорит Господь, что Я посещу вас на сем месте, чтобы вы знали, что сбудутся слова Мои о вас на погибель вам.

30 Так говорит Господь: вот, Я отдам фараона Вафрия,царя Египетского, в руки врагов его и в руки ищущих души его, как отдал Седекию, царя Иудейского, в руки Навуходоносора, царя Вавилонского,врага его и искавшего души его.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #806

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806. 'Everything that was on the dry land' means the people in whom nothing of that kind of life existed any more, and 'they died' means that they breathed their last. This follows now from what has been said above. And because all the life that belongs to love and faith had been annihilated, 'the dry land' is referred to here. The dry land is where there is no water, that is, where nothing spiritual, let alone celestial, exists any more. Persuasion of falsity annihilates and so to speak suffocates everything spiritual and celestial, as anyone may recognize from much experience if he pays the matter any attention. Once people have adopted opinions, though utterly false, they cling to them so tenaciously that they will not even listen to anything to the contrary. That being so, they never allow themselves to be taught, even if the truth is placed before their very eyes. Still more is this the case when they reverence a false opinion because of some idea that is sacred. Such people spurn all truth, and what they do accept they pervert, and in so doing submerge in delusions. It is they who are meant here by 'the dry land' which has no water or grass on it, as in Ezekiel,

I will make the rivers dry land, and will sell the land into the hand of evil men, and I will make the land desolate and the fullness of it. Ezekiel 30:12.

'Making the rivers dry land' stands for what is spiritual being no more. And in Jeremiah,

Your land has become dry land. Jeremiah 44:22.

'Dry land' stands for land made desolate and laid waste so that there is no longer any good or truth at all.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #544

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544. And there was given unto them power as the scorpions of the earth have power, signifies their ability to persuade, and its effect and might. This is evident from the signification of a "scorpion," as being an infatuating and suffocating persuasiveness (of which presently); and from the signification of "power," as being might and effect, here the might of the sensual man from his persuasiveness, and the effect which is infatuating and suffocating. Just what and of what quality this persuasiveness is which is signified by a "scorpion" scarcely anyone in the world yet knows, because it is the persuasiveness of the spirit of the sensual man, which he has when he becomes a spirit, but does not have while he is living as a man in the world. The reason is that a man in the world rarely speaks out what his spirit thinks and inmostly loves, for he is taught from infancy to utter such things as pertain to civil and moral life, and even such as pertain to the spiritual life, although his spirit, which thinks and wills inwardly, is differently inclined. So long as man's spirit remains in the body it makes a show of such things before the world, because in no other way can it captivate minds so that his spirit may accomplish the ends it aims at, which are chiefly honors and gain, and name and reputation on account of them.

This is why it is unknown in the world just what and of what quality this infatuating and suffocating persuasiveness is that is signified by a "scorpion;" and yet with the spirits in whom it is, it is such as to infuse itself into the mind and disposition of another, and to benumb and almost extinguish his rational and intellectual faculties, making it impossible for him to know otherwise than that what is spoken is truth, although it be most false. Those who are in such persuasiveness do not speak from any reason, but from blind faith without reason, because they speak from the lowest sensual, and in this there is no reason, but only a persuasive faith from such things as ascend from the body and flow in from the world, inspired by the fire of self-love; it is this fire that breathes into, draws out, and pours into another. Consequently those are more especially in this persuasiveness who have imbued themselves with falsities from the love of self, and believe themselves to be wiser than others. This persuasiveness is said to be infatuating because it induces a stupor in the understanding, and is called suffocating because it takes away the free breathing of another; for everyone breathes in harmony with the thought of his mind. But inasmuch as this persuasiveness is most noxious and pernicious, including a kind of swoon on the mind of another, so that he can see nothing rationally, spirits are strictly forbidden to make use of it; and those who do make use of it are separated from the others, and are either punished or sent down into hell; for in the spiritual world everyone is allowed to confirm the opinions of his mind, whether they be true or false, by things rational and intellectual, but not by any persuasive fascination. (More respecting this persuasiveness may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia: as, That those who are constrained by it are inwardly bound, n. 5096. Those who make use of it shut up the rational of others, and as it were suffocate them, n. 3895, 5128. The Nephilim, Anakim, and Rephaim, mentioned in the Word, were, more than others, in direful persuasions of falsity, n. 581, 1268, 1270, 1271, 1673, 7686. These, before the Lord's coming, infested all in the other life through their direful persuasions, and almost extinguished their spiritual life, n. Arcana Coelestia 7686. They were cast into hell by the Lord when He was in the world, and that hell still appears under a kind of misty crag, and those who draw near it fall into a swoon, n. 311, 581, 1268, 1270, 7686; my own experience with some of the devils from that hell who were permitted to flow into me, n. 1268-1271. How hurtful the persuasion of falsity is, n. 794, 806. There are many kinds of the persuasions of falsity, n. 1673, 1675 the end.) This deadly persuasiveness is signified by a "scorpion," because a scorpion when it stings a man induces 1 a like swooning of the mind and thence death, if there is no cure.

[2] Murderous persuasions are signified by "scorpions" also in the following passages. In Luke:

Jesus said to the seventy whom He sent out, I beheld Satan as lightning falling from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; that nothing may by any means hurt you (Luke 10:18, 19).

Evidently "serpents and scorpions" do not mean here serpents and scorpions, for the Lord says that "He saw Satan as lightning falling from heaven," and that He "gives them authority over all the power of the enemy;" therefore "serpents and scorpions" signify in the internal sense the crew of Satan, who were in craftiness and direful persuasiveness of falsity, by which men after death are spiritually murdered, unless they are defended by the Lord. The antediluvians, who were called the "Nephilim," were in such persuasiveness more than others, and unless the Lord when He was in the world had subjugated them and cast them into hell and had closed it up, no mortal could have been saved; for they were infesting and almost murdering whomsoever they met in the spiritual world. That the Lord delivered the spiritual world from these and like spirits is meant by His "seeing Satan falling from heaven," and by His giving to those who are in truths from good from Him "authority to tread on serpents and scorpions."

[3] This direful persuasiveness is also signified by "scorpions" in Ezekiel:

Son of man, be not afraid of them nor of their words, though the stubborn and thorny be with thee, and thou dwellest among scorpions; be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their faces. They are hard of face, and obdurate in heart (Ezekiel 2:6, 4).

"To dwell among scorpions" means among those who have persuaded themselves, and strongly persuade others, of falsities, and who do not admit any truth; therefore they are called "stubborn and thorny," also "hard of face and obdurate in heart." Moreover, in those who are in a strong persuasion of falsity the interiors which belong to the rational mind are closed up, consequently they think and speak from the lowest sensual only, and when this sensual is enkindled by the fire of self-love it is hard and obdurate, and also hardens and makes obdurate the interiors of others whom it addresses. For in the spiritual world there is a communication of minds, that is, of the thoughts and affections; and from those who are in such persuasiveness there is a pouring in, from which come the effects above mentioned.

[4] In Moses:

Jehovah God, who led thee through the great and fearful wilderness, of the serpent, the fiery serpent, and the scorpion (Deuteronomy 8:15).

The journeys and wanderings of the sons of Israel forty years in the wilderness represented and signified the temptations of the faithful, and as these come from the injections and persuasions of falsities by evil spirits, they were said to have been led "through a fearful wilderness, of the serpent, the fiery serpent, and the scorpion." Moreover, "serpents" in general signify the lowest sensual of man, and the various species of serpents the various states of that sensual in respect to evils and falsities; for sensual men are more crafty and malicious than others, and themselves believe, and induce others to believe, that they excel in genius, intellect, and judgment; but I can assert that they have nothing of understanding or judgment, but that they are as stupid in such things as are the essentials of faith and life as they are clever in scheming evils and persuading to falsities; and cunning, as is well known, is not wisdom, for wisdom is of truth from good, while cunning is of falsity from evil; and falsity from evil destroys truth from good, because they are opposites, and what is opposite destroys.

Footnotes:

1. Latin is "may induce."

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.