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Ezequiel 44

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1 Y me tornó hacia la puerta de afuera del Santuario, la cual mira hacia el oriente; y estaba cerrada.

2 Y me dijo el SEÑOR: Esta puerta estará cerrada; no se abrirá, ni entrará por ella hombre, porque el SEÑOR Dios de Israel entró por ella; y será cerrada.

3 Para el príncipe: el príncipe, él se sentará en ella para comer pan delante del SEÑOR; por el camino de la entrada de la puerta entrará, y por el camino de ella saldrá.

4 Y me llevó hacia la puerta del norte por delante de la Casa, y miré, y he aquí, la Gloria del SEÑOR había llenado la Casa del SEÑOR; y caí sobre mi rostro.

5 Y me dijo el SEÑOR: Hijo de hombre, pon tu corazón, y mira con tus ojos, y oye con tus oídos todo lo que yo hablo contigo sobre todas las ordenanzas de la Casa del SEÑOR, y de todas sus leyes; y pon tu corazón a las entradas de la Casa, y a todas las salidas del Santuario.

6 Y dirás a la rebelde, a la Casa de Israel: Así dijo el Señor DIOS: Basta ya de todas vuestras abominaciones, oh Casa de Israel.

7 De haber vosotros traído extranjeros, incircuncisos de corazón e incircuncisos de carne, para estar en mi Santuario, para contaminar mi Casa; de haber ofrecido mi pan, la grosura y la sangre; y quebrantaron mi pacto por todas vuestras abominaciones;

8 y no guardasteis el ordenamiento de mis santificaciones, sino que os pusisteis guardas de mi ordenanza en mi Santuario para vosotros mismos.

9 Así dijo el Señor DIOS: Ningún hijo de extranjero, incircunciso de corazón e incircunciso de carne, entrará en mi Santuario, de todos los hijos de extranjeros que están entre los hijos de Israel.

10 Y los levitas que se apartaron lejos de mí cuando Israel erró, el cual se desvió de mí en pos de sus ídolos, llevarán su iniquidad.

11 Y serán ministros en mi Santuario, porteros a las puertas de la Casa, y sirvientes en la Casa; ellos matarán el holocausto y la víctima al pueblo, y ellos estarán delante de ellos para servirles.

12 Por cuanto les sirvieron delante de sus ídolos, y fueron a la Casa de Israel por tropezadero de maldad; por tanto, yo alcé mi mano acerca de ellos, dijo el Señor DIOS, que llevarán su iniquidad.

13 No se acercarán a mí para servirme como sacerdotes, ni se llegarán a ninguna de mis santificaciones; a mis cosas santísimas; sino que llevarán su vergüenza, y sus abominaciones que hicieron.

14 Les pondré, pues, por guardas encargados de la custodia de la casa para todo su servicio, y para todo lo que en ella haya de hacerse.

15 Mas los sacerdotes levitas, hijos de Sadoc, que guardaron el ordenamiento de mi Santuario, cuando los hijos de Israel se desviaron de mí, ellos se acercarán a mí para ministrarme, y delante de mí estarán para ofrecerme la grosura y la sangre, dijo el Señor DIOS.

16 Ellos entrarán en mi Santuario, y ellos se acercarán a mi mesa para ministrarme, y guardarán mi ordenamiento.

17 Y será que cuando entraren por las puertas del atrio interior, se vestirán de vestimentas de lino; no asentará sobre ellos lana, cuando ministraren en las puertas del atrio de adentro, y en el interior.

18 Chapeos de lino tendrán en sus cabezas, y pañetes de lino en sus lomos; no se ceñirán para sudar.

19 Y cuando salieren al atrio de afuera, al atrio de afuera al pueblo, se desnudarán de sus vestimentas con que ministraron, y las dejarán en las cámaras del Santuario, y se vestirán de otros vestidos; así no santificarán el pueblo con sus vestimentas.

20 Y no raparán su cabeza, ni dejarán crecer el cabello; sino que lo recortarán solamente.

21 Y ninguno de los sacerdotes beberá vino cuando hubieren de entrar en el atrio interior.

22 Ni viuda, ni repudiada se tomarán por mujeres; sino que tomarán vírgenes del linaje de la Casa de Israel, o viuda que fuere viuda de sacerdote.

23 Y enseñarán a mi pueblo a hacer diferencia entre lo santo y lo profano, y les enseñarán a discernir entre lo limpio y lo no limpio.

24 Y en el pleito ellos estarán para juzgar; por mis derechos lo juzgarán; y mis leyes y mis decretos guardarán en todas mis solemnidades, y santificarán mis sábados.

25 Y a hombre muerto no entrará el sacerdote para contaminarse; mas sobre padre, o madre, o hijo, o hija, hermano, o hermana que no haya tenido marido, sí podrán contaminarse.

26 Y después de su purificación, le contarán siete días.

27 Y el día que entrare al Santuario, al atrio de adentro, para ministrar en el Santuario, ofrecerá su expiación, dijo el Señor DIOS.

28 Y esto será a ellos por heredad; yo seré su heredad; y no les daréis posesión en Israel; yo soy su posesión.

29 El presente, y el sacrificio por la expiación, y por el pecado, comerán; y toda cosa dedicada a Dios en Israel, será de ellos.

30 Y las primicias de todos los primeros frutos de todo, y toda ofrenda de todo lo que se ofreciere de todas vuestras ofrendas, será de los sacerdotes; daréis asimismo las primicias de todas vuestras masas al sacerdote, para que haga reposar la bendición en vuestras casas.

31 Ninguna cosa mortecina, ni desgarrada, así de aves como de animales, comerán los sacerdotes.

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #9961

Studere hoc loco

  
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9961. 'From the loins even to the thighs they shall be' means the range of those things, that is to say, of those composing that more external level of conjugial love, meant by 'the linen undergarments'. This is clear from the meaning of 'the loins' and 'the thighs' as those things which constitute conjugial love, 'the loins' those that belong to the more internal levels of conjugial love, 'the thighs' those that belong to the more external levels, so that the range of that love from internal to external levels is meant. The reason why the more internal levels of that love are meant by 'the loins' is that these are above; and the reason why the more external levels are meant by 'the thighs' is that these are below. For parts of a person that are above mean things which are more internal, and parts that are below mean those which are more external; this is why in the Word more internal things are meant by higher ones, and more external by lower ones, see 3084, 4599, 5146, 8325. The higher parts of a person correspond to celestial and spiritual things, which are the more internal ones, and the lower parts correspond to natural things, which are the more external. This is why natural things are meant by 'the feet', 2162, 3147, 3986, 4382, 4938-4952. And since the lower part of the loins which leads down towards the feet is understood by 'the thighs' the more external or lower levels of conjugial love are meant by them, see 4277, 4280.

[2] The loins in general however mean conjugial love, 3021, 3294, 4575, 5050-5062; they have this meaning by virtue of their correspondence. Regarding the correspondence with heaven of everything present with a human being, see what has been shown abundantly in the places referred to in 9276(end), 9280. The words 'range of conjugial love from internal to external levels' are used because all aspects of love and all matters of faith, or what amounts to the same thing, all those of good and all those of truth, have a wide range in the heavens; for all who are there are joined together in accord with the degree of similarity between the truths of their faith and the forms of good of their love. A range such as this exists in each separate heaven. But the range in each heaven also extends into heavens that are below, because all the heavens make one. Indeed they extend right down to mankind, in order that mankind also may make one with the heavens. This range is what is meant by the range from higher or more internal levels to lower or more external ones. The higher or more internal levels are called celestial and spiritual, and the lower or more external ones are called natural or worldly.

[3] As regards conjugial love specifically, whose range is the subject here, this love is fundamental to all other kinds of love; it descends from the marriage of good and truth in the heavens. And since the marriage of good and truth exists in and makes the heavens, truly conjugial love constitutes heaven itself with a person. But the marriage of good and truth in the heavens descends from the joining of the Lord to the heavens; for what emanates from the Lord and flows into the heavens is the good of love, and what is received there by the angels is the truth springing from it, thus truth which originates in good or in which there is good. This is why in the Word the Lord is called bridegroom and husband, and heaven together with the Church is called bride and wife.

[4] All this makes clear how holy marriages are in heaven, and how profane adulterous relationships are there. For in themselves marriages are so holy that there is nothing holier, and are so for the added reason that they are the seed-bed of the human race, and the human race is the seed-bed of heaven, since all people who have led an angelic life in the world go there. On the other hand adulterous relationships are so profane that nothing is more profane, because they are destructive of heaven and the Church with a person. For the truth of all this, see what has been stated and shown in 2727-2759 regarding marriages and regarding adulterous situations.

[5] All this once again makes it clear why foul and hellish things are meant by the kinds of 'nakedness' dealt with in 9960 above, and why it was commanded so strictly that when they ministered Aaron and his sons should be wearing the undergarments covering the loins, and that if they did not they would die, for it says,

Make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh; from the loins even to the thighs they shall be. And they shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they go into the tent of meeting or when they approach the altar to minister in the holy place, that they may not bear iniquity and die. It shall be the statute of an age 6 for him and his seed after him.

[6] It should be recognized therefore that by conjugial love all celestial and spiritual love is meant, because truly conjugial love, as has been shown above, is fundamental to all other kinds of love. People therefore in whom that fundamental love is present have all other loves belonging to heaven and the Church present in them; for as has been stated, it descends from the marriage of good and truth in the heavens, the marriage that makes heaven. This also explains why heaven is compared in the Word to a marriage, and is also actually called a marriage. From this too it is evident why precautions were taken to prevent the nakedness of Aaron or his sons from being visible while they ministered; for their nakedness served to mean all loves contrary to heavenly loves, which in general are called self-love and love of the world when they are the ends in view, and are foul and hellish loves. People at the present day have no knowledge that all this is so because they are steeped in these loves and take delight in nothing except that which arises from them. So it is that when spiritual love and celestial love are mentioned they are perplexed, not knowing what they may be, nor consequently what heaven may be; and perhaps they are astonished when they hear and consider that spiritual and celestial love separated from self-love and love of the world holds eternal happiness within it that is indescribable.

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