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Ezekiel 14

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1 καὶ ἦλθον πρός με ἄνδρες ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ ισραηλ καὶ ἐκάθισαν πρὸ προσώπου μου

2 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

3 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου οἱ ἄνδρες οὗτοι ἔθεντο τὰ διανοήματα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν κόλασιν τῶν ἀδικιῶν αὐτῶν ἔθηκαν πρὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν εἰ ἀποκρινόμενος ἀποκριθῶ αὐτοῖς

4 διὰ τοῦτο λάλησον αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς τάδε λέγει κύριος ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου ισραηλ ὃς ἂν θῇ τὰ διανοήματα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν κόλασιν τῆς ἀδικίας αὐτοῦ τάξῃ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλθῃ πρὸς τὸν προφήτην ἐγὼ κύριος ἀποκριθήσομαι αὐτῷ ἐν οἷς ἐνέχεται ἡ διάνοια αὐτοῦ

5 ὅπως πλαγιάσῃ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ισραηλ κατὰ τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν τὰς ἀπηλλοτριωμένας ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασιν αὐτῶν

6 διὰ τοῦτο εἰπὸν πρὸς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ισραηλ τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ἐπιστράφητε καὶ ἀποστρέψατε ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ὑμῶν καὶ ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἀσεβειῶν ὑμῶν καὶ ἐπιστρέψατε τὰ πρόσωπα ὑμῶν

7 διότι ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου ισραηλ καὶ ἐκ τῶν προσηλύτων τῶν προσηλυτευόντων ἐν τῷ ισραηλ ὃς ἂν ἀπαλλοτριωθῇ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ θῆται τὰ ἐνθυμήματα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν κόλασιν τῆς ἀδικίας αὐτοῦ τάξῃ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔλθῃ πρὸς τὸν προφήτην τοῦ ἐπερωτῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐν ἐμοί ἐγὼ κύριος ἀποκριθήσομαι αὐτῷ ἐν ᾧ ἐνέχεται ἐν αὐτῷ

8 καὶ στηριῶ τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐκεῖνον καὶ θήσομαι αὐτὸν εἰς ἔρημον καὶ εἰς ἀφανισμὸν καὶ ἐξαρῶ αὐτὸν ἐκ μέσου τοῦ λαοῦ μου καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ κύριος

9 καὶ ὁ προφήτης ἐὰν πλανηθῇ καὶ λαλήσῃ ἐγὼ κύριος πεπλάνηκα τὸν προφήτην ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπ' αὐτὸν καὶ ἀφανιῶ αὐτὸν ἐκ μέσου τοῦ λαοῦ μου ισραηλ

10 καὶ λήμψονται τὴν ἀδικίαν αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸ ἀδίκημα τοῦ ἐπερωτῶντος καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἀδίκημα ὁμοίως τῷ προφήτῃ ἔσται

11 ὅπως μὴ πλανᾶται ἔτι ὁ οἶκος τοῦ ισραηλ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ ἵνα μὴ μιαίνωνται ἔτι ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς παραπτώμασιν αὐτῶν καὶ ἔσονταί μοι εἰς λαόν καὶ ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς θεόν λέγει κύριος

12 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

13 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου γῆ ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ μοι τοῦ παραπεσεῖν παράπτωμα καὶ ἐκτενῶ τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπ' αὐτὴν καὶ συντρίψω αὐτῆς στήριγμα ἄρτου καὶ ἐξαποστελῶ ἐπ' αὐτὴν λιμὸν καὶ ἐξαρῶ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἄνθρωπον καὶ κτήνη

14 καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν οἱ τρεῖς ἄνδρες οὗτοι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς νωε καὶ δανιηλ καὶ ιωβ αὐτοὶ ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ αὐτῶν σωθήσονται λέγει κύριος

15 ἐὰν καὶ θηρία πονηρὰ ἐπάγω ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τιμωρήσομαι αὐτὴν καὶ ἔσται εἰς ἀφανισμὸν καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ διοδεύων ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν θηρίων

16 καὶ οἱ τρεῖς ἄνδρες οὗτοι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ὦσι ζῶ ἐγώ λέγει κύριος εἰ υἱοὶ ἢ θυγατέρες σωθήσονται ἀλλ' ἢ αὐτοὶ μόνοι σωθήσονται ἡ δὲ γῆ ἔσται εἰς ὄλεθρον

17 ἢ καὶ ῥομφαίαν ἐὰν ἐπάγω ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην καὶ εἴπω ῥομφαία διελθάτω διὰ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐξαρῶ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἄνθρωπον καὶ κτῆνος

18 καὶ οἱ τρεῖς ἄνδρες οὗτοι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ζῶ ἐγώ λέγει κύριος οὐ μὴ ῥύσωνται υἱοὺς οὐδὲ θυγατέρας αὐτοὶ μόνοι σωθήσονται

19 ἢ καὶ θάνατον ἐπαποστείλω ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην καὶ ἐκχεῶ τὸν θυμόν μου ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἐν αἵματι τοῦ ἐξολεθρεῦσαι ἐξ αὐτῆς ἄνθρωπον καὶ κτῆνος

20 καὶ νωε καὶ δανιηλ καὶ ιωβ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ζῶ ἐγώ λέγει κύριος ἐὰν υἱοὶ ἢ θυγατέρες ὑπολειφθῶσιν αὐτοὶ ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ αὐτῶν ῥύσονται τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν

21 τάδε λέγει κύριος ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τὰς τέσσαρας ἐκδικήσεις μου τὰς πονηράς ῥομφαίαν καὶ λιμὸν καὶ θηρία πονηρὰ καὶ θάνατον ἐξαποστείλω ἐπὶ ιερουσαλημ τοῦ ἐξολεθρεῦσαι ἐξ αὐτῆς ἄνθρωπον καὶ κτῆνος

22 καὶ ἰδοὺ ὑπολελειμμένοι ἐν αὐτῇ οἱ ἀνασεσῳσμένοι αὐτῆς οἳ ἐξάγουσιν ἐξ αὐτῆς υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας ἰδοὺ αὐτοὶ ἐκπορεύονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ ὄψεσθε τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ ἐνθυμήματα αὐτῶν καὶ μεταμεληθήσεσθε ἐπὶ τὰ κακά ἃ ἐπήγαγον ἐπὶ ιερουσαλημ πάντα τὰ κακὰ ἃ ἐπήγαγον ἐπ' αὐτήν

23 καὶ παρακαλέσουσιν ὑμᾶς διότι ὄψεσθε τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ ἐνθυμήματα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε διότι οὐ μάτην πεποίηκα πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα ἐν αὐτῇ λέγει κύριος

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #459

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459. And idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. This symbolically means that thus they engage in worship founded on nothing but falsities.

Idols in the Word symbolize falsities in worship, and therefore worshiping them symbolizes worship founded on falsities. Worshiping idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, then, symbolizes worship founded on falsities of every kind, and when taken in combination, worship founded on nothing but falsities. Moreover, the materials, figures, and garments of the idols among ancient peoples represented the falsities of religion on which they founded their worship. Idols of gold symbolized falsities regarding matters pertaining to God; idols of silver, falsities regarding matters pertaining to the spirit; idols of brass, falsities regarding charity; idols of stone, falsities regarding faith; and idols of wood, falsities regarding good works.

All of these falsities are held by people who do not repent, that is, who do not refrain from evils as being sins against God.

[2] Idols, which were carved and cast images, have this symbolic meaning in the spiritual sense in the following passages:

Everyone has been made stupid by knowledge; every metalsmith is has been put to shame by a carved image; for his cast image is a falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are futile, a work of errors; in the time of their visitation they shall perish. (Jeremiah 10:14-15; 51:17-18)

(Carved images are) the work of the hands of the workman... They do not speak... They are both foolish and stupid; the wood is a worthless teacher... They are all the work of skillful men. (Jeremiah 10:3-5, 8-10)

What profit is the carved image, that its maker has carved it, ...and a teacher of lies, that the maker of the lie trusts in it...? ...in it there is no breath. (Habakkuk 2:18-19)

In that day a man will cast away to the moles and bats his idols of silver and his idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship... (Isaiah 2:18, 20)

...they made for themselves cast images of their silver, idols according to their skill, all of it the work of craftsmen. (Hosea 13:2)

I will sprinkle clean water on you, that you may be cleansed... from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. (Ezekiel 36:25)

Clean waters are truths; idols are falsities in worship.

You shall judge unclean the covering of your graven images of silver, and the attire of your cast images of gold. You will throw them away as a menstrual cloth; you will call it excrement. (Isaiah 30:22)

[3] Falsities in religion and thus in worship are precisely what are symbolically meant by the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone that Belshazzar, king of Babylon, praised (i.e., worshiped) when with his great men, wives and concubines he drank wine from the vessels of gold and silver taken from the temple in Jerusalem, on which account he was driven from mankind and became as a beast (Daniel 5:1-5ff.).

And so also in many other places, as in Isaiah 10:10-11; 21:9; 31:7; 40:19-20; 41:29; 42:17; 48:5, Leviticus 26:30.

Properly speaking, idols symbolize falsities in worship springing from people's own intelligence. How a person fashions them and afterward adapts them so that they appear to be true is fully described in Isaiah 44:9-20.

  
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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.

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