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Ezekiel 31

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1 And it was, in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of Jehovah was unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, say unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; to whom art thou likened in thy greatness?

3 Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with beautiful boughs, and shadowing woods, and of a tall stature; and his top·​·branch was between the intertwined·​·branches.

4 The waters made· him ·great, the abyss lifted· him ·up with her rivers going all around his plants, and sent·​·out her waterways to all the trees of the field.

5 Therefore his stature was·​·loftier than all the trees of the field, and his limbs were multiplied, and his branches became·​·long from many waters, when he sent· them ·out.

6 All the fowls of the heavens nested in his limbs, and under his branches did all the animals of the field give·​·birth, and in his shadow dwelt all the many nations.

7 And he was·​·beautiful in his greatness, in the length of his offshoots; for his root was by many waters.

8 The cedars did not obscure him in the garden of God; the firs were not likened to his limbs, and the plane·​·trees were not as his branches; not any tree in the garden of God was·​·likened to him in his beauty.

9 I have made him beautiful with the multitude of his offshoots; and all the trees of Eden that were in the garden of God were·​·envious of him.

10 Therefore thus says the Lord Jehovih*, Because thou hast made· thyself ·tall in stature, and he has put his top·​·branch in between the intertwined·​·branches, and his heart is exalted in his loftiness;

11 And I have given him into the hand of the powerful one of the nations; dealing he shall deal with him; I have driven· him ·out according·​·to his wickedness.

12 And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut· him ·off, and have abandoned him; to the mountains and in all the ravines his offshoots are fallen, and his branches are broken in all the channels of the land; and all the people of the land are gone·​·down from his shadow, and have abandoned him.

13 Upon his fall shall all the fowls of the heavens abide, and all the animals of the field shall be in his branches:

14 in·​·order·​·that not any of the trees of the waters be·​·lofty in their stature, neither put their top·​·branch in between the intertwined·​·branches, neither their powerful ones stand in their loftiness, all that drink water; for they are all given to death, to the lower earth, in the midst of the sons of man, to those who go·​·down to the pit.

15 Thus says the Lord Jehovih; In the day of his going·​·down toward hell I caused a mourning; I covered the abyss over him, and I withheld its rivers, and the many waters were held·​·back: and I caused Lebanon to blacken over him, and all the trees of the field over him were fatigued.

16 I made the nations to quake at the voice of his fall, when I made him go·​·down to hell with those who go·​·down to the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the lower earth.

17 They also went·​·down unto hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt in his shadow in the midst of the nations.

18 to whom in·​·this·​·manner art thou likened in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? But thou shalt be brought·​·down with the trees of Eden to the lower earth; thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his crowd, says the Lord Jehovih.

   


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

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Arcana Coelestia # 46

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46. That 'beasts' means affections residing with man - evil affections in evil men and good affections in good men - becomes clear from many examples in the Word, as in Ezekiel,

Behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, so that you will be tilled and sown; and I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they will be multiplied and be fruitful, and I will resettle you 1 to be as in your ancient times. Ezekiel 36:9-11.

This refers to regeneration. In Joel,

Fear not, you beasts of My field, for the dwelling-places of the wilderness have been made green. Joel 2:22.

In David,

I was stupid, a beast 2 was I with God. Psalms 73:12.

In Jeremiah,

Behold, the days are coming when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast, and I will watch over them to build and to plant. Jeremiah 31:27-28.

This refers to regeneration.

[2] 'Wild animals' (fera) has a similar meaning, as in Hosea,

I will make for them a covenant on that day, with the wild animals of the field, and with the birds of the air, 3 and with the creeping things of the earth. Hosea 2:18.

In Job,

You will not fear the wild animals of the earth, for your covenant will be with the stones of the field, and the wild beasts of the field will be at peace with you. Job 5:22-23.

In Ezekiel,

I will make with them 4 a covenant of peace, and I will banish the evil wild animal from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness. Ezekiel 34:25.

In Isaiah,

The wild animals of the field will honour me, for I have given water in the desert. Isaiah 43:20.

In Ezekiel,

In its branches all the birds of the air 3 made their nests and under its branches every wild animal of the field gave birth, and in its shadow dwelt all great nations. Ezekiel 31:6.

This refers to Assyria, which means the spiritual man and is compared to the Garden of Eden. In David,

Praise Jehovah, all his angels, praise Him from the earth, sea monsters, fruit trees, wild animals, and all beasts, creeping things, and flying birds! Psalms 148:2-4, 7, 9-10.

Here the list is precisely the same - sea monsters, fruit trees, wild animals, beasts, creeping things, and birds. Unless they all mean things that are alive in human beings, they cannot possibly be referred to as praising Jehovah.

[3] A careful distinction is made in the Prophets between beasts and wild animals of the earth, and between beasts and wild animals of the field. The practice of calling goods 'beasts' extends to calling people in heaven who are nearest to the Lord 'living creatures', both in Ezekiel and in John,

All the angels stood around the throne, and the elders, and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God. 5 Revelation 7:11; 19:4.

The expression 'creatures' is also used of people who are to have the gospel preached to them because they are to be created anew, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. literally, I will cause you to inhabit

2. literally, beasts

3. literally, bird of the heavens (or the skies)

4. The Latin means with you; but the Hebrew means with them which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.

5. The Latin means the Lamb; but the Greek means God which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.

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