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 #9814

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9814. 'And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother' means a representative sign of the spiritual kingdom lying adjacent to the celestial kingdom. This is clear from the meaning of 'garments' in general as truths, and more particularly as truths clothing good, dealt with in 5954, 9212, 9216. The meaning of 'garments' as truths owes its origin to things in heaven, where angels appear dressed in clothes in keeping with the truths they have that spring from good, 165, 5248, 5954, 9212; and from this it may be recognized that Aaron's garments represented the Lord's spiritual kingdom lying adjacent to His celestial kingdom. For Aaron represented the Lord in respect of the Divine Celestial, 9810, and therefore the garments he wore represented the Divine Spiritual adjacent to the celestial kingdom like clothing next to the body, the Divine Spiritual being Divine Truth emanating from the Lord's Divine Good. It presents itself in heaven as light, indeed it is the light which illuminates both the outward and the inward powers of sight that angels possess. Modifications of this light - which are determined by the subjects, that is, the angels, that receive it - produce different visible phenomena, such as clouds, rainbows, and various colours and brightnesses; they also produce shining garments about the angels. From all this it may be recognized that the Lord's spiritual kingdom was represented by Aaron's holy garments. For there are two kingdoms into which the heavens are divided, the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom, regarding which, see 9277. Those in the celestial kingdom appear naked, but those in the spiritual kingdom appear in clothing. From this it is again clear that Divine Truth, or the Divine Spiritual, which appears as light, is that which serves to clothe.

[2] But who would ever credit it that, even though the Word exists within the Church and consequently enlightenment regarding Divine and heavenly realities, ignorance reigns there, so great that no one knows that angels and spirits take on the human form, appear to themselves as human beings, and see, hear, and talk to one another? Still less does anyone know that they appear clothed in garments. The idea that they do so is met not merely with doubt but also with complete denial on the part of those so blind to everything other than external things, that they think that the body alone lives, and that what they cannot see with the eyes in their body or touch with the hands on their body has no existence whatever, see 1881. But in actual fact the heavens are full of human beings, who are angels, and these are clothed with garments shining in varied degrees of brightness. But these beings cannot at all be seen by a person on earth through the eyes of his body, only through the eyes of his spirit, when the Lord opens them. The angels who were seen by the ancients, such as Abraham, Sarah, Lot, Jacob, Joshua, Gideon, and also the Prophets, were not seen by those persons' bodily eyes but by those of their spirit which had been opened then. The fact that they would also have appeared clothed in robes is clear from the angels sitting at the Lord's tomb, whom Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James saw, and who were wearing shining white garments, Matthew 28:3; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4, and in particular from the Lord Himself when seen in His glory by Peter, James, and John, in that His clothing was dazzling white and like the light, Matthew 17:2; Luke 9:29. This clothing too represented the Divine Spiritual, or the Divine Truth that emanated from Him.

[3] All this makes clear what 'white garments' means in the Book of Revelation,

You have a few names also in Sardis, who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white ones, for they are worthy. He who conquers will be clad in white garments. Revelation 3:4-5.

'Garments' here are spiritual truths, which are truths springing from good, as shown above; and 'white' is authentic truth, 3301, 4007, 5319. The following words that occur elsewhere in the same book are similarly made clear,

I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and He who sat on it was called faithful and true, and in righteousness He judges and goes into battle. His armies in heaven were following Him, clothed in linen white and clean. Revelation 19:11, 14.

And elsewhere again in that book,

On the thrones I saw twenty-four elders, clad in white garments. Revelation 4:4.

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