De Bijbel

 

Micah 2

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1 Woe to those who think iniquity and work evil on their beds! In the light of the morning they do it, for their own hand is for a god.*

2 And they covet fields, and they take· them ·by·​·robbery; and houses, and carry them away; and they oppress a mighty·​·man and his house, and a man and his inheritance.

3 Therefore thus says Jehovah: Behold, against this family do I reckon evil, from which you shall not withdraw your necks; neither shall you go exaltedly; for it is a time of evil.

4 In that day shall one take·​·up a proverb against you, and lament, lamenting with a lamentation, and say, Being devastated we are devastated! He has altered the partition of my people; how He has withdrawn it from me! Turning·​·back He has partitioned our fields.

5 Therefore thou shalt not have any who shall cast a cord by lot in the assembly of Jehovah.

6 Preach* ye not as they preach; they shall not preach to these; they shall not take·​·away humiliation.

7 It is said of the house of Jacob, Is the spirit of Jehovah shortened, if these are His actions? Do not My words do·​·good to him if he walks uprightly?

8 And yesterday My people have arisen as an enemy on account of raiment; you strip·​·off the magnificent robe* from those who pass·​·by securely, returning from war.

9 The women of My people you have driven·​·out from their delightful houses; with their babes you have taken My honor to eternity.

10 Arise ye, and go; for this is not your rest; on account of it being defiled, it shall hurt you, and the hurt will be·​·grievous.

11 If a man is·​·walking* in spirit and lies by falsity, saying, I will preach* to thee for wine and for strong·​·drink, then he shall be a preacher of this people.

12 Gathering I will gather Jacob, all of thee; bringing·​·together I will bring·​·together what·​·is·​·left of Israel; I will set them as·​·one, as the flock of Bozrah, as the drove in the midst of their fold*; they shall make·​·a·​·noise from man.

13 The breaking·​·off has gone·​·up before them; they have broken·​·off, and have passed·​·through the gate, and have gone·​·out by it: and their king shall pass·​·through before them, and Jehovah at the head of them.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

Commentaar

 

Midst

  

The "midst" of something in the Bible represents the thing that is most central and most important to the spiritual state being described, the motivation that drives everything else. In general this will be something we love or feel, because at the core of things we are what we love; our loves define us.

(Referenties: Apocalypse Revealed 44, 90, 268; Arcana Coelestia 2252, 2940, 10153, 10365, 10557, 10635, 10641)

Van Swedenborgs Werken

 

Arcana Coelestia #6084

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6084. 'In the best of the land cause your father and your brothers to dwell' means that they may live in the inmost part of it, that is to say, of factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of 'the best of the land' as the inmost part of the natural mind where factual knowledge resides, dealt with below, for 'the land of Egypt' is the natural mind, as immediately above in 6083; from the meaning of 'dwelling' as living, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051; and from the representation of Israel and his sons, to whom 'father' and 'brothers' who are to live there refer here, as spiritual good from the natural and the truths of the Church there, dealt with above in 6082.

[2] 'The best' means the inmost part since the best is that which is kept immediately beneath one's gaze. The eye is always directed towards that for which it feels the greatest affection and delight; and that which is kept immediately beneath its gaze is also the inmost part because it is in the centre and as a consequence exists before the eyes in greatest light. All else lies round about in peripheral positions and as a consequence is less clear, till at the edges it is obscure because it arouses less delight and affection. This is the situation with factual knowledge beheld by inward sight. The objects of that sight are nothing else than known facts and truths. The delight and goodness present in those objects are what direct that sight towards them. It should be recognized however that truths and factual knowledge agreeing with those truths come directly under its gaze, that is, they reside in the inmost part, if people take a delight in and feel an affection for spiritual and celestial truths since they are for those people 'the best'. But falsities and factual knowledge agreeing with those falsities come directly under the gaze of inner sight, that is, they reside in the inmost part, if people feel an affection for and take delight in the evils that belong to self-love and love of the world. See also what has been stated in 6068.

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