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Daniel 1

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1 Năm thứ ba về đời Giê-hô gia-kim, vua Giu-đa, thì Nê-bu-cát-nết-sa, vua Ba-by-lôn, đến thành Giê-ru-sa-lem và vây lấy.

2 Chúa phó Giê-hô-gia-kim vua Giu-đa, và một phần khí mạnh của nhà Ðức Chúa Trời vào tay người. Nê-bu-cát-nết-sa đem khí mạnh ấy về đất Si-nê-a, vào nhà của thần mình, và để trong kho của thần mình.

3 Vua truyền cho Át-bê-na, là người làm đầu các hoạn quan mình, lấy trong con cái Y-sơ-ra-ên, trong dòng vua, và trong hàng quan sang, mà đem đến

4 mấy kẻ trai trẻ không có tật nguyền, mặt mày xinh tốt, tập mọi sự khôn ngoan, biết cách trí, đủ sự thông hiểu khoa học, có thể đứng chầu trong cung vua, và dạy cho học thức và tiếng của người Canh-đê.

5 Vua định mỗi ngày ban cho họ một phần đồ ngon vua ăn và rượu vua uống, hầu cho khi đã nuôi họ như vậy ba năm rồi, thì họ sẽ đứng chầu trước mặt vua.

6 Trong bọn đó có Ða-ni-ên, Ha-na-nia, Mi-sa-ên và A-xa-ria là thuộc về con cái Giu-đa.

7 Người làm đầu hoạn quan đặt tên cho họ: Ða-ni-ên tên Bên-tơ-xát-sa; cho Ha-na-nia tên Sa-đơ-rắc; cho Mi-sa-ên tên Mê-sác; và cho A-xa-ria tên A-bết-Nê-gô.

8 Vả, Ða-ni-ên quyết định trong lòng rằng không chịu ô uế bởi đồ ngon vua ăn và rượu vua uống, nên cầu xin người làm đầu hoạn quan để đừng bắt mình phải tự làm ô uế.

9 Ðức Chúa Trời khiến Ða-ni-ên được ơn và thương xót trước mặt người làm đầu hoạn quan.

10 Người làm đầu hoạn quan bảo Ða-ni-ên rằng: Ta sợ vua, là chủ ta, đã chỉ định đồ ăn đồ uống của các ngươi. Lẽ nào vua sẽ thấy mặt mày các ngươi tiều tụy hơn những kẻ trai trẻ khác đồng tuổi với các ngươi, và các ngươi nộp đầu ta cho vua sao?

11 Ða-ni-ên bèn nói với Ham-mên-xa mà người làm đầu hoạn quan đã khiến coi sóc Ða-ni-ên, Ha-na-nia, Mi-sa-ên và A-xa-ria, rằng:

12 Tôi xin ông hãy thử những kẻ tôi tớ ông trong mười ngày, cho chúng tôi chỉ ăn rau uống nước.

13 Sau đó, sẽ nhìn nét mặt chúng tôi với nét mặt những kẻ trai trẻ ăn đồ ăn ngon của vua; rồi ông sẽ làm cho những kẻ tôi tớ ông theo như điều ông đã thấy.

14 Ham-mên-xa nhậm lời họ xin, và thử họ trong mười ngày.

15 Mười ngày ấy qua rồi, thấy mặt họ lại có vẻ xinh tươi đầy đặn hơn mọi kẻ trai trẻ khác đã ăn đồ ngon vua ăn.

16 Vậy, Ham-nên-xa cất phần đồ ăn ngon và rượu của họ, và cho họ ăn rau.

17 Vả, Ðức Chúa Trời ban cho bốn người trai trẻ đó được thông biết tỏ sáng trong mọi thứ học thức và khôn ngoan. Ða-ni-ên cũng biết được mọi sự hiện thấy và chiêm bao.

18 Ðến kỳ vua định để đem họ đến, thì người làm đầu hoạn quan dắt họ đến trước mặt Nê-bu-cát-nết-sa.

19 Vua nói chuyện cùng họ; và trong hết thảy bọn họ, không thấy ai bằng Ða-ni-ên, Ha-na-nia, Mi-sa-ên, và A-sa-ria; vậy họ được đứng chầu trước mặt vua.

20 Vả, khi vua hỏi họ những câu hỏi về mọi sự khôn ngoan sáng suốt, thì thấy họ giỏi hơn gấp mười những đồng bóng và thuật sĩ trong cả nước mình.

21 Vậy nên Ða-ni-ên cứ ở đó cho đến năm đầu đời vua Si-ru.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Doctrine of the Lord #48

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48. Because a person’s life varies in accordance with his state, therefore by spirit is meant the varying life’s affection in a person. For example:

1. The life of wisdom:

(Bezalel was filled) with the spirit of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.... (Exodus 31:3).

You shall speak to all the wise of heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom.... (Exodus 28:3)

Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom (Deuteronomy 34:9).

Nebuchadnezzar said of Daniel that an excellent spirit, of knowledge, understanding and wisdom was found in him (Daniel 5:12, 14).

The erring in spirit will know understanding.... (Isaiah 29:24)

[2] 2. The arousal of life:

Jehovah has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. (Jeremiah 51:11)

Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel...and the spirit of all the remnant of the people. (Haggai 1:14)

...I am putting (into the king of Assyria) a spirit..., that he may hear a rumor and return to his own land. (Isaiah 37:7)

...Jehovah...hardened (the) spirit (of the king of Sihon).... (Deuteronomy 2:30)

What has come up upon your spirit shall never be.... (Ezekiel 20:32)

[3] 3. Liberty of life: The four creatures, which were cherubim, seen by the prophet went “wherever they had a spirit to go” (Ezekiel 1:12, 20).

[4] 4. Life in a state of fear, distress, and anger:

...that every heart may melt, and all hands be feeble, and every spirit shrink.... (Ezekiel 21:7)

...my spirit was faint within me, my heart within me is stunned.... (Psalms 143:4, cf. 142:3)

My spirit has been consumed! (Psalms 143:7)

As for me, Daniel, my spirit grieved.... (Daniel 7:15)

(Pharaoh’s) spirit was troubled. (Genesis 41:8)

(Nebuchadnezzar said,) “...my spirit is troubled....” (Daniel 2:3)

I went bitterly in the wrath of my spirit. (Ezekiel 3:14)

[5] 5. Life in a state of various evil affections:

“...provided there is no deceit in his spirit.” (Psalms 32:2)

Jehovah has mingled a spirit of perversity in her midst. (Isaiah 19:14)

...said (He)...to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit.... (Ezekiel 13:3)

The prophet is a fool, the man of the spirit is insane. (Hosea 9:7)

Be observant by your spirit, and do not deal treacherously. (Malachi 2:16)

...the spirit of harlotry has caused them to stray.... (Hosea 4:12)

...a spirit of harlotry is in their midst.... (Hosea 5:4)

When a spirit of jealousy comes upon him.... (Numbers 5:14)

...a man who is a wanderer in spirit, and he prattles falsehood.... (Micah 2:11)

...a generation...whose spirit was not steadfast with God. (Psalms 78:8)

...poured out on (them) a spirit of drowsiness.... (Isaiah 29:10)

Conceive chaff, bring forth stubble; as for your spirit, fire shall shall devour you. (Isaiah 33:11)

[6] 6. Hellish life:

I will...cause...the unclean spirit to depart from the land. (Zechariah 13:2)

When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places.... And then he...attaches to himself seven worse spirits than himself, and they enter and dwell there. (Matthew 12:43-45)

...Babylon...has become a dwelling place of...a foul spirit.... (Revelation 18:2)

[7] 7. In addition, the spirits of hell themselves who torment mankind: Matthew 8:16, 10:1, 12:43-45; Mark 1:23-27, 9:17-29; Luke 4:33, 36, 6:17-18, 7:21, 8:2, 29, 9:39, 42, 55, 11:24-26, 13:11; Revelation 13:15, 16:13-14.

  
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Published by the General Church of the New Jerusalem, 1100 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania 19009, U.S.A. A translation of Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae de Domino, by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1688-1772. Translated from the Original Latin by N. Bruce Rogers. ISBN 9780945003687, Library of Congress Control Number: 2013954074.

The Bible

 

Matthew 13

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1 On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside.

2 Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach.

3 He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "Behold, a farmer went out to sow.

4 As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them.

5 Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn't have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth.

6 When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away.

7 Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them.

8 Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.

9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

10 The disciples came, and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

11 He answered them, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.

12 For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever doesn't have, from him will be taken away even that which he has.

13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don't see, and hearing, they don't hear, neither do they understand.

14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, 'By hearing you will hear, and will in no way understand; Seeing you will see, and will in no way perceive:

15 for this people's heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and should turn again; and I would heal them.'

16 "But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

17 For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn't see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn't hear them.

18 "Hear, then, the parable of the farmer.

19 When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn't understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside.

20 What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it;

21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.

22 What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

23 What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit, and brings forth, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty."

24 He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,

25 but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds also among the wheat, and went away.

26 But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then the darnel weeds appeared also.

27 The servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did this darnel come from?'

28 "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and gather them up?'

29 "But he said, 'No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them.

30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

31 He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;

32 which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches."

33 He spoke another parable to them. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened."

34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn't speak to them,

35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world."

36 Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field."

37 He answered them, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

38 the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one.

39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

40 As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age.

41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity,

42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

44 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.

45 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls,

46 who having found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

47 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind,

48 which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good into containers, but the bad they threw away.

49 So will it be in the end of the world. The angels will come forth, and separate the wicked from among the righteous,

50 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth."

51 Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?" They answered him, "Yes, Lord."

52 He said to them, "Therefore, every scribe who has been made a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who is a householder, who brings out of his treasure new and old things."

53 It happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there.

54 Coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom, and these mighty works?

55 Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?

56 Aren't all of his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all of these things?"

57 They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house."

58 He didn't do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.