The Bible

 

Ezechiel 48

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1 Tato jsou pak jména pokolení: V končinách na půlnoční stranu podlé cesty Chetlon, kudyž se vchází do Emat, Azar Enan, ku pomezí Damašskému na půlnoční stranu, podlé Emat, od východní strany až do západní, osadí se pokolení jedno, totiž Dan,

2 A při pomezí Dan, od strany východní až k straně západní jedno, totiž Asser,

3 A při pomezí Asser, od strany východní až do strany západní jedno, totiž Neftalím,

4 A při pomezí Neftalím, od strany východní až do strany západní jedno, totiž Manasses,

5 A při pomezí Manasses, od strany východní až do strany západní jedno, totiž Efraim,

6 A při pomezí Efraim, od strany východní až k straně západní jedno, totiž Ruben,

7 A při pomezí Ruben, od strany východní až k straně západní jedno, totiž Juda.

8 A při pomezí Juda, od strany východní až k straně západní bude obět, kterouž obětovati budete, pětmecítma tisíc loket zšíří, zdélí pak zaroveň s jedním z jiných dílů, od strany východní až k straně západní, a bude svatyně u prostřed něho.

9 Ta obět, kterouž obětovati máte Hospodinu, bude zdélí pětmecítma tisíc loket, zšíří pak deset tisíc.

10 Těmto pak se dostane ta obět svatá,totiž kněžím, na půlnoci pětmecítma tisíc loket, k západu pak zšíří desíti tisíc, a na východ zšíří desíti tisíc, na poledne též zdélí pětmecítma tisíc, a bude svatyně Hospodinova u prostřed něho,

11 Kněžím, posvěcenému každému z synů Sádochových, kteříž drží stráž mou, kteříž nebloudili, když bloudili synové Izraelští, jako bloudili Levítové.

12 I bude díl jejich obětovaný z oběti té země, věc nejsvětější při pomezí Levítů.

13 Levítů pak díl bude naproti pomezí kněžskému, pětmecítma tisíc loket zdélí, a zšíří deset tisíc; každá dlouhost pětmecítma tisíc, a širokost deset tisíc.

14 A nebudou ho uprodávati, ani směňovati, ani přenášeti prvotin země, proto že jest posvěcená Hospodinu.

15 Pět pak tisíc loket pozůstalých na šíř, proti těm pětmecítma tisícům, bude místo obecné, pro město k bydlení a k předměstí, i bude město u prostřed něho.

16 Tyto pak jsou míry jeho: Strana půlnoční na čtyři tisíce a pět set loket, též strana polední na čtyři tisíce a pět set, od strany též východní čtyři tisíce a pět set, takž strana západní na čtyři tisíce a pět set.

17 Bude i předměstí při městě k půlnoci na dvě stě a padesáte loket, a ku poledni na dvě stě a padesáte, takž na východ na dvě stě a padesáte, též k západu na dvě stě a padesáte.

18 Ostatek pak na dél, naproti oběti svaté, deset tisíc loket k východu, a deset tisíc k západu; a z toho, což bude naproti té oběti svaté, budou míti důchody ku pokrmu služebníci města.

19 A ti služebníci města sloužiti budou Izraelovi ze všech pokolení Izraelských.

20 Všecku tuto oběť, pětmecítma tisíc loket, podlé těch pětmecítma tisíc, čtverhranou obětovati budete v obět svatou k vládařství městu.

21 Což pak pozůstane, knížeti, s obou stran oběti svaté a vládařství města, před těmi pětmecítma tisíci loket oběti, až ku pomezí východnímu, a od západu proti týmž pětmecítma tisíc loket, podlé pomezí západního naproti těm dílům, knížeti bude. A to bude obět svatá, a svatyně domu u prostřed něho.

22 Od vládařství pak Levítů a od vládařství města, u prostřed toho, což jest knížecího, mezi pomezím Judovým a mezi pomezím Beniaminovým, knížecí bude.

23 Ostatní pak pokolení, od strany východní až k straně západní, osadí se pokolení jedno, totiž Beniamin.

24 A při pomezí Beniamin, od strany východní až k straně západní jedno, totiž Simeon,

25 A při pomezí Simeon, od strany východní až k straně západní jedno, totiž Izachar,

26 A při pomezí Izachar, od strany východní až k straně západní jedno, totiž Zabulon,

27 A při pomezí Zabulon, od strany východní až k straně západní jedno, totiž Gád.

28 A při pomezí Gád, k straně polední na poledne, tu bude pomezí od Támar až k vodám sváru v Kádes, ku potoku při moři velikém.

29 Toť jest ta země, kterouž ujmete hned od potoka, po pokoleních Izraelských, a ti dílové jejich, praví Panovník Hospodin.

30 Tato pak jsou vymezení města: Od strany půlnoční čtyř tisíc a pět set loket míra.

31 Brány pak města podlé jmen pokolení Izraelských, Brány tři na půlnoci, brána Rubenova jedna, brána Judova jedna, brána Léví jedna.

32 A od strany východní čtyř tisíc a pět set, a brány tři, totiž brána Jozefova jedna, brána Beniaminova jedna, brána Danova jedna.

33 Též od strany polední čtyř tisíc a pět set loket míra, a brány tři, brána Simeonova jedna, brána Izacharova jedna, brána Zabulonova jedna.

34 Od strany západní čtyř tisíc a pět set, brány jejich tři, brána Gádova jedna, brána Asserova jedna, brána Neftalímova jedna.

35 Okolek osmnácti tisíc loket, jméno pak města od dnešního dne bude: Hospodin tam přebývá.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #904

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904. 21:15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. This symbolically means that to people who possess the goodness of love, the Lord grants a faculty for understanding and knowing the nature of the Lord's New Church as regards its doctrine and its introductory truths, and as regards the Word from which they are drawn.

He who spoke with me symbolizes the Lord speaking from heaven, because it was an angel speaking, one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls mentioned in verse 9, who means the Lord speaking from heaven (no. 895). A reed symbolizes a power or ability springing from the goodness of love - a reed symbolizing power or ability (no. 485), and gold the goodness of love (nos. 211, 726). To measure means, symbolically, to learn the character of a thing, thus to understand and know it (no. 486). The city, the holy Jerusalem, symbolizes the church in respect to its doctrine (nos. 879, 880). Its gates symbolize concepts of truth and goodness from the Word's literal sense, which are truths and goods owing to the spiritual life in them (no. 899). And the wall symbolizes the Word in its literal sense from which the doctrine and concepts come (no. 898).

It is apparent from this that "he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall," symbolically means that to people who possess the goodness of love, the Lord grants a faculty for understanding and knowing the nature of the Lord's New Church as regards its doctrine and its introductory truths, and as regards the Word from which they are drawn.

[2] These symbolic meanings cannot be seen at all in the literal sense, for one sees in it only that an angel speaking with John had a gold reed with which to measure the city and its gates and wall. But even so, that these words contain another meaning, a spiritual meaning, is clearly apparent from the fact that the city Jerusalem does not mean a real city, but the church. Consequently everything said about Jerusalem as a city symbolizes such things as have to do with the church, and everything having to do with the church is, in itself, spiritual.

Such a spiritual meaning is present also in what is said in chapter 11 above, where we are told the following:

I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood by, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there." (Revelation 11:1)

A similar spiritual meaning is present, too, in everything that the angel measured with a reed in Ezekiel 40; 41; 42; 43; 44; 45; 46; 47; 48. Also in these verses in Zechariah:

I raised my eyes and looked, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, "Where are you going?" And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what its width is and what its length." (Zechariah 2:1-2)

Indeed, such a spiritual meaning is present in everything connected with the Tabernacle and in everything connected with the Temple in Jerusalem, whose measurements we are told, and also in the measurements themselves. And yet nothing of this can be seen in the literal sense.

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

The Bible

 

Ezekiel 44

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1 Then he brought me back by the way of the outer gate of the sanctuary, which looks toward the east; and it was shut.

2 Yahweh said to me, This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, neither shall any man enter in by it; for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut.

3 As for the prince, he shall sit therein as prince to eat bread before Yahweh; he shall enter by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go out by the way of the same.

4 Then he brought me by the way of the north gate before the house; and I looked, and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh: and I fell on my face.

5 Yahweh said to me, Son of man, mark well, and see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I tell you concerning all the ordinances of the house of Yahweh, and all its laws; and mark well the entrance of the house, with every exit of the sanctuary.

6 You shall tell the rebellious, even to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: you house of Israel, let it suffice you of all your abominations,

7 in that you have brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary, to profane it, even my house, when you offer my bread, the fat and the blood, and they have broken my covenant, [to add] to all your abominations.

8 You have not performed the duty of my holy things; but you have set performers of my duty in my sanctuary for yourselves.

9 Thus says the Lord Yahweh, No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any foreigners who are among the children of Israel.

10 But the Levites who went far from me, when Israel went astray, who went astray from me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity.

11 Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house: they shall kill the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.

12 Because they ministered to them before their idols, and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel; therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, says the Lord Yahweh, and they shall bear their iniquity.

13 They shall not come near to me, to execute the office of priest to me, nor to come near to any of my holy things, to the things that are most holy; but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.

14 Yet will I make them performers of the duty of the house, for all its service, and for all that shall be done therein.

15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who performed the duty of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister to me; and they shall stand before me to offer to me the fat and the blood, says the Lord Yahweh:

16 they shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my instruction.

17 It shall be that, when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come on them, while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.

18 They shall have linen tires on their heads, and shall have linen breeches on their waists; they shall not clothe themselves with [anything that causes] sweat.

19 When they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they minister, and lay them in the holy rooms; and they shall put on other garments, that they not sanctify the people with their garments.

20 Neither shall they shave their heads, nor allow their locks to grow long; they shall only cut off the hair of their heads.

21 Neither shall any of the priests drink wine, when they enter into the inner court.

22 Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her who is put away; but they shall take virgins of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow who is the widow of a priest.

23 They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

24 In a controversy they shall stand to judge; according to my ordinances shall they judge it: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all my appointed feasts; and they shall make my Sabbaths holy.

25 They shall go in to no dead person to defile themselves; but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister who has had no husband, they may defile themselves.

26 After he is cleansed, they shall reckon to him seven days.

27 In the day that he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin offering, says the Lord Yahweh.

28 They shall have an inheritance: I am their inheritance; and you shall give them no possession in Israel; I am their possession.

29 They shall eat the meal offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; and every devoted thing in Israel shall be theirs.

30 The first of all the first fruits of every thing, and every offering of everything, of all your offerings, shall be for the priest: you shall also give to the priests the first of your dough, to cause a blessing to rest on your house.

31 The priests shall not eat of anything that dies of itself, or is torn, whether it be bird or animal.