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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

 

Arcana Coelestia #4745

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4745. 'And they sat down to eat bread' means making evil that was a product of falsity their own. This is clear from the meaning of 'eating' as making one's own, dealt with in 3168, 3513 (end), 3596; 3832; and from the meaning of 'bread' as the good of love, dealt with in 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, as well as all food in general, 2165. Here however 'bread' means the opposite of that good, namely evil, for it is well known that those who eat bread in the Holy Supper in an unworthy manner do not make good but evil their own. From this it is evident that in the contrary sense 'eating bread' means making evil their own. It was a practice among the ancients to eat together when they reached an important decision that was endorsed by everyone else. By eating together they were indicating that they approved the decision and so had made it their own, as in Ezekiel,

Behold, the princes of Israel, each according to his power, 1 have been among you and have shed blood. Men of intrigue have been among you, [ready] to shed blood, and have eaten on the mountains. Ezekiel 22:6, 9.

What is more, it should be recognized that generally evil has two sources, the first being life and the second doctrine. That which has its origin in false doctrine is called evil that is a product of falsity; and it is this kind of evil that is meant here.

Footnotes:

1. literally, arm

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