The Bible

 

Jezekilj 28

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1 Opet mi dođe reč Gospodnja govoreći:

2 Sine čovečji, reci knezu tirskom: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Što se ponese srce tvoje, te veliš: Ja sam Bog, sedim na prestolu Božjem usred mora; a čovek si a ne Bog, i izjednačuješ srce svoje sa srcem Božjim;

3 Eto mudriji si od Danila, nikakva tajna nije sakrivena od tebe;

4 Stekao si blago mudrošću svojom i razumom svojim, i nasuo si zlata i srebra u riznice svoje;

5 Veličinom mudrosti svoje u trgovini svojoj umnožio si blago svoje, te se ponese srce tvoje blagom tvojim;

6 Zato ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Što izjednačuješ srce svoje sa srcem Božjim,

7 Zato, evo, ja ću dovesti na tebe inostrance najljuće između naroda, i oni će istrgnuti mačeve svoje na lepotu mudrosti tvoje, i ubiće svetlost tvoju.

8 Svaliće te u jamu i umrećeš usred mora smrću pobijenih.

9 Hoćeš li pred krvnikom svojim kazati: Ja sam Bog, kad si čovek, a ne Bog u ruci onog koji će te ubiti?

10 Umrećeš smrću neobrezanih od ruke tuđinske; jer ja rekoh, govori Gospod Gospod.

11 Opet mi dođe reč Gospodnja govoreći:

12 Sine čovečji, nariči za carem tirskim, i reci mu: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Ti si pečat savršenstva, pun si mudrosti, i sasvim si lep.

13 Bio si u Edemu, vrtu Božjem; pokrivalo te je svako drago kamenje: sarad, topaz, dijamant, hrisolit, onih, jaspis, safir, karbunkul, smaragd i zlato; onaj dan kad si se rodio načinjeni ti biše bubnji tvoji i svirale.

14 Ti si bio heruvim, pomazan da zaklanjaš; i ja te postavih; ti beše na svetoj gori Božijoj, hođaše posred kamenja ognjenog.

15 Savršen beše na putevima svojim od dana kad se rodi dokle se ne nađe bezakonje na tebi.

16 Od mnoštva trgovine svoje napunio si se iznutra nasilja, i grešio si; zato ću te baciti kao nečistotu s gore Božje, i zatrću te između kamenja ognjenog, heruvime zaklanjaču!

17 Srce se tvoje ponese lepotom tvojom, ti pokvari mudrost svoju svetlošću svojom; baciću te na zemlju, pred careve ću te položiti da te gledaju.

18 Od mnoštva bezakonja svog, od nepravde u trgovini svojoj oskvrnio si svetinju svoju; zato ću izvesti oganj ispred tebe, koji će te proždreti, i obratiću te u pepeo na zemlji pred svima koji te gledaju.

19 Svi koji te poznaju među narodima prepašće se od tebe; bićeš strahota, i neće te biti do veka.

20 Opet mi dođe reč Gospodnja govoreći:

21 Sine čovečji, okreni lice svoje prema Sidonu, i prorokuj protiv njega,

22 I reci: Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Evo me na tebe, Sidone, i proslaviću se usred tebe, i poznaće se da sam ja Gospod kad izvršim sudove na njemu i posvetim se u njemu.

23 I poslaću pomor u nj, i krv na ulice njegove, i pobijeni će padati usred njega od mača, koji će navaliti na njih sa svih strana, i poznaće da sam ja Gospod.

24 I neće više biti domu Izrailjevom trn koji bode ni žalac koji zadaje bol više od svih suseda njihovih, koji ih plene; i poznaće da sam ja Gospod Gospod.

25 Ovako veli Gospod Gospod: Kad skupim dom Izrailjev iz naroda među koje su rasejani, i posvetim se u njima pred narodima i nasele se u svojoj zemlji koju dadoh sluzi svom Jakovu,

26 Tada će živeti u njoj bez straha, i gradiće kuće, i sadiće vinograde, i živeće bez straha kad izvršim sudove na svima koji ih pleniše sa svih strana, i poznaće da sam ja Gospod Bog njihov.

   

The Bible

 

Zaharija 9:3

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3 I Tir sagradi sebi grad, i sabra srebra kao praha, i zlata kao kala po putu.

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Arcana Coelestia #9873

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9873. All this now makes clear what the twelve precious stones in the breastplate of judgement served to mean, namely all the kinds of good and truth of heaven in their proper order. Heaven is divided into two kingdoms, the celestial and the spiritual. The good of the celestial kingdom was represented by the first two rows, which were on the right side of the breastplate, and the good of the spiritual kingdom by the next two rows, which were on the left side. The internal good of the celestial kingdom is the good of love to the Lord; this is the good that is meant by the celestial love of good. The external good of the celestial kingdom however is the good of mutual love; this is the good that is meant by the celestial love of truth. But the internal good of the spiritual kingdom is the good of charity towards the neighbour; this is the good that is meant by the spiritual love of good. And the external good of the spiritual kingdom is the good of faith; this is the good that is meant by the spiritual love of truth. These kinds of good and truth in this order constitute the heavens, see 9468, 9473, 9680, 9683, 9780.

[2] From this it is now evident what the twelve stones, which were called the Urim and Thummim, represented. But in what way the Divine Truths which were answers were made known by means of them will be stated below in 9905. The fact that the good of love occupied the first place there and the truth of faith the last is clear from the first stone's being a ruby and the last's being a jasper, thus from the first stone's being red in colour, and the last's being white, both of them translucent. For the meaning of 'red' as the good of love, see 3300, 9467; and for that of 'white' as the truth of faith, 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319.

[3] Much the same as is meant by the stones in the breastplate was also meant by the materials used in weaving the ephod. The ephod was woven from violet, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and fine linen, as is evident from verse 6 of the present chapter, and 'violet' meant the truth of celestial love, 'purple' the good of celestial love, 'twice-dyed scarlet' the good of spiritual love, and 'fine linen' the truth of spiritual love, 9833. The reason why much the same was meant is that 'the ephod' meant heaven on last and outermost levels, in the same way as 'the breastplate' does, 9824. But the kinds of good and truth are listed in a different order there, because 'the ephod' meant the spiritual heaven, whereas 'the breastplate' means all heaven from first to last. And since the dwelling-place along with the tent also represented heaven, 9457, 9481, 9485, 9615, the material from which its curtains and veils were woven were likewise violet, purple, double-dyed scarlet, and fine twined linen, see the previous Chapters, 26:1, 31, 36; 27:16, and 9466-9469.

[4] In addition it should be recognized that in the general sense SAPPHIRE means the external part of the celestial kingdom and SHOHAM the external part of the spiritual kingdom. And because these two stones had this meaning they were the middle stones belonging to the secondary rows, that is to say, the sapphire was the middle stone in the second row, and the shoham the middle stone in the fourth row. The stones belonging to the second row meant the external good of the celestial kingdom, which has been called the celestial love of truth, and the stones belonging to the fourth row meant the external good of the spiritual kingdom, which has been called the spiritual love of truth, see what has been stated about them above in this paragraph 9873.

[5] The fact that 'sapphire' means the external part of the celestial kingdom is evident from places in the Word where it is mentioned, such as in the Book of Exodus,

Seventy of the elders saw the God of Israel, and under His feet there was so to speak a work of sapphire, and it was like the substance of the sky for clearness. Exodus 24:10.

The external part of the celestial kingdom is so described, because the words 'under His feet', meaning what is external, are used, and where 'the God of Israel', who is the Lord, is, there heaven is. In Isaiah,

O afflicted one and storm-tossed, and receiving no comfort! Behold, I am arranging your stones with antimony, and will lay your foundations in sapphires. Isaiah 54:11.

The subject in this chapter is the celestial kingdom. The foundations which will be laid in sapphires, are the external things there; for foundations lie underneath.

[6] In Jeremiah,

Her Nazirites were brighter than snow, they were whiter than milk. Their bones 1 were ruddier than pearls, 2 polished like sapphires. 3 Lamentations 4:7.

Nazirites represented the celestial man, which is why it says 'polished like sapphires', 'polished' referring to what is external. In Ezekiel,

Above the expanse that was above the heads of the cherubs, in appearance like a sapphire stone, there was the likeness of a throne, and above the likeness of a throne there was the appearance of a man (homo) sitting upon it. Ezekiel 1:26; 10:1.

Here also 'sapphire' is used to describe the external part of the celestial kingdom; for what is above the expanse or round about is outside, that which is inmost being the one 'sitting upon a throne'.

[7] Just as sapphire stone means the external part of the celestial kingdom, so shoham stone means the external part of the spiritual kingdom. Therefore also this was the stone which was placed on the two shoulder-pieces of the ephod with the names of the sons of Israel inscribed on them, which are dealt with in verses 9-14 of the present chapter; for the ephod represented the external part of the spiritual kingdom, 9824. Since shoham and sapphire in the general sense meant the external parts of two heavens, they were placed in the middle of the sets of three stones forming the second and fourth rows, as stated above. For the middle includes the whole, as is also true of the robe, which in the general sense has represented the spiritual kingdom, because it comes in the middle, as shown above in 9825. Because those two stones include everything meant by all the other stones in those rows, it says in Job,

Wisdom cannot be compared with the gold of Ophir, with the precious shoham and the sapphire. Job 28:16.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. bodies

2. In other places Swedenborg has rubies or gem stones.

3. literally, sapphires their polishing

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