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Amos 4

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1 Hear this word, ye heifers of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria, which oppress the poor, which crush the needy, which say to their masters, Bring, and let us drink.

2 The Lord GOD hath sworn by his holiness, that lo, the days shall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your posterity with fish-hooks,

3 And ye shall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her; and ye shall cast them into the palace, saith the LORD.

4 Come to Beth-el and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years:

5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free-offerings: for this pleaseth you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.

6 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned to me, saith the LORD.

7 And also I have withheld the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece on which it rained not withered.

8 So two or three cities wandered to one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned to me, saith the LORD.

9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig-trees and your olive-trees increased, the palmer-worm devoured them: yet have ye not returned to me, saith the LORD.

10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the ill savor of your camps to come up to your nostrils: yet have ye not returned to me, saith the LORD.

11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a fire-brand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned to me, saith the LORD.

12 Therefore thus will I do to thee, O Israel: and because I will do this to thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

13 For lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth to man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #382

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382. 'Being a wanderer and a fugitive in the land' means not knowing what truth and good are. This is clear from the meaning in the Word of 'wandering' and of 'fleeing', as in Jeremiah,

Prophets and priests wander blind in the streets; they are defiled with blood. Things which have no power they touch with their garments. Lamentations 4:13-14.

Here 'prophets' stands for those who teach, 'priests' for those who live according to what is taught. 'Wandering blind in the streets' means not knowing what good and truth are.

[2] In Amos,

Part of one field had rain, and part of the field on which it did not rain dried up. So two or three cities will wander to one city to drink water, and they will not be satisfied. Amos 4:7-8.

Here 'the part of the field on which rain fell' is the doctrine of faith that derives from charity, while 'the part or section of the field on which it did not rain' is the doctrine of faith devoid of charity. 'Wandering to drink water' similarly means searching for truth.

[3] In Hosea,

Ephraim has been stricken, their root has dried up, they will bear no fruit. My God will cast them away because they have not hearkened to Him, and they will be wanderers among the nations. Hosea 9:16-17.

'Ephraim' stands for an understanding of truth, that is, for faith, since he was Joseph' s firstborn. 'A root which had dried up' stands for charity that is incapable of bearing fruit. 'Wanderers among the nations' means that they have no knowledge of truth and good.

[4] In Jeremiah,

Go up against Arabia and lay waste the sons of the east. Flee, wander far away; the inhabitants of Hazer have plunged into the depths to dwell there. Jeremiah 49:28, 30.

'Arabia' and 'the sons of the east' stand for the possession of celestial riches, or things of love, which when laid waste are also spoken of as 'fleeing and wandering', or fugitives and wanderers, when they achieve nothing good at all. And 'the inhabitants of Hazer', or those who possess spiritual riches, which are things of faith, are spoken of as 'plunging into the depths', which means perishing.

In Isaiah,

All your chief men are wandering about together, on account of the bow they have been put in chains. They have fled from far away. Isaiah 12:3.

This refers to 'the valley of vision', which is the delusion that faith can exist without charity. This explains why verse 14 below speaks of 'a wanderer and a fugitive', that is, a person who, confessing faith in isolation from charity, has no knowledge at all of truth and good.

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

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