The Bible

 

以西结书 23

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1 耶和华的又临到我说:

2 人子啊,有两个女子,是母所生,

3 他们在埃及行邪淫,在幼年时行邪淫。他们在那里作处女的时候,有人拥抱他们的怀,抚摸他们的乳。

4 他们的名字,姊姊名叫阿荷拉,妹妹名叫阿荷利巴。他们都归於我,生了儿女。论到他们的名字,阿荷拉就是撒玛利亚,阿荷利巴就是耶路撒冷

5 阿荷拉归我之後行邪淫,贪恋所的人,就是他的邻邦亚述人。

6 这些人都穿蓝衣,作省长、副省长,都,是可爱的少年人。

7 阿荷拉就与亚述人中最美的男子放纵淫行,他因所恋爱之人的一切偶像,玷污自己。

8 自从在埃及的时候,他就没有离开淫乱,因为他年幼作处女的时候,埃及人与他行淫,抚摸他的乳,纵欲与他行淫。

9 因此,我将他交在他所的人中,就是他所恋的亚述人中。

10 他们就露了他的下体,掳掠他的儿女,用刀杀了他,使他在妇女中留下臭名,因他们向他施行审判。

11 妹妹阿荷利巴虽然见了,却还贪恋,比他姊姊更丑;行淫乱比他姊姊更多。

12 他贪恋邻邦的亚述人,就是穿极华美的衣服,的省长、副省长,都是可爱的少年人。

13 见他被玷污了,他姊妹人同行

14 阿荷利巴又加增淫行,因他见人像画在上,就是用丹色所画迦勒底人的像,

15 腰间系着子,上有下垂的裹巾,都是军长的形状,仿照巴比伦人的形像;他们的故土就是迦勒底

16 阿荷利巴一看见就贪恋他们,打发使者往迦勒底去见他们。

17 巴比伦人就登他爱情的,与他行淫玷污他。他被玷污,随後心里与他们生疏。

18 这样,他显露淫行,又显露下体;我心就与他生疏,像先前与他姊姊生疏一样。

19 他还加增他的淫行,追念他幼年在埃及行邪淫的日子,

20 贪恋情人身壮精足,如

21 这样,你就想起你幼年的淫行。那时,埃及人拥抱你的怀,抚摸你的乳。

22 阿荷利巴啊,耶和华如此:我必激动你先而後生疏的人攻击你。我必使他们,在你四围攻击你。

23 所来的就是巴比伦人、迦勒底的众人、比割人、书亚人、哥亚人,同着他们的还有亚述众人,乃是作省长、副省长、作军长有名声的,都,是可爱的少年人。

24 他们必带兵器、战车、辎重车,率领大众攻击你。他们要拿大小盾牌,顶盔摆阵,在你四围攻击你。我要将审判的事交他们,他们必按着自己的条例审判你。

25 我必以忌恨攻击你;他们必以忿怒办你。他们必割去你的鼻子和耳朵;你遗留(或译:馀剩;下同)的人必倒在刀下。他们必掳去你的儿女;你所遗留的必被焚烧。

26 他们必剥去你的衣服,夺取你华美的宝器。

27 这样,我必使你的淫行和你从埃及染来的淫乱止息了,使你不再仰望亚述,也不再追念埃及

28 耶和华如此:我必将你交在你所恨恶的人中,就是你心与他生疏的人中。

29 他们必以恨恶办你,夺取你一切劳碌得来的,留下你赤身露体。你淫乱的下体,连你的淫行,带你的淫乱,都被显露。

30 人必向你行这些事;因为你随从外邦人行邪淫,被他们的偶像玷污了。

31 走了你姊姊所走的,所以我必将他的杯交在你中。

32 耶和华如此:你必你姊姊所的杯;那杯又深又广,盛得甚多,使你被人嗤笑讥刺。

33 你必酩酊大醉,满有愁苦,喝乾你姊姊撒玛利亚的杯,就是令人惊骇凄凉的杯。

34 你必这杯,以致尽。杯破又龈杯片,撕裂自己的乳;因为这事我曾说过。这是耶和华的。

35 耶和华如此:因你忘记我,将我丢在背後,所以你要担当你淫行和淫乱的报应。

36 耶和华又对我:人子啊,你要审问阿荷拉与阿荷利巴麽?当指出他们所行可憎的事。

37 他们行淫,中有杀人的血,又与偶像行淫,并使他们为我所生的儿女经火烧给偶像

38 此外,他们还有向我所行的,就是同日玷污我的圣所,干犯我的安息日。

39 他们杀了儿女献与偶像,当又入我的圣所,将圣所亵渎了。他们在我殿中所行的乃是如此。

40 况且你们二妇打发使者去请远方人。使者到他们那里,他们就来了。你们为他们沐浴己身,粉饰眼目,佩戴妆饰,

41 在华美的床上,前面摆设桌案,将我的香料膏摆在其上。

42 在那里有群众安逸欢乐的声音,并有粗俗的人和酒徒从旷野,把镯子戴在二妇的上,把华冠戴在他们的上。

43 我论这行淫衰老的妇人:现在人还要与他行淫,他也要与人行淫。

44 人与阿荷拉,并阿荷利巴二淫妇苟合,好像与妓女苟合。

45 必有人,照审判淫妇和流人血的妇人之例,审判他们;因为他们是淫妇,中有杀人的血。

46 耶和华如此:我必使多人来攻击他们,使他们抛来抛去,被人抢夺。

47 这些人必用石头打死他们,用刀杀害他们,又杀戮他们的儿女,用焚烧他们的房屋

48 这样,我必使淫行从境内止息,好叫一切妇人都受警戒,不效法你们的淫行。

49 人必照着你们的淫行报应你们;你们要担当拜偶像的罪,就知道我是耶和华

   

Commentary

 

Jerusalem

  

Jerusalem, on Mount Zion, signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. Jerusalem first comes to our attention in 2 Samuel 5, when King David takes the city from the Jebusites and makes it his capital. In the next chapter he brings the Ark of the Covenant there, and later it is where Solomon builds the temple, and his own palace. From then on Jerusalem is the center of worship of the Israelitish church. It is the place where the Lord was presented in the temple as a baby, where He tarried to talk to the priests at age twelve, where He cleansed the temple, had the last supper, was crucified and then rose. It is a central place in both the old and new Testaments. The city was built on Mount Zion, the highest point of the mountains of Judea. A city, in the Word, represents doctrine, the organized knowledge of the truths of the church. Mountains represent love of the Lord and the consequent worship. If you put those things together, Jerusalem on Mount Zion signifies the doctrine of love to the Lord, and how it governs your life. This is why David was led to make Jerusalem the most important city of the land, and why all worship was conducted there. And this is also why Jeroboam was condemned for introducing idol worship in Samaria. In the Book of Revelation, John's vision of the city New Jerusalem descending from God is a prophecy of a new dispensation of doctrine coming from the Lord.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 4539, 8938; The Apocalypse Explained 365 [35-38])

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8603

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8603. 'And Moses, Aaron, and Hur' means levels of Divine Truth that follow one another in order. This is clear from the representation of 'Moses' as Divine Truth that goes forth directly from the Lord, dealt with in 7010; from the representation of 'Aaron' as Divine Truth that goes forth from the Lord in an indirect way, dealt with in 7009; and from the representation of 'Hur' as Divine Truth that goes forth again in an indirect way, but through the latter. Thus there are levels of truth that follow one another in order.

[2] What is meant by levels of truth that follow one another in order must be stated briefly. All things without exception in the entire natural world spring in order from others on a more internal level; they derive from them and follow in order after them. But the interior things do not connect with the exterior by gradually merging into them; rather, they are distinct and separate, and are joined through extensions from themselves like fibres, which act as channels of communication. Some idea of the nature of things which derive from others and therefore follow in order from them may be conveyed by considering fruits such as lemons, apples, and the like. Their most external parts are their surrounding skins, their interiors are the surrounded flesh or pulp, and their yet more interior parts are the seeds; and the seeds have casings around the outside, then on the actual seeds membranes, under which lies an inner pulp containing the initial form, the soul so to speak, from which again spring new trees and fruit.

[3] All these things follow one another in order; but they are distinct and separate, yet at the same time are joined together. The communication of interiors with exteriors is effected in a wondrous fashion through fibre-like passageways. When those interiors and exteriors are first formed they are very closely connected; but in the course of time they are separated. For before the initial form, the inmost part within the seed, can expand into forms like its parents it must be opened in stages following one another in order. When it is opened and starts to grow, the pulpy parts surrounding it adapt themselves, serving first as its 'soil', and after that as its fertilizing sap. After this phase, which is its time in the womb, it is born; at that point it is left to the soil of the earth, in which it is sown as a seed.

[4] All this enables one to form some idea of the nature of things that derive from and follow one another in order. As is the nature of them in the vegetable kingdom, so it is also in the animal kingdom, yet in a far more perfect way. In the animal kingdom there are exterior things, interior, and inmost, which in like manner follow one another in order, are distinct and separate from one another, and yet at the same time are joined together. But they are different in that forms in the animal kingdom have been created to receive life. Consequently just as forms receiving life follow one another in order, so do the resulting kinds of vitality. For the forms or substances receiving life are the subjects 1 , and the things which result from changes and modifications of those forms are the forces, which should be called vitalities because they are life-forces. From all this one may now see what is meant by levels of Divine Truth that follow one another in order. For everything constituting life has connection with truth, and the perfection it possesses with good, or in the contrary sense with falsity, and its imperfection with evil. Their transitions in order from one to the next are also called degrees.

Footnotes:

1. Subject is used here to mean something which really exists yet depends for its existence on something prior to itself.

8603a 'Went up to the top of the hill' means in the good of charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'the hill' as charity, dealt with in 6435, the good of it being meant by 'the top of the hill'.

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