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Jezekilj 21

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1 Opet mi dođe reč Gospodnja govoreći:

2 Sine čovečji, okreni lice svoje na jug i pokaplji prema jugu, i prorokuj na šumu u južnom polju.

3 I reci šumi južnoj: Čuj reč Gospodnju, ovako veli Gospod Gospod, evo ja ću raspaliti u tebi oganj koji će proždreti u tebi svako drvo zeleno i svako drvo suvo; plamen razgoreli neće se ugasiti, i izgoreće od njega sve od juga do severa.

4 I svako će telo videti da sam ja zapalio; neće se ugasiti.

5 A ja rekoh: Jaoh Gospode Gospode, oni govore za me: Ne govori li taj same priče?

6 I dođe mi reč Gospodnja govoreći:

7 Sine čovečji, okreni lice svoje prema Jerusalimu, i pokaplji prema svetim mestima, i prorokuj protiv zemlje Izrailjeve.

8 I reci zemlji Izrailjevoj: Ovako veli Gospod: Evo me na te; izvući ću mač svoj iz korica, i istrebiću iz tebe pravednog i bezbožnog.

9 Da istrebim iz tebe pravednog i bezbožnog, zato će izaći mač moj iz korica svojih na svako telo od juga do severa.

10 I poznaće svako telo da sam ja Gospod izvukao mač svoj iz korica njegovih, neće se više vratiti.

11 A ti, sine čovečji, uzdiši kao da su ti bedra polomljena, i gorko uzdiši pred njima.

12 A kad ti kažu: Zašto uzdišeš? Ti reci: Za glas što ide, od kog će se rastopiti svako srce i klonuti sve ruke i svakog će duha nestati, i svaka će kolena postati kao voda; evo, ide, i navršiće se, govori Gospod Gospod.

13 Potom dođe mi reč Gospodnja govoreći:

14 Sine čovečji, prorokuj i reci: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Reci: mač, mač je naoštren, i uglađen je.

15 Naoštren je da kolje, uglađen je da seva; hoćemo li se radovati kad prut sina mog ne haje ni za kako drvo?

16 Dao ga je da se ugladi da se uzme u ruku; mač je naoštren i uglađen, da se da u ruku ubici.

17 Viči i ridaj, sine čovečji; jer on ide na narod moj, na sve knezove Izrailjeve; pod mač će biti okrenuti s narodom mojim, za to udri se po bedru.

18 Kad beše karanje, šta bi? Eda li ni od pruta koji ne haje neće biti ništa? Govori Gospod Gospod.

19 Ti dakle, sine čovečji, prorokuj i pljeskaj rukama, jer će mač doći i drugom i trećom, mač koji ubija, mač koji velike ubija, koji prodire u kleti.

20 Da se rastope srca i umnoži pogibao, metnuo sam na sva vrata njihova strah od mača; jaoh! Pripravljen je da seva, naoštren da kolje.

21 Stegni se, udri nadesno, nalevo, kuda se god obrneš.

22 Jer ću i ja pljeskati rukama, i namiriću gnev svoj. Ja Gospod rekoh.

23 Još mi dođe reč Gospodnja govoreći:

24 A ti, sine čovečji, načini dva puta, kuda će doći mač cara vavilonskog; iz jedne zemlje neka izlaze oba; i izberi stranu, gde se počinje put gradski, izberi.

25 Načini put kojim će doći mač na Ravu sinova Amonovih, i u Judeju na tvrdi Jerusalim.

26 Jer će car vavilonski stati na rasputici, gde počinju dva puta, te će vračati, gladiće strele, pitaće likove, gledaće u jetru.

27 Nadesno će mu vračanje pokazati Jerusalim da namesti ubojne sprave, da otvori usta na klanje, da podigne glas podvikujući, da namesti ubojne sprave prema vratima, da načini opkope, da pogradi kule.

28 I učiniće se vračanje zaludno zakletima, a to će napomenuti bezakonje da se uhvate.

29 Zato ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Što napominjete svoje bezakonje, te se otkriva nevera vaša i gresi se vaši vide u svim delima vašim, za to što dođoste na pamet, bićete pohvatani rukom.

30 A ti, nečisti bezbožniče, kneže Izrailjev, kome dođe dan kad bi na kraju bezakonje,

31 Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Skini tu kapu i svrzi taj venac, neće ga biti; niskog ću uzvisiti a visokog ću poniziti.

32 Uništiću, uništiću, uništiću ga, i neće ga biti, dokle ne dođe onaj kome pripada, i njemu ću ga dati.

33 A ti, sine čovečji, prorokuj i reci: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod za sinove Amonove i za njihovu sramotu; reci dakle: mač, mač je izvučen, uglađen da kolje, da zatire, da seva,

34 Dokle ti viđaju taštinu, dokle ti gataju laž, da te metnu na vratove pobijenim bezbožnicima, kojima dođe dan kad bi kraj bezakonju.

35 Ostavi mač u korice, na mestu gde si se rodio, u zemlji gde si postao, sudiću ti;

36 I izliću na te gnev svoj, ognjem gneva svog dunuću na te i predaću te u ruke žestokim ljudima, veštim u zatiranju.

37 Ognju ćeš biti hrana, krv će ti biti posred zemlje, nećeš se spominjati, jer ja Gospod rekoh.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #126

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126. And I will give thee a crown of life. That this signifies wisdom, and thence eternal happiness, is evident from the signification of a crown, when said of those who are in the spiritual affection of the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, as being wisdom, concerning which more will be said in what follows; and from the signification of life, as being eternal happiness, which is also called life eternal. The reason why those who are in the spiritual affection of truth and good, and who are here treated of, have eternal happiness is, that heaven is implanted in man by means of the knowledges of truth and good from the Word. He who believes that heaven is implanted by any other means, is much deceived; for man is born natural only, with the faculty of becoming spiritual; but he becomes spiritual by means of truths from the Word, and by a life according to them. How can any one ever become spiritual, unless he be instructed about the Lord, about heaven, a life after death, faith, and love, and other things which are the means of salvation? If man is ignorant of these things, he must remain natural; and a merely natural man cannot have anything in common with the angels of heaven, who are spiritual.

Man has two minds, one exterior, and the other interior; the exterior mind is called the natural mind, but the interior is called the spiritual mind; the former is opened by means of the knowledges (cognitiones) of things in the world, but the latter by the knowledges (cognitiones) of things which are in heaven; these the Word teaches, and the church from the Word; by means of these man becomes spiritual, when he knows them and lives according to them.

[2] This is meant by the words of the Lord in John:

"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (3:5):

by water, are signified the truths of faith, and by spirit, a life according to them (as may be seen above, n. 71; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 202-209). Very many people believe at this day, that mankind will go to heaven solely by sacred worship performed in temples, and by adorations and prayers; but such of them as are unconcerned about the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good from the Word, and who neglect to furnish not only the memory, but also the life, with these, remain natural as before, nor do they become spiritual, because their sacred worship, adorations and prayers, do not proceed from a spiritual origin; for their spiritual mind is not opened by the knowledges of spiritual things and by a life according to them, but is empty; and worship proceeding from what is void is only a natural gesture, within which there is nothing spiritual. If such persons are insincere and unjust as to moral and civil life, then their sacred worship, adorations and prayers are inwardly of such a nature as to repel heaven, instead of which they believe that they receive heaven by this means; for such worship is like a vessel containing putrid or filthy matters, which filter through; it is also like a splendid garment that clothes a body covered with ulcers: I have seen many thousands of such cast into hell. But it is otherwise with the holy worship, the adorations and prayers of those who are in the knowledges of truth and good, and whose life is in accordance with them; with such, those things are pleasing to the Lord, for they are the effects of their spirit in the body, or the effects of their faith and love, and thus are not only natural gestures, but spiritual acts.

From these considerations it is evident that the knowledges of truth and good from the Word, and a life in agreement with them, alone make man spiritual: and that he who is thus made spiritual can be gifted with angelic wisdom from the Lord, together with eternal happiness; nor do the angels derive happiness from any other source than wisdom.

[3] The reason why a crown signifies wisdom is, that all those things that clothe man, and distinguish him, derive their signification from that part of him which they clothe or adorn (see Arcana Coelestia 9827), and a crown signifies wisdom, because it is worn on the head, by which in the Word wisdom is signified, for there wisdom resides. Accordingly it is written in Ezekiel:

"I have adorned thee with ornament, and I have placed bracelets upon thy hands; and a chain upon thy neck. Moreover, I have put a jewel upon thy nose, and earrings upon thine ears, and a crown of ornament upon thy head" (16:11, 12).

Jerusalem is here treated of, by which is signified the church, as established by the Lord, and its quality; by the particular adornments here mentioned are meant, in the spiritual sense, such things as belong to the church; these derive their respective significations from the part to which they are applied; by a crown is here meant wisdom. (But what is meant specifically by ornament, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 10536, 10540; what by bracelets, n. 3103, 3105; what by a chain, n. 5320; what by a jewel, n. 4551; and what by earrings, n. 4551, 10402.) Similarly the wisdom that is from the knowledges of truth and good from the Word and from a life according to them, is signified by a crown in many other passages in the Word, as in Isaiah 28:5; Jeremiah 13:18; Lamentations 5:15, 16; Ezekiel 21:25, 26; 23:42; Zech. 6:11-13; Psalms 89:38, 39; 132:17, 18; Job. 19:9; Apoc. 3:11; 4:4. The custom of crowning kings comes down from ancient times, when men were acquainted with representatives and significatives, for they knew that kings represented the Lord as to Divine truth, and that a crown was used to signify wisdom. (That kings represented the Lord as to Divine truth, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4581, 4966, 5068, 6148.) That those who are in truths are called kings and kings' sons (see above, n. 31). And because those who are in the knowledges of truth are called kings in the Word, and kings have crowns, therefore in this place, where they are treated of, it is said that they should receive a crown of life.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.