The Bible

 

Ezekiel 24

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1 HE ENs Ord kom i det niende år på den tiende dag i den tiende Måned til mig således:

2 Menneskesøn, opskriv dig Navnet på denne Dag, Dagen i Dag, thi netop i Dag har Babels Konge kastet sig over Jerusalem.

3 Og tal i Lignelse til den genstridige Slægt og sig: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Sæt kedelen over, sæt den over; kom også Vand deri;

4 læg Kødstykker i, alle Hånde gode Stykker, Kølle og Bov, fyld den med udsøgte Knogler;

5 tag af Hjordens bedste Dyr og læg en Stabel Brænde under den; kog Stykkerne, så også Knoglerne koges ud!

6 Derfor, så siger den Herre HE EN: Ve Blodbyen, den rustne Kedel, hvis ust ikke er gået af. Stykke efter Stykke giver den fra sig; der kastes ikke Lod om dem;

7 thi Blodet er endnu midti Byen; den hældte det på den nøgne Klippe og udgød det ikke på Jorden for at dække det med Muld.

8 For at fremkalde Vrede, for at tage Hævn hældte jeg Blodet på den nøgne klippe uden at dække det.

9 Derfor, så siger den Herre HE EN: Ve Blodbyen! Nu vil også jeg gøre brændestabelen stor;

10 hent brænde i Mængde, lad Ilden lue og Kødet blive mørt, hæld Suppen ud og lad Benene brændes

11 og sæt kedelen tom på de glødende kul, for at den kan blive så hed, at Kobberet gløder og Urenheden smelter; usten skal svinde!

12 Møje har den kostet, men den megen ust gik ikke af. I Ilden med usten!

13 Fordi du er uren af Utugt, fordi du ikke kom af med din Urenhed, skønt jeg rensede dig, skal du ikke blive ren igen, før jeg har kølet min Harme på dig.

14 Jeg, HE EN, har talet, og det kommer! Jeg griber ind og opgiver det ikke, jeg skåner ikke og angre ej heller; efter dine Veje og dine Gerninger vil jeg dømme dig, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN.

15 HE ENs Ord kom til mig således:

16 Menneskesøn! Se, jeg tager dine Øjnes Lyst fra dig ved en brat Død; men du skal ikke klage eller græde; du skal ikke fælde Tårer;

17 suk i Stilhed og hold ikke Døde klage, bind Huen på og tag Sko på Fødderne, tilhyl ikke dit Skæg og spis ikke Sørgebrød!

18 Tal så om Morgenen til Folket! - Så døde min Hustru om Aftenen, og næste Morgen gjorde jeg, som mig var pålagt.

19 Og da Folket sagde til mig: "Vil du ikke lade os vide, hvad det, du der gør, skal sige os?"

20 svarede jeg: "HE ENs Ord kom til mig således:

21 Sig til Israels Hus: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Se, jeg vil vanhellige min Helligdom, eders Hovmods Stolthed, eders Øjnes Lyst, eders Sjæles Længsel; og de Sønner og Døtre, I lod tilbage, skal falde for Sværdet!

22 Og I skal gøre, som jeg nu gør: I skal ikke tilhylle eders Skæg eller spise Sørgebrød;

23 eders Huer skal blive på Hovederne og eders Sko på Fødderne; I skal ikke klage eller græde, men svinde hen i eders Synder og sukke for hverandre.

24 Ezekiel skal være eder et Tegn; når det sker, skal I gøre, som han gør; og I skal kende, at jeg er den Herre HE EN,"

25 Og du, Menneskesøn! På den Dag jeg tager deres Værn, deres herlige Fryd, deres Øjnes Lyst og deres Sjæles Længsel, deres Sønner og Døtre fra dem,

26 på den Dag skal en Flygtning komme til dig og melde det for dine Ører;

27 på den Dag skal din Mund åbnes, når Flygtningen kommer, og du skal tale og ikke mere være stum; du skal være dem et Tegn; og de skal kende, at jeg er HE EN.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #759

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759. "And the merchants of the earth have become rich owing to the potencies of her delights." This symbolizes the greater and lower in rank in the Roman Catholic hierarchy who by their dominion over sacred things strive for Divine majesty and superregal glory, who continually seek to establish it by multiplying the number of monasteries and possessions under their control, and by collecting and accumulating the world's treasures without end, and who thus procure for themselves physical and natural delights and gratifications by claiming for themselves a celestial and spiritual dominion.

The merchants of Babylon can only mean the greater and lower in rank in their church hierarchy, because in verse 23 of this chapter we are told that they are the great men of the earth. And the potencies of her delights with which they have become rich can only mean the dogmas that are the means by which they acquire for themselves dominion over people's souls, and so also over their possessions and wealth. People know that they collect these without end and swell their treasuries with them, and also that they make merchandise of the sanctities of the church, by selling salvation, for example, or heaven, in exchange for offerings and gifts made to monasteries and their saints and images, or in exchange for masses, indulgences and various dispensations.

[2] Who cannot see that if the papal dominion had not been broken at the time of the Protestant Reformation, Roman Catholics would have scraped together the possessions and wealth of all the kingdoms in the whole of Europe? And that then they would have made themselves the sole lords, and everyone else their servants? Do they not have the greatest part of their wealth from preceding centuries when they had power over emperors and kings, whom they could excommunicate and depose if they did not obey? And do they not still have annual incomes that are immense, and treasuries full of gold, silver, and precious stones?

The same barbarous lust for dominion is still lodged in the hearts of many of them, and is restrained only by a fear of its loss if it should extend beyond accepted limits.

Of what use, however, are such great incomes, treasures and possessions to them, other than to be delighted by them, to pride themselves on having them, and to establish their dominion to eternity?

It can be seen from this what is here symbolized by merchants of the earth who have become rich owing to the potencies of Babylon's delights.

They are called merchants also in Isaiah:

(The inhabitants of Babylon) are as stubble. Fire has burned them; they do not deliver their soul from the power of the flame... Such are... your merchants from your youth. (Isaiah 47:14-15)

[3] In the Word, to be a merchant or trader means, symbolically, to be engaged in procuring for oneself spiritual riches, which are concepts of truth and goodness, and in an opposite sense, concepts of falsity and evil, and to use the first to gain heaven, and the second to gain the world. For that reason the Lord likened the kingdom of heaven to a merchant seeking beautiful pearls (Matthew 13:45-46), and the people in the church to servants who were given talents with which to trade and gain more (Matthew 25:14-30), or who were given ten minas with which to likewise trade and gain more (Luke 19:12-26).

Moreover, because Tyre symbolizes the church in respect to its concepts of truth and goodness, therefore the whole of chapter twenty-seven in Ezekiel has trading and gain as its subject, and we are told concerning Tyre:

In your wisdom and your understanding you have gained... for yourself... gold and silver into your treasuries; and by the great wisdom in your trading you have increased your riches... (Ezekiel 28:4-5)

And elsewhere:

...Tyre... has been laid waste..., whose merchants are princes, and its traders the honorable of the earth. (Isaiah 23:1, 8)

Also, the corrupt church among Jews in the land of Canaan is called the land of trade (Ezekiel 16:3, 29; 21:30; 29:14).

  
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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.