The Bible

 

Ezekiel 28

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1 HE ENs Ord kom til mig således:

2 Mennesskesøn, sig til Tyruss Fyrste: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Fordi dit Hjerte hovmoder sig og du siger: "Jeg er en Gud, på et Gudesæde sidder jeg midt ude i Havet!" skønt du er et Menneske og ingen Gud, og fordi du føler dig i Hjertet som en Gud;

3 se, du er visere end Daniel, ingen Vismand måler sig med dig;

4 ved din Visdom og indsigt vandt du dig igdom og samlede dig Guld og Sølv i dine Skatkamre;

5 ved dit store Handelssnilde øgede du din igdom, så dit Hjerte hovmodede sig over den -

6 derfor, så siger den Herre HE EN: Fordi du i dit Hjerte føler dig som en Gud,

7 se, derfor bringer jeg fremmede over dig, de grummeste Folk, og de skal drage deres Sværd mod din skønne Visdom og vanhellige din Glans.

8 De skal styrte dig i Graven, og du skal de ihjelslagnes Død i Havets Dyb.

9 Mon du da Ansigt til Ansigt med dem, der dræber dig, vil sige: "Jeg er en Gud!" du, som i deres Hånd, der slår dig ihjel, er et Menneske og ikke en Gud.

10 De uomskårnes Død skal du for fremmedes Hånd, så sandt jeg har talet, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN.

11 Og HE ENs Ord kom til mig således:

12 Menneskesøn, istem en Klagesang over kongen af Tyrus og sig til ham: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Du var Indsigtens Segl, fuld af Visdom og fuldkommen i Skønhed.

13 I Eden, Guds Have, var du; alle Slags Ædelsten var din Klædning, Harneol, Topas, Jaspis, Krysolit, Sjoham, Onyks, Safir, ubin, Smaragd og Guld var på dig i indfattet og indlagt Arbejde; det var til ede, den Dag du skabtes.

14 Du var en salvet, skærmende Kerub; jeg gjorde dig dertil; på det hellige Gudebjerg var du; du vandrede imellem Guds Sønner.

15 Fuldkommen var du i din Færd, fra den Dag du skabtes, indtil der fandtes Brøde hos dig.

16 Ved din megen Handel fyldte du dit Indre med Uret og forbrød dig; da vanhelligede jeg dig og viste dig bort fra Gudebjerget og tilintetgjorde dig, skærmende Kerub, så du ikke blev mellem Guds Sønner.

17 Dit Hjerte hovmodede sig over din Skønhed, du satte din Visdom til på Grund af din Glans. Jeg, slængte dig til Jorden og overgav dig til Konger, at de skulde nyde Skuet af dig.

18 Med dine mange Misgerninger, ved din uredelige Handel vanhelligede du dine Helligdomme. Da lod jeg Ild bryde løs i din Midte, og den fortærede dig; jeg gjorde dig til Støv på Jorden for alle, som så dig.

19 Alle blandt Folkeslagene, der kendte dig, stivnede af Skræk over dig; du blev en ædsel, og borte er du for evigt.

20 HE ENs Ord kom til mig således:

21 Menneskesøn, vend dit Ansigt mod Zidon og profeter imod det

22 og sig: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Se, jeg kommer over dig, Zidon, og herliggør mig på dig; og du skal kende, at jeg er HE EN, når jeg holder Dom over dig og viser min Hellighed på dig.

23 Jeg sender Pest over dig og Blod i dine Gader; ihjelslagneMænd skal segne i din Midte for Sværd, der er rettet imod dig fra alle Sider; og du skal kende, at jeg er HE EN.

24 Fremtidig skal der ikke være nogen Tidsel til at såre eller Torn til at stikke Israels Hus blandt alle dets Naboer, som nu håner dem; og de skal kende, at jeg er den Herre HE EN.

25 siger den Herre HE EN: Når jeg samler Israels Slægt fra de Folkeslag, de er spredt iblandt, vil jeg hellige mig på dem for Folkenes Øjne, og de skal bo i deres Land, som jeg gav min Tjener Jakob;

26 de skal bo trygt deri, bygge Huse og plante Vingårde, ja bo trygt, medens jeg holder Dom over alle dem, der håner dem fra alle Sider; og de skal kende, at jeg er HE EN deres Gud.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #759

Study this Passage

  
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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.