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Jeremias 42

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1 Nang magkagayo'y ang lahat na kapitan sa mga kawal, at si Johanan na anak ni Carea, at si Jezanias na anak ni Osaia, at ang buong bayan, mula sa kaliitliitan hanggang sa kadakidakilaan, ay nagsilapit,

2 At nangagsabi kay Jeremias na propeta, Isinasamo namin sa iyo, na tanggapin ang aming pamanhik sa harap mo, at idalangin mo kami sa Panginoon mong Dios, sa makatuwid baga'y ang lahat na nalabing ito (sapagka't kaming naiwan ay kaunti sa karamihan, gaya ng namamasdan ng iyong mga mata sa amin),

3 Upang ipakita sa amin ng Panginoon mong Dios ang daan na aming marapat na lakaran, at ang bagay na marapat naming gawin.

4 Nang magkagayo'y sinabi ni Jeremias na propeta sa kanila, Aking narinig kayo; narito, aking idadalangin kayo sa Panginoon ninyong Dios ayon sa inyong mga salita; at mangyayari, na anomang bagay na isasagot ng Panginoon sa inyo; aking ipahahayag sa inyo; hindi ako maglilihim sa inyo.

5 Nang magkagayo'y sinabi nila kay Jeremias, Ang Panginoon ay maging tunay at tapat na saksi sa gitna natin, kung hindi nga namin gawin ang ayon sa buong salita na ipasusugo sa iyo ng Panginoon mong Dios sa amin.

6 Maging mabuti, o maging masama, aming tatalimahin ang tinig ng Panginoon nating Dios, na siya naming pinagsusuguan sa iyo; upang ikabuti namin, pagka aming tinatalima ang tinig ng Panginoon nating Dios.

7 At nangyari, pagkatapos ng sangpung araw, na ang salita ng Panginoon ay dumating kay Jeremias.

8 Nang magkagayo'y tinawag niya si Johanan na anak ni Carea, at ang lahat na kapitan sa mga kawal na kasama niya, at ang buong bayan, mula sa kaliitliitan hanggang sa kadakidakilaan,

9 At sinabi niya sa kanila, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoon, ng Dios ng Israel, na inyong pinagsuguan sa akin upang iharap ang inyong pamanhik sa harap niya:

10 Kung kayo'y magsisitahan pa sa lupaing ito, akin ngang itatayo kayo, at hindi ko kayo itutulak, at itatatag kayo, at hindi ko kayo paaalisin; sapagka't aking pinagsisihan ang kasamaang nagawa ko sa inyo.

11 Huwag kayong mangatakot sa hari sa Babilonia na inyong kinatatakutan; huwag kayong mangatakot sa kaniya, sabi ng Panginoon, sapagka't ako'y sumasainyo upang iligtas ko kayo, at alisin kayo sa kaniyang kamay.

12 At pagpapakitaan ko kayo ng kaawaan, upang kaawaan niya kayo, at upang pabalikin kayo sa inyong sariling lupain.

13 Nguni't kung inyong sabihin, Kami ay hindi magsisitahan sa lupaing ito; na anopa't hindi ninyo talimahin ang tinig ng Panginoon ninyong Dios,

14 Na nagsasabi, Hindi; kundi magsisiparoon kami sa lupain ng Egipto, na hindi namin kakikitaan ng digma, o kariringgan man ng tunog ng pakakak, o kagugutuman ng tinapay: at doon kami magsisitahan:

15 Inyo ngang pakinggan ang salita ng Panginoon, Oh nalabi sa Juda: ganito ang sabi ng Panginoon ng mga hukbo, ng Dios ng Israel; Kung inyong lubos na ihaharap ang inyong mukha na pumasok sa Egipto, at magsiparoon upang mangibang bayan doon;

16 Mangyayari nga na ang tabak na inyong kinatatakutan, ay aabot sa inyo roon sa lupain ng Egipto, at ang kagutom na inyong kinatatakutan, ay susunod sa inyong mahigpit doon sa Egipto; at doon kayo mangamamatay.

17 Gayon ang mangyayari sa lahat ng tao na maghaharap ng kanilang mukha na magsiparoon sa Egipto, upang mangibang bayan doon; sila'y mangamamatay sa pamamagitan ng tabak, ng kagutom at ng salot: at walang maiiwan sa kanila o makatatanan man sa kasamaan na aking dadalhin sa kanila.

18 Sapagka't ganito ang sabi ng Panginoon ng mga hukbo, ng Dios ng Israel: Kung paanong ang aking galit at ang aking kapusukan ay nabugso sa mga nananahan sa Jerusalem, gayon mabubugso ang aking kapusukan sa inyo, pagka kayo'y pumasok sa Egipto: at kayo'y magiging katungayawan, at katigilan, at kasumpaan, at kadustaan: at hindi na ninyo makikita ang dakong ito.

19 Ang Panginoon ay nagsalita tungkol sa inyo, Oh nalabi sa Juda, Huwag kayong pumasok sa Egipto: talastasin ninyong tunay na ako'y nagpapatotoo sa inyo sa araw na ito.

20 Sapagka't dinaya ninyo ang inyong sarili; sapagka't inyong sinugo ako sa Panginoon ninyong Dios, na inyong sinasabi, Idalangin mo kami sa Panginoon nating Dios: at ayon sa lahat na sasabihin ng Panginoon nating Dios ay gayon mo ipahayag sa amin, at aming gagawin.

21 At aking ipinahayag sa inyo sa araw na ito; nguni't hindi ninyo dininig ang tinig ng Panginoon ninyong Dios sa anomang bagay na kaniyang ipinasugo sa akin sa inyo.

22 Ngayon nga'y talastasin ninyong tunay na kayo'y mangapapatay ng tabak, ng kagutom, at ng salot, sa dakong inyong pagnasaang parunan na mangibang bayan.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #7102

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7102. 'Lest perhaps He fall on us with pestilence and sword' means to avoid the damnation of evil and falsity. This is clear from the meaning of 'lest perhaps He fall on' as lest they run into - into damnation; from the meaning of 'pestilence' as the damnation of evil, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'sword' as the vastation of truth, and also the punishment of falsity, dealt with in 2799, and so also as damnation, since the punishment of falsity, when truth has been devasted, is damnation.

[2] The Word mentions four kinds of vastation and punishment - sword, famine, evil wild animal, and pestilence. 'Sword' means the vastation of truth and the punishment of falsity; 'famine' the vastation of good and the punishment of evil; 'evil wild animal' the punishment of evil that arises out of falsity; and 'pestilence' the punishment of evil that does not arise out of falsity but out of evil. And since punishment is meant, damnation is meant also, since damnation is the punishment suffered by those who persist in evil. Those four kinds of punishment are referred to as follows in Ezekiel,

. . . when I shall send My four severe 1 judgements - sword, and famine, and evil wild animal, and pestilence - onto Jerusalem, to cut off man and beast from it. Ezekiel 14:21.

In the same prophet,

I will send famine and evil wild animals upon you, and I will make you bereft. And pestilence and blood will pass through you; in particular I will bring the sword upon you. Ezekiel 5:17.

[3] The meaning of 'pestilence' as the punishment of evil and its damnation is evident from the following places: In Ezekiel,

Those in waste places will die by the sword, and the one who is in the open field 2 I will give to the wild animals to devour him, and those who are in fortifications and caverns will die from pestilence. Ezekiel 33:27.

'In waste places dying by the sword' stands for suffering the vastation of truth and consequently the damnation of falsity. 'The one who is in the open field being given to the wild animals to devour him' stands for the damnation of those ruled by evil arising out of falsity. 'Those who are in fortifications and caverns, dying from pestilence' stands for the damnation of evil which uses falsity to fortify itself.

[4] In the same prophet,

The sword is without, and pestilence and famine within; he that is in the field will die by the sword, but him that is in the city famine and pestilence will devour. Ezekiel 7:15.

'The sword' stands for the vastation of truth and the damnation of falsity; 'famine' and 'pestilence' stand for the vastation of good and the damnation of evil. The sword is said to be 'without' and famine and pestilence 'within' because the vastation of truth takes place externally but the vastation of good internally. When however a person leads a life that rests on falsity, damnation is meant by the words 'he that is in the field will die by the sword'; and when a person leads a life ruled by evil which he defends by the use of falsity, damnation is meant by the words 'him that is in the city famine and pestilence will devour'.

[5] In Leviticus,

I will bring upon you a sword executing the vengeance of the covenant; wherever you are gathered into your cities, I will send pestilence into the midst of you, and you will be delivered 3 into the hand of the enemy. When I have cut off your supply of bread 4 ... Leviticus 26:25-26.

Here in a similar way 'a sword' stands for the vastation of truth and the damnation of falsity, 'pestilence' for the damnation of evil. The vastation of good, meant by 'famine', is described when [the Lord] speaks of cutting off their supply of bread. 'Cities' into which they would be gathered has the same meaning as 'the city' just above - falsities that are used to defend evils. For the meaning of 'cities' as truths, and so in the contrary sense as falsities, see 402, 2268, 2712, 2943, 3216, 4492, 4493.

[6] In Ezekiel,

Therefore because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your abominations, a third part of you will die from pestilence, and be annihilated [by famine] in your midst; then a third will fall by the sword around you; finally I will scatter a third to every wind, so that I will draw out a sword after them. Ezekiel 5:11-12.

'Famine' stands for the damnation of evil, 'sword' for the damnation of falsity. 'Scattering to every wind' and 'drawing out a sword after them' stand for getting rid of truths and seizing on falsities.

[7] In Jeremiah,

If they offer burnt offering or minchah, I am not accepting those things, but I will consume those people by sword, famine, and pestilence. Jeremiah 14:12.

In the same prophet,

I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die from a great pestilence. Afterwards I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and those in this city left from the pestilence, and from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. He who remains in this city will die by the sword, and by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans besieging you will live, and his soul will become spoil to him. Jeremiah 21:6-7, 9.

In the same prophet,

I will send sword, famine, and pestilence upon them, till they are consumed from upon the earth. Jeremiah 24:10.

Here also 'sword' means the vastation of truth, 'famine' the vastation of good, and 'pestilence' damnation; and 'sword', 'famine', and 'pestilence' have the same meanings in the following places as well: Jeremiah 27:8; 29:17-18; 32:24, 36; 34:17; 38:2; 42:17, 22; 44:13; Ezekiel 12:16.

[8] Since those three scourges follow in their own particular order [of severity], David was presented by the prophet Gad with the three. He had to choose between the coming of seven years of famine, fleeing three months before his enemies, or three days of pestilence in the land, 2 Samuel 24:13. ('Fleeing before his enemies' implies 'the sword'.) In Amos,

I have sent the pestilence upon you in the way of Egypt, I have killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. 5 Amos 4:10.

'The pestilence in the way of Egypt' stands for the vastation of good by means of falsities, which are 'the way of Egypt'. 'Killing young men with the sword, along with captured horses' stands for the vastation of truth, truths being meant by 'young men' and intellectual concepts by 'horses', 5 2761, 2762, 3217, 5321, 6534.

[9] In Ezekiel,

Pestilence and blood will pass through you. Ezekiel 5:17.

In the same prophet,

I will send upon her pestilence and blood in her streets. Ezekiel 28:23.

Here 'pestilence' stands for good that has been adulterated, and 'blood' for truth that has been falsified. For the meaning of 'blood' as falsified truth, see 4735, 6978.

[10] In David,

You will not be afraid of the terror of the night, of the arrow that flies by day, of the pestilence that creeps in thick darkness, of death that lays waste at noonday. Psalms 91:5-6.

'The terror of the night' stands for falsity which lies concealed; 'the arrow that flies by day' for falsity which is out in the open; 'the pestilence that creeps in thick darkness' for evil which lies concealed; 'death which lays waste at noonday' for evil which is out in the open. The fact that 'pestilence' means evil and the damnation of evil is evident from the use of the word 'death', which is distinguished here from pestilence solely by its being said of death that it 'lays waste at noonday' but of pestilence that it 'creeps in thick darkness'. In the same author,

He opened a way for His anger; He did not spare their soul from death, and He subjected their life to pestilence. Psalms 78:50.

This refers to the Egyptians, 'pestilence' standing for every kind of evil and its damnation.

Footnotes:

1. literally, evil

2. literally, upon the face of the field

3. The Latin means I will deliver you but the Hebrew means you will be delivered.

4. literally, While I am about to break the staff of bread for you

5. literally, the captivity of your horses

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