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Ezekiel 13

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1 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

2 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου προφήτευσον ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας τοῦ ισραηλ καὶ προφητεύσεις καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς ἀκούσατε λόγον κυρίου

3 τάδε λέγει κύριος οὐαὶ τοῖς προφητεύουσιν ἀπὸ καρδίας αὐτῶν καὶ τὸ καθόλου μὴ βλέπουσιν

4 οἱ προφῆταί σου ισραηλ ὡς ἀλώπεκες ἐν ταῖς ἐρήμοις

5 οὐκ ἔστησαν ἐν στερεώματι καὶ συνήγαγον ποίμνια ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ισραηλ οὐκ ἀνέστησαν οἱ λέγοντες ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κυρίου

6 βλέποντες ψευδῆ μαντευόμενοι μάταια οἱ λέγοντες λέγει κύριος καὶ κύριος οὐκ ἀπέσταλκεν αὐτούς καὶ ἤρξαντο τοῦ ἀναστῆσαι λόγον

7 οὐχ ὅρασιν ψευδῆ ἑωράκατε καὶ μαντείας ματαίας εἰρήκατε

8 διὰ τοῦτο εἰπόν τάδε λέγει κύριος ἀνθ' ὧν οἱ λόγοι ὑμῶν ψευδεῖς καὶ αἱ μαντεῖαι ὑμῶν μάταιαι διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐφ' ὑμᾶς λέγει κύριος

9 καὶ ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς ὁρῶντας ψευδῆ καὶ τοὺς ἀποφθεγγομένους μάταια ἐν παιδείᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ μου οὐκ ἔσονται οὐδὲ ἐν γραφῇ οἴκου ισραηλ οὐ γραφήσονται καὶ εἰς τὴν γῆν τοῦ ισραηλ οὐκ εἰσελεύσονται καὶ γνώσονται διότι ἐγὼ κύριος

10 ἀνθ' ὧν τὸν λαόν μου ἐπλάνησαν λέγοντες εἰρήνη εἰρήνη καὶ οὐκ ἦν εἰρήνη καὶ οὗτος οἰκοδομεῖ τοῖχον καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀλείφουσιν αὐτόν εἰ πεσεῖται

11 εἰπὸν πρὸς τοὺς ἀλείφοντας πεσεῖται καὶ ἔσται ὑετὸς κατακλύζων καὶ δώσω λίθους πετροβόλους εἰς τοὺς ἐνδέσμους αὐτῶν καὶ πεσοῦνται καὶ πνεῦμα ἐξαῖρον καὶ ῥαγήσεται

12 καὶ ἰδοὺ πέπτωκεν ὁ τοῖχος καὶ οὐκ ἐροῦσιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ποῦ ἐστιν ἡ ἀλοιφὴ ὑμῶν ἣν ἠλείψατε

13 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος καὶ ῥήξω πνοὴν ἐξαίρουσαν μετὰ θυμοῦ καὶ ὑετὸς κατακλύζων ἐν ὀργῇ μου ἔσται καὶ τοὺς λίθους τοὺς πετροβόλους ἐν θυμῷ ἐπάξω εἰς συντέλειαν

14 καὶ κατασκάψω τὸν τοῖχον ὃν ἠλείψατε καὶ πεσεῖται καὶ θήσω αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἀποκαλυφθήσεται τὰ θεμέλια αὐτοῦ καὶ πεσεῖται καὶ συντελεσθήσεσθε μετ' ἐλέγχων καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε διότι ἐγὼ κύριος

15 καὶ συντελέσω τὸν θυμόν μου ἐπὶ τὸν τοῖχον καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀλείφοντας αὐτόν καὶ πεσεῖται καὶ εἶπα πρὸς ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ τοῖχος οὐδὲ οἱ ἀλείφοντες αὐτὸν

16 προφῆται τοῦ ισραηλ οἱ προφητεύοντες ἐπὶ ιερουσαλημ καὶ οἱ ὁρῶντες αὐτῇ εἰρήνην καὶ εἰρήνη οὐκ ἔστιν λέγει κύριος

17 καὶ σύ υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου στήρισον τὸ πρόσωπόν σου ἐπὶ τὰς θυγατέρας τοῦ λαοῦ σου τὰς προφητευούσας ἀπὸ καρδίας αὐτῶν καὶ προφήτευσον ἐπ' αὐτὰς

18 καὶ ἐρεῖς τάδε λέγει κύριος οὐαὶ ταῖς συρραπτούσαις προσκεφάλαια ἐπὶ πάντα ἀγκῶνα χειρὸς καὶ ποιούσαις ἐπιβόλαια ἐπὶ πᾶσαν κεφαλὴν πάσης ἡλικίας τοῦ διαστρέφειν ψυχάς αἱ ψυχαὶ διεστράφησαν τοῦ λαοῦ μου καὶ ψυχὰς περιεποιοῦντο

19 καὶ ἐβεβήλουν με πρὸς τὸν λαόν μου ἕνεκεν δρακὸς κριθῶν καὶ ἕνεκεν κλασμάτων ἄρτου τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι ψυχάς ἃς οὐκ ἔδει ἀποθανεῖν καὶ τοῦ περιποιήσασθαι ψυχάς ἃς οὐκ ἔδει ζῆσαι ἐν τῷ ἀποφθέγγεσθαι ὑμᾶς λαῷ εἰσακούοντι μάταια ἀποφθέγματα

20 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τὰ προσκεφάλαια ὑμῶν ἐφ' ἃ ὑμεῖς συστρέφετε ἐκεῖ ψυχάς καὶ διαρρήξω αὐτὰ ἀπὸ τῶν βραχιόνων ὑμῶν καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ τὰς ψυχάς ἃς ὑμεῖς ἐκστρέφετε τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν εἰς διασκορπισμόν

21 καὶ διαρρήξω τὰ ἐπιβόλαια ὑμῶν καὶ ῥύσομαι τὸν λαόν μου ἐκ χειρὸς ὑμῶν καὶ οὐκέτι ἔσονται ἐν χερσὶν ὑμῶν εἰς συστροφήν καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε διότι ἐγὼ κύριος

22 ἀνθ' ὧν διεστρέφετε καρδίαν δικαίου ἀδίκως καὶ ἐγὼ οὐ διέστρεφον αὐτὸν καὶ τοῦ κατισχῦσαι χεῖρας ἀνόμου τὸ καθόλου μὴ ἀποστρέψαι ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς καὶ ζῆσαι αὐτόν

23 διὰ τοῦτο ψευδῆ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε καὶ μαντείας οὐ μὴ μαντεύσησθε ἔτι καὶ ῥύσομαι τὸν λαόν μου ἐκ χειρὸς ὑμῶν καὶ γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Spiritual Experiences #245

  
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245. About spirits who distort holy things by "plastering with untempered mortar" [Ezek. 13:10-15]

Today again, I was shown how the worst spirits distort holy things, namely that they bring holy things to bear as if they were their own, and as it were plaster them over, and bring them in this form to human consciousness; consequently, innocent people can easily be persuaded that the very inward holy things come from those spirits, when yet it is mere "untempered mortar," as described in Ezekiel [13:10].

At first I considered that the sensation of very inward things originated from them, but afterwards, when better informed, I was allowed to expose their deceptions to them through conversation and symbolic depiction. This angered them, especially the fact that from something evil a perception of goodness can result, and one of truth from something false. Along these lines the clay wall [v.10] was also explained. 1747, the 12th day of November (old calendar).

They imagine they are good and holy when they are declaring their vows, like the dragon now and then, when yet inwardly they harbor malice, although in that state they do not know it.

  
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Thanks to the Academy of the New Church, and Bryn Athyn College, for the permission to use this translation.