Bibeln

 

Esodo 23

Studie

   

1 NON levare un falso grido; non metter mano con l’empio per esser testimonio falso.

2 Non andar dietro a’ grandi per far male; e non dar sentenza in una lite, inchinando a favorire i grandi, per far torto.

3 Non avere altresì rispetto al povero nella sua lite.

4 Se tu incontri il bue del tuo nemico, o l’asino suo smarrito, del tutto riconduciglielo.

5 Se tu vedi l’asino di colui che ti odia giacer sotto il suo carico, mentre tu ti rimani di aiutarlo a farglielo andare oltre, del tutto fa’ con lui sì che possa andare oltre.

6 Non far torto al tuo bisognoso nella sua lite.

7 Allontanati dal parlar falso; e non far morir l’innocente nè il giusto; perciocchè io non assolverò l’empio.

8 E non prender presenti; perciocchè il presente accieca coloro che hanno chiara vista, e sovverte le parole de’ giusti.

9 E non oppressare il forestiere; perciocchè voi sapete in quale stato è l’anima del forestiere, essendo stati forestieri nel paese di Egitto.

10 Semina la tua terra sei anni, e ricogli il frutto di essa.

11 Ma ogni settimo anno lasciala vacare, e in abbandono, e mangino i bisognosi del tuo popolo il frutto di essa; e ciò che rimarrà loro, manginlo le bestie della campagna; fa’ il simigliante alla tua vigna ed a’ tuoi ulivi.

12 Sei giorni fa’ le tue faccende; ma al settimo giorno riposati; acciocchè il tuo bue, e il tuo asino, abbiano requie; e il figliuolo della tua serva, e il forestiere possano respirare.

13 E prendete guardia a tutto quello che io vi ho detto; e non ricordate il nome degl’iddii stranieri; non odasi quello nella tua bocca.

14 Celebrami tre feste solenni per anno.

15 Osserva la festa degli azzimi; mangia pani azzimi per sette giorni, come io ti ho comandato, nel tempo ordinato del mese di Abib; conciossiachè in quel mese tu sii uscito fuori di Egitto; e non comparisca alcuno davanti alla mia faccia vuoto.

16 Parimente osserva la festa della mietitura, delle primizie de’ tuoi frutti, di ciò che tu avrai seminato nel tuo campo; e la festa della ricolta, all’uscita dell’anno, quando tu avrai ricolti i tuoi frutti d’in sui campi.

17 Tre volte l’anno comparisca ogni maschio tuo davanti alla faccia del Signore, ch’è l’Eterno.

18 Non sacrificare il sangue del mio sacrificio con pan lievitato; e non sia guardato il grasso dell’agnello della mia solennità la notte fino alla mattina.

19 Porta nella Casa del Signore Iddio tuo le primizie de’ primi frutti della tua terra. Non cuocere il capretto nel latte di sua madre.

20 ECCO, io mando un Angelo davanti a te, per guardarti per lo cammino, e per condurti al luogo che io ho preparato.

21 Guardati, per la sua presenza, e ubbidisci alla sua voce, e non irritarlo; perciocchè egli non vi perdonerà i vostri misfatti; conciossiachè il mio Nome sia in lui.

22 Ma se pure tu ubbidisci alla sua voce, e fai tutto quello che io ti dirò, io sarò nemico de’ tuoi nemici, e avversario dei tuoi avversari.

23 Perciocchè l’Angelo mio andrà davanti a te, e t’introdurrà nel paese degli Amorrei, degl’Hittei, dei Ferezei, de’ Cananei, degl’Hivvei, a dei Gebusei; ed io distruggerò que’ popoli.

24 Non adorar gl’iddii loro, e non servir loro; e non far secondo l’opere di quei popoli; anzi distruggi quelli affatto, e del tutto spezza le loro statue.

25 E servite al Signore Iddio vostro, ed egli benedirà il tuo pane, e la tua acqua; ed io torrò via ogni infermità dal mezzo di te.

26 E’ non vi sarà nel tuo paese femmina che sperda, nè sterile; io compierò il numero de’ tuoi giorni.

27 Io manderò davanti a te il mio spavento, e metterò in rotta ogni popolo, nel cui paese tu entrerai, e farò che tutti i tuoi nemici volteran le spalle dinanzi a te.

28 Manderò eziandio davanti a te de’ calabroni, i quali scacceranno gl’Hivvei, i Cananei, e gl’Hittei dal tuo cospetto.

29 Io non li scaccerò dal tuo cospetto in un anno; che talora il paese non divenga deserto, e che le fiere della campagna non moltiplichino contro a te.

30 Io li scaccerò dal tuo cospetto a poco a poco, finchè tu sii cresciuto, e abbi presa la possessione del paese.

31 E io porrò i tuoi confini dal mar rosso fino al mar de’ Filistei; e dal deserto fino al Fiume; perciocchè io darò nelle vostre mani gli abitanti del paese, e tu li scaccerai dinanzi a te.

32 Non far lega alcuna con loro, nè co’ loro iddii.

33 Non abitino essi nel tuo paese, chè talora non ti facciano peccare contro a me; conciossiachè tu serviresti agl’iddii loro; perciocchè quello ti sarebbe in laccio.

   


To many Protestant and Evangelical Italians, the Bibles translated by Giovanni Diodati are an important part of their history. Diodati’s first Italian Bible edition was printed in 1607, and his second in 1641. He died in 1649. Throughout the 1800s two editions of Diodati’s text were printed by the British Foreign Bible Society. This is the more recent 1894 edition, translated by Claudiana.

Från Swedenborgs verk

 

Arcana Coelestia #9293

Studera detta avsnitt

  
/ 10837  
  

9293. 'And My face shall not be seen empty-handed' means the reception of good out of mercy, and thanksgiving. This is clear from the meaning of 'Jehovah's face' as good, mercy, and peace, dealt with in 222, 223, 5585, 7599; and from the meaning of 'not being seen empty-handed', or not coming without a gift, as bearing witness because good has been received, and thanksgiving. For gifts which were offered to Jehovah meant the kinds of things that are offered to the Lord by a person from the heart and are accepted by the Lord. The situation with those gifts is as it is with all a person's deeds. A person's deeds are merely acts performed by the body, and when regarded in isolation from his will are no more than variously regulated, so to speak articulated movements, not unlike the movements of a machine, and so are lifeless. But deeds regarded together with the will are not like those movements. Rather they are outward expressions of the will displayed before the eyes, for deeds are nothing other than witness-bearers to such things as compose the will. They also derive their soul or life from the will. Therefore something similar may be said of deeds as of movements, namely that nothing in deeds has life apart from the will, just as nothing in movements has life apart from endeavour. Mankind also knows this to be so, for someone endowed with intelligence pays no attention to a person's deeds, only to his will, the source, the means, and the reason for the deeds. Indeed someone endowed with wisdom scarcely notices the deeds but rather sees in the deeds what his will is like and how great it is. The same applies to gifts, in that in them the Lord looks on the will. So it is that by 'gifts' offered to Jehovah, that is, to the Lord, such things as are present in the will or the heart are meant, 'the heart' being what the Word calls a person's will. From all this it is also evident how to understand the teaching in Matthew 16:27 that everyone will receive judgement in the next life according to his deeds or works, namely that he will receive it according to what is in his heart and consequently his life.

[2] It is evident from the Word that such things are meant by 'gifts offered to Jehovah', as in David,

Sacrifice and gift You have not desired; burnt offering and sin-sacrifice You have not sought. I have delighted to do Your will, O My God. Psalms 40:6, 8.

In Moses,

Jehovah your God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords, who shows no partiality 1 and does not accept a gift. 2 Deuteronomy 10:17.

And in Matthew,

If you offer your gift on the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, you shall leave the gift there before the altar, and go away. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24.

From this it is evident that gifts offered to the Lord served to bear witness to things offered from the heart, which are those of faith and charity. 'Being reconciled to a brother' means charity towards the neighbour.

[3] In the same gospel,

Wise men from the east came, and they offered gifts to the new-born Lord - gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:1, 11.

'Gold, frankincense, and myrrh' means all forms of the good of love and faith offered to the Lord, 'gold' being forms of the good of love, 'frankincense' forms of the good of faith, and 'myrrh' forms of both in external things. The reason why 'wise men from the east' offered them was that among some in the east there remained from ancient times the knowledge and wisdom of the people of old, which consisted in their understanding and seeing heavenly and Divine realities within things in the world and on earth. For it was well known to the ancients that all things had a correspondence and were representative, and therefore had a spiritual meaning, as is also evident from the gentiles' oldest books and their monuments. This was how they knew that gold, frankincense, and myrrh meant the forms of good that should be offered to God. They knew also from their prophecies, which were those of the Ancient Church and which have been spoken of in 2686, that the Lord would come into the world, at which time a star would appear to them, about which also Balaam, who likewise was one of 'the sons of the east', prophesied, Numbers 24:17 - see 3762. 'A star' furthermore means cognitions or knowledge of internal goodness and truth, which come from the Lord, 2495, 2849, 4697.

[4] In David,

The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring a gift, the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring a present; and all kings will bow down [to Him], and all nations will serve Him. Psalms 72:10-11.

These things were said in reference to the Lord. 'Bringing a gift' and 'bringing a present' mean the good of love and faith. For 'Tarshish' means doctrinal teachings about love and faith, 1156; 'Sheba and Seba' cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth, 1171, 3240; 'kings' the Church's truths, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4581, 4966, 5044, 5068, 6148; and 'nations' the Church's forms of good, 1159, 1258-1260, 1416, 1849, 4574, 6005, 8771; from all of which meanings it is evident what 'all kings will bow down and all nations serve' is used to mean.

[5] In Isaiah,

They will announce My glory among the nations. At that time they will bring all your brothers from all nations as a gift to Jehovah, on horses, and in chariots, and in covered wagons, and on mules, and on fast runners, 3 to My holy mountain, Jerusalem, even as the children of Israel bring their gift in a clean vessel to the house of Jehovah. Isaiah 66:19-20.

A person unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word may think that these things were said of the Jews who were to be brought in such a manner to Jerusalem by gentile nations. But forms of the good of love to and faith in the Lord are what those prophetic words describe and what 'a gift' is used to mean. 'Horses', 'chariots', 'covered wagons', 'mules', and 'fast runners' on or in which they were to be brought mean intellectual concepts, doctrinal teachings, and factual knowledge of truth and good, as is evident from the meaning of these carriers - for example, from that of 'horses', 2760-2762, 3217, 5321, 6125, 6401, 6534, 8029, 8146, 8148; from the meaning of 'chariots', 5321, 5945, 8146, 8148, 8215; and from the meaning of 'mules', 2781.

[6] In Malachi,

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold, and like silver, in order that they may bring to Jehovah a gift in righteousness. Then the gift of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to Jehovah, as in the days of old, and as in former years. Malachi 3:3-4.

Since 'a gift offered to Jehovah' means the good of love and faith, it speaks here of their 'bringing to Jehovah a gift in righteousness' and of a gift 'acceptable to Jehovah'. 'Purifying the sons of Levi and purging them like gold and silver' means purifying goodness and truth from evils and falsities, 'the sons of Levi' being those who have faith and charity, thus who belong to the spiritual Church, 3875, 4497, 4502, 4503, and 'Judah' being the good of celestial love, thus those with whom that good exists, 3654, 3881.

Fotnoter:

1. literally, does not accept faces

2. i.e. a bribe

3. i.e. dromedaries or swift camels

  
/ 10837  
  

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

Från Swedenborgs verk

 

Arcana Coelestia #1416

Studera detta avsnitt

  
/ 10837  
  

1416. That 'I will make you into a great nation' means a kingdom in heaven and on earth becomes clear from the meaning of 'nation' in the internal sense as the celestial entity of love and the good which flows from this, thus all throughout the world in whom the celestial element of love and charity is present. Since the subject here in the internal sense is the Lord, everything of the celestial and of the good deriving from it, thus His kingdom, is meant - which exists with those in whom love and charity are present. In the highest sense the Lord Himself is 'the great nation' since He is the Celestial itself and Good itself. For all good that flows from love and charity originates in Him alone, which also explains why the Lord comprises His own kingdom, that is, He is the All in all of His kingdom, as also all angels in heaven acknowledge. From this it is now clear that 'I will make you into a great nation' means the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth.

[2] That 'nation' in the internal sense, where the Lord and celestial things of love are the subject, means Him and all celestial things may become clear also from what has been introduced in 1258, 1259, regarding the meaning of a nation and nations. This matter may be confirmed further still from the following places: In reference to Abraham further on,

No longer will your name be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. Genesis 17:5.

The soft 'h' sound in Abraham was taken from Jehovah's name because he represented Jehovah, that is, the Lord. Similarly in reference to Sarai,

You will not call her name Sarai, but Sarah will be her name, and I will bless her, and I will also give you a son by her; thus will I bless her, and she will become nations; kings of peoples will be from her. Genesis 17:15-16.

'Nations' here stands for the celestial things of love, and 'kings of peoples' for the spiritual things of faith deriving from that love, which are the Lord's alone.

[3] In reference to Jacob likewise,

Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel will be your name. And He called his name Israel, and God said, I am God Almighty, 1 increase and multiply; a nation and an assembly of nations will come into being from you, and kings will go out from your loins. Genesis 35:10-11.

Here 'Israel' stands for the Lord, who Himself, as is well known to some, is in the highest sense Israel. And when He is meant by 'Israel' it is evident that 'a nation and an assembly of nations' and 'kings from his loins' mean the celestial and spiritual things of love, and therefore all in whom the celestial and spiritual things of love are present. In reference to Ishmael, Abram's son by Hagar, it is said,

The son of the servant-girl I will make into a nation, because he is your seed. Genesis 21:13, 18.

What Ishmael represents will be seen in that place. 'The seed of Abram' means love itself, and because of this the word nation is used for those begotten from Ishmael.

[4] That 'nation' means the celestial things of love is clear in Moses,

If you will surely hearken to My voice, and keep My covenant and be a peculiar treasure to Me from among all peoples, you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Exodus 19:5-6.

Here 'a kingdom of priests', a phrase used to describe the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth, springing from the celestial things of love, is openly called 'a holy nation'. But the Lord's kingdom springing from His Royalty is described as such by virtue of the spiritual things of love and is called 'a holy people'. 'Kings from the loins' therefore, as above, 2 is spiritual things. In Jeremiah,

If these ordinances depart from before Me, said Jehovah, the seed of Israel also will cease from being a nation before Me for ever. 3 Jeremiah 31:36.

'Seed of Israel' stands for the celestial entity of charity, and when this ceases to exist there is no longer a nation before the Lord.

[5] In Isaiah,

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. You have multiplied the nation. Isaiah 9:2-3.

Specifically this refers to the Church of the nations, 4 , but in general to all who are without knowledge but lead charitable lives. These are 'the nation' because they are members of the Lord's kingdom. In David,

O that I may see the good of Your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the joy of Your nation, that I may glory in Your heritage. Psalms 106:5.

Here 'nation' plainly stands for the Lord's kingdom. It was from an ability to perceive that 'a nation' meant the celestial entity of love and the good which flows from this that members of the Most Ancient Church came to be distinguished into separate houses, families, and nations. By this distinguishing they gained a perception of the Lord's kingdom; and because they had a perception of the Lord's kingdom they had a perception of the celestial itself. From that ability to perceive there arose that which held a spiritual meaning, and from this that which was representative.

Fotnoter:

1. literally, the Lightning-Hurler or the Thunderbolt-Hurler. Generally Swedenborg retains the Hebrew Shaddai, usually translated the Almighty, regarding which see 1992 below; but here Swedenborg employs the Latin word fulminator.

2. i.e.. in Genesis 35:10-11

3. literally, all the days

4. i.e. the Church established among gentiles

  
/ 10837  
  

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