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The Bible

 

Ezekiel 1

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1 Nangyari nga nang ikatatlong pung taon, sa ikaapat na buwan, nang ikalimang araw ng buwan, samantalang ako'y kasama ng mga bihag sa pangpang ng ilog Chebar, na ang langit ay nabuksan, at ako'y nakakita ng mga pangitain mula sa Dios.

2 Nang ikalimang araw ng buwan, na siyang ikalimang taon ng pagkabihag ng haring Joacim,

3 Ang salita ng Panginoon ay dumating na maliwanag kay Ezekiel na saserdote, na anak ni Buzi, sa lupain ng mga Caldeo sa pangpang ng ilog Chebar: at ang kamay ng Panginoon, ay sumasa kaniya.

4 At ako'y tumingin, at, narito, isang unos na hangin ay lumabas na mula sa hilagaan, na isang malaking ulap, na may isang apoy na naglilikom sa sarili, at isang ningning sa palibot, at mula sa gitna niyao'y may parang metal na nagbabaga, mula sa gitna ng apoy.

5 At mula sa gitna niyao'y nanggaling ang kahawig ng apat na nilalang na may buhay. At ito ang kanilang anyo, Sila'y nakawangis ng isang tao;

6 At bawa't isa ay may apat na mukha, at bawa't isa sa kanila ay may apat na pakpak.

7 At ang kanilang mga paa ay mga matuwid na paa; at ang talampakan ng kanilang mga paa ay parang talampakan ng paa ng isang guya; at sila'y nagsisikinang na parang kulay ng tansong binuli.

8 At sila'y may mga kamay ng tao sa ilalim ng kanilang mga pakpak sa kanilang apat na tagiliran; at silang apat ay may kanilang mga mukha, at may kanilang mga pakpak na ganito:

9 Ang kanilang mga pakpak ay nagkakadaitan; sila'y hindi nagsisipihit nang sila'y yumaon; yumaon bawa't isa sa kanila na patuloy.

10 Tungkol sa anyo ng kanilang mga mukha, sila'y may mukhang tao; at silang apat ay may mukha ng leon sa kanang tagiliran; at silang apat ay may mukha ng baka sa kaliwang tagiliran; silang apat ay may mukha rin ng aguila.

11 At ang kanilang mga mukha at ang kanilang mga pakpak ay magkahiwalay sa itaas: dalawang pakpak ng bawa't isa ay nagkakadaitan at ang dalawa ay nagsisitakip ng kanilang mga katawan.

12 At yumaon bawa't isa sa kanila na patuloy; kung saan naparoroon ang espiritu, doon sila nangaparoroon; sila'y hindi nagsisipihit nang sila'y yumaon.

13 Tungkol sa anyo ng mga nilalang na may buhay, ang kanilang katulad ay parang mga bagang nagniningas; parang mga sulo: ang apoy ay tumataas at bumababa sa gitna ng mga nilalang na may buhay at ang apoy ay maningas, at mula sa apoy ay may lumabas na kidlat.

14 At ang mga nilalang na may buhay ay nagsitakbo at nagsibalik na parang kislap ng kidlat.

15 Samantala ngang minamasdan ko ang mga nilalang na may buhay, narito, ang isang gulong sa lupa sa siping ng mga nilalang na may buhay, sa bawa't isa ng apat na mukha ng mga yaon.

16 Ang anyo ng mga gulong at ng kanilang pagkayari ay parang kulay ng berilo: at ang apat na yaon ay may isang anyo: at ang kanilang anyo at ang kanilang pagkayari ay parang isang gulong sa loob ng isang gulong.

17 Pagka yumaon, nagsisiyaon sa kanilang apat na dako: hindi nagsisipihit nang sila'y yumaon.

18 Tungkol sa kanilang mga Rueda ay matataas at kakilakilabot; at itong apat ay may kanilang mga Ilanta na puno ng mga mata sa palibot.

19 At pagka ang mga nilalang na may buhay ay nagsisiyaon, ang mga gulong ay nagsisiyaon sa siping nila; at pagka ang mga nilalang na may buhay ay nangatataas mula sa lupa, ang mga gulong ay nangatataas.

20 Kung saan naparoroon ang espiritu ay nangaparoroon sila; doon pinaparoonan ng espiritu; at ang mga gulong ay nangatataas sa siping nila; sapagka't ang espiritu ng nilalang na may buhay ay nasa mga gulong.

21 Pagka ang mga yaon ay nagsisiyaon, ang mga ito'y nagsisiyaon; at pagka ang mga yaon ay nagsisitayo, ang mga ito ay nagsisitayo; at pagka ang mga yaon ay nangatataas mula sa lupa, ang mga gulong ay nangatataas sa siping nila; sapagka't ang espiritu ng nilalang na may buhay ay nasa mga gulong.

22 At sa ibabaw ng ulo ng nilalang na may buhay, may kawangis ng langit, na parang kulay ng kakilakilabot na bubog, na nakaunat sa itaas ng kanilang mga ulo.

23 At sa ilalim ng langit ay nakaunat ang kanilang mga pakpak, na ang isa ay sa gawi ng isa: bawa't isa'y may dalawa na tumatakip ng kaniyang katawan sa dakong ito, at bawa't isa'y may dalawa na tumatakip sa dakong yaon.

24 At nang sila'y magsiyaon, aking narinig ang pagaspas ng kanilang mga pakpak na parang hugong ng maraming tubig, parang tinig ng Makapangyarihan sa lahat, na hugong ng kagulo na gaya ng kaingay ng isang hukbo: pagka sila'y nagsisitayo, kanilang ibinababa ang kanilang mga pakpak.

25 At may tinig na nagmula sa itaas ng langit na nasa ibabaw ng kanilang mga ulo: pagka sila'y nagsisitayo, kanilang ibinababa ang kanilang mga pakpak.

26 At sa itaas ng langit na nasa itaas ng kanilang mga ulo ay may kawangis ng isang luklukan na parang anyo ng batong zafiro; at sa ibabaw ng kawangis ng luklukan ay may kawangis ng isang tao sa itaas niyaon.

27 At ako'y nakakita ng parang metal na nagbabaga, na parang anyo ng apoy sa loob niyaon, na nakikita mula sa kaniyang mga balakang na paitaas; at mula sa kaniyang mga balakang na paibaba ay nakakita ako ng parang anyo ng apoy, at may ningning sa palibot niyaon.

28 Kung paano ang anyo ng bahaghari na nasa alapaap sa kaarawan ng ulan, gayon ang anyo ng kinang sa palibot. Ito ang anyo ng kaluwalhatian ng Panginoon. At nang aking makita, ako'y nasubasob, at aking narinig ang tinig ng isang nagsasalita.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9509

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9509. 'And you shall make two cherubs' means that there is no admission or access to the Lord except through the good of love. This is clear from the meaning of 'cherubs' as watchfulness and providence, guarding against access to the Lord except through the good of love. Since this was meant by the cherubs, they were placed over the mercy-seat that was over the ark; and they were for the same reason made from solid gold. For 'the ark' means heaven where the Lord is, 9485, and 'gold' means the good of love, 9490. The reason why there is no access to the Lord except through the good of love is that love is spiritual togetherness, and all good belongs to love. Those therefore who are governed by the good of love to the Lord are brought to Him in heaven, because they have been joined together with Him. So too are those who are governed by the good of love towards the neighbour; for the neighbour is the good of a fellow-citizen, the good of one's country, the good of the Church, the good of the whole of the Lord's kingdom, and in the highest sense the Lord Himself since He is the source of that good present with a person.

[2] There are two states that a person passes through while being regenerated, one of which follows the other. The first is a state during which he is led by means of the truths of faith to the good of love; the other is one in which he is governed by the good of love, and when governed by it he is in heaven with the Lord. From this it is evident that this good is heaven itself present with the person, that good being the Lord present with him because its source is the Lord. Regarding these two states that a person who is being regenerated passes through, one of which follows the other, see 7923, 7992, 8505, 8506, 8510, 8512, 8516, 8643, 8648, 8658, 8685, 8690, 8701, 9224, 9227, 9230, 9274; and the fact that a person comes into heaven when governed by good, that is, when led by the Lord by means of good, 8516, 8539, 8722, 8772, 9139.

[3] It is clear from places in the Word where 'cherubs' are mentioned that they mean watchfulness and providence, guarding against access to the Lord or to heaven except through the good of love, that is, except by those governed by the good of love, and also guarding against any harm being done to the good from the Lord which is present in heaven and with a person, as for instance in Genesis,

And He expelled the man, and away from the east towards the garden of Eden He caused the cherubs to dwell, and the flame of a sword turning itself this way and that to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24.

Here it is self-evident that things which serve as guards are meant by 'the cherubs', since it says 'to guard the way to the tree of life'. 'The tree of life' is the good of love, which comes from the Lord and for that reason is the Lord; and it is guarded by the prevention of any access except through the good of love.

[4] It is thought that the Lord is accessible through the truths of faith. But there can be no access to Him, nor even to heaven, through those truths if they have been separated from the good of love. As soon as separated truths wish to enter, heaven, which is the way to the Lord, is closed. And since truth cannot enter by itself unless it has good within it, and by virtue of this has come to consist of good, neither can understanding do so, still less factual knowledge, if separated from good desired by the will.

[5] Because watchfulness and providence guarding against access to the Lord, or for that reason to heaven, except through the good of love is meant by 'the cherubs', the Word says that Jehovah is seated on the cherubs, also rides and dwells upon the cherubs, as in David,

Turn Your ears, O Shepherd of Israel; You who are seated upon the cherubs, shine forth. Psalms 80:1.

In the same author,

Jehovah will reign, the peoples will be shaken. He is seated on the cherubs. Psalms 99:1.

In the same author,

Jehovah rode on a cherub, and flew. Psalms 18:10.

And in Isaiah,

Jehovah Zebaoth is dwelling on the cherubs. Isaiah 37:16.

For the same reasons there were cherubs upon the curtains of the dwelling-place, and upon the veil, Exodus 26:1, 31; 36:35; they were also upon the walls of the temple round about and upon the doors there, 1 Kings 6:23-29, 31-35, and similarly in the new temple, as described in Ezekiel 41:18-20. The presence of the cherubs on the curtains of the dwelling-place, on the veil, on the walls of the temple, and on the doors there, was a sign of the Lord's watchfulness, guarding against access to Divine Holiness except through the good of love; and the presence of the cherubs over the ark was a sign that no one should gain access to the Lord Himself except through that good. This also explains why the cherubs were made from solid gold, and in the Jerusalem temple from olive wood; for 'gold' and 'olive oil' mean the good of love.

[6] That watchfulness and providence of the Lord is described in Ezekiel by 'the four living creatures', each of which had four faces, under the throne where the Lord was, Ezekiel 1:1-end; 10:1-end, and also in John by 'four living creatures' around the throne where the Lord was, 10:Revelation 4:6-10; 5:6, 8-9, 14. By 'the four living creatures' is meant the good, varying in appearance, which emanates from the Lord, and which watches and guards against the letting in of anything other than the good of love to the Lord and the good of love towards the neighbour. By 'the throne' on which the Lord was seated heaven is meant, 5313.

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

The Bible

 

Exodus 25

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1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

2 "Speak to the children of Israel, that they take an offering for me. From everyone whose heart makes him willing you shall take my offering.

3 This is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, brass,

4 blue, purple, scarlet, fine linen, goats' hair,

5 rams' skins dyed red, sea cow hides, acacia wood,

6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense,

7 onyx stones, and stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate.

8 Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

9 According to all that I show you, the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all of its furniture, even so you shall make it.

10 "They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Its length shall be two and a half cubits, its breadth a cubit and a half, and a cubit and a half its height.

11 You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall overlay it inside and outside, and you shall make a gold molding around it.

12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four feet. Two rings shall be on the one side of it, and Two rings on the other side of it.

13 You shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold.

14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark.

15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark. They shall not be taken from it.

16 You shall put the testimony which I shall give you into the ark.

17 You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two and a half cubits shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.

18 You shall make two cherubim of hammered gold. You shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat.

19 Make one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end. You shall make the cherubim on its two ends of one piece with the mercy seat.

20 The cherubim shall spread out their wings upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward one another. The faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat.

21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I will give you.

22 There I will meet with you, and I will tell you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the testimony, all that I command you for the children of Israel.

23 "You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, and a cubit its breadth, and one and a half cubits its height.

24 You shall overlay it with pure gold, and make a gold molding around it.

25 You shall make a rim of a handbreadth around it. You shall make a golden molding on its rim around it.

26 You shall make four rings of gold for it, and put the rings in the four corners that are on its four feet.

27 the rings shall be close to the rim, for places for the poles to carry the table.

28 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be carried with them.

29 You shall make its dishes, its spoons, its ladles, and its bowls to pour out offerings with. You shall make them of pure gold.

30 You shall set bread of the presence on the table before me always.

31 "You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. Of hammered work shall the lampstand be made, even its base, its shaft, its cups, its buds, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it.

32 There shall be six branches going out of its sides: three branches of the lampstand out of its one side, and three branches of the lampstand out of its other side;

33 three cups made like almond blossoms in one branch, a bud and a flower; and three cups made like almond blossoms in the other branch, a bud and a flower, so for the six branches going out of the lampstand;

34 and in the lampstand four cups made like almond blossoms, its buds and its flowers;

35 and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, and a bud under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of the lampstand.

36 Their buds and their branches shall be of one piece with it, all of it one beaten work of pure gold.

37 You shall make its lamps seven, and they shall light its lamps to give light to the space in front of it.

38 Its snuffers and its snuff dishes shall be of pure gold.

39 It shall be made of a talent of pure gold, with all these accessories.

40 See that you make them after their pattern, which has been shown to you on the mountain.

   

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