The Bible

 

Ezekijel 30

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1 I dođe mi riječ Jahvina:

2 "Sine čovječji, prorokuj i reci: 'Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: Kukajte: 'Jao dana!'

3 Jer se bliži dan, bliži se dan Jahvin! dan oblačan, vrijeme narodima određeno.

4 I mač će ući u Egipat, a strah će ophrvati Etiopiju kad mrtvi stanu padati po Egiptu i kad se razgrabi njegovo blago te kad mu temelje sve sruše.

5 Kuš, Put i Lud, sva Arabija i Libija, i sinovi zemlje Krete s njima od mača će izginuti'!

6 Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: 'Past će koji podupiru Egipat i srozat će se ponos njegove moći. Od Migdola do Sevana sve će u njemu od mača pasti - riječ je Jahve Gospoda.

7 On će biti pustoš među opustošenim zemljama, a njegovi gradovi ruševine među razrušenim gradovima.

8 I znat će da sam ja Jahve kad zapalim svoj oganj u Egiptu i zatrem sve pomagače njegove.

9 U onaj će dan glasnici od mene na lađama isploviti da zastraše bezbrižnu Etiopiju. I strah će je ophrvati u dan egipatski. Jer, evo, bliži se!'

10 Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: 'Uništit ću mnoštvo egipatsko rukom Nabukodonozora, kralja babilonskoga!

11 On i njegov narod s njime - najokrutniji među narodima - bit će dovedeni da zemlju zatru. I oni će isukati mač na Egipat i svu će mu zemlju truplima ispuniti.

12 A ja ću isušiti rijeke i zemlju predati u ruke silnicima, opustošit ću zemlju i što je u njoj - rukom tuđinaca. Ja, Jahve, rekoh!'

13 Ovako govori Jahve Gospod: 'Razorit ću kumire i ništavila istrijebiti iz Memfisa, i neće više biti knezova u egipatskoj zemlji, a strah ću posijati u zemlji egipatskoj.

14 Opustošit ću Patros, zapaliti Soan, izvršiti sud na Tebi.

15 Iskalit ću gnjev nad Sinom, tvrđom egipatskom, istrijebit ću mnoštvo u Tebi.

16 Zapalit ću oganj pod Egiptom: Sin će uzdrhtati od strave, Teba će biti osvojena, a Memfis u tjeskobi dan za danom.

17 Mladići Heliopola i Pi-Beseta od mača će pasti. A oni će biti odvedeni u ropstvo!

18 Nad Tafnisom pomrčat će dan kad ondje slomim jaram egipatski i kad se dokonča ponos moći u njemu! Nad njim će se nadviti oblak, i njegove će kćeri biti odvedene u ropstvo!

19 Tako ću izvršiti sud nad Egiptom, i znat će da sam ja Jahve.'"

20 Godine jedanaeste, prvoga mjeseca, sedmoga dana dođe mi riječ Jahvina:

21 "Sine čovječji, gle, slomih mišicu faraonu, kralju egipatskom! I evo, nisu je ni povili: nisu metnuli lijekove niti su je povojima obavili da je okrijepe kako bi se opet mogla prihvatiti mača.

22 Stoga ovako govori Jahve Gospod: 'Evo me protiv faraona, kralja egipatskoga, da mu slomim obje ruke, i zdravu i slomljenu, i da mu mač izbijem iz ruke!

23 Razagnat ću Egipćane među narode i rasijati ih po zemljama!

24 Ojačat ću ruke kralju babilonskom i mač ću svoj staviti u njegovu ruku; a faraonu ću slomiti ruke te će stenjati pred neprijateljem kao ranjenik.

25 Da, ojačat ću ruke kralju babilonskom, a ruke će faraonove klonuti. I znat će se da sam ja Jahve kad metnem mač svoj u ruke kralju babilonskom i on ga zavitla nad zemljom egipatskom.

26 Raspršit ću Egipćane među narode i rasijati ih po zemljama. I znat će da sam ja Jahve.'"

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9163

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9163. 'And it dies or is broken' means loss or harm. This is clear from the meaning of 'dying' as being wiped out and lost; and from the meaning of 'being broken' as suffering harm. In the Word 'a break' and 'being broken' mean being dispersed or else suffering harm. This has its origin in the spiritual world, where all things without exception are joined together, all according to the way in which God's truth coming from the Lord is received by them, and so according to the way in which the order imposed on every single thing by God's truth emanating from the Lord is received by them, 8700, 8988. Therefore also the truths residing with a person are connected to one another according to the way in which they are received within good; and the truths interconnected in this way make a single whole. Consequently when these as a whole are broken, the truths together with the good are dispersed; but when they are partially broken, the truths that are there are dispersed. For when they exist in connection with one another, they depend on one another for their existence, but when they are broken they pull away from one another. So it is that in the Word 'being broken' means being dispersed, as is also meant by 'being divided', 9093, or else it means suffering harm.

[2] That is to say, being dispersed is meant when the whole is broken, but suffering harm when part is broken, as is evident from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,

Many among them will trip, and fall, and be broken. Isaiah 8:15; 28:13.

'Tripping' stands for stumbling and as a consequence sliding from truths into falsities; 'falling and being broken' stands for being dispersed, dispersed as a whole in this instance. In Ezekiel,

Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, I will break [both] his arms, the strong one and the broken one. Ezekiel 30:22.

'Pharaoh king of Egypt' stands for known facts which pervert and destroy the truths and forms of the good of faith, 6651, 6679, 6683, 6692. 'Breaking the arms' stands for dispersing the powerfulness of those facts and so dispersing the facts themselves, 4932. 'The strong one and the broken one' stands for those which have not suffered harm and offer resistance, and those which have suffered harm and offer no resistance.

[3] In Luke,

It is written, The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. Whoever falls onto that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind [him] to powder. Luke 20:17-18.

'The stone' stands for the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, 6426. Since 'being broken' refers to truths that come from Him, it stands for being dispersed and so destroyed. This happens to the things that compose spiritual life, as well as to the truths, and occurs among people who deny the Lord and refuse to accept truths that come from Him, these people being the ones who reject the stone. In Jeremiah,

Bring on them the day of evil, break [them] with doubled breaking. Jeremiah 17:18.

'Breaking with doubled breaking' stands for destroying completely.

[4] In Isaiah,

I have settled myself down until the morning. Like a lion, so He breaks all my bones. From day until night You will make an end of me. Isaiah 38:13.

In Jeremiah,

He has aged my flesh and my skin, and broken my bones. Lamentations 3:4.

In Moses,

You shall not take out of the house any of the flesh of the Passover lamb, nor break a bone of it. Exodus 12:46.

'Breaking the bones' means destroying the truths from God that exist on the last and lowest level of order, truths on which more internal truths and forms of good rest and by means of which these are supported. If the truths on the lowest level are destroyed, the ones built on top of them also fall to the ground. Truths on the lowest level are truths belonging to the literal sense of the Word, which hold within themselves truths belonging to the internal sense and which those in the internal sense rest on like pillars on their plinths. For the meaning of 'bones' as truths, see 3812, 6592, 8005. All this shows what was represented and meant by the following things said about the Lord in John,

They came to Jesus. When they saw that He was dead they did not break His legs. This was done in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, You shall not break a bone of His. John 19:33, 36.

The reason for this was that He was Divine Truth itself both on the first and on the last levels of order.

[5] In Isaiah,

Jehovah will bind up the break of His people, 1 and will heal the wound of their stroke. Isaiah 30:26.

In Jeremiah,

From the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely; 2 and they heal what is broken in My people with something that is no good. 3 Jeremiah 6:13-14.

In the same prophet,

Because the daughter of My people is broken 4 I am broken, I am dressed in black. Jeremiah 8:21.

In David,

You have made the earth tremble; You have broken it to pieces; heal its breaks. Psalms 60:2.

In Zechariah,

I will raise up a shepherd in the land; he will not heal one that is broken, he will not support one that is standing. Zechariah 11:16.

In Nahum,

There is no scar for your break; 5 your stroke is severe. 6 Nahum 3:19.

In these places 'break' means harm done to the truths and forms of the good of faith, thus harm done to the Church, while 'healing' means making amends and undertaking restoration. Something similar was meant by the regulation which prevented a man with a broken foot or a broken hand from approaching and offering the bread of God, Leviticus 21:17, 19, and by that which prevented what was broken from being offered to Jehovah on the altar, Leviticus 22:22, for 'what was broken' meant that which had been destroyed. That which has suffered harm is also meant by 'a breach', as in Isaiah,

You saw that the breaches of the city 7 of David were very many. Isaiah 22:9.

And in Amos,

On that day I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen down, and I will close up its breaches; I will restore its destroyed places, and I will build them as in the days of old. Amos 9:11.

'The city 7 of David' and 'the tent of David' stand for the Lord's Church, for 'David' in the prophetical part of the Word is the Lord, 1888.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. the hurt done to His people

2. literally, does or performs a lie

3. literally, the break of My people through a thing of no weight

4. literally, Over the break of the daughter of My people

5. i.e. There is no sign that healing has taken place

6. literally, hopeless

7. The Latin means house but the Hebrew means city, which Swedenborg Has in another place where he quotes this verse.

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