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Ezekiel 22

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1 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

2 καὶ σύ υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου εἰ κρινεῖς τὴν πόλιν τῶν αἱμάτων καὶ παράδειξον αὐτῇ πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας αὐτῆς

3 καὶ ἐρεῖς τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ὦ πόλις ἐκχέουσα αἵματα ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς τοῦ ἐλθεῖν καιρὸν αὐτῆς καὶ ποιοῦσα ἐνθυμήματα καθ' αὑτῆς τοῦ μιαίνειν αὐτήν

4 ἐν τοῖς αἵμασιν αὐτῶν οἷς ἐξέχεας παραπέπτωκας καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐνθυμήμασίν σου οἷς ἐποίεις ἐμιαίνου καὶ ἤγγισας τὰς ἡμέρας σου καὶ ἤγαγες καιρὸν ἐτῶν σου διὰ τοῦτο δέδωκά σε εἰς ὄνειδος τοῖς ἔθνεσιν καὶ εἰς ἐμπαιγμὸν πάσαις ταῖς χώραις

5 ταῖς ἐγγιζούσαις πρὸς σὲ καὶ ταῖς μακρὰν ἀπεχούσαις ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ ἐμπαίξονται ἐν σοί ἀκάθαρτος ἡ ὀνομαστὴ καὶ πολλὴ ἐν ταῖς ἀνομίαις

6 ἰδοὺ οἱ ἀφηγούμενοι οἴκου ισραηλ ἕκαστος πρὸς τοὺς συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ συνανεφύροντο ἐν σοί ὅπως ἐκχέωσιν αἷμα

7 πατέρα καὶ μητέρα ἐκακολόγουν ἐν σοὶ καὶ πρὸς τὸν προσήλυτον ἀνεστρέφοντο ἐν ἀδικίαις ἐν σοί ὀρφανὸν καὶ χήραν κατεδυνάστευον ἐν σοί

8 καὶ τὰ ἅγιά μου ἐξουδένουν καὶ τὰ σάββατά μου ἐβεβήλουν ἐν σοί

9 ἄνδρες λῃσταὶ ἐν σοί ὅπως ἐκχέωσιν ἐν σοὶ αἷμα καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων ἤσθοσαν ἐν σοί ἀνόσια ἐποίουν ἐν μέσῳ σου

10 αἰσχύνην πατρὸς ἀπεκάλυψαν ἐν σοὶ καὶ ἐν ἀκαθαρσίαις ἀποκαθημένην ἐταπείνουν ἐν σοί

11 ἕκαστος τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ ἠνομοῦσαν καὶ ἕκαστος τὴν νύμφην αὐτοῦ ἐμίαινεν ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ καὶ ἕκαστος τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ θυγατέρα τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐταπείνουν ἐν σοί

12 δῶρα ἐλαμβάνοσαν ἐν σοί ὅπως ἐκχέωσιν αἷμα τόκον καὶ πλεονασμὸν ἐλαμβάνοσαν ἐν σοί καὶ συνετελέσω συντέλειαν κακίας σου τὴν ἐν καταδυναστείᾳ ἐμοῦ δὲ ἐπελάθου λέγει κύριος

13 ἐὰν δὲ πατάξω χεῖρά μου πρὸς χεῖρά μου ἐφ' οἷς συντετέλεσαι οἷς ἐποίησας καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς αἵμασίν σου τοῖς γεγενημένοις ἐν μέσῳ σου

14 εἰ ὑποστήσεται ἡ καρδία σου εἰ κρατήσουσιν αἱ χεῖρές σου ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αἷς ἐγὼ ποιῶ ἐν σοί ἐγὼ κύριος λελάληκα καὶ ποιήσω

15 καὶ διασκορπιῶ σε ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν καὶ διασπερῶ σε ἐν ταῖς χώραις καὶ ἐκλείψει ἡ ἀκαθαρσία σου ἐκ σοῦ

16 καὶ κατακληρονομήσω ἐν σοὶ κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ γνώσεσθε διότι ἐγὼ κύριος

17 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

18 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου ἰδοὺ γεγόνασί μοι ὁ οἶκος ισραηλ ἀναμεμειγμένοι πάντες χαλκῷ καὶ σιδήρῳ καὶ κασσιτέρῳ καὶ μολίβῳ ἐν μέσῳ ἀργυρίου ἀναμεμειγμένος ἐστίν

19 διὰ τοῦτο εἰπόν τάδε λέγει κύριος ἀνθ' ὧν ἐγένεσθε πάντες εἰς σύγκρασιν μίαν διὰ τοῦτο ἐγὼ εἰσδέχομαι ὑμᾶς εἰς μέσον ιερουσαλημ

20 καθὼς εἰσδέχεται ἄργυρος καὶ χαλκὸς καὶ σίδηρος καὶ κασσίτερος καὶ μόλιβος εἰς μέσον καμίνου τοῦ ἐκφυσῆσαι εἰς αὐτὸ πῦρ τοῦ χωνευθῆναι οὕτως εἰσδέξομαι ὑμᾶς ἐν ὀργῇ μου καὶ συνάξω καὶ χωνεύσω ὑμᾶς

21 καὶ ἐκφυσήσω ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ἐν πυρὶ ὀργῆς μου καὶ χωνευθήσεσθε ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς

22 ὃν τρόπον χωνεύεται ἀργύριον ἐν μέσῳ καμίνου οὕτως χωνευθήσεσθε ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπιγνώσεσθε διότι ἐγὼ κύριος ἐξέχεα τὸν θυμόν μου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς

23 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

24 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου εἰπὸν αὐτῇ σὺ εἶ γῆ ἡ οὐ βρεχομένη οὐδὲ ὑετὸς ἐγένετο ἐπὶ σὲ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς

25 ἧς οἱ ἀφηγούμενοι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ὡς λέοντες ὠρυόμενοι ἁρπάζοντες ἁρπάγματα ψυχὰς κατεσθίοντες ἐν δυναστείᾳ τιμὰς λαμβάνοντες ἐν ἀδικίᾳ καὶ αἱ χῆραί σου ἐπληθύνθησαν ἐν μέσῳ σου

26 καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτῆς ἠθέτησαν νόμον μου καὶ ἐβεβήλουν τὰ ἅγιά μου ἀνὰ μέσον ἁγίου καὶ βεβήλου οὐ διέστελλον καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον ἀκαθάρτου καὶ τοῦ καθαροῦ οὐ διέστελλον καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν σαββάτων μου παρεκάλυπτον τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐβεβηλούμην ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν

27 οἱ ἄρχοντες αὐτῆς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς ὡς λύκοι ἁρπάζοντες ἁρπάγματα τοῦ ἐκχέαι αἷμα ὅπως πλεονεξίᾳ πλεονεκτῶσιν

28 καὶ οἱ προφῆται αὐτῆς ἀλείφοντες αὐτοὺς πεσοῦνται ὁρῶντες μάταια μαντευόμενοι ψευδῆ λέγοντες τάδε λέγει κύριος καὶ κύριος οὐ λελάληκεν

29 λαὸν τῆς γῆς ἐκπιεζοῦντες ἀδικίᾳ καὶ διαρπάζοντες ἁρπάγματα πτωχὸν καὶ πένητα καταδυναστεύοντες καὶ πρὸς τὸν προσήλυτον οὐκ ἀναστρεφόμενοι μετὰ κρίματος

30 καὶ ἐζήτουν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρα ἀναστρεφόμενον ὀρθῶς καὶ ἑστῶτα πρὸ προσώπου μου ὁλοσχερῶς ἐν καιρῷ τῆς γῆς τοῦ μὴ εἰς τέλος ἐξαλεῖψαι αὐτήν καὶ οὐχ εὗρον

31 καὶ ἐξέχεα ἐπ' αὐτὴν θυμόν μου ἐν πυρὶ ὀργῆς μου τοῦ συντελέσαι τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν εἰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν δέδωκα λέγει κύριος κύριος

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Revealed #496

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496. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy. (11:6) This symbolically means that people who turn away from these two essential elements of the New Church cannot receive any truth from heaven.

Heaven here means the angelic heaven. Thus the rain symbolizes truth for the church from there. Consequently to close heaven so that no rain falls means, symbolically, that people cannot receive any truth for the church from heaven. Truth for the church from heaven is doctrinal truth from the Word.

We are told that the two witnesses have the power to shut heaven, but as in no. 494 above, the meaning here is not that they have that power, but that people who turn away from the two essential elements of the New Church close heaven to themselves, because they continue to be caught up in their falsities.

That rain symbolizes Divine truth from heaven is clear from the following passages:

My doctrine shall drop as the rain, My word shall fall as the dew... (Deuteronomy 32:2)

(If) you... serve other gods..., (Jehovah will) shut up heaven so that there be no rain... (Deuteronomy 11:16-17, see also 11:11, 11:14)

I will lay waste (My vineyard).... I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it. (Isaiah 5:6)

The showers have been withheld, and there has been no late rain. Yet you continue to have a harlot's forehead... (Jeremiah 3:3)

For as the rain comes down... from heaven..., so shall My word (go) forth from My mouth. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Rejoice then, you children of Zion, and be glad in Jehovah... For He has given you seasonable rain in righteousness. (Joel 2:23)

You have caused to drop, O God, a kindly rain... (Psalms 68:9)

He shall come down like rain upon the grass of the meadow... In His days the righteous shall flourish... (Psalms 72:6-7)

He will come to us as rain, as the late... rain waters the earth. (Hosea 6:3)

...my word shall rain down on them, and they will wait for me as for the rain, and they will open their mouth for the late rain. (Job 29:22-23)

Son of man, say...: "You are a land that is not cleansed, which will have no rain in the day of wrath. There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst... (Ezekiel 22:24-25)

And so on elsewhere, as in Isaiah 30:23; Jeremiah 5:24; 10:12-13; 14:3-4; 51:16.

A flooding rain stands for the destruction of truth in Ezekiel 13:11, 13-14; 38:22. For temptation or trial in Matthew 7:24-27.

  
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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

 

Deuteronomy 11:14

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14 that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, and your new wine, and your oil.

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