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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 #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.

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