The Bible

 

Ιεζεκιήλ 43

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1 Και με εφερεν εις την πυλην, την πυλην την βλεπουσαν κατα ανατολας.

2 Και ιδου, η δοξα του Θεου του Ισραηλ ηρχετο απο της οδου της ανατολης· και η φωνη αυτου ως φωνη υδατων πολλων· και η γη ελαμπεν απο της δοξης αυτου.

3 Και η θεα την οποιαν ειδον ητο κατα την θεαν, κατα την θεαν την οποιαν ειδον, οτε ηλθον να χαλασω την πολιν· και αι θεαι ησαν κατα την θεαν, την οποιαν ειδον παρα τον ποταμον Χεβαρ· και επεσον επι προσωπον μου.

4 Και η δοξα του Κυριου εισηλθεν εις τον οικον δια της οδου της πυλης της βλεπουσης κατα ανατολας.

5 Και με εσηκωσε το πνευμα και με εφερεν εις την αυλην την εσωτεραν· και ιδου, ο οικος ητο πληρης της δοξης του Κυριου.

6 Και ηκουσα φωνην λαλουντος προς εμε εκ του οικου· και ο ανθρωπος ιστατο πλησιον μου.

7 Και ειπε προς εμε, Υιε ανθρωπου, τον τοπον του θρονου μου και τον τοπον του ιχνους των ποδων μου, οπου θελω κατοικει εν μεσω των υιων Ισραηλ εις τον αιωνα, και το ονομα μου το αγιον, δεν θελει πλεον βεβηλωσει ο οικος Ισραηλ, ουτε αυτοι ουτε οι βασιλεις αυτων, με τας πορνειας αυτων ουδε με τα πτωματα των βασιλεων αυτων ουδε με τους υψηλους αυτων τοπους.

8 Θετοντες τα κατωφλια αυτων πλησιον των κατωφλιων μου και τους παραστατας αυτων πλησιον των παραστατων μου, ωστε δεν ητο παρα ο τοιχος μεταξυ εμου και αυτων, εβεβηλουν ουτω το ονομα μου το αγιον με τα βδελυγματα αυτων, τα οποια επραττον· δια τουτο ηναλωσα αυτους εν τω θυμω μου.

9 Τωρα ας απομακρυνωσιν απ' εμου τας πορνειας αυτων και τα πτωματα των βασιλεων αυτων, και θελω κατοικει εν μεσω αυτων εις τον αιωνα.

10 Συ, υιε ανθρωπου, δειξον τον οικον τουτον εις τον οικον Ισραηλ, δια να εντραπωσι δια τας ανομιας αυτων· και ας μετρησωσι το σχεδιον.

11 Και εαν εντραπωσι δια παντα οσα επραξαν, δειξον εις αυτους την μορφην του οικου και την διαταξιν αυτου και τας εξοδους αυτου και τας εισοδους αυτου και πασαν την μορφην αυτου και πασας τας διαταξεις αυτου και πασαν την μορφην αυτου και παντα τον νομον αυτου, και διαγραψον αυτον ενωπιον αυτων, δια να φυλαξωσιν ολην την μορφην αυτου και πασας τας διαταξεις αυτου και να εκτελωσιν αυτας.

12 Ουτος ειναι ο νομος του οικου· επι της κορυφης του ορους, ολον το οριον αυτου κυκλω κυκλω θελει εισθαι αγιωτατον. Ιδου, ουτος ειναι ο νομος του οικου.

13 Και ταυτα ειναι τα μετρα του θυσιαστηριου εις πηχας· η πηχη ειναι μια πηχη κοινη και παλαμη· το μεν κοιλωμα αυτου θελει εισθαι μια πηχη και το πλατος μια πηχη, το δε γεισωμα αυτου εις τα χειλη αυτου κυκλω μια σπιθαμη· και τουτο θελει εισθαι το ανωτερον μερος του θυσιαστηριου.

14 Απο δε του κοιλωματος του προς την γην εως της κατωτερας οφρυος θελει εισθαι δυο πηχαι και το πλατος μια πηχη· και απο της οφρυος της μικροτερας εως της οφρυος της μεγαλητερας, τεσσαρες πηχαι, και το πλατος μια πηχη.

15 Και το θυσιαστηριον θελει εισθαι τεσσαρων πηχων το υψος· απο δε του θυσιαστηριου και επανω θελουσιν εισθαι τεσσαρα κερατα.

16 Και το θυσιαστηριον θελει εισθαι δωδεκα πηχων το μηκος και δωδεκα το πλατος, τετραγωνον εις τας τεσσαρας πλευρας αυτου.

17 Και η οφρυς θελει εισθαι δεκατεσσαρων πηχων το μηκος και δεκατεσσαρων το πλατος εις τας τεσσαρας πλευρας αυτης· και το γεισωμα κυκλω αυτης μιση πηχη· και το κοιλωμα αυτης κυκλω μια πηχη· και αι βαθμιδες αυτης θελουσι βλεπει προς ανατολας.

18 Και ειπε προς εμε, Υιε ανθρωπου, ουτω λεγει Κυριος ο Θεος· Αυται ειναι αι διαταξεις του θυσιαστηριου καθ' ην ημεραν κατασκευασωσιν αυτο, δια να προσφερωσιν επ' αυτου ολοκαυτωμα και να ραντιζωσιν επ' αυτο αιμα.

19 Και θελεις δωσει εις τους ιερεις τους Λευιτας, τους οντας εκ του σπερματος Σαδωκ, τους πλησιαζοντας με δια να λειτουργωσιν εις εμε, λεγει Κυριος ο Θεος, μοσχον βοος δια προσφοραν περι αμαρτιας.

20 Και θελεις λαβει απο του αιματος αυτου και βαλει επι τα τεσσαρα κερατα αυτου και επι τας τεσσαρας γωνιας της οφρυος και επι το γεισωμα κυκλω· και θελεις καθαρισει αυτο και καμει εξιλεωσιν περι αυτου.

21 Και θελεις λαβει τον μοσχον τον δια προσφοραν περι αμαρτιας, και θελουσι καυσει αυτον εν τω διωρισμενω τοπω του οικου εξω του αγιαστηριου.

22 Και την δευτεραν ημεραν θελεις προσφερει τραγον εξ αιγων αμωμον δια προσφοραν περι αμαρτιας· και θελουσι καθαρισει το θυσιαστηριον, ως εκαθαρισαν δια του μοσχου.

23 Αφου τελειωσης καθαριζων αυτο, θελεις προσφερει μοσχον βοος αμωμον και κριον εκ του ποιμνιου αμωμον.

24 Και θελεις προσφερει αυτα ενωπιον του Κυριου, και οι ιερεις θελουσι ριψει ολας επ' αυτα και θελουσιν ολοκαυτωσει αυτα ολοκαυτωμα εις τον Κυριον.

25 Επτα ημερας θελεις ετοιμαζει καθ' εκαστην τραγον δια προσφοραν περι αμαρτιας· και θελουσιν ετοιμαζει μοσχον βοος και κριον εκ του ποιμνιου, αμωμους.

26 Επτα ημερας θελουσι καμνει εξιλεωσιν περι του θυσιαστηριου και καθαριζει αυτο· και αυτοι θελουσι καθιερωθη.

27 Και αφου συμπληρωθωσιν αι ημεραι, απο της ογδοης ημερας και εφεξης θελουσι προσφερει οι ιερεις τα ολοκαυτωματα σας επι του θυσιαστηριου και τας ειρηνικας προσφορας σας· και εγω θελω σας δεχθη, λεγει Κυριος ο Θεος.

   

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 43

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1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looks toward the east.

2 Behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shined with his glory.

3 It was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city; and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face.

4 The glory of Yahweh came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

5 The Spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of Yahweh filled the house.

6 I heard one speaking to me out of the house; and a man stood by me.

7 He said to me, Son of man, [this is] the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. The house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their prostitution, and by the dead bodies of their kings [in] their high places;

8 in their setting of their threshold by my threshold, and their doorpost beside my doorpost, and there was [but] the wall between me and them; and they have defiled my holy name by their abominations which they have committed: therefore I have consumed them in my anger.

9 Now let them put away their prostitution, and the dead bodies of their kings, far from me; and I will dwell in the midst of them forever.

10 You, son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern.

11 If they be ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the form of the house, and its fashion, and its exits, and its entrances, and all its forms, and all its ordinances, and all its forms, and all its laws; and write it in their sight; that they may keep the whole form of it, and all its ordinances, and do them.

12 This is the law of the house: on the top of the mountain the whole limit around it shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house.

13 These are the measures of the altar by cubits (the cubit is a cubit and a handbreadth): the bottom shall be a cubit, and the breadth a cubit, and its border around its edge a span; and this shall be the base of the altar.

14 From the bottom on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser ledge to the greater ledge shall be four cubits, and the breadth a cubit.

15 The upper altar shall be four cubits; and from the altar hearth and upward there shall be four horns.

16 The altar hearth shall be twelve [cubits] long by twelve broad, square in the four sides of it.

17 The ledge shall be fourteen [cubits] long by fourteen broad in the four sides of it; and the border about it shall be half a cubit; and its bottom shall be a cubit around; and its steps shall look toward the east.

18 He said to me, Son of man, thus says the Lord Yahweh: These are the ordinances of the altar in the day when they shall make it, to offer burnt offerings thereon, and to sprinkle blood thereon.

19 You shall give to the priests the Levites who are of the seed of Zadok, who are near to me, to minister to me, says the Lord Yahweh, a young bull for a sin offering.

20 You shall take of its blood, and put it on the four horns of it, and on the four corners of the ledge, and on the border all around: thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it.

21 You shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and it shall be burnt in the appointed place of the house, outside of the sanctuary.

22 On the second day you shall offer a male goat without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they did cleanse it with the bull.

23 When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish, and a ram out of the flock without blemish.

24 You shall bring them near to Yahweh, and the priests shall cast salt on them, and they shall offer them up for a burnt offering to Yahweh.

25 Seven days you shall prepare every day a goat for a sin offering: they shall also prepare a young bull, and a ram out of the flock, without blemish.

26 Seven days shall they make atonement for the altar and purify it; so shall they consecrate it.

27 When they have accomplished the days, it shall be that on the eighth day, and forward, the priests shall make your burnt offerings on the altar, and your peace offerings; and I will accept you, says the Lord Yahweh.