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Amos 7

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1 Ganito nagpakita sa akin ang Panginoong Dios: at, narito, siya'y lumikha ng mga balang sa pasimula ng huling pagsibol ng suwi; at, narito, na siyang huling suwi pagkatapos ng mga gapas para sa hari.

2 At nangyari, na nang kanilang matapos makain ang pananim sa lupain, akin ngang sinabi, Oh Panginoong Dios, isinasamo ko sa iyo, na magpatawad ka: paanong tatayo ang Jacob? sapagka't siya'y maliit.

3 Ang Panginoo'y nagsisi tungkol dito, Hindi mangyayari, sabi ng Panginoon.

4 Ganito nagpakita sa akin ang Panginoong Dios: at, narito, ang Panginoong Dios ay tumawag, upang humatol sa pamamagitan ng apoy; at sinupok ang malaking kalaliman, at susupukin sana ang lupain.

5 Nang magkagayo'y sinabi ko, Oh Panginoong Dios, itigil mo, isinasamo ko sa iyo: paanong makatatayo ang Jacob? sapagka't siya'y maliit.

6 Ang Panginoo'y nagsisi tungkol dito: Ito'y hindi rin mangyayari, sabi ng Panginoong Dios.

7 Ganito siya nagpakita sa akin: at, narito, ang Panginoon ay nakatayo sa tabi ng isang kuta na ang pagkayari ay ayon sa pabatong tingga, na may pabatong tingga sa kaniyang kamay.

8 At sinabi ng Panginoon sa akin, Amos, anong iyong nakikita? At aking sinabi, Isang pabatong tingga. Nang magkagayo'y sinabi ng Panginoon, Narito, ako'y maglalagay ng pabatong tingga sa gitna ng aking bayang Israel; hindi na ako magdadaan pa sa kanila;

9 At ang mga mataas na dako ng Isaac ay magiging sira, at ang mga santuario ng Israel ay mangahahandusay na wasak; at ako'y babangon na may tabak laban sa sangbahayan ni Jeroboam.

10 Nang magkagayo'y nagsugo si Amasias na saserdote sa Beth-el kay Jeroboam na hari sa Israel, na nagsasabi, Si Amos ay nagbanta laban sa iyo sa gitna ng sangbahayan ni Israel: hindi mababata ng lupain ang lahat niyang mga salita.

11 Sapagka't ganito ang sabi ni Amos, Si Jeroboam ay mamamatay sa pamamagitan ng tabak, at ang Israel ay walang pagsalang dadalhing bihag mula sa kaniyang lupain.

12 Sinabi rin ni Amasias kay Amos, Oh ikaw na tagakita, yumaon ka, at tumakas ka sa lupain ng Juda, at doo'y kumain ka ng tinapay, at manghula ka roon:

13 Nguni't huwag ka nang manghula pa sa Beth-el: sapagka't siyang santuario ng hari, at siyang bahay-hari.

14 Nang magkagayo'y sumagot si Amos, at nagsabi kay Amasias, Ako'y hindi propeta, o anak man ng propeta; kundi ako'y pastor, at manggagawa sa mga puno ng sikomoro:

15 At kinuha ako ng Panginoon mula sa pagsunod sa kawan, at sinabi ng Panginoon sa akin, Ikaw ay yumaon, manghula ka sa aking bayang Israel.

16 Kaya't ngayo'y dinggin mo ang salita ng Panginoon, Iyong sinasabi, Huwag kang manghula laban sa Israel, at huwag mong ihulog ang iyong salita laban sa sangbahayan ni Isaac:

17 Kaya't ganito ang sabi ng Panginoon, Ang iyong asawa ay magiging patutot sa bayan, at ang iyong mga anak na lalake at babae ay mangabubuwal sa pamamagitan ng tabak, at ang iyong lupain ay mababahagi sa pamamagitan ng pising panukat; at ikaw ay mamamatay sa isang lupaing marumi, at ang Israel ay walang pagsalang dadalhing bihag mula sa kaniyang lupain.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) #56

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56. The passages from the Prophetic Word, where the Israelitish Church is treated of, in which "vastation," "desolation," and "breaking," and also a "desert" are mentioned, are the following:

O inhabitant of Jerusalem, and man of Judah,... what should I do to My vineyard that I had not done? I looked that it should bring forth grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes... I will make it a desolation, it shall not be pruned nor weeded, that the briar may come up;... and houses shall be a devastation; . . . for they regard not the work of Jehovah, neither see the operation of His hands (Isa. 5:3-12).

Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard, they have trampled My field, they have reduced the field of My desire to a desert of solitude; he hath made it a solitude.... O desolate, desolate is the whole land, because no one layeth it to heart. The vastators came upon all hills in the desert;... they have sown wheat, but have reaped thorns (Jer. 12:10-13).

A nation hath come up upon My land,... and hath reduced My vine to a waste (Joel 1:6-7).

The field is devastated; the land mourneth, for the corn is devastated; the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth (Joel 1:10):

by "vineyard" and "field" in these as in other passages of the Word, is signified the Church.

In all your dwelling-places the cities shall be devastated, and the high places shall be desolated; that your altars may be devastated and desolated,... and your idols may cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished (Ezek. 6:6; see also ver. 14).

My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to vanity,... to make the land a waste (Jer. 18:15-16);

"land," here denotes the Church.

The high places of Isaac shall be vastated, and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be desolated (Amos 7:9).

Go and say to this people, Hearing hear ye, but understand not; and seeing see ye, but know not; make the heart of this people fat, and shut his eyes: (Isa. 6:9-10).

then said the prophet,

Lord, how long? and He said, Until the cities be devastated, and the land reduced to a solitude: Jehovah will multiply deserts in the midst of the land (Isa. 6:11-12).

Behold, Jehovah maketh the land empty, and maketh it void; . . . the land shall be utterly emptied;... because they have transgressed the laws, passed by the statute, and made void the covenant of eternity. Therefore... in the city there shall be a waste, and the gate shall be smitten even to devastation (Isa. 24:1, 3, 5, 12).

The paths are devastated, the wayfarer hath ceased, he hath made void the covenant.... Conceive ye chaff, bring forth stubble (Isa. 33:8, 11).

I have kept silence from eternity.... I will desolate and devour together. I will vastate mountains and hills (Isa. 42:14-15).

Thy destroyers and devastators shall go forth out of thee. . . . For as for thy vastations and desolations, and the land of thy devastations,... the devourers shall be far away (Isa. 49:17, 19).

Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you.... They set an asp's eggs, and wove the spider's webs.... Vastation and breaking are in their paths.... We look for light, but behold darkness;... we grope for the wall like the blind;... we stumble at noon-day as in the twilight (Isa. 59:2, 5, 7, 9-10).

The cities of Thy holiness are become a desert, Zion is become a desert and Jerusalem a waste. Our house of holiness... is become a burning of fire, and all our desirable things are become a waste (Isa. 64:10-11).

The young lions roar against Israel;... they reduce his land to a waste (Jer. 2:15).

Woe unto us! for we are devastated. O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness.... How long shall thoughts of iniquity tarry within thee? (Jer. 4:13-14).

As a fountain maketh her waters to gush forth, so Jerusalem maketh her wickedness to gush forth. Violence and vastation is heard in her.... Admit chastisement,... lest I reduce thee to a waste.... O daughter of My people, gird thee with sackcloth, and roll thee in ashes;... for the vastator shall suddenly come upon us (Jer. 6:7-8, 26).

A voice of wailing is heard in Zion, How are we devastated! because we have deserted the land (Jer. 9:19);

"land" denotes the Church.

My tent is devastated, all its ropes are plucked out,... for the shepherds have become foolish, and have not sought Jehovah (Jer. 10:20-21):

"tent" denotes worship.

The voice of a tumult; behold it cometh, and a great commotion from the land of the north, to reduce the cities of Judah to a waste, a habitation of dragons (Jer. 10:22).

The whole land shall be a desolation, a devastation (Jer. 25:11);

"land" denotes the Church.

The voice of a cry from Horonaim, devastation and great breaking;... the vastator shall come upon every city (Jer. 48:3, 5, 8-9, 15, 18):

these things are about Moab, by whom is meant confidence in one's own works and in self-intelligence (as is manifest from verse 29 of that chapter).

That they may want bread and water, and be desolated, a man and his brother, and pine away for their iniquity (Ezek. 4:17):

"bread" and "water" denote good and truth.

Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of devastation and desolation (Ezek. 23:33).

Woe unto them! for they have wandered; devastation unto them! (Hosea 7:13).

The land shall be a desolation, because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings (Micah 7:13).

Besides many other passages, as Isa. 7:18-19; 17:4-6, 9-14; 22:4-9; 29:10-12; 2:19: Jer. 19:8; 25:9-11,18; 44:2, 6, 22: Ezek. 9:1 to end; 12:19-20; 33:24, 28-29: Hosea 10:14; 12:2: Joel 2:20: Amos 5:9: Micah 6:13, 16: Hab. 1:3: Hag. 1:4, 9: Zech. 7:14; 11:2-3.

From all these passages may be seen what "vastation" and "desolation" are; and that it is not a vastation and desolation of the peoples of a land and of cities, but of the goods and truths of the Church, in consequence of which there is nothing left but evils and falsities.

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