586、我还蒙允许察看地狱，看看他们在里面是什么样子。如果主乐意，上方的灵人或天使的视线可以从上面穿透到下面最深处（尽管有遮盖物），探究他们的品性。我就是蒙允许以这种方式察看他们的。有的地狱看上去就像岩石中的山洞和通道，向里延伸，然后倾斜或垂直的下到深渊；有的地狱看似森林中野兽的巢穴或洞穴，有的看似矿井中空心的洞穴和通道，像隧道向下延伸。大多数的地狱分为三层：上层地狱里面看上去里面一片漆黑，因为住在里面的人处在邪恶的伪谬中；而低层地狱看上去就像火烧，因为住在那里的人处在邪恶本身中。黑暗对应着邪恶的伪谬，火对应着邪恶本身。那些从内在作恶的人住在更深的地狱，而那些从外在作恶、也就是出于邪恶的伪谬而行事的人，住在较浅的地狱。
有些地狱看上去就像火灾过后房屋和城市的废墟，恶灵就住在其中并隐藏自己；在较温和的地狱里，能看见简陋的棚屋，有时连成一座城市的形式，有大街和小巷。恶灵在这些棚屋里不停地争吵、敌视、打斗、残暴，大街小巷到处都是抢劫和掠夺，有些地狱除了妓院外，什么也没有，看上去令人作呕，充满了各种各样的污秽和排泄物。
还有阴暗的森林，地狱灵在里面像野兽一样四处游荡，当他们被别人追赶时，就逃到那里的地下通道中；也有沙漠，到处都是荒芜贫瘠的沙地，一些地方岩石参差不齐，里面有洞穴，有些地方有棚屋。那些遭受了每一种极端惩罚的人，尤其是那些在世时比别人更狡猾地策划阴谋诡计和欺骗的人，就从地狱被赶到这些沙漠中。这种生活就是他们最终的命运。
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586. 我还蒙允许考察地狱, 以查看里面是什么样; 因为当主乐意时, 尽管有遮盖物, 灵人或天使的视线仍可从上面穿透到下面最低层的深渊, 探究它们的特征. 我就是以这种方式蒙允许考察它们的. 其中有的地狱在我看来就像大大小小的洞穴, 通向悬崖峭壁, 然后倾斜而下, 或以一定角度向下进入深渊; 有的看似林中野兽的巢穴或兽窝; 有的看似矿井中所看到的拱状中空穴道和向下延伸的洞穴. 地狱大多分为三层: 高层地狱里面看上去很幽暗, 因为住在那里的人陷入邪恶的虚假; 而低层地狱看上去就像烈火, 因为住在那里的人陷入邪恶本身; 幽暗对应于邪恶的虚假, 烈火对应于邪恶本身. 那些从内在出于邪恶行事的人所住的地狱更深, 而那些从外在出于邪恶, 也就是出于邪恶的虚假行事的人所住的地狱没有那么深. 有些地狱看上去就像火灾过后房屋和城市的废墟, 地狱灵就住在其中, 并藏了起来. 相对温和的地狱看上去就像简陋的棚屋, 有时连成一座城的形式, 有大街小巷. 地狱灵在这些棚屋里不断争吵, 敌对, 打架, 施暴, 大街小巷到处是盗贼和劫犯. 有些地狱除了妓院外什么也没有, 看上去令人作呕, 充满各种污秽和粪便. 还有一些幽暗的森林, 地狱灵在里面像野兽一样四处游荡; 当受到别人的威胁时, 他们就逃到那里的地下洞穴之中. 有一些旷野之地寸草不生, 尽是沙子; 其中有些地方散落着里面带有洞穴, 凹凸不平的岩石; 有些地方则散落着棚屋. 那些遭受各种极端处罚的人, 尤其那些在世时在制造和策划阴谋诡计方面比别人更狡诈的人就从地狱被流放到这些旷野之地. 这种生活就是他们最终的命运.
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586. 我曾被允許審視地獄, 觀察裡面的景象。得蒙許可, 靈或天人可以透視其中, 瞭解它們的性質, 甚至一覽無餘。我也曾透視其中, 我注意到, 有的地獄看似通向峭壁, 傾斜而下的洞穴, 有的像林中野獸的洞穴, 有的像礦藏的地窖, 有洞穴直引而下。多數地獄分作三層。較上層看似一片幽暗, 因為住在那裡的是陷入邪惡之偽謬的人。較下層看似一片火紅, 因為住在那裡的是陷入邪惡本身的人。黑暗對應邪惡所生的偽謬, 火則對應邪惡本身。就是說, 人陷入的邪惡越深, 他所處的地獄就越深。反之, 人陷入的邪惡較淺(即陷入邪惡所生的偽謬之中), 他所處的地獄就較淺。
有的地獄看似火災過後的廢墟, 地獄之靈就住在廢棄的房屋之中。
在相對溫和的地獄, 可看到一些簡陋的棚屋, 組成一個城鎮, 有大街小巷。地獄之靈住在棚屋之中, 時常爭吵, 敵對, 打鬥。大街小巷到處是竊賊和強盜。
有的地獄全是妓院, 隨處可見骯髒啟穢之物。有的地獄看似一片幽暗的森林, 地獄之靈住在其中, 像野獸一樣吼叫, 一遇到危險, 就啟入地下的洞穴中。有的地獄看似一片寸草不生的曠野, 四處散落著藏有洞穴的岩石或棚屋。在地獄受盡痛苦的人(主要是一些極為詭詐, 慣于喬裝欺騙的人)被投到這些曠野。這種生活就是他們最後的歸宿。
586. I have been allowed to look into the hells and see what they were like inside, for when it pleases the Lord, a spirit or angel who is overhead can probe visually into the depths and examine their nature with no coverings in the way. I have also been allowed to explore them in this fashion. Some of the hells looked to me like caves and caverns leading into cliffs and then slanting downward or off at an angle.
Some of these hells looked like the lairs or dens of wild animals in the woods, some like the vaulted chambers and crypts found in mines, with caverns leading downward. Many of the hells are threefold. The higher ones look gloomy inside because the people there are fond of malicious distortions. The lower ones look fiery, though, because their inhabitants are devoted to malice itself. Darkness in fact corresponds to malicious distortions, and fire to the actual malice. That is, the people in the deeper hells are the ones who acted from evil on a deeper level, while the people in the hells that are not so deep acted from evils on a more superficial level - that is, on the basis of their malicious distortions.
In some hells you can see what look like the ruins of houses and cities after a fire, where hellish spirits live and hide out.
In the milder hells you can see crude huts, sometimes grouped in something like a city, with alleyways and streets. There are hellish spirits in these homes, with constant quarrels, hostility, beating, and violence. The streets and alleys are full of thieves and robbers.
In some hells there are nothing but brothels, foul to look at and full of all kinds of filth and excrement.
There are also dark forests where hellish spirits roam like wild beasts; and there are underground caves there where they flee when they are being threatened by others. Then there are desert areas where everything is barren and sandy, with rugged cliffs here and there with caves in them, and huts scattered around as well. People are exiled from the hells into these desert places if they have suffered to the limit, especially people who in the world were craftier than others in the skills of deliberate manipulation and deceit. This kind of life is their final lot.
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586. I have also been permitted to look into the hells and to see what they are within; for when the Lord pleases, the sight of a spirit or angel from above may penetrate into the lowest depths beneath and explore their character, notwithstanding the coverings. In this way I have been permitted to look into them. Some of the hells appeared to the view like caverns and passages in the rocks extending inward and then downward into an abyss, either obliquely or vertically. Some of the hells appeared to the view like the dens and caves of wild beasts in forests; some like the hollow caverns and passages that are seen in mines, with tunnels extending towards the lower regions. Most of the hells are threefold, the upper one appearing within to be in dense darkness, because inhabited by those who are in the falsities of evil; while the lower ones appear fiery, because inhabited by those who are in evils themselves, dense darkness corresponding to the falsities of evil, and fire to evils themselves. For those who have acted interiorly from evil are in the deeper hells, and those who have acted exteriorly from evil, that is, from the falsities of evil, are in the hells that are less deep. Some hells present an appearance like the ruins of houses and cities after conflagrations, in which infernal spirits dwell and hide themselves. In the milder hells there is an appearance of rude huts, in some cases contiguous in the form of a city with lanes and streets, and within the houses are infernal spirits engaged in unceasing quarrels, enmities, fightings, and brutalities; while in the streets and lanes, robberies and depredations are committed. In some of the hells there are nothing but brothels, disgusting to the sight and filled with every kind of filth and excrement. Again, there are dark forests, in which infernal spirits roam like wild beasts and where, too, there are underground tunnels into which those flee who are pursued by others. There are also deserts, where all is barren and sandy, and where in some places there are ragged rocks in which there are caverns, and in some places huts. Into these desert places, are cast out from the hells those who have suffered every extremity of punishment, especially those who in the world have been more cunning than others in undertaking and contriving intrigues and deceits. Such a life is their final lot.
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586. I have also been permitted to look into the hells and to see what they are within; for when the Lord wills, the sight of a spirit or angel from above may penetrate into the lowest depths beneath and explore their character, notwithstanding the coverings. In this way I have been permitted to look into them. Some of the hells appeared to the view like caverns and dens in rocks extending inward and then downward into an abyss, either obliquely or vertically. Some of the hells appeared to the view like the dens and caves of wild beasts in forests; some like the hollow caverns and passages that are seen in mines, with caverns extending towards the lower regions. Most of the hells are threefold, the upper one appearing within to be in dense darkness, because inhabited by those who are in the falsities of evil; while the lower ones appear fiery, because inhabited by those who are in evils themselves, dense darkness corresponding to the falsities of evil, and fire to evils themselves. Those that have acted interiorly from evil are in the deeper hells, and those that have acted exteriorly from evil, that is, from the falsities of evil, are in the hells that are less deep. Some hells present an appearance like the ruins of houses and cities after conflagrations, in which infernal spirits dwell and hide themselves. In the milder hells there is an appearance of rude huts, in some cases contiguous in the form of a city with lanes and streets, and within the houses are infernal spirits engaged in unceasing quarrels, enmities, fightings, and brutalities; while in the streets and lanes robberies and depredations are committed. In some of the hells there are nothing but brothels, disgusting to the sight and filled with every kind of filth and excrement. Again, there are dark forests, in which infernal spirits roam like wild beasts and where, too, there are underground dens into which those flee who are pursued by others. There are also deserts, where all is barren and sandy, and where in some places there are ragged rocks in which there are caverns, and in some places huts. Into these desert places those are cast out from the hells who have suffered every extremity of punishment, especially those who in the world have been more cunning than others in undertaking and contriving intrigues and deceits. Such a life is their final lot.
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586. Datum etiam est inspicere in inferna, ac videre qualia sunt intus nam cum Domino beneplacet, potest spiritus et angelus, qui supra est, visu penetrare in ima, ac lustrare qualia sunt, non obstantibus operturis: ita quoque mihi datum est in illa introspicere. Quaedam inferna apparuerunt ad aspectum sicut cavernae et antra in rupibus tendentia introrsum, ac inde quoque in profundum oblique vel diametraliter. Quaedam inferna apparuerunt ad aspectum similia lustris et speluncis, quales sunt feris in silvis. Quaedam similia lacunatis cavernis et cryptis quales sunt in fodinis, cum antris versus inferiora. Pleraque inferna sunt triplicata superiora intus apparent caliginosa, quia ibi in falsis mali sunt, inferiora autem apparent ignita, quia ibi in ipsis malis sunt caligo enim correspondet falsis mali, ac ignis ipsis malis nam in profundioribus infernis sunt qui interius ex malo egerunt, in minus profundis autem sunt qui exterius, quod est ex falsis mali. In quibusdam infernis apparent sicut rudera domuum ac urbium post incendia, in quibus infernales spiritus habitant, et se recondunt. In mitioribus infernis apparent sicut rudes casae, alicubi contiguae in speciem urbis, cum vicis et plateis intus in domibus ibi sunt spiritus infernales, ubi continuae rixae, inimicitiae, verberationes, et dilaniationes; in plateis et vicis sunt latrocinia et praedationes. In quibusdam infernis sunt mera lupanaria, quae tetra visu sunt, impleta omnis generis sordibus et excrementis. Sunt etiam silvae opacae, in quibus infernales spiritus sicut ferae vagantur ac ibi quoque sunt antra subterranea, in quae fugiunt qui insectantur ab aliis. Sunt quoque deserta, ubi nihil nisi quam sterile et arenosum, et alicubi scabrae rupes in quibus cavernae, alicubi etiam casae in deserta haec loca ejiciuntur ex infernis qui extrema passi sunt, maxime illi qui in mundo moliendis et machinandis artibus et dolis astutiores reliquis fuerunt; ultimum eorum est talis vita.