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Jeremías 49

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1 DE los hijos de Ammón. Así ha dicho Jehová: ¿No tiene hijos Israel? ¿No tiene heredero? ¿Por qué tomó como por heredad el rey de ellos á Gad, y su pueblo habitó en sus ciudades?

2 Por tanto, he aquí vienen días, ha dicho Jehová, en que haré oir en Rabba de los hijos de Ammón clamor de guerra; y será puesta en montón de asolamiento, y sus ciudades serán puestas á fuego, é Israel tomará por heredad á los que los tomaron á ellos, ha d

3 Aulla, oh Hesbón, porque destruída es Hai; clamad, hijas de Rabba, vestíos de sacos, endechad, y rodead por los vallados, porque el rey de ellos fué en cautiverio, sus sacerdotes y sus príncipes juntamente.

4 ¿Por qué te glorías de los valles? Tu valle se deshizo, oh hija contumaz, la que confía en sus tesoros, la que dice: ¿Quién vendrá contra mí?

5 He aquí yo traigo sobre ti espanto, dice el Señor Jehová de los ejércitos, de todos tus alrededores; y seréis lanzados cada uno en derechura de su rostro, y no habrá quien recoja al errante.

6 Y después de esto haré tornar la cautividad de los hijos de Ammón, dice Jehová.

7 De Edom. Así ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos: ¿No hay más sabiduría en Temán? ¿ha perecido el consejo en los sabios? ¿corrompióse su sabiduría?

8 Huid, volveos, escondeos en simas para estar, oh moradores de Dedán; porque el quebrantamiento de Esaú traeré sobre él, al tiempo que lo tengo de visitar.

9 Si vendimiadores vinieran contra ti, ¿no dejarán rebuscos? Si ladrones de noche, tomarán lo que hubieren menester.

10 Mas yo desnudaré á Esaú, descubriré sus escondrijos, y no podrá esconderse: será destruída su simiente, y sus hermanos, y sus vecinos; y no será.

11 Deja tus huérfanos, yo los criaré; y en mí se confiarán tus viudas.

12 Porque así ha dicho Jehová: He aquí que los que no estaban condenados á beber del cáliz, beberán ciertamente; ¿y serás tú absuelto del todo? No serás absuelto, sino que de cierto beberás.

13 Porque por mí he jurado, dice Jehová, que en asolamiento, en oprobio, en soledad, y en maldición, será Bosra; y todas su ciudades serán en asolamientos perpetuos.

14 La fama oí, que de Jehová había sido enviado mensajero á las gentes, diciendo: Juntaos, y venid contra ella, y levantaos á la batalla.

15 Porque he aquí que pequeño te he puesto entre las gentes, menospreciado entre los hombres.

16 Tu arrogancia te engañó, y la soberbia de tu corazón, tú que habitas en cavernas de peñas, que tienes la altura del monte: aunque alces como águila tu nido, de allí te haré descender, dice Jehová.

17 Y será Edom en asolamiento: todo aquel que pasare por ella se espantará, y silbará sobre todas sus plagas.

18 Como el trastornamiento de Sodoma y de Gomorra, y de sus ciudades vecinas, dice Jehová, no morará allí nadie, ni la habitará hijo de hombre.

19 He aquí que como león subirá de la hinchazón del Jordán contra la bella y robusta; porque muy pronto harélo correr de sobre ella, y al que fuere escogido la encargaré; porque ¿quién es semejante á mí? ¿y quién me emplazará? ¿y quién será aquel pastor que

20 Por tanto, oíd el consejo de Jehová, que ha acordado sobre Edom; y sus pensamientos, que ha resuelto sobre los moradores de Temán. Ciertamente los más pequeños del hato los arrastrarán, y destruirán sus moradas con ellos.

21 Del estruendo de la caída de ellos la tierra tembló, y el grito de su voz se oyó en el mar Bermejo.

22 He aquí que como águila subirá y volará, y extenderá sus alas sobre Bosra: y el corazón de los valientes de Edom será en aquel día como el corazón de mujer en angustias.

23 Acerca de Damasco. Confundióse Hamath, y Arphad, porque oyeron malas nuevas: derritiéronse en aguas de desmayo, no pueden sosegarse.

24 Desmayóse Damasco, volvióse para huir, y tomóle temblor: angustia y dolores le tomaron, como de mujer que está de parto.

25 Cómo dejaron á la ciudad de alabanza, ciudad de mi gozo!

26 Por tanto, sus mancebos caerán en sus plazas, y todos los hombres de guerra morirán en aquel día, ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos.

27 Y haré encender fuego en el muro de Damasco, y consumirá las casas de Ben-hadad.

28 De Cedar y de los reinos de Hasor, los cuales hirió Nabucodonosor rey de Babilonia. Así ha dicho Jehová: Levantaos, subid contra Cedar, y destruid los hijos de oriente.

29 Sus tiendas y su ganados tomarán: sus cortinas, y todos sus vasos, y sus camellos, tomarán para sí; y llamarán contra ellos miedo alrededor.

30 Huid, trasponeos muy lejos, meteos en simas para estar, oh moradores de Hasor, dice Jehová; porque tomó consejo contra vosotros Nabucodonosor rey de Babilonia, y contra vosotros ha formado designio.

31 Levantaos, subid á gente pacífica, que vive confiadamente, dice Jehová, que ni tienen puertas ni cerrojos, que viven solitarios.

32 Y serán sus camellos por presa, y la multitud de sus ganados por despojo; y esparcirélos por todos vientos, echados hasta el postrer rincón; y de todos sus lados les traeré su ruina, dice Jehová.

33 Y Hasor será morada de chacales, soledad para siempre: ninguno morará allí, ni la habitará hijo de hombre.

34 Palabra de Jehová que fué á Jeremías profeta acerca de Elam, en el principio del reinado de Sedechîas rey de Judá, diciendo:

35 Así ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos: He aquí que yo quiebro el arco de Elam, principio de su fortaleza.

36 Y traeré sobre Elam los cuatro vientos de los cuatro puntos del cielo, y aventarélos á todos estos vientos; ni habrá gente adonde no vengan extranjeros de Elam.

37 Y haré que Elam se intimide delante de sus enemigos, y delante de los que buscan su alma; y traeré sobre ellos mal, y el furor de mi enojo, dice Jehová; y enviaré en pos de ellos espada hasta que los acabe.

38 Y pondré mi silla en Elam, y destruiré de allí rey y príncipe, dice Jehová.

39 Mas acontecerá en lo postrero de los días, que haré tornar la cautividad de Elam, dice Jehová.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #3875

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3875. 'And she said, Now this time my husband will cling to me' means in the highest sense love and mercy, in the internal sense charity, in the external sense a joining together - spiritual love being meant here. This is clear from the meaning of 'clinging to'. As regards 'clinging' in the external sense, or inner sense nearest to the literal, meaning a joining together, this may be seen without explanation; and as regards 'clinging' in the internal sense meaning charity, this is evident from the consideration that charity, or what amounts to the same, mutual love, is a spiritual joining together. For mutual love is a joining together of affections belonging to the will and a consequent agreement of thoughts belonging to the understanding, and so is a joining of minds as to both parts. That 'clinging' in the highest sense means love and mercy is evident from this, for when the description 'infinite and eternal' is applied to charity or spiritual love the attribute of mercy is meant, mercy being Divine love directed towards the human race engulfed in such great miseries. For man of himself is nothing but evil, and what is within him, insofar as this has its origin in himself, is altogether from hell. Yet the Lord beholds him with Divine Love, and therefore the raising up of him from the hell in which of himself he dwells and his deliverance from it is called mercy. And because that mercy is an attribute of Divine Love, 'clinging' in the highest sense therefore means both love and mercy.

[2] As regards 'clinging' in the internal sense meaning spiritual love, or what amounts to the same, charity towards the neighbour, this may also be seen from other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,

Do not let the son of the foreigner who has clung to Jehovah say, Jehovah surely separates me from being with His people. The sons of the foreigner who cling to Jehovah, to minister to Him and to delight in the name of Jehovah, will be His servants. Isaiah 56:3, 6.

'Clinging to Jehovah' stands for keeping His commandments, which is an act of spiritual love, for no one at heart keeps God's commandments except him in whom good that flows from charity towards the neighbour is present. In Jeremiah,

In those days the children of Israel will come, they and the children of Judah weeping as they come; and they will seek Jehovah their God. They will ask Zion concerning the way, their faces towards it, [saying,] Come and let us cling to Jehovah in an everlasting covenant that is not forgotten. Jeremiah 50:4-5.

'Clinging to Jehovah' in like manner stands for keeping His commandments at heart, that is, doing so from good that flows from charity.

[3] In Zechariah,

Many nations will cling to Jehovah on that day and will be My people. Zechariah 2:11.

Here the meaning is similar. In Isaiah,

Jehovah will have compassion on Jacob, and will again choose Israel, and will set them on their own land. And the sojourner will cling to them, and they will join themselves to the house of Jacob. Isaiah 14:1.

'The sojourner clinging to them' stands for having a similar allegiance to the law. 'Joining themselves to the house of Jacob' stands for the good that flows from charity, which is present in those meant by 'the house of Jacob'. In Matthew,

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other or he will cling to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24.

Here the celestial form of love is meant by 'loving', the spiritual form by 'clinging to'. Both of these expressions are used because those two forms of love are distinct and separate. Otherwise one expression would have been sufficient.

[4] People who are stirred by spiritual love are therefore called 'the sons of Levi', as in Malachi,

Who can endure the day of His coming, and who will stand when He appears? He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold, and like silver. Malachi 3:2-3.

In the highest sense the Lord is meant by 'Levi' by virtue of Divine love and of mercy towards those in whom spiritual love is present. This may be seen in the same prophet,

That you may know that I have sent this command to you, to be My covenant with Levi, said Jehovah Zebaoth. My covenant with him will be [a covenant] of life and peace. You have turned back from the way; you have caused many to stumble at the law, you have corrupted the covenant of Levi; therefore I have made you despised. Malachi 2:4-5, 8-9.

And because in the highest sense the Lord's Divine Love or His Mercy was meant by 'Levi', and in the internal sense spiritual love, the tribe of Levi was therefore established as the priesthood; for in the internal sense of the Word 'the priesthood' is nothing other than the holiness of love and 'kingship' the holiness of faith, 1728, 2015 (end), 3670.

[5] Because the expression 'cringing to' from which Levi received his name means spiritual love, which is the same as mutual love, the same expression in the original language is used to mean lending and borrowing. 1 And these two - lending and borrowing - in the Jewish Church represented mutual love, a representation which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with elsewhere. Mutual love is different from friendship inasmuch as mutual love has a person's good in view, and in directing itself towards that good is directed towards the person in whom good is present. Friendship however has the person in view, which is also mutual love when it looks at that person from the point of view of, that is, on account of, that good. But when it does not look at him from the point of view of good or on account of that good but on account of self which it calls good, friendship is not in that case mutual love but something close to the love of self. And insofar as it is close to this it is opposed to mutual love. In itself mutual love is nothing else than charity towards the neighbour, for in the internal sense 'the neighbour' means nothing else than good, and in the highest sense the Lord because all good originates in Him and He is Good itself, see 2425, 3419. This mutual love or charity towards the neighbour is what is understood by spiritual love and meant by 'Levi'. What is more, in the Word celestial love, and also conjugial love, is expressed in the sense of the letter as 'clinging to', but this is derived from a different expression in the original language from that from which the name Levi is obtained.

[6] This other expression means an even closer joining together, as in the following places: In Moses,

You shall fear Jehovah your God: you shall serve Him and cling to Him. Deuteronomy 10:20.

You shall go after Jehovah your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and hear His voice, and serve Him, and cling to Him. Deuteronomy 13:4.

To love Jehovah your God, to go in all His ways, and to cling to Him. Deuteronomy 11:22.

To love Jehovah your God, to obey His voice, and to cling to Him, for He is your life. Deuteronomy 30:20.

In Joshua,

Take good care to carry out the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, to love Jehovah your God, and to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments, and to cling to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. Joshua 22:5.

In the second Book of Kings,

King Hezekiah trusted in Jehovah the God of Israel. He clung to Jehovah; he did not turn back from going after Him, and he kept His commandments which

Jehovah had commanded Moses. 2 Kings 18:5-6.

In Jeremiah,

As a waistcloth clings to the loins of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me, to be for Me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory; but they were not obedient. Jeremiah 13:11.

[7] The fact that conjugial love as well is expressed by 'clinging to' is evident from the following,

Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother and will cling to his wife, and they will be one flesh. Genesis 2:24.

On account of your hardness of heart Moses wrote this commandment, but from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man (homo) will leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two will be one flesh. What therefore God has joined together man (homo) must not put asunder. Mark 10:5-9; Matthew 19:5.

The soul of Shechem clung to Dinah, Jacob's daughter. He loved the girl, and spoke to the girl's heart. Genesis 34:3.

Solomon loved many foreign women. Solomon clung to these in love. 1 Kings 11:1-2.

These quotations show then that 'clinging to' is an expression descriptive of love which was adopted in ancient times by Churches in which meaningful signs were prominent, and that it means nothing else in the internal sense than a spiritual joining together, which is charity and love.

Footnotes:

1. literally, mutually giving and receiving

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