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Ezekiel 34

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1 HE ENs Ord kom til mig således:

2 Menneskesøn, profeter mod Israels Hyrder, profeter og sig til dem: Så siger den Herre HE EN: Ve Israels Hyrder, som røgtede sig selv! Skal Hyrderne ikke røgte Hjorden?

3 I fortærede Mælken, med Ulden klædte I eder, de fede Dyr slagtede I, men Hjorden røgtede I ikke;

4 de svage Dyr styrkede I ikke, de syge lægte I ikke, de sårede forbandt I ikke, de adsplittede bragte I ikke tilbage, de vildfarende opsøgte I ikke, men I styrede dem med Hårdhed og Grumhed.

5 Derfor spredtes de, eftersom der ingen Hyrde var, og blev til Æde for alle Markens vilde Dyr; ja, de spredtes.

6 Min Hjord flakkede om på alle Bjerge og på hver en høj Banke, og over hele Jorden spredtes min Hjord, og ingen spurgte eller ledte efter dem.

7 Derfor, I Hyrder, hør HE ENs Ord!

8 Så sandtjeg lever, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN: Fordi min Hjord blev til ov, fordi min Hjord blev til Æde for alle Markens vilde Dyr, eftersom der ingen Hyrde var, og Hyrderne ikke spurgte efter min Hjord, og fordi Hyrderne røgtede sig selv og ikke min Hjord,

9 derfor, I Hyrder, hør HE ENs Ord!

10 siger den Herre HE EN: Se, jeg, kommer over Hyrderne og kræver min Hjord af deres Hånd, og jeg sætter dem fra at vogte min Hjord; Hyrderne skal ikke mere kunne røgte sig selv; jeg redder min Hjord af deres Gab, så den ikke skal tjene dem til Æde.

11 Thi så siger den Herre HE EN: Se, jeg vil selv spørge efter min Hjord og tage mig af den.

12 Som en Hyrde tager sig af sin Hjord på Stormvejrets Dag, således tager jeg mig af min Hjord og redder den fra de Steder, hvorhen de spredtes på Skyernes og Mulmets Dag;

13 jeg fører dem bort fra Folkeslagene, samler dem fra Landene og bringer dem til deres Land, og jeg, røgter dem på Israels Bjerge, i Kløfterne og på alle Landets beboede Steder.

14 På gode Græsgange vil jeg vogte dem, og på Israels Bjerghøjder skal deres Græsmarker være; der skal de lejre sig på gode Græsmarker, og i fede Græsgange skal de græsse på Israels Bjerge.

15 Jeg vil selv røgte min Hjord og selv lade dem lejre sig, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN.

16 De vildfarende Dyr vil jeg opsøge, de adsplittede vil jeg bringe tilbage, de sårede vil jeg forbinde de svage vil jeg styrke, og de fede og kraftige vil jeg vogte; jeg vil røgte dem, som det er ret.

17 Og I, min Hjord! Så siger den Herre HE EN: Se, jeg vil skifte. et mellem Får og Får, mellem Vædre og Bukke.

18 Er det eder ikke nok at græsse på den bedste Græsgang, siden I nedtramper, hvad der er levnet af eders Græsgange? Er det eder ikke nok at drikke det klare Vand, siden I med eders Fødder plumrer, hvad der er levnet?

19 Min Hjord må græsse, hvad I har nedtrampet, og drikke, hvad I har plumret med eders Fødder!

20 Derfor, så siger den Herre HE EN: Se, jeg kommer for at skifte et mellem de fede og de magre Får.

21 Fordi I med Side og Skulder skubbede alle de svage Dyr bort og stangede dem med eders Horn, til I fik dem drevet ud,

22 derfor vil jeg hjælpe min Hjord, så den ikke mere skal blive til ov, og skifte et mellem Får og Får.

23 Jeg sætter een Hyrde over dem, min Tjener David, og han skal vogte dem; han skal vogte dem, og han skal være deres Hyrde.

24 Og jeg, HE EN, vil være deres Gud, og min Tjener David skal være Fyrste iblandt dem, så sandt jeg, HE EN, har talet.

25 Jeg vil slutte en Fredspagt med dem og udrydde de vilde Dyr at Landet, så de trygt kan bo i Ørkenen og sove i Skovene.

26 Og jeg gør dem og Landet rundt om min Høj til Velsignelse, og jeg sender egn i rette Tid, mine Byger skal blive til Velsignelse.

27 Markens Træer skal give deres Frugt og Landet sin Afgrøde; trygt skal de bo på deres Jord, og de skal kende, at jeg er HE EN, når jeg bryder Stængerne på deres Åg og frelser dem af deres Hånd, som gjorde dem til Trælle.

28 Ikke mere skal de blive til ov for Folkene, og Landets vilde Dyr skal ikke æde dem; trygt skal de bo, uden at nogen skræmmer dem.

29 Jeg lader en Fredens Plantning vokse op for dem, og ingen skal rives bort af Hunger i Landet, og de skal ikke mere bære Folkenes Hån.

30 De skal kende, at jeg, HE EN deres Gud, er med dem, og at de er mit Folk, Israels Hus, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN

31 I er min Hjord, I er den Hjord, jeg røgter, og jeg er eders Gud, lyder det fra den Herre HE EN.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #336

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336. And every mountain and island was moved out of its place. This symbolically means that all goodness of love and truth of faith vanished.

No one can see that this is the symbolic meaning except by recourse to the spiritual sense. It is the symbolic meaning because mountains mean people who possess the goodness of love, inasmuch as angels dwell upon mountains - those motivated by love toward the Lord on loftier mountains, and those motivated by love for the neighbor on less lofty ones. Consequently "every mountain" symbolizes all goodness of love. Islands mean people relatively removed from the worship of God, as may be seen in no. 34 above - here people who are impelled by faith, and not so much by the goodness of love. Therefore in an abstract sense "every island" means, symbolically, all truth of faith. To be moved out of their places means, symbolically, to go away.

It derives from the abodes of angels on mountains and hills, therefore, that mountains and hills in the Word symbolize heaven and the church where love toward the Lord and love for the neighbor are found, and in an opposite sense, hell where self-love and love of the world are found.

[2] It is apparent from the following passages that mountains and hills symbolize heaven and the church where love toward the Lord and love for the neighbor are found, thus where the Lord is present:

Lift up your eyes to the mountains, whence comes your help. (Psalms 121:1)

Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who proclaims... peace! (Nahum 1:15, cf. Isaiah 52:7)

Praise Jehovah..., you mountains and... hills...! (Psalms 148:7, 9)

A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a mountain of hills is the mountain of Bashan. Why do you leap, you mountains, you hills of the mountain? Jehovah has desired to inhabit them; (Jehovah) also will inhabit them forever. (Psalms 68:15-16)

The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like the young of the flock... You travail, O earth, at the presence of the Lord... (Psalms 114:4-7)

I will bring forth a seed from Jacob, and from Judah an heir of My mountains, that My elect may inherit them, and My servants dwell there. (Isaiah 65:9)

(In the consummation of the age:) then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:16)

(O Jehovah,) Your righteousness is as the mountains of God. (Psalms 36:6)

Jehovah will go forth and fight... In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, opposite Jerusalem on the east. (Zechariah 14:3-4)

[3] Since the Mount of Olives symbolized Divine love, therefore during the days the Lord preached in the Temple, but during the nights He went out and spent the night on the Mount of Olives (Luke 21:37; 22:39, John 8:1). And therefore the Lord spoke upon that mountain with His disciples regarding His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3, Mark 13:3-4).

Since a mountain symbolized heaven and love, therefore Jehovah came down upon the top of Mount Sinai and proclaimed the Law (Exodus 19:20; 24:17). And therefore the Lord was transfigured before Peter, James and John on a high mountain (Matthew 17:1). Therefore Zion also was located on a mountain, and so, too, Jerusalem, and the two were called the mountain of Jehovah and the mountain of holiness in many places in the Word.

Mountains and hills have similar symbolic meanings elsewhere, as in Isaiah 7:25; 30:25; 40:9; 44:23; 49:11, 13; 55:12; Jeremiah 16:15-16; Psalms 65:6; 80:10; 104:5-10, 13.

[4] That mountains and hills symbolize these loves can be seen still more clearly from their opposite meaning, in which they symbolize hellish loves, namely, self-love and a love of the world, as is apparent from the following passages:

...the day of Jehovah... shall come... upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up... (Isaiah 2:12, 14)

Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low. (Isaiah 40:4)

The mountains shall be overthrown, and its ascents shall fall... (Ezekiel 38:20-21)

Behold, I am against you, O... mountain, that destroys all the earth... ...I will make you a burnt mountain. (Jeremiah 51:25)

I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they are shaken, and all the hills are overthrown. (Jeremiah 4:23-25)

...a fire is kindled in my anger..., and it will set on fire the foundations of the mountains. (Deuteronomy 32:22)

I will lay waste the mountains and hills... (Isaiah 42:15)

Behold, (O Jacob,) I will make you like a threshing sledge... that you may thresh the mountains and crush them, and make the hills like chaff..., that the wind may carry them away. (Isaiah 41:15-16)

Give glory to Jehovah... before your feet stumble on the dark mountains... (Jeremiah 13:16)

Nor is anything else meant by the seven mountains on which the woman - namely Babylon - sat (Revelation 17:9). And so also elsewhere, as in Isaiah 14:13; Jeremiah 50:6; 9:10; Ezekiel 6:2-3; 34:6.

It can now be seen from this what is meant by the statement that "every mountain and island was moved out of its place," and later by the statement that "every island fled away, and the mountains were not found" (Revelation 16:20, no. 714).

  
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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.