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Joel 2

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1 Sound ye the shophar* in Zion, and blast on it in the mountain of My holiness; let all those who dwell in the land tremble, for the day of Jehovah comes, for it is near:

2 a day of darkness and of thick·​·darkness, a day of cloud and of dense·​·darkness, as the dawn spread on the mountains; a people, many and numerous; there has not been from eternity as this, and it shall not again be after it, even·​·to the years of generation and generation.

3 A fire devours before him, and behind him a flame sets·​·flame; for the land is as the garden of Eden before him, and behind him a desolate wilderness; and there shall not even be to him deliverance.

4 The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses, and as horsemen, so shall they run.

5 As the voice of chariots on the heads of mountains shall they skip, as the voice of a flame of fire that devours the stubble, as a numerous people set·​·in· battle ·array.

6 Before their face peoples shall travail; all faces shall bring·​·together a blackening.

7 They shall run as heroes; they shall go·​·up the wall as men of war; and they shall walk, as a man in his ways, and they shall not take their paths;

8 and a man shall not thrust·​·out his brother; as a mighty·​·man on his highway shall they walk; and against the sword they shall fall, and they shall not gain anything.

9 They shall jostle in the city; they shall run on the wall, they shall go·​·up on the houses; they shall come·​·in through the windows as a thief.

10 The earth shall tremble before them; the heavens shall quake; the sun and the moon shall be blackened, and the stars shall gather·​·in their brightness.

11 and Jehovah shall give forth His voice before His host, for His camp is very many, for they are numerous who do His word; for great is the day of Jehovah, and very fearful, and who will sustain it?

12 And even now, says Jehovah, return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with wailing,

13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, and return to Jehovah your God; for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and of much mercy, and repents of the evil.

14 Who knows if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him, a gift·​·offering and a poured·​·offering to Jehovah your God?

15 Sound the shophar in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a day of restraint*.

16 gather the people, sanctify the assembly, bring·​·together the elders, gather the babes, and them who nurse at the breasts; let the bridegroom go·​·forth from his chamber, and the bride from her bridal·​·chamber.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of Jehovah, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O Jehovah, and give not Thine inheritance for a reproach, that the nations should rule them; why should they say among the peoples, Where is their God?

18 And will Jehovah be·​·zealous for His land, and have·​·pity on His people.

19 And Jehovah will answer and say to His people, Behold, I will send you the grain, and the must*, and the olive·​·oil, and you shall be satisfied with it; and I will no more put you as a reproach among the nations.

20 And the northerner I will cause to be·​·far·​·away from against you, and will expel him into a land arid and desolate, with his face toward the eastern sea, and his back* toward the sea behind, and his stink shall come·​·up, and his stench shall come·​·up, for he has become·​·great to do.

21 Fear not, O ground; Rejoice and be·​·glad, for Jehovah will become·​·great to do.

22 Fear not, ye beasts of the field, for your homes of the wilderness bring forth the tender·​·herb, for the tree bears its fruit, the fig·​·tree and the vine give their force.

23 And rejoice, ye sons of Zion, and be·​·glad in Jehovah your God; for He has given you the earlier·​·rain for justice, and He will cause the shower to come·​·down for you, the earlier·​·rain, and the later·​·rain in the first month.

24 And the threshing·​·floors shall be·​·full of grain, and the winepresses shall spill·​·over with must and olive·​·oil.

25 And I will repay to you the years that the locust, the grub, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm have eaten; My great force which I sent among you.

26 And eating you shall eat, and be satisfied, and praise the name of Jehovah your God, who has done wonders with you; and My people shall not be·​·ashamed to eternity.

27 And you shall know that I am in the midst·​·of Israel, and that I am Jehovah your God, and there is none else; and My people shall not be·​·ashamed to eternity.

28 3:1 And it shall be so afterwards, that I will spill·​·out My spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your elders shall dream dreams, your young·​·men shall see visions;

29 3:2 and also on the servants and on the handmaids in those days will I spill·​·out My spirit.

30 3:3 And I will put miracles in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and columns of smoke.

31 3:4 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the fearsome day of Jehovah shall come.

32 3:5 And it shall be, that for everyone who shall call on the name of Jehovah there shall be deliverance; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be an escape, as Jehovah has said, and among the survivors whom Jehovah shall call.

   


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

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Arcana Coelestia #4682

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4682. 'And Joseph dreamed a dream' means a declaration concerning Himself. This is clear from the meaning of 'dreaming a dream' as declaring. And because the dream has to do with Joseph, a declaration concerning the Lord's Divine Human is meant. The reason why 'a dream' here means a declaration is that Joseph's two dreams contain in summary form all that was foreseen and provided concerning Joseph. This in the internal sense means that which was foreseen and provided regarding Divine Truth within the kind of Church represented by 'Joseph's brothers', that is, the kind that starts out from faith. What is more, Divine Truths were made known in ancient times either through the spoken word, or through visions, or through dreams, followed by declarations made on the basis of these. Consequently by 'prophets' in the Word - to whom Divine truth was made known either through the spoken word, or through visions, or through dreams - are meant teachers of truths, and in the abstract sense the truths of doctrine, 2534.

[2] The same is therefore meant by 'seeing visions', and 'dreaming dreams', as in Joel,

I will pour out My spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy; your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on your men servants and women servants in those days I will pour out My spirit. Joel 2:28-29.

'Pouring out the spirit on these' stands for informing them of truths, 'prophesying' for teaching and declaring them, as also does 'dreaming dreams'. 'Old men' stands for those who have wisdom, 'young men' for those who have intelligence, and 'men servants' for those who have knowledge.

[3] In Jeremiah,

Thus said Jehovah Zebaoth, Pay no attention to the words of prophets prophesying to you; they render you worthless. They speak a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of Jehovah I have heard what the prophets have said, who prophesied a lie in My name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed! Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has My word tell My word truthfully. Behold, I am against those prophesying lying dreams, said Jehovah; they tell them and lead My people astray by their lies. Jeremiah 23:16, 25, 28, 32.

Here also 'prophesying' stands for teaching and declaring, but from lying dreams which are the substance of their declaration.

[4] The same theme occurs elsewhere, as in Jeremiah 29:8-9; Zechariah 10:2. In Moses:

When a prophet or the dreamer of a dream arises in the midst of you, who has given you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder comes to pass, which he has spoken to you, saying, Let us go to other gods, whom you have not known, and let us serve them; you shall not obey the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of a dream. And that prophet and that dreamer of a dream shall be slain because he has spoken rebellion against Jehovah your God. Deuteronomy 13:1-3, 5.

'A prophet' and 'the dreamer of a dream' both stand for one who teaches and declares, in this case falsities.

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