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Ezekiel 34

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1 καὶ ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρός με λέγων

2 υἱὲ ἀνθρώπου προφήτευσον ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας τοῦ ισραηλ προφήτευσον καὶ εἰπὸν τοῖς ποιμέσι τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ὦ ποιμένες ισραηλ μὴ βόσκουσιν ποιμένες ἑαυτούς οὐ τὰ πρόβατα βόσκουσιν οἱ ποιμένες

3 ἰδοὺ τὸ γάλα κατέσθετε καὶ τὰ ἔρια περιβάλλεσθε καὶ τὸ παχὺ σφάζετε καὶ τὰ πρόβατά μου οὐ βόσκετε

4 τὸ ἠσθενηκὸς οὐκ ἐνισχύσατε καὶ τὸ κακῶς ἔχον οὐκ ἐσωματοποιήσατε καὶ τὸ συντετριμμένον οὐ κατεδήσατε καὶ τὸ πλανώμενον οὐκ ἐπεστρέψατε καὶ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς οὐκ ἐζητήσατε καὶ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν κατειργάσασθε μόχθῳ

5 καὶ διεσπάρη τὰ πρόβατά μου διὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ποιμένας καὶ ἐγενήθη εἰς κατάβρωμα πᾶσι τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ ἀγροῦ

6 καὶ διεσπάρη μου τὰ πρόβατα ἐν παντὶ ὄρει καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν βουνὸν ὑψηλὸν καὶ ἐπὶ προσώπου πάσης τῆς γῆς διεσπάρη καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐκζητῶν οὐδὲ ὁ ἀποστρέφων

7 διὰ τοῦτο ποιμένες ἀκούσατε λόγον κυρίου

8 ζῶ ἐγώ λέγει κύριος κύριος εἰ μὴν ἀντὶ τοῦ γενέσθαι τὰ πρόβατά μου εἰς προνομὴν καὶ γενέσθαι τὰ πρόβατά μου εἰς κατάβρωμα πᾶσι τοῖς θηρίοις τοῦ πεδίου παρὰ τὸ μὴ εἶναι ποιμένας καὶ οὐκ ἐξεζήτησαν οἱ ποιμένες τὰ πρόβατά μου καὶ ἐβόσκησαν οἱ ποιμένες ἑαυτούς τὰ δὲ πρόβατά μου οὐκ ἐβόσκησαν

9 ἀντὶ τούτου ποιμένες

10 τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ τοὺς ποιμένας καὶ ἐκζητήσω τὰ πρόβατά μου ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀποστρέψω αὐτοὺς τοῦ μὴ ποιμαίνειν τὰ πρόβατά μου καὶ οὐ βοσκήσουσιν ἔτι οἱ ποιμένες αὐτά καὶ ἐξελοῦμαι τὰ πρόβατά μου ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται αὐτοῖς ἔτι εἰς κατάβρωμα

11 διότι τάδε λέγει κύριος ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐκζητήσω τὰ πρόβατά μου καὶ ἐπισκέψομαι αὐτά

12 ὥσπερ ζητεῖ ὁ ποιμὴν τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὅταν ᾖ γνόφος καὶ νεφέλη ἐν μέσῳ προβάτων διακεχωρισμένων οὕτως ἐκζητήσω τὰ πρόβατά μου καὶ ἀπελάσω αὐτὰ ἀπὸ παντὸς τόπου οὗ διεσπάρησαν ἐκεῖ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ νεφέλης καὶ γνόφου

13 καὶ ἐξάξω αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν καὶ συνάξω αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν χωρῶν καὶ εἰσάξω αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν καὶ βοσκήσω αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη ισραηλ καὶ ἐν ταῖς φάραγξιν καὶ ἐν πάσῃ κατοικίᾳ τῆς γῆς

14 ἐν νομῇ ἀγαθῇ βοσκήσω αὐτούς καὶ ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ ὑψηλῷ ισραηλ ἔσονται αἱ μάνδραι αὐτῶν ἐκεῖ κοιμηθήσονται καὶ ἐκεῖ ἀναπαύσονται ἐν τρυφῇ ἀγαθῇ καὶ ἐν νομῇ πίονι βοσκηθήσονται ἐπὶ τῶν ὀρέων ισραηλ

15 ἐγὼ βοσκήσω τὰ πρόβατά μου καὶ ἐγὼ ἀναπαύσω αὐτά καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος

16 τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ζητήσω καὶ τὸ πλανώμενον ἐπιστρέψω καὶ τὸ συντετριμμένον καταδήσω καὶ τὸ ἐκλεῖπον ἐνισχύσω καὶ τὸ ἰσχυρὸν φυλάξω καὶ βοσκήσω αὐτὰ μετὰ κρίματος

17 καὶ ὑμεῖς πρόβατα τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ διακρινῶ ἀνὰ μέσον προβάτου καὶ προβάτου κριῶν καὶ τράγων

18 καὶ οὐχ ἱκανὸν ὑμῖν ὅτι τὴν καλὴν νομὴν ἐνέμεσθε καὶ τὰ κατάλοιπα τῆς νομῆς ὑμῶν κατεπατεῖτε τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν καὶ τὸ καθεστηκὸς ὕδωρ ἐπίνετε καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν τοῖς ποσὶν ὑμῶν ἐταράσσετε

19 καὶ τὰ πρόβατά μου τὰ πατήματα τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἐνέμοντο καὶ τὸ τεταραγμένον ὕδωρ ὑπὸ τῶν ποδῶν ὑμῶν ἔπινον

20 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος κύριος ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ διακρινῶ ἀνὰ μέσον προβάτου ἰσχυροῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον προβάτου ἀσθενοῦς

21 ἐπὶ ταῖς πλευραῖς καὶ τοῖς ὤμοις ὑμῶν διωθεῖσθε καὶ τοῖς κέρασιν ὑμῶν ἐκερατίζετε καὶ πᾶν τὸ ἐκλεῖπον ἐξεθλίβετε

22 καὶ σώσω τὰ πρόβατά μου καὶ οὐ μὴ ὦσιν ἔτι εἰς προνομήν καὶ κρινῶ ἀνὰ μέσον κριοῦ πρὸς κριόν

23 καὶ ἀναστήσω ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ποιμένα ἕνα καὶ ποιμανεῖ αὐτούς τὸν δοῦλόν μου δαυιδ καὶ ἔσται αὐτῶν ποιμήν

24 καὶ ἐγὼ κύριος ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς θεόν καὶ δαυιδ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν ἄρχων ἐγὼ κύριος ἐλάλησα

25 καὶ διαθήσομαι τῷ δαυιδ διαθήκην εἰρήνης καὶ ἀφανιῶ θηρία πονηρὰ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ ὑπνώσουσιν ἐν τοῖς δρυμοῖς

26 καὶ δώσω αὐτοὺς περικύκλῳ τοῦ ὄρους μου καὶ δώσω τὸν ὑετὸν ὑμῖν ὑετὸν εὐλογίας

27 καὶ τὰ ξύλα τὰ ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ δώσει τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ γῆ δώσει τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν ἐν ἐλπίδι εἰρήνης καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ἐν τῷ συντρῖψαί με τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐξελοῦμαι αὐτοὺς ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν καταδουλωσαμένων αὐτούς

28 καὶ οὐκ ἔσονται ἔτι ἐν προνομῇ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν καὶ τὰ θηρία τῆς γῆς οὐκέτι μὴ φάγωσιν αὐτούς καὶ κατοικήσουσιν ἐν ἐλπίδι καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ ἐκφοβῶν αὐτούς

29 καὶ ἀναστήσω αὐτοῖς φυτὸν εἰρήνης καὶ οὐκέτι ἔσονται ἀπολλύμενοι λιμῷ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐνέγκωσιν ἔτι ὀνειδισμὸν ἐθνῶν

30 καὶ γνώσονται ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν καὶ αὐτοὶ λαός μου οἶκος ισραηλ λέγει κύριος

31 πρόβατά μου καὶ πρόβατα ποιμνίου μού ἐστε καὶ ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν 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.

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