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Ezekiel 37

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1 και εγενετο επ' εμε χειρ κυριου και εξηγαγεν με εν πνευματι κυριος και εθηκεν με εν μεσω του πεδιου και τουτο ην μεστον οστεων ανθρωπινων

2 και περιηγαγεν με επ' αυτα κυκλοθεν κυκλω και ιδου πολλα σφοδρα επι προσωπου του πεδιου ξηρα σφοδρα

3 και ειπεν προς με υιε ανθρωπου ει ζησεται τα οστα ταυτα και ειπα κυριε συ επιστη ταυτα

4 και ειπεν προς με προφητευσον επι τα οστα ταυτα και ερεις αυτοις τα οστα τα ξηρα ακουσατε λογον κυριου

5 ταδε λεγει κυριος τοις οστεοις τουτοις ιδου εγω φερω εις υμας πνευμα ζωης

6 και δωσω εφ' υμας νευρα και αναξω εφ' υμας σαρκας και εκτενω εφ' υμας δερμα και δωσω πνευμα μου εις υμας και ζησεσθε και γνωσεσθε οτι εγω ειμι κυριος

7 και επροφητευσα καθως ενετειλατο μοι και εγενετο εν τω εμε προφητευσαι και ιδου σεισμος και προσηγαγε τα οστα εκατερον προς την αρμονιαν αυτου

8 και ειδον και ιδου επ' αυτα νευρα και σαρκες εφυοντο και ανεβαινεν επ' αυτα δερμα επανω και πνευμα ουκ ην εν αυτοις

9 και ειπεν προς με προφητευσον υιε ανθρωπου προφητευσον επι το πνευμα και ειπον τω πνευματι ταδε λεγει κυριος εκ των τεσσαρων πνευματων ελθε και εμφυσησον εις τους νεκρους τουτους και ζησατωσαν

10 και επροφητευσα καθοτι ενετειλατο μοι και εισηλθεν εις αυτους το πνευμα και εζησαν και εστησαν επι των ποδων αυτων συναγωγη πολλη σφοδρα

11 και ελαλησεν κυριος προς με λεγων υιε ανθρωπου τα οστα ταυτα πας οικος ισραηλ εστιν και αυτοι λεγουσιν ξηρα γεγονεν τα οστα ημων απολωλεν η ελπις ημων διαπεφωνηκαμεν

12 δια τουτο προφητευσον και ειπον ταδε λεγει κυριος ιδου εγω ανοιγω υμων τα μνηματα και αναξω υμας εκ των μνηματων υμων και εισαξω υμας εις την γην του ισραηλ

13 και γνωσεσθε οτι εγω ειμι κυριος εν τω ανοιξαι με τους ταφους υμων του αναγαγειν με εκ των ταφων τον λαον μου

14 και δωσω το πνευμα μου εις υμας και ζησεσθε και θησομαι υμας επι την γην υμων και γνωσεσθε οτι εγω κυριος λελαληκα και ποιησω λεγει κυριος

15 και εγενετο λογος κυριου προς με λεγων

16 υιε ανθρωπου λαβε σεαυτω ραβδον και γραψον επ' αυτην τον ιουδαν και τους υιους ισραηλ τους προσκειμενους επ' αυτον και ραβδον δευτεραν λημψη σεαυτω και γραψεις αυτην τω ιωσηφ ραβδον εφραιμ και παντας τους υιους ισραηλ τους προστεθεντας προς αυτον

17 και συναψεις αυτας προς αλληλας σαυτω εις ραβδον μιαν του δησαι αυτας και εσονται εν τη χειρι σου

18 και εσται οταν λεγωσιν προς σε οι υιοι του λαου σου ουκ αναγγελεις ημιν τι εστιν ταυτα σοι

19 και ερεις προς αυτους ταδε λεγει κυριος ιδου εγω λημψομαι την φυλην ιωσηφ την δια χειρος εφραιμ και τας φυλας ισραηλ τας προσκειμενας προς αυτον και δωσω αυτους επι την φυλην ιουδα και εσονται εις ραβδον μιαν εν τη χειρι ιουδα

20 και εσονται αι ραβδοι εφ' αις συ εγραψας επ' αυταις εν τη χειρι σου ενωπιον αυτων

21 και ερεις αυτοις ταδε λεγει κυριος κυριος ιδου εγω λαμβανω παντα οικον ισραηλ εκ μεσου των εθνων ου εισηλθοσαν εκει και συναξω αυτους απο παντων των περικυκλω αυτων και εισαξω αυτους εις την γην του ισραηλ

22 και δωσω αυτους εις εθνος εν εν τη γη μου και εν τοις ορεσιν ισραηλ και αρχων εις εσται αυτων και ουκ εσονται ετι εις δυο εθνη ουδε μη διαιρεθωσιν ουκετι εις δυο βασιλειας

23 ινα μη μιαινωνται ετι εν τοις ειδωλοις αυτων και ρυσομαι αυτους απο πασων των ανομιων αυτων ων ημαρτοσαν εν αυταις και καθαριω αυτους και εσονται μοι εις λαον και εγω κυριος εσομαι αυτοις εις θεον

24 και ο δουλος μου δαυιδ αρχων εν μεσω αυτων και ποιμην εις εσται παντων οτι εν τοις προσταγμασιν μου πορευσονται και τα κριματα μου φυλαξονται και ποιησουσιν αυτα

25 και κατοικησουσιν επι της γης αυτων ην εγω δεδωκα τω δουλω μου ιακωβ ου κατωκησαν εκει οι πατερες αυτων και κατοικησουσιν επ' αυτης αυτοι και δαυιδ ο δουλος μου αρχων αυτων εσται εις τον αιωνα

26 και διαθησομαι αυτοις διαθηκην ειρηνης διαθηκη αιωνια εσται μετ' αυτων και θησω τα αγια μου εν μεσω αυτων εις τον αιωνα

27 και εσται η κατασκηνωσις μου εν αυτοις και εσομαι αυτοις θεος και αυτοι μου εσονται λαος

28 και γνωσονται τα εθνη οτι εγω ειμι κυριος ο αγιαζων αυτους εν τω ειναι τα αγια μου εν μεσω αυτων εις τον αιωνα

   

The Bible

 

Ezekiel 34:24

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24 και εγω κυριος εσομαι αυτοις εις θεον και δαυιδ εν μεσω αυτων αρχων εγω κυριος ελαλησα

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4738

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4738. 'So that he might therefore rescue him out of their hands, to return him to his father' means so that it might lay claim to it for the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'rescuing out of their hands' as delivering, as above in 4732, and from the meaning of 'returning to his father' as laying claim to it for the Church; for Jacob, to whom 'father' refers here, represents the Jewish religion which sprang from the Ancient Church, as above in 4700, 4701. What was laid claim to for the Church was the Divine Truth concerning the Lord's Divine Human, for, as stated already, 'Joseph' means that truth specifically.

[2] To know more regarding this truth, it should be recognized that the Ancient Church acknowledged it, as also did the Primitive Christian Church. But there came a time when the papacy so extended its authority that it had control over every human soul; it exalted itself in the way the king of Babel is said to have done, in Isaiah,

You said in your heart. I will go up into the heavens, above the stars of God 1 I will raise my throne, and I will sit on the mount of assembly, I will go up above the heights of the clouds, and I will make myself like the Most High. Isaiah 14:13-14.

Then - at that time - Divinity was taken away from the Lord's Human, that is, His Divine was made distinct and separate from His Human.

[3] The way in which this distinction was decreed in a certain council 2 has also been revealed to me. I saw some people appear on the right in front of me, some distance away on a level with the sole of my foot. They were talking among themselves, but I did not hear what about. I was told that they were some of those who had come together in the council when the decree was made regarding the Lord's two Natures - His Divine one and His Human one. Shortly after that I was allowed to talk to them. They said that those who had the greatest influence in the council and who held higher positions and had higher authority than the rest met together. They did so in a room that was dark, where they decided that both Divinity and Humanity should be attributed to the Lord, the main reason for their decision being that otherwise the papacy could not have remained in being. For if they had acknowledged that the Lord was one with the Father, as He Himself says, no one could then have been acknowledged as His vicar on earth. Schisms were developing at that time, which would have toppled and destroyed the power of the papacy, had they not made that distinction. To strengthen it they also assembled proof texts from the Word and swayed the rest of the council.

[4] Those who spoke to me added that by doing this they were able to have control in heaven and on earth. They knew from the Word that all power in heaven and on earth had been given to the Lord, and this power could not have been granted to any vicar [of Christ] if the Human too were acknowledged to be Divine. For they knew that no one was allowed to make himself equal to God and that that power existed essentially in the Divine, not in the Human unless it was granted to it as it was also subsequently granted to Peter. They said that by doing what they did they were then able to keep the schismatics quiet who were most astute, and were also able to strengthen the power of the papacy. From this it is clear that they invented the distinction they made purely for the sake of having control, and that therefore they had no wish to know that the gift of power to the Lord's Human in heaven and on earth demonstrates that His Human too is Divine. It is also clear that 'Peter', to whom the Lord gave the keys of heaven, does not mean the man Peter but faith rooted in charity, which is received from the Lord alone and is therefore a power that belongs to the Lord alone - see Preface to Genesis 22.

Footnotes:

1. The Latin means heaven, but the Hebrew means God, which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.

2. Council of Chalcedon 451 AD

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