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Joel 3

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1 Porque he aquí que en aquellos días, y en aquel tiempo en que haré tornar la cautividad de Judá y de Jerusalén,

2 juntaré todos los gentiles, y los haré descender al valle de Josafat, y allí entraré en juicio con ellos a causa de mi pueblo, y de Israel mi heredad, a los cuales esparcieron entre las naciones, y partieron mi tierra;

3 y echaron suertes sobre mi pueblo, y a los niños dieron por rameras, y vendieron las niñas por vino para beber.

4 Y también, ¿qué tengo yo con vosotras, Tiro y Sidón, y todos los términos de Palestina? ¿Queréis vengaros de mí? Y si de mí os vengáis, bien pronto haré yo recaer la paga sobre vuestra cabeza.

5 Porque habéis llevado mi plata y mi oro, y mis cosas preciosas y hermosas metisteis en vuestros templos;

6 y vendisteis los hijos de Judá y los hijos de Jerusalén a los hijos de los griegos, por alejarlos de sus términos.

7 He aquí los levantaré yo del lugar donde los vendisteis, y volveré vuestra paga sobre vuestra cabeza.

8 Y venderé vuestros hijos y vuestras hijas en la mano de los hijos de Judá, y ellos los venderán a los sabeos, nación apartada; porque el SEÑOR ha hablado.

9 Pregonad esto entre los gentiles, proclamad guerra, despertad a los valientes, lléguense, vengan todos los hombres de guerra.

10 Haced espadas de vuestros azadones, lanzas de vuestras hoces; diga el flaco: Fuerte soy.

11 Juntaos y venid, gentiles todos de alrededor, y congregaos; haz venir allí, oh SEÑOR, tus fuertes.

12 Los gentiles se despierten, y suban al valle de Josafat; porque allí me sentaré para juzgar a todos los gentiles de alrededor.

13 Echad la hoz, porque la mies está ya madura. Venid, descended; porque el lagar está lleno, rebosan las lagaretas; porque mucha es la maldad de ellos.

14 Muchos pueblos se juntarán en el valle del cortamiento; porque cercano está el día del SEÑOR en el valle del cortamiento.

15 El sol y la luna se oscurecerán, y las estrellas retraerán su resplandor.

16 Y el SEÑOR bramará desde Sion, y dará su voz desde Jerusalén, y temblarán los cielos y la tierra; mas el SEÑOR será la esperanza de su pueblo, y la fortaleza de los hijos de Israel.

17 Y conoceréis que yo soy el SEÑOR vuestro Dios, que habito en Sion, monte de mi santidad; y será Jerusalén santa, y extraños no pasarán más por ella.

18 Y será en aquel tiempo, que los montes destilarán mosto, y los collados fluirán leche, y por todos los arroyos de Judá correrán aguas; y saldrá una fuente de la Casa del SEÑOR, y regará el valle de Sitim.

19 Egipto será destruido, y Edom será vuelto en asolado desierto, por la injuria hecha a los hijos de Judá; porque derramaron en su tierra la sangre inocente.

20 Mas Judá para siempre será habitada, y Jerusalén por generación y generación.

21 Y limpiaré la sangre de los que no limpié; porque el SEÑOR mora en Sion.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3580

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3580. 'And abundance of grain' means natural good from this, 'and of new wine' means natural truth from the same. This is clear from the meaning of 'grain' as good, and from the meaning of 'new wine' as truth. When these two are used in reference to the natural they mean natural good and truth, but when they are used in reference to the rational they are 'bread and wine' - 'bread' being celestial good, see 276, 680, 1798, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, and 'wine' that which is spiritual, namely truth deriving from good, 1071, 1798. These meanings of 'grain' and 'wine' may also be seen from the following places in the Word:

In Haggai,

The heavens have withheld their dew, and the earth has withheld its increase. And I have called for a drought over the land, and over the mountains, and over the grain, and over the new wine, and over that which the earth brings forth. Haggai 1:10-11.

Here 'a drought' stands for a lack of dew and rain, and so for a lack of truth deriving from any good. 'A drought over the grain' is the lack of good, and 'a drought over the new wine' the lack of truth.

[2] In Moses,

Israel will dwell securely, alone at Jacob's spring, in a land of grain and new wine; and his heavens will distill dew. Deuteronomy 33:28.

'Alone' stands for those who are not infested by evils and falsities, 139, 471. 'A land of grain and new wine' stands for the good and truth of the Church.

In Hosea,

I will be as the dew to Israel, he will blossom 1 as the lily, and strike root like Lebanon. His branches will go out, and his beauty will be like the olive, and his odour like that of Lebanon. Those dwelling in its shadow will turn back, they will quicken the grain and will blossom as the vine; the memory of it will be as the wine of Lebanon. Hosea 14:5-7.

Here 'the grain' stands for spiritual good, 'the wine' for spiritual truth.

In Isaiah,

A curse will consume the earth. The new wine will mourn, the vine will languish; all the merry-hearted will sigh. Isaiah 24:6-7.

This refers to the vastation of the spiritual Church. 'The new wine will mourn' stands for the fact that truth will come to an end.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Jehovah has redeemed Jacob. They will come and sing on the height of Zion, and they will converge towards the goodness of Jehovah. towards the grain, and towards the new wine, and towards the oil, and towards the young 2 of the flock and of the herd. Jeremiah 31:11-12.

'The grain' and 'the new wine' stand for good and for truth derived from good, 'the oil' for the good which is both a producer and a product of these, 'the young of the flock and of the herd' for the truth which is acquired in this manner. This being the meaning of those things they are called 'the goodness of Jehovah'.

In Hosea,

She did not know that it was I who gave her the grain and the new wine and the oil, and who multiplied the silver and the gold which they made for Baal. Therefore I will return and take back My grain and My new wine in its season, and I will snatch away My wool and My flax. Hosea 2:8-9.

This refers to the Church when perverted, and it is evident that 'grain' is not used to mean grain, nor 'new wine' new wine, nor yet oil, silver, gold, wool, and flax to mean such material things. Rather, spiritual things are meant, that is, those which consist in what is good and true.

Something similar is the case where in the same prophet a new Church is dealt with,

I will betroth you to Me in faith, and you will know Jehovah. And it will be on that day, that I shall hear the heavens, and they will hear the earth, and the earth will hear the grain, and the new wine, and the oil, and these will hear Jezreel. Hosea 2:20-22.

'Jezreel' stands for a new Church.

In Joel,

Awake, you drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the new wine that has been cut off from your mouth. The field has been laid waste, the land is mourning because the grain has been laid waste; the new wine has dried up, the oil languishes. Joel 1:5, 10.

[4] In the same prophet,

Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in Jehovah your God, for He has given you the morning rain for righteousness, and will cause the morning and the evening rain to come down on you in the first [month]. And the threshing-floors will be full of perfect grain, and the presses will overflow with new wine and oil. Joel 2:23-24.

In the same prophet,

It will happen on that day, that the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with milk, and all the streams of Judah will flow with water, and a spring will come forth from the house of Jehovah. Joel 3:18.

This refers to the Lord's kingdom, it being spiritual things that are meant by 'new wine', 'milk', and 'water', the abundance of which is being described in this fashion.

In Zechariah,

Jehovah their God will serve them on that day, as a flock His people. For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty! Grain will make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins. Zechariah 9:16-17.

In David,

You visit the earth and delight in it; You greatly enrich it; the stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain. The meadows clothe themselves with flocks, and the valleys are covered over with grain; let them clap their hands, let them also sing. Psalms 65:9, 13.

From all these places it is now evident what 'grain' is and what 'new wine' is.

Footnotes:

1. literally, sprout

2. literally, the sons

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