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但以理书第2章

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1 尼布甲尼撒在位第二年,他做了梦,心里烦乱,不能睡觉

2 王吩咐人将术士、用法术的、行邪术的,和迦勒底人,要他们将王的梦告诉王,他们就站在王前。

3 王对他们:我做了一梦,心里烦乱,要知道这是甚麽梦。

4 迦勒底人用亚兰的言语对王:愿王万岁!请将那梦告诉仆人,仆人就可以讲解。

5 王回答迦勒底人:梦我已经忘了(或译:我已定命;八节同),你们若不将梦和梦的讲解告诉我,就必被凌迟,你们的房屋必成为粪堆;

6 你们若将梦和梦的讲解告诉我,就必从我这里得赠品和赏赐,并大尊荣。现在你们要将梦和梦的讲解告诉我。

7 他们第二次对王:请王将梦告诉仆人,仆人就可以讲解。

8 王回答:我准知道你们是故意迟延,因为你们知道那梦我已经忘了。

9 你们若不将梦告诉我,只有一法待你们;因为你们预备了谎言乱语向我,要等候时势改变。现在你们要将梦告诉我,因我知道你们能将梦的讲解告诉我。

10 迦勒底人在王面前回答:世上没有人能将王所问的事出来;因为没有君王、大臣、掌权的向术士,或用法术的,或迦勒底人问过这样的事。

11 王所问的事甚难。除了不与世人同居的神明,没有人在王面前能说出来。

12 因此,王气忿忿地大发烈怒,吩咐灭绝巴比伦所有的哲士。

13 於是命令发出,哲士将要见杀,人就寻找但以理和他的同伴,要杀他们。

14 王的护卫长亚略出来,要杀巴比伦的哲士,但以理就用婉言回答他,

15 向王的护卫长亚略:王的命令为何这样紧急呢?亚略就将情节告诉但以理。

16 但以理遂进去求王宽限,就可以将梦的讲解告诉王。

17 但以理回到他的居所,将这事告诉他的同伴哈拿尼雅、米沙利、亚撒利雅,

18 要他们祈求上的神施怜悯,将这奥秘的事指明,免得但以理和他的同伴与巴比伦其馀的哲士一同灭亡。

19 这奥秘的事就在夜间异象中给但以理显明,但以理便称颂天上的神。

20 但以理:神的名是应当称颂的!从亘古直到永远,因为智慧能力都属乎他。

21 他改变时候、日期,废王,立王,将智慧赐与智慧人,将知识赐与聪明人。

22 他显明深奥隐秘的事,知道暗中所有的,光明也与他同居。

23 我列祖的神啊,我感谢你,赞美你,因你将智慧才能赐给我,允准我们所求的,把王的事给我们指明。

24 於是,但以理进去见亚略,就是王所派灭绝巴比伦哲士的,对他:不要灭绝巴比伦的哲士,求你领我到王面前,我要将梦的讲解告诉王。

25 亚略就急忙将但以理领到王面前,对王:我在被掳的犹大人中遇见一人,他能将梦的讲解告诉王。

26 王问称为伯提沙撒的但以理:你能将我所做的梦和梦的讲解告诉我麽?

27 但以理在王面前回答:王所问的那奥秘事,哲士、用法术的、术士、观兆的都不能告诉王;

28 只有一位在天上的神能显明奥秘的事。他已将日後必有的事指示尼布甲尼撒王。你的梦和你在床上脑中的异象是这样:

29 王啊,你在床上想到後来的事,那显明奥秘事的主把将来必有的事指示你。

30 至於那奥秘的事显明给我,并非因我的智慧胜过一切活人,乃为使王知道梦的讲解和心里的思念。

31 王啊,你梦见一个大像,这像甚,极其光耀,站在你面前,形状甚是可怕。

32 这像的头是精金的,胸膛和膀臂是银的,肚腹和腰是铜的,

33 腿是铁的,脚是半铁半泥的。

34 你观看,见有一块非人手凿出来的石头打在这像半铁半泥的脚上,把脚砸碎;

35 於是金、银、铜、铁、泥都一同砸得粉碎,成如夏天禾场上的糠秕,被风吹散,无处可寻。打碎这像的石头变成一座大山,充满天下。

36 这就是那梦。我们在王面前要讲解那梦。

37 王啊,你是诸王之王。天上的神已将国度、权柄、能力、尊荣都赐给你。

38 凡世人所住之地的走兽,并天空的飞鸟,他都交付你手,使你掌管这一切。你就是那金头。

39 在你以後必另兴一国,不及於你;又有第国,就是铜的,必掌管天下。

40 第四国,必坚壮如铁,铁能打碎克制百物,又能压碎一切,那国也必打碎压制列国。

41 你既见像的脚和脚指头,一半是窑匠的泥,一半是铁,那国将来也必分开。你既见铁与泥搀杂,那国也必有铁的力量。

42 那脚指头,既是半铁半泥,那国也必半强半弱。

43 你既见铁与泥搀杂,那国民也必与各种人搀杂,却不能彼此相合,正如铁与泥不能相合一样。

44 当那列王在位的时候,天上的神必另立一国,永不败坏,也不归别国的人,却要打碎灭绝那一切国,这国必存到永远

45 你既看见非人手凿出来的一块石头从山而出,打碎金、银、铜、铁、泥,那就是至大的神把後来必有的事给王指明。这梦准是这样,这讲解也是确实的。

46 当时,尼布甲尼撒王俯伏在地,向但以理下拜,并且吩咐人给他奉上供物和香品。

47 王对但以理:你既能显明这奥秘的事,你们的神诚然是万神之神、万王之主,又是显明奥秘事的。

48 於是王抬但以理,赏赐他许多上等礼物,派他管理巴比伦全省,又立他为总理,掌管巴比伦的一切哲士。

49 但以理求王,王就派沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌管理巴比伦省的事务,只是但以理常在朝中侍立。

   

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Apocalypse Revealed#913

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913. Gold symbolizes the goodness of love because metals, like everything else found in the natural world, have a correspondence - gold to the goodness of love, silver to truths of wisdom, copper or bronze to the goodness of charity, and iron to truths of faith. For that reason these metals are found also in the spiritual world, since everything found there has a correspondence, inasmuch as they all correspond to the angels' affections and thoughts, which in themselves are spiritual.

That gold, owing to its correspondence, symbolizes the goodness of love, may be seen from the following passages:

I urge you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be enriched... (Revelation 3:18)

How dim the gold has become! How changed the finest gold! The stones of the sanctuary are scattered at the head of every street. The precious sons of Zion, valuable as pure gold... (Lamentations 4:1-2)

He will... save the souls of the poor... And He will give them some of the gold of Sheba. (Psalms 72:13, 15)

Instead of bronze I will bring gold, instead of iron, silver, instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. I will also make your registration peaceful, and your tax gatherers righteous. (Isaiah 60:17)

Behold, you are wise...! No secret has been hidden from you! With your wisdom and your intelligence you have gained for yourself... gold and silver in your treasuries... You were in Eden, the garden...; every precious stone was your covering..., also gold. (Ezekiel 28:3-4, 13)

The multitude of camels shall cover you...; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah. (Isaiah 60:6, cf. 60:9, Matthew 2:11)

...I will fill this house with glory... The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine... The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former... (Haggai 2:7-9)

Kings' daughters are among Your precious ones. At Your right hand stands the queen in the finest gold of Ophir... Her clothing is woven with gold. (Psalms 45:9, 13, cf. Ezekiel 16:13)

You have taken vessels for your adornment from My gold and My silver that I had given you, and made for yourself male images... (Ezekiel 16:17)

...you have taken My silver and My gold, and have carried My valuable possessions into your temples. (Joel 3:5)

[2] Since gold symbolized the goodness of love, therefore when Belshazzar with his great men was drinking wine from vessels of gold taken from the temple in Jerusalem, and at the same time was praising gods of gold, silver, bronze and iron, writing appeared on the wall, and that night he was slain (Daniel 5). And so on in many other places.

Since gold symbolized the goodness of love, therefore the Ark that contained the Law was overlaid inside and out with gold (Exodus 25:11). Therefore the mercy seat and the cherubim over the Ark were also of made of pure gold (Exodus 25:17-18).

[3] Since gold symbolized the goodness of love, silver the truth of wisdom, bronze the goodness of the natural love called charity, and iron the truth of faith, therefore people in ancient times called the succeeding periods of time from the most ancient period to the concluding one the golden, silver, bronze and iron ages. A similar symbolism is exhibited by the statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream, whose head was fine gold, its breast and arms silver, its belly and thighs bronze, its lower legs iron, and its feet part iron and part clay (Daniel 2:32-33). This symbolizes the succeeding states of the church in this world, from most ancient times to the present day. The state of the church today is described in this way:

As you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. (Daniel 2:43)

Iron symbolizes the truth of faith, as we have said, yet when there is no truth of faith, but faith without truth, then it is iron mixed with miry clay, the two of which do not bond together. The seed of men with which they will mingle symbolizes the truth in the Word. This is the state of the church today. What it will be hereafter is briefly described in Daniel 2:45, but at more length in chapter 7, verses 13-18, 27.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.