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Ezekiel 27

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1 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

2 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου λαβὲ ἐπὶ σορ θρῆνον

3 καὶ ἐρεῖς τῇ σορ τῇ κατοικούσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς εἰσόδου τῆς θαλάσσης τῷ ἐμπορίῳ τῶν λαῶν ἀπὸ νήσων πολλῶν τάδε λέγει κύριος τῇ σορ σὺ εἶπας ἐγὼ περιέθηκα ἐμαυτῇ κάλλος μου

4 ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης τῷ βεελιμ υἱοί σου περιέθηκάν σοι κάλλος

5 κέδρος ἐκ σανιρ ᾠκοδομήθη σοι ταινίαι σανίδων κυπαρίσσου ἐκ τοῦ λιβάνου ἐλήμφθησαν τοῦ ποιῆσαί σοι ἱστοὺς ἐλατίνους

6 ἐκ τῆς βασανίτιδος ἐποίησαν τὰς κώπας σου τὰ ἱερά σου ἐποίησαν ἐξ ἐλέφαντος οἴκους ἀλσώδεις ἀπὸ νήσων τῶν χεττιιν

7 βύσσος μετὰ ποικιλίας ἐξ αἰγύπτου ἐγένετό σοι στρωμνὴ τοῦ περιθεῖναί σοι δόξαν καὶ περιβαλεῖν σε ὑάκινθον καὶ πορφύραν ἐκ τῶν νήσων ελισαι καὶ ἐγένετο περιβόλαιά σου

8 καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντές σου οἱ κατοικοῦντες σιδῶνα καὶ αράδιοι ἐγένοντο κωπηλάται σου οἱ σοφοί σου σορ οἳ ἦσαν ἐν σοί οὗτοι κυβερνῆταί σου

9 οἱ πρεσβύτεροι βυβλίων καὶ οἱ σοφοὶ αὐτῶν ἦσαν ἐν σοί οὗτοι ἐνίσχυον τὴν βουλήν σου καὶ πάντα τὰ πλοῖα τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ οἱ κωπηλάται αὐτῶν ἐγένοντό σοι ἐπὶ δυσμὰς δυσμῶν

10 πέρσαι καὶ λυδοὶ καὶ λίβυες ἦσαν ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου ἄνδρες πολεμισταί σου πέλτας καὶ περικεφαλαίας ἐκρέμασαν ἐν σοί οὗτοι ἔδωκαν τὴν δόξαν σου

11 υἱοὶ αραδίων καὶ ἡ δύναμίς σου ἐπὶ τῶν τειχέων σου φύλακες ἐν τοῖς πύργοις σου ἦσαν τὰς φαρέτρας αὐτῶν ἐκρέμασαν ἐπὶ τῶν ὅρμων σου κύκλῳ οὗτοι ἐτελείωσάν σου τὸ κάλλος

12 καρχηδόνιοι ἔμποροί σου ἀπὸ πλήθους πάσης ἰσχύος σου ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον καὶ σίδηρον καὶ κασσίτερον καὶ μόλυβον ἔδωκαν τὴν ἀγοράν σου

13 ἡ ἑλλὰς καὶ ἡ σύμπασα καὶ τὰ παρατείνοντα οὗτοι ἐνεπορεύοντό σοι ἐν ψυχαῖς ἀνθρώπων καὶ σκεύη χαλκᾶ ἔδωκαν τὴν ἐμπορίαν σου

14 ἐξ οἴκου θεργαμα ἵππους καὶ ἱππεῖς ἔδωκαν ἀγοράν σου

15 υἱοὶ ῥοδίων ἔμποροί σου ἀπὸ νήσων ἐπλήθυναν τὴν ἐμπορίαν σου ὀδόντας ἐλεφαντίνους καὶ τοῖς εἰσαγομένοις ἀντεδίδους τοὺς μισθούς σου

16 ἀνθρώπους ἐμπορίαν σου ἀπὸ πλήθους τοῦ συμμίκτου σου στακτὴν καὶ ποικίλματα ἐκ θαρσις καὶ ραμωθ καὶ χορχορ ἔδωκαν τὴν ἀγοράν σου

17 ιουδας καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ ισραηλ οὗτοι ἔμποροί σου ἐν σίτου πράσει καὶ μύρων καὶ κασίας καὶ πρῶτον μέλι καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ ῥητίνην ἔδωκαν εἰς τὸν σύμμικτόν σου

18 δαμασκὸς ἔμπορός σου ἐκ πλήθους πάσης δυνάμεώς σου οἶνος ἐκ χελβων καὶ ἔρια ἐκ μιλήτου

19 καὶ οἶνον εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν σου ἔδωκαν ἐξ ασηλ σίδηρος εἰργασμένος καὶ τροχὸς ἐν τῷ συμμίκτῳ σού ἐστιν

20 δαιδαν ἔμποροί σου μετὰ κτηνῶν ἐκλεκτῶν εἰς ἅρματα

21 ἡ ἀραβία καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες κηδαρ οὗτοι ἔμποροί σου διὰ χειρός σου καμήλους καὶ κριοὺς καὶ ἀμνοὺς ἐν οἷς ἐμπορεύονταί σε

22 ἔμποροι σαβα καὶ ραγμα οὗτοι ἔμποροί σου μετὰ πρώτων ἡδυσμάτων καὶ λίθων χρηστῶν καὶ χρυσίον ἔδωκαν τὴν ἀγοράν σου

23 χαρραν καὶ χαννα οὗτοι ἔμποροί σου ασσουρ καὶ χαρμαν ἔμποροί σου

24 φέροντες ἐμπορίαν ὑάκινθον καὶ θησαυροὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς δεδεμένους σχοινίοις καὶ κυπαρίσσινα

25 πλοῖα ἐν αὐτοῖς καρχηδόνιοι ἔμποροί σου ἐν τῷ πλήθει ἐν τῷ συμμίκτῳ σου καὶ ἐνεπλήσθης καὶ ἐβαρύνθης σφόδρα ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης

26 ἐν ὕδατι πολλῷ ἦγόν σε οἱ κωπηλάται σου τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ νότου συνέτριψέν σε ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης

27 ἦσαν δυνάμεις σου καὶ ὁ μισθός σου καὶ τῶν συμμίκτων σου καὶ οἱ κωπηλάται σου καὶ οἱ κυβερνῆταί σου καὶ οἱ σύμβουλοί σου καὶ οἱ σύμμικτοί σου ἐκ τῶν συμμίκτων σου καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ πολεμισταί σου οἱ ἐν σοὶ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ συναγωγή σου ἐν μέσῳ σου πεσοῦνται ἐν καρδίᾳ θαλάσσης ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς πτώσεώς σου

28 πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν τῆς κραυγῆς σου οἱ κυβερνῆταί σου φόβῳ φοβηθήσονται

29 καὶ καταβήσονται ἀπὸ τῶν πλοίων πάντες οἱ κωπηλάται σου καὶ οἱ ἐπιβάται καὶ οἱ πρωρεῖς τῆς θαλάσσης ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν στήσονται

30 καὶ ἀλαλάξουσιν ἐπὶ σὲ τῇ φωνῇ αὐτῶν καὶ κεκράξονται πικρὸν καὶ ἐπιθήσουσιν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῶν γῆν καὶ σποδὸν ὑποστρώσονται

32 καὶ λήμψονται οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ σὲ θρῆνον καὶ θρήνημά σοι

33 πόσον τινὰ εὗρες μισθὸν ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐνέπλησας ἔθνη ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους σου καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ συμμίκτου σου ἐπλούτισας πάντας βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς

34 νῦν συνετρίβης ἐν θαλάσσῃ ἐν βάθει ὕδατος ὁ σύμμικτός σου καὶ πᾶσα ἡ συναγωγή σου ἐν μέσῳ σου ἔπεσον πάντες οἱ κωπηλάται σου

35 πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὰς νήσους ἐστύγνασαν ἐπὶ σέ καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν ἐκστάσει ἐξέστησαν καὶ ἐδάκρυσεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν

36 ἔμποροι ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν ἐσύρισάν σε ἀπώλεια ἐγένου καὶ οὐκέτι ἔσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Heaven and Hell #365

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365. We may gather from this that rich people arrive in heaven just as much as poor people do, one as easily as the other. The reason people believe that it is easy for the poor and hard for the rich is that the Word is misunderstood when it talks about the rich and the poor. In the spiritual meaning of the Word, "the rich" means people who are amply supplied with understandings of what is true and good, that is, people in the church where the Word is. "The poor" means people who lack these understandings but who long for them, or people outside the church, where the Word is not found.

[2] The rich person dressed in purple and fine linen who was cast into hell means the Jewish nation. Because they had the Word and were therefore amply supplied with understandings of what is good and true, they are called "rich." The garments of purple actually mean understandings of what is good, and the fine linen means understandings of what is true. 1 The poor person who was lying in the gateway and who longed to feast on the crumbs that were falling from the rich person's table, who was carried up into heaven by angels, means the non-Jews who did not have understandings of what is good and true but who still longed for them (Luke 16:19, 31).

The rich who were invited to the great feast but who excused themselves also mean the Jewish nation, and the poor who were brought in to replace them mean the non-Jews who were outside the church (Luke 12:16-24, 14:16-24).

[3] We need also to explain who are meant by the rich of whom the Lord said, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19:24). "The rich person" here means the rich in both senses, natural and spiritual. Rich people in the natural sense are people who have abundant wealth and set their hearts on it, while in a spiritual sense they are people who are amply supplied with insights and knowledge (for these are spiritual wealth) and who want to use them to get themselves into heavenly and ecclesiastical circles by their own intellect. Since this is contrary to the divine design, it says that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle. On this level of meaning, a camel means our cognitive and informational level in general, and the eye of a needle means spiritual truth. 2

Nowadays people do not know that this is the meaning of the camel and the eye of a needle because there has not yet been any access to the knowledge that teaches what is meant spiritually by the things that the Word says literally. There is spiritual meaning in the details of the Word, and natural meaning as well; because the Word was written in pure correspondences of natural realities with spiritual ones in order to effect a union of heaven and the world, or of angels with us, once the direct union had ceased. We can see from this exactly who are meant by the rich in the Word.

[4] We may gather from a number of passages that on the spiritual level "the rich" in the Word refers to people who enjoy insights into what is good and true and that wealth means those insights themselves, which are spiritual riches: see Isaiah 10:12-14; 30:6-7; 45:3, Jeremiah 17:3; 47:7 [Jeremiah 48:7?], Jeremiah 50:36-37; 51:13, Daniel 5:2-4, Ezekiel 26:7, 12; 27:1-36; Zechariah 9:3-4; Psalms 45:12; Hosea 12:9; Revelation 3:17-18, Luke 14:33, and elsewhere. On the poor in the spiritual sense as people who do not have insights into what is good and true but who long for them, see Matthew 11:5; Luke 6:20-21; 14:21; Isaiah 14:30; 29:19; 41:17-18; Zephaniah 3:12, 18 [13]. An explanation of the spiritual meaning of all these passages may be found in 10227 of Secrets of Heaven.

Footnotes:

1. [Swedenborg's footnote] Garments mean things that are true, and therefore insights: 1033 [1073?], 2576, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216, 9952, 10536. Purple means heavenly good: 9467. Linen means truth of a heavenly origin: 5319, 9469, 9744.

2. [Swedenborg's footnote] A camel in the Word means our cognitive and informational level in general: 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145. What embroidery, embroidering, and therefore needles Arcana Coelestia 9688. To start from outward facts in order to gain access to truths of faith is contrary to the divine design: 10236. People who do this become insane in matters of heaven and the church: 128-130, 232-233, 6047; and in the other life, when they think about spiritual things, they become virtually drunk: 1072. More about their nature: 196. Examples to illustrate the fact that spiritual things cannot be grasped if they are approached on this basis: 233, 2094, 2196, 2203, 2209. It is all right to go from spiritual truth into the knowledge appropriate to our natural level, but not the other way around, because there is an inflow of the spiritual into the natural but not an inflow of the natural into the spiritual: 3219, 5119, 5259, 5427-5428, 5478, 6322, 9110-9111 [10199?]. We need first to acknowledge the truths of the Word and the church, and then it is all right to take our secular learning into account; but not the other way around: 6047.

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

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