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Ezekiel 17

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1 At ang salita ng Panginoon ay dumating sa akin, na nagsasabi,

2 Anak ng tao, magbugtong ka, at magsalita ka ng talinhaga sa sangbahayan ni Israel;

3 At iyong sabihin, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios, Isang malaking aguila na may mga malaki at mahabang pakpak na puno ng mga balahibo, na may sarisaring kulay, naparoon sa Libano, at kinuha ang dulo ng cedro:

4 Kaniyang binali ang pinakamataas na sariwang mga sanga niyaon, at dinala sa isang lupain na kalakalan; inilagay niya sa isang bayan ng mga mangangalakal.

5 Kumuha rin siya sa binhi ng lupain, at itinanim sa isang mainam na lupa; itinanim niya sa tabi ng maraming tubig; kaniyang itinanim na parang puno ng kahoy na sauce.

6 At tumubo, at naging mayabong, na puno ng baging na mababa, na ang mga sanga ay patungo sa dako niya, at ang mga ugat niyao'y nasa ilalim niya; sa gayo'y naging isang puno ng baging, at nagsanga, at nagsupling.

7 May iba namang malaking aguila na may mga malaking pakpak at maraming balahibo: at, narito, ang puno ng baging na ito ay pumihit ang mga ugat niyaon, sa dako niya, at isinupling ang kaniyang mga sanga sa dako niya mula sa mga pitak na kinatatamanan, upang kaniyang madilig.

8 Natanim sa isang mabuting lupa sa siping ng maraming tubig, upang makapagsanga, at makapagbunga, upang maging mabuting puno ng baging.

9 Sabihin mo, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios, Giginhawa baga yaon? hindi baga niya bubunutin ang mga ugat niyaon, at kikitlin ang bunga niyaon, upang matuyo; upang ang lahat na sariwang ladlad na mga dahon niyaon ay mangatuyo? at hindi sa pamamagitan ng malakas na bisig o maraming tao ay ito'y mabubunot sa mga ugat.

10 Oo, narito, yamang natanim ay giginhawa baga? hindi baga lubos na matutuyo pagka nahipan siya ng hanging silanganan? matutuyo sa mga pitak na tinubuan niya.

11 Bukod dito'y ang salita ng Panginoon ay dumating sa akin, na nagsasabi:

12 Sabihin mo nga sa mapanghimagsik na sangbahayan, Hindi baga ninyo nalalaman ang kahulugan ng mga bagay na ito? saysayin mo sa kanila, Narito, ang hari sa Babilonia ay dumating sa Jerusalem, at kinuha ang hari niyaon, at ang mga prinsipe niyaon, at dinala niya sa Babilonia.

13 At siya'y kumuha sa lahing hari, at nakipagtipan siya sa kaniya: isinailalim din niya siya sa panunumpa, at dinala ang mga dakila sa lupain;

14 Upang ang kaharian ay mababa, upang huwag makataas, kundi sa pagiingat ng kaniyang tipan ay mapatayo.

15 Nguni't siya'y nanghimagsik laban sa kaniya sa pagpapadala ng kaniyang mga sugo sa Egipto, upang mabigyan nila siya ng mga kabayo at maraming tao. Giginhawa baga siya? makatatanan baga siya na gumagawa ng ganyang mga bagay? makatatahan kaya siya na sumira ng tipan?

16 Buhay ako, sabi ng Panginoong Dios, tunay na sa dakong tinatahanan ng hari na pinaggawaan sa kaniyang hari, na ang sumpa ay hinamak niya, at ang tipan ay sinira niya, siya nga'y mamamatay sa gitna ng Babilonia na kasama niya.

17 Kahit si Faraon man sangpu ng kaniyang makapangyarihang hukbo at malaking pulutong sa pakikidigma ay walang magagawa, pagka sila'y mangagtitindig ng mga bunton; at mangagtatayo ng mga katibayan, upang pumatay ng maraming mga tao.

18 Sapagka't kaniyang hinamak ang sumpa sa pagsira ng tipan; at narito, naiabot na niya ang kaniyang kamay, at gayon ma'y ginawa ang lahat na bagay na ito; siya'y hindi makatatanan.

19 Kaya't ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios, Buhay ako, walang pagsalang ang panunumpa sa akin na kaniyang hinamak, at ang tipan sa akin na kaniyang sinira, aking pararatingin sa kaniyang sariling ulo.

20 At aking ilalagay ang aking panilo sa kaniya, at siya'y mahuhuli sa aking silo, at dadalhin ko siya sa Babilonia, at siya'y aking hahatulan doon dahil sa kaniyang pagsalangsang na kaniyang isinalangsang laban sa akin.

21 At ang lahat niyang mga tanan sa lahat niyang pulutong ay mangabubuwal sa pamamagitan ng tabak, at ang nalabi ay mangangalat sa bawa't dako: at inyong malalaman na akong Panginoon ang nagsalita niyaon.

22 Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios, Kukuha naman ako sa dulo ng mataas na cedro, at aking itatanim; sa pinakamataas ng kaniyang sariwang sanga ay puputol ako ng supling, at aking itatanim sa isang mataas na bundok at matayog:

23 Sa bundok na kaitaasan ng Israel ay aking itatanim: at magsasanga at magbubunga, at magiging mainam na cedro: at sa lilim niyao'y tatahan ang lahat na ibon na ma'y iba't ibang uri; sa lilim ng mga sanga niyaon magsisitahan sila.

24 At ang lahat na punong kahoy sa parang ay makakaalam na akong Panginoon ang nagbaba sa mataas na punong kahoy, nagtaas sa mababang punong kahoy, tumuyo sa sariwang punong kahoy, at nagpanariwa sa tuyong punong kahoy: akong Panginoon ang nagsalita at gumawa niyaon.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #1143

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1143. And of fine linen and of purple, signifies truths and goods from a celestial origin that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of "fine linen," as being truths from a celestial origin (of which presently); also from the signification of "purple," as being goods from a celestial origin (of which above, n.1042. But here such truths and goods profaned are meant, because the fine linen and purple are called "merchandise of Babylon," and "Babylon," as "a harlot and the mother of whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth," signifies profanations of truth and good. Truths and goods from a celestial origin are truths and goods with those who are in love to the Lord; these are called celestial, and are distinguished from the truths and goods from a spiritual origin, which are signified by "silk and scarlet," which will be spoken of presently. Truths and goods from a celestial origin are profaned by their transferring to themselves the Lord's Divine power of saving the human race, thus transferring their love to the Lord to the Pope as a vicar and to his ministers. And yet the Lord cannot be loved when He has no power to save; but the man is loved who is put in the Lord's place. They say that the Lord is loved because He has given that power to a man, and that He is loved and is held in holy respect by those who have received that power, and is worshipped by the rest. But love to the Lord cannot exist with them, because the love of having dominion over heaven and over the church is wholly contrary to it; for such love is love of self, which is a diabolical love, from which the Lord cannot be loved. Such love regarded in itself is rather hatred against the Lord, and it is turned into hatred when they become spirits and dominion is taken away from them. Then they persecute all who are in love to the Lord. All this makes clear how they profane truths and goods which are from a celestial origin.

[2] That "fine linen" signifies truths from a celestial origin can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:

I clothed thee with embroidered work, I shod thee with the skin of the badger, and I girded thee with fine linen, and covered thee with silk. Thus wast thou adorned with gold and silver, and thy garments were fine linen, and silk, and embroidered work (Ezekiel 16:10, 13).

This is said of Jerusalem, which means the church, here in its first establishment. "Embroidered work and the skin of the badger" here signify the knowledges of truth and good from the Word; "fine linen and silk" signify truths from a celestial origin and truths from a spiritual origin. These are said to be "garments," because "garments" signify the truths with which good is clothed. In the same:

Fine linen in embroidered work was thy spreading forth, and purple from the isles of Elishah was thy covering (Ezekiel 27:7).

This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church as to the knowledges of good and truth. These knowledges are signified by "embroidered work from Egypt," truths by "fine linen," and good by "purple," both from a celestial origin. In Luke:

There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and indulged in luxuries every day splendidly (Luke 16:19).

The "rich man" means the Jewish nation, which is said to be "clothed in purple and fine linen," because they have the Word from which they might have goods and truths; goods are here meant by "purple," and truths by "fine linen," both from a celestial origin. "Lazarus lying at the rich man's porch" means the Gentiles that did not have the Word.

[3] Since "fine linen" [byssus] which is also called cotton [xylinum] signified truths from a celestial origin, and the garments of Aaron represented Divine truths, because he represented the Lord, therefore:

His miter and belt were woven of fine linen and cotton (Exodus 28:39; 39:27).

And because the curtains and hangings of the tabernacle represented those things of the church that cover, and these are truths, therefore:

These were woven of cotton or fine linen (Exodus 26:1; 27:9, 18; 36:8; 38:9, 16).

"Fine linen" has the same signification in the following passages of Revelation:

The time of the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready; and it was given to her that she should be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright (Revelation 19:7-8).

The armies of Him that sat upon the white horse followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (Revelation 19:14).

"Fine linen" signifies truth from a celestial origin because fine linen was a kind of very shining flax of which garments were made; "flax," and also "whiteness," signify truth, and "a garment" made of it signifies truth that is clean and pure according to the shining.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[4] The hell where those are who are called devils is the love of self; and the hell where those are who are called satans is the love of the world. The diabolical hell is the love of self because that love is the opposite of celestial love which is love to the Lord; and the satanic hell is the love of the world because that love is the opposite of spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor. Now as the two loves of hell are opposites of the two loves of heaven, hell and the heavens are in opposition to each other; for all who are in the heavens look to the Lord and to the neighbor, but all who are in the hells look to self and the world. All who are in the heavens love the Lord and the neighbor, and all who are in the hells love self and the world, and consequently hate the Lord and the neighbor. All who are in the heavens think what is true and will what is good, because they think and will from the Lord; but all who are in the hells think what is false and will what is evil, because they think and will from self. From this it is that all who are in the hells appear turned backward, with the face turned away from the Lord; they also appear turned upside down, with the feet upwards and the head downwards. They so appear in accordance with their loves, which are opposite to the loves of heaven.

[5] As hell is the love of self it is also fire, for all love corresponds to fire, and in the spiritual world is so presented as to appear like a fire at a distance, although it is not fire but love; and thus the hells appear within to be on fire, and without like outbursts of fire in smoke from furnaces or from conflagrations; and sometimes the devils themselves appear like fires of coals. Their heat from that fire is like a boiling up from impurities, which is lust, and their light from that fire is only an appearance of light from fantasies and from confirmations of evil by falsities, but still it is not light, for when the light of heaven flows in it becomes to them thick darkness, and when the heat of heaven flows in it becomes to them cold; nevertheless, they see from their light, and live from their heat; but they see like owls, birds of night, and bats, whose eyes are blinded in the light of heaven, and they live half dead. The living principle in them is from the ability to think, to will, to speak, to do, and in consequence to see, to hear, to taste, to smell, and to feel; and this living principle is merely the ability arising from action upon them from without of the life which is God, according to order, and continually impelling them towards order. It is from that power that they live to eternity. Their dead principle is from the evils and falsities that spring from their loves. Consequently their life viewed from their loves is not life but death; and this is why in the Word hell is called "death," and those who are there are called "the dead."

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.