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Ezékiel 7

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1 És lõn az Úr beszéde hozzám, mondván:

2 És te, embernek fia, így szól az Úr Isten Izráel földjének: Vége! eljött a vég a föld négy szárnyára!

3 Immár itt a vég rajtad; s bocsátom haragomat reád, és megítéllek útaid szerint, és vetem reád minden útálatosságodat.

4 És nem kedvez az én szemem néked, sem meg nem szánlak; hanem a te útaidat vetem reád, és útálatosságaid közötted lesznek és megtudjátok, hogy én vagyok az Úr.

5 Így szól az Úr Isten: Ímé veszedelem, egyetlen veszedelem; ímé eljött.

6 Vég jött, eljött a vég, fölserkent ellened, ímé eljött!

7 Eljött a végzet reád, földnek lakosa! eljött az idõ, közel a nap, rémülés és nem víg éneklés a hegyeken.

8 Most rövid idõn kiöntöm búsulásomat reád, és teljessé teszem haragomat rajtad, és megítéllek útaid szerint, és rád vetem minden útálatosságodat.

9 És nem kedvez az én szemem, sem meg nem szánlak; útaid szerint fizetek tenéked, és a te útálatosságaid közötted lesznek; és megtudjátok, hogy én vagyok az Úr, a ki ver.

10 Ímé a nap, ímé eljött, kisarjadt a végzet, kivirágzott a vesszõ, kivirult a kevélység.

11 Az erõszakosság a gonoszság veszszejévé nõtt fel, nincs semmi meg belõlök, sem sokaságukból, sem tömegökbõl, s nincs egy jaj is miattok!

12 Eljött az idõ, elközelgett a nap; a vevõ ne örüljön, az eladó ne szomorkodjék, mert harag [jön] minden sokaságára.

13 Mert az eladó eladott jószágához nem térhet vissza többé, még ha élve az élõk közt [maradna] is, mert a jövendölés az õ egész sokasága ellen vissza nem tér, és vétke miatt senki sem lehet hosszú életû.

14 Kürtöljetek a kürttel és készítsetek el mindent; ám nincsen, a ki harczra menjen, mert haragom minden õ sokasága ellen.

15 A fegyver kivül, a döghalál és éhség belül; a ki a mezõn van, fegyver miatt hal meg, és a ki a városban, azt éhség és döghalál emészti meg.

16 És menekülnek menekültjeik, és lesznek a hegyeken, mint a völgyek galambjai: mindnyájan nyögvén, kiki vétke miatt.

17 Minden kéz elerõtlenül, és minden térd elolvad, mint a víz.

18 Felövezkednek zsákkal, és befedi õket rettegés, és minden orczán szégyen, és mindnyájok fején kopaszság.

19 Ezüstjöket az utczákra vetik, és aranyuk szenny lesz [elõttök;] ezüstjök s aranyuk meg nem szabadíthatja õket az Úr búsulásának napján; lelköket azzal jól nem lakatják, s hasokat meg nem tölthetik; mert csábítójok volt az a vétekre.

20 És a belõle készült drága ékességeket kevélykedésre használják, és útálatosságuk képeit, undokságaikat abból csinálták, azért tettem elõttök azt szenynyé;

21 És adom azt az idegenek kezébe zsákmányul, és a föld hitetleninek prédául, hadd fertéztessék meg.

22 És elfordítom tõlük arczomat, hadd fertéztessék meg szent helyemet; s betörjenek belé a rontók és megfertéztessék.

23 Készítsd a lánczot; mert a föld tele van véres ítélettel, és a város tele van erõszakossággal.

24 És elhozom a pogányok leggonoszabbjait, hadd foglalják el házaikat; s véget vetek a hatalmasok kevélységének, s fertézett lesz templomuk.

25 Rettegés jött el, s keresnek békét és nincs.

26 Egy romlás a másikra jõ, és egy hír után más támad, s kérnek látást a prófétától, ám törvény nem lesz a papnál, sem tanács a véneknél.

27 A király szomorkodik, a fejedelem irtózatba öltözik; s a föld népének kezei megdermednek. Útjok szerint cselekszem velök, ítéletök szerint ítélem meg õket, hadd tudják meg, hogy én vagyok az Úr.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #5886

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5886. 'Whom you sold into Egypt' means the internal which they had alienated. This is clear from the representation of Joseph, the one whom they had 'sold', as the internal, dealt with in 5805, 5826, 5827; from the meaning of 'selling' as alienating, dealt with in 4752, 4758, while 'Egypt' here means the lowest parts, as it does below in 5889. For placing some subject among the facts one knows without any acknowledgement of it is casting it to the sides, thus to the last or lowest parts of the mind. This is also how it is at the present day with the subject of the internal in the human being. The subject exists, it is true, among known facts because religious teaching provides knowledge of the existence of the internal man. Yet it is cast away to the lowest parts of the mind because there is no acknowledgement of it or belief in its existence, as a result of which it is alienated, not, it is true, from the memory but from faith. In the internal sense 'selling' is alienating matters of faith and charity, consequently the things that make a person a member of the internal Church, as may be recognized from the fact that in the spiritual world no buying or selling like that on earth takes place. Instead there is the making one's own of goodness and truth, meant by 'buying', and the alienation of them, meant by 'selling'. 'Buying' also means a communication of cognitions of goodness and truth, for the reason that 'trade' means the acquisition and communication of such cognitions, 2967, 4453; but in this case selling is said to be done 'not by silver'.

[2] The meaning of 'selling' as alienating is also evident from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,

Thus said Jehovah, Where is your mother's bill of divorce, whom I have put away? Or who of My usurers is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, because of your sins you have been sold, and because of your transgressions your mother has been put away. Isaiah 50:1.

'Mother' stands for the Church, 'selling' for alienating. In Ezekiel,

The time has come, the day has arrived. Do not let the buyer rejoice, and do not let the seller mourn, because wrath is on the whole multitude of it. For the seller will not return to the thing that has been sold, though his life may still be among the living ones. Ezekiel 7:12-13.

This refers to the land of Israel, which is the spiritual Church. 'The seller stands for one who has alienated truths and subtly introduced falsities.

[3] In Joel,

You have sold the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem to the sons of the Greeks, so that you might remove them far away from their borders. Behold, I will raise them up out of the place to which you have sold them. And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hands of the sons of Judah, who will sell them to the Sabeans, 1 a people far off. Joel 3:6-8.

In this reference to Tyre and Sidon 'selling' again stands for alienating. In Moses,

Their rock sold them, and Jehovah shut them up. Deuteronomy 32:30.

'Selling' plainly stands for alienating. In the highest sense 'rock' is the Lord as regards truth, and in the representative sense faith, while 'Jehovah' is the Lord as regards good.

[4] Since 'buying' in the spiritual sense is acquiring to oneself and 'selling' is alienating, the Lord compares the kingdom of heaven to one selling and buying, in Matthew,

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man (homo) finds and hides, and in his joy he goes and sells whatever he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader seeking fine pearls, who, when he has found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46.

'The kingdom of heaven' stands for the good and truth present with a person, and so for heaven present with him. 'Field' stands for good and 'pearl' for truth, while 'buying' stands for acquiring these and making them one's own. 'Selling all that one has' stands for alienating that which previously was properly one's own, thus alienating evil desires and false ideas, for these are properly one's own.

[5] In Luke,

Jesus said to the young ruler, You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, then you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. Luke 18:22.

In the internal sense these words mean that everything completely a person's own, which consists of nothing but evil desires and false ideas, ought to be alienated from him, for such desires and ideas are meant by 'all that he has', and then he will receive from the Lord good desires and true ideas, which are 'treasure in heaven'.

[6] This is similar to what is said elsewhere in the same gospel,

Sell your resources and give alms; make for yourselves money bags that do not grow old, a treasure that does not fail in heaven. Luke 12:33.

Anyone can see that this verse holds a meaning other than the literal one. For at the present day 'selling one's resources' would be making oneself a beggar, and depriving oneself of any further opportunity to exercise charity, quite apart from the fact that one would inevitably regard such a course of action as being meritorious. Also it is an invariable truth that there are rich people in heaven as well as poor ones. The meaning other than the literal one contained in this verse is what was stated just above.

[7] Since 'selling' meant alienating what belonged to the Church the following law was therefore laid down,

If a man was not pleased with a wife he had taken from among women captives, she was to be set apart from him. She should certainly not however be sold for silver; no gain was to be made out of her, because he had caused her distress. Deuteronomy 21:14.

'A wife taken from among women captives' stands for truth that is foreign, not from a genuine stock, yet can be linked in some way to the good of the Church present in a person. If however that truth proves to, be in many respects incompatible it can be separated; but it cannot be alienated since it has been joined in some way to that good. This is the spiritual meaning of that law.

[8] There was also this law,

If there is found a man who has stolen a soul from his brothers, from the children of Israel, and has made profit on him, and has sold him, that thief shall be killed, so that you remove evil from the midst of you. Deuteronomy 24:7.

'Those who steal the children of Israel' stands for those who acquire the truths of the Church, not with the intention of living according to them and thus teaching them from their hearts, but with the intention of using those truths for personal profit. The damnation of such a person is meant by 'he shall be killed'.

Footnotes:

1. literally, the Sebaites

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.