The Bible

 

Ezekiel 31

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1 At nangyari nang ikalabing isang taon, nang ikatlong buwan, nang unang araw ng buwan, na ang salita ng Panginoon ay dumating sa akin, na nagsasabi,

2 Anak ng tao, sabihin mo kay Faraon, na hari sa Egipto, at sa kaniyang karamihan: Sino ang iyong kawangis sa iyong kalakhan?

3 Narito, ang taga Asiria ay isang cedro sa Libano, na may magandang mga sanga, at may mayabong na lilim, at may mataas na kataasan; at ang kaniyang dulo ay nasa gitna ng mga mayabong na sanga.

4 Kinakandili siya ng tubig, pinalalaki siya ng kalaliman: ang kaniyang mga ilog ay nagsisiagos sa palibot ng kaniyang kinatatamnan; at kaniyang pinaaagos ang kaniyang mga bangbang ng tubig sa lahat ng punong kahoy sa parang.

5 Kaya't ang kaniyang kataasan ay nataas ng higit kay sa lahat na punong kahoy sa parang; at ang kaniyang mga sanga ay nagsidami, at ang kaniyang mga sanga ay nagsihaba dahil sa karamihan ng tubig, nang kaniyang pabugsuan.

6 Lahat ng ibon sa himpapawid ay nagsigawa ng kanilang mga pugad sa kaniyang mga sanga; at sa ilalim ng kaniyang mga sanga ay nagsipanganak ang lahat ng mga hayop sa parang; at sa kaniyang lilim ay nagsitahan ang lahat na malaking bansa.

7 Ganito siya gumanda sa kaniyang kalakhan, sa kahabaan ng kaniyang mga sanga: sapagka't ang kaniyang ugat ay nasa siping ng maraming tubig.

8 Ang mga cedro sa halamanan ng Dios hindi makapantay sa kaniya; ang mga puno ng abeto ay hindi gaya ng kaniyang mga sanga, at ang mga puno ng kastano ay hindi gaya ng kaniyang mga sanga, o may anomang punong kahoy sa halamanan ng Dios na kagaya niya sa kaniyang kagandahan.

9 Pinaganda ko siya sa karamihan ng kaniyang mga sanga, na anopa't lahat ng punong kahoy sa Eden, na nangasa halamanan ng Dios, nanaghili sa kaniya.

10 Kaya't ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Sapagka't ikaw ay nataas sa kataasan, at inilagay niya ang kaniyang dulo sa gitna ng mga mayabong na sanga, at ang kaniyang puso ay nagmataas sa kaniyang pagkataas;

11 Aking ibibigay nga siya sa kamay ng makapangyarihan sa mga bansa; walang pagsalang siya'y susugpuin: aking pinalayas siya dahil sa kaniyang kasamaan.

12 At inihiwalay siya at iniwan siya, ng mga taga ibang lupa, ng kakilakilabot sa mga bansa: sa ibabaw ng mga bundok at sa lahat ng mga libis ay nangalaglag ang kaniyang mga sanga, at ang kaniyang mga sanga ay nangabali sa siping ng lahat ng mga ilog ng lupain; at bumaba ang lahat ng tao sa lupa mula sa kaniyang lilim at iniwan siya.

13 Sa kaniyang guho ay magsisitahan ang lahat ng mga ibon sa himpapawid, at lahat ng mga hayop sa parang ay mangapapa sa kaniyang mga sanga;

14 Upang walang magmataas sa kanilang kataasan sa lahat na punong kahoy sa siping ng tubig, o maglagay man ng kanilang dulo sa gitna ng mga mayabong na sanga, o ang kanila mang mga makapangyarihan ay magsitayo sa kanilang pagkataas, sa makatuwid baga'y yaong lahat na nagsisiinom ng tubig: sapagka't silang lahat ay nangabigay sa kamatayan, sa pinakamalalim na bahagi ng lupa, sa gitna ng mga anak ng tao, na kasama ng nagsibaba sa hukay.

15 Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoong Dios: Nang araw na siya'y bumaba sa Sheol ay nagpatangis ako: aking tinakpan ang kalaliman dahil sa kaniya, at pinigil ko ang mga ilog niya; at ang mga malaking ilog ay nagsitigil; at aking pinapanangis sa kaniya ang Libano, at ang lahat na punong kahoy sa parang ay nanglupaypay dahil sa kaniya.

16 Aking niyanig ang mga bansa sa hugong ng kaniyang pagkabuwal, nang aking ihagis siya sa Sheol na kasama ng nagsibaba sa hukay; at ang lahat na punong kahoy sa Eden, ang pili at pinakamahusay ng Libano, lahat ng nagsisiinom ng tubig ay nangaaliw sa pinakamalalim na bahagi ng lupa.

17 Sila rin nama'y nagsibaba sa Sheol na kasama niya sa kanila na nangapatay ng tabak; oo, silang pinakakamay niya na nagsisitahan sa kaniyang lilim sa gitna ng mga bansa.

18 Sino ang gaya mong ganito sa kaluwalhatian at sa kalakhan sa gitna ng mga punong kahoy sa Eden? gayon ma'y mabababa ka na kasama ng mga punong kahoy sa Eden, sa pinakamalalim na bahagi ng lupa: ikaw ay malalagay sa gitna ng mga di tuli, na kasama nila na nangapatay ng tabak. Ito'y si Faraon at ang buo niyang karamihan, sabi ng Panginoong Dios.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #776

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776. '[Every] bird according to its kind' means all spiritual truth, 'flying things' means natural truth, and 'winged thing' sensory truth. This is clear from what has been stated and shown already about birds, as in 40. The most ancient people likened man's thoughts to birds, for in relation to things of the will, thoughts are like birds. Since bird, flying thing, and winged thing are mentioned here, and come consecutively in the way that intellectual concepts, rational concepts, and sensory impressions do in man, and to prevent anyone doubting that this is what they mean, let other places from the Word of a confirmatory nature be quoted, from which as well it will be evident that 'beasts' means such things as have been stated.

[2] In David,

You have given Him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under His feet, flocks and all cattle, and also the beasts of the fields, the flying things of the air, 1 and the fish of the sea. Psalms 8:6-8.

This refers to the Lord, whose dominion over man and over what belongs to man is described in this fashion. If this were not so, what would 'dominion over beasts and birds' really be? In the same author,

Fruit tree and all cedars, wild animal and every beast, creeping thing and flying thing - they shall glorify the name of Jehovah. Psalms 148:9-10, 13.

'Fruit tree' is the celestial man, 'cedar' the spiritual man, 'wild animal and beast and creeping thing' the goods of these kinds of man, as in the present context. 'Flying thing' is their truths from which they are able to glorify the name of Jehovah. This a wild animal, a beast, a creeping thing, or a flying thing can never do. In secular literature such statements can be used as hyperbole, but in the Word of the Lord they are never just hyperbole but meaningful signs and representatives.

[3] In Ezekiel,

They start to tremble before Me - the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, 2 and the wild animals of the field, and every creeping thing creeping over the ground, and every man that is on the face 3 of the ground. Ezekiel 38:20.

The fact that 'beasts' and 'birds' here have such meanings is quite clear, for what would Jehovah's glory be if fish, birds, and beasts were to start to tremble? Could anyone think that such utterances are holy if they did not embody holy things within them? In Jeremiah,

I looked, and behold, there was no man; all the birds of the air 2 had fled. Jeremiah 4:15.

This stands for all good and truth. Here 'man' stands as well for good that stems from love. In the same prophet,

They have been laid waste so that no man passes through, neither do men hear the voice of the herd. From the birds of the air 2 down to beasts, they have scattered, they have gone away. Jeremiah 9:10.

This in a similar way stands for the departure of all truth and good.

[4] In the same prophet,

How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field wither? For the wickedness of those who dwell in it, the beasts and the birds have perished, for men said, He will not see our latter end. Jeremiah 11:4.

Here 'beasts' stands for goods, and 'birds' for truths, which perished. In Zephaniah,

I will consume man and beast, I will consume the birds of the air 2 and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling-blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off mankind from the face 4 of the ground. Zephaniah 1:3.

Here 'man and beast' stands for the things which belong to love and good deriving from love, 'the birds of the air 2 and the fish of the sea' for those which belong to the understanding and so to truth. These are called 'stumbling-blocks' because for wicked people it is goods and truths, not beasts and birds, that are stumbling-blocks. These are also plainly referred to as man's. In David,

The trees of Jehovah are watered abundantly, and the cedars of Lebanon which He planted. In them flying things build their nests. Psalms 104:16-17.

'The trees of Jehovah and the cedars of Lebanon' stands for spiritual man, 'flying things' for his rational or natural truths which are like 'nests'. What is more, 'the birds build nests in the branches' was a common saying by which people meant truths, as in Ezekiel,

[5] On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it, and it will bring forth a branch, and bear fruit, and it will become a noble cedar, and under it will dwell every flying thing of every sort, 5 in the shade of its branches they will dwell. Ezekiel 17:23.

This stands for the Church among gentiles which was spiritual and which is 'a noble cedar'. 'Birds of every sort' 5 stands for truths of every kind. In the same prophet,

In its branches all the birds of the air 2 made their nests, and under its branches every wild animal of the field gave birth, and in its shadow dwelt all great nations. Ezekiel 31:6.

This refers to Asshur, which is the spiritual Church and is called 'a cedar'. 'Birds of the air' 2 stands for its truths, 'beasts' for its goods.

[6] In Daniel,

Its branch was fair, and its fruit much, and food for all was on it. The beast of the field had shade under it, and in its branches dwelt the flying things of the air' 1 Daniel 4:12, 11.

Here 'beast' stands for goods, and 'flying thing of the air' 1 for truths. This may become clear to anyone, for what else would bird and beast dwelling there really be? The same applies to what the Lord said, The kingdom of God is like a grain of mustard seed, which someone took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a big tree so that the birds of the air 1 dwelt in its branches. Luke 13:19; Matthew 13:32; Mark 4:32.

Footnotes:

1. literally, flying thing of the heavens (or the skies)

2. literally, bird of the heavens (or the skies)

3. literally, over the faces

4. literally, the faces

5. literally, of every wing

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