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Ezekiel 33

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1 Kaj aperis al mi vorto de la Eternulo, dirante:

2 Ho filo de homo, parolu al la filoj de via popolo, kaj diru al ili:Se Mi venigos glavon kontraux iun landon, kaj la popolo de la lando prenos el sia mezo unu viron kaj starigos lin cxe si kiel observanton;

3 kaj se li, vidante la glavon, kiu iras kontraux la landon, ekblovos per trumpeto kaj avertos la popolon;

4 kaj se iu, auxdinte la sonon de la trumpeto, ne akceptos la averton, kaj la glavo venos kaj prenos lin, tiam lia sango estos sur lia kapo:

5 li auxdis la sonon de la trumpeto kaj tamen ne atentis la averton, tial lia sango estos sur lia kapo; sed kiu atentos la averton, tiu savos sian vivon.

6 Sed se la observanto vidos la venantan glavon kaj ne blovos per trumpeto, kaj la popolo ne estos avertita, kaj la glavo venos kaj prenos la vivon de iu:tiam cxi tiu estos prenita pro sia peko, sed lian sangon Mi repostulos el la mano de la observanto.

7 Kaj nun, ho filo de homo, Mi starigis vin kiel observanton por la domo de Izrael; kaj kiam vi auxdos el Mia busxo vorton, avertu ilin en Mia nomo.

8 Kiam Mi diros pri la malvirtulo:Malvirtulo, vi devas morti; kaj vi ne parolos, por averti la malvirtulon kontraux lia konduto:tiam li, la malvirtulo, mortos pro sia malvirteco, sed lian sangon Mi repostulos el via mano.

9 Sed se vi avertis la malvirtulon kontraux lia konduto, ke li deturnu sin de gxi, kaj li ne deturnis sin de sia konduto:tiam li mortos pro sia malvirteco kaj vi savos vian vivon.

10 Kaj vi, ho filo de homo, diru al la domo de Izrael:Vi diras:Niaj kulpoj kaj pekoj estas sur ni, kaj de ili ni konsumigxas; kiel do ni povas vivi?

11 Diru do al ili:Kiel Mi vivas, diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo, Mi deziras ne la morton de malvirtulo, sed ke la malvirtulo deturnu sin de sia vojo kaj restu vivanta. Deturnu vin, deturnu vin de viaj malbonaj vojoj! kial vi mortu, ho domo de Izrael?

12 Kaj vi, ho filo de homo, diru al la filoj de via popolo:La virteco de virtulo ne savos lin en la tago de lia krimo, kaj malvirtulo ne falos pro sia malvirteco en la tago, kiam li deturnos sin de sia malvirteco; tiel same virtulo en la tago de sia peko ne povas resti vivanta kun gxi.

13 Se Mi diros al la virtulo, ke li vivos, kaj li, fidante sian virtecon, faros krimon:tiam lia tuta virteco ne estos memorata, kaj li mortos pro sia krimo, kiun li faris.

14 Kaj se Mi diros al la malvirtulo, ke li mortos, sed li deturnos sin de sia peko kaj agados juste kaj virte;

15 se la malvirtulo redonos la garantiajxon, repagos la rabitajxon, agados laux la legxoj de la vivo, ne farante malbonagojn:tiam li restos vivanta kaj ne mortos.

16 CXiuj liaj pekoj, kiujn li faris, ne estos rememorataj:li agas juste kaj virte, kaj tial li restos vivanta.

17 Dume la filoj de via popolo diras:Ne gxusta estas la vojo de la Sinjoro! Sed en efektiveco ilia vojo estas ne gxusta.

18 Se virtulo deturnas sin de sia virteco kaj faras malbonagojn, li mortas pro ili;

19 kaj se malvirtulo deturnas sin de sia malvirteco kaj agas juste kaj virte, pro tio li restas vivanta.

20 Kaj vi diras:Ne gxusta estas la vojo de la Sinjoro! CXiun el vi Mi jugxas konforme al lia konduto, ho domo de Izrael.

21 En la dek-dua jaro de nia forkaptiteco, en la kvina tago de la deka monato, venis al mi forsavigxinto el Jerusalem, kaj diris:La urbo estas disbatita.

22 Sed la mano de la Eternulo aperis super mi en la vespero antaux la veno de la forsavigxinto, kaj malfermis mian busxon, antaux ol tiu venis al mi matene; kaj mia busxo malfermigxis, kaj mi ne plu devis silenti.

23 Kaj aperis al mi vorto de la Eternulo, dirante:

24 Ho filo de homo! la logxantoj de tiuj dezertaj lokoj sur la tero de Izrael parolas tiele:Abraham estis unu sola homo, kaj ricevis herede la landon; sed ni estas multo, des pli apartenas al ni la lando kiel heredajxo.

25 Tial diru al ili:Tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Vi mangxas kun sango, kaj viajn okulojn vi levas al viaj idoloj, kaj sangon vi versxas; kaj tamen vi volas posedi la landon?

26 Vi apogas vin sur via glavo, vi faras abomenindajxon, vi malpurigas unu la edzinon de la alia; kaj tamen vi volas posedi la landon?

27 Diru al ili jenon:Tiele diras la Sinjoro, la Eternulo:Kiel Mi vivas, tiuj, kiuj trovigxas sur la ruinoj, falos de glavo; kiu estas sur la kampo, tiun Mi transdonos kiel mangxajxon al la bestoj; kaj tiuj, kiuj estas en fortikajxoj kaj en kavernoj, mortos de pesto.

28 Kaj Mi faros la landon absoluta dezerto, kaj malaperos gxia fiera forto; kaj la montoj de Izrael dezertigxos tiel, ke neniu tie pasos.

29 Kaj oni ekscios, ke Mi estas la Eternulo, kiam Mi plene dezertigos la landon pro cxiuj iliaj abomenindajxoj, kiujn ili faris.

30 Kaj koncerne vin, ho filo de homo, la filoj de via popolo interparolas pri vi cxe la muroj kaj cxe la pordoj de la domoj, kaj unu al la alia parolas jene:Iru, kaj auxskultu, kia estas la vorto, kiu eliris de la Eternulo!

31 Kaj ili venas al vi kiel al popola kunveno, kaj Mia popolo sidigxas antaux vi, kaj auxskultas viajn vortojn, sed ne plenumas ilin; cxar voluptajn kantojn ili faras el tio en siaj busxoj, kaj ilia koro celas nur profiton.

32 Vi estas por ili kiel volupta kanto, kiel homo kun bela vocxo kaj bone kantanta; ili auxskultas viajn vortojn, sed ne plenumas ilin.

33 Sed kiam plenumigxos tio, kio devas plenumigxi, tiam ili ekscios, ke profeto estis meze de ili.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #7729

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7729. 'Not a hoof shall be left behind' means that nothing at all of the truth from good shall be lacking. This is clear from the meaning of 'a hoof' as truth from good, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'not being left behind' as not to be lacking, that is, from worship of the Lord. In the internal sense nearest to the literal 'not a hoof shall be left behind' means that nothing whatever shall be lacking, for the hoof is common to all livestock. But in the sense more internal than that 'a hoof means truth in the last degree - that is, truth on the level of the senses, which is the lowest - and in the contrary sense falsity. The reason why 'a hoof' has this meaning is that 'foot' means the natural, and 'sole of the foot' the last and lowest level of the natural, 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952, 5327, 5728, much the same being meant by 'hoof' since it is the sole of the foot in the case of livestock. And because the last and lowest level of the natural is meant by 'hoof' as it is by 'sole', truth forming that level of the natural is also meant; for when the natural is spoken of, truth and good are meant, or in the contrary sense falsity and evil. The natural is formed from these, and without them is devoid of any attributes.

[2] The fact that 'hoof', in particular that of a horse, means truth in the last and lowest degree, that is, truth on the level of the senses, and in the contrary sense falsity belonging to the same degree, becomes clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Whose arrows are sharp, and all bows bent. His horses' hoofs are considered as flint, his wheels as the whirlwind. Isaiah 5:18.

This refers to a people laying waste. 'Arrows' means ideas fired from false doctrine, which they use to fight with, and 'bow' the doctrine itself, 2686, 2709. 'Horses' means powers of understanding, in this instance perverted ones, 2761, 2762, 3117, 5321, 6125, 6534. Which shows what 'the hoofs' of the horses means, namely falsity in the last and lowest degree.

[3] In Jeremiah,

. . . because of the sound of the beat of the hoofs of his mighty ones, on account of the noise of his chariot, the rumble of his wheels. Jeremiah 47:3

This refers to a people laying the Philistines waste. 'The beat of the hoofs of his mighty ones', that is, of horses, stands for open conflict of falsity against truth. 'Chariot' stands for teachings maintaining falsity, for 'a chariot' means teachings that maintain either truth or falsity, see 5321, 5945.

[4] In Ezekiel,

By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust will cover you; by reason of the noise of horsemen, and wheels, and chariots, your walls will be shaken; by means of the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets. Ezekiel 26:10-11.

This refers to Nebuchadnezzar laying Tyre waste. 'Horses' stands for perverted powers of understanding, as above, 'horsemen' for concepts that go with that kind of understanding, 6534. 'The wheels' that the chariots have stands for the falsities that are taught, 'chariot' being such teaching, as above, while 'streets' stands for truths, 2336. From this it is evident that 'the hoofs of horses' stands for falsities. If such were not meant, what would be the point of the statement 'by reason of the abundance of his horses their dust will cover you; by reason of the noise of horsemen, and wheels, and chariots, your walls will be shaken; by means of the hoofs of his horses he will trample all your streets'? Without an inner meaning would they be anything more than empty sounds? In actual fact every expression used in the Word, being Divine in origin, carries weight.

[5] In the same prophet,

They will devastate the pride of Egypt, in order that its multitude may be destroyed. And I will destroy all its beasts over many waters, in order that the foot of man (homo) may not disturb them any more, nor the hoof of beast disturb them. Then I will turn their waters into a depth, 1 and cause their rivers to flow like oil. Ezekiel 32:12-14.

Nor are these details intelligible unless one knows what is meant by 'Egypt', by 'the foot of man', by 'the hoof of beast', by 'waters' over which beasts will be destroyed, which the foot of man and hoof of beast will disturb, and which will be turned into a depth. Waters and rivers of Egypt are collections of true factual knowledge, while 'the hoof of beast' is falsity on the last and lowest level of the natural that disturbs true factual knowledge.

[6] In Micah,

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze, in order that you may crush many peoples. Micah 4:13.

Nor can anyone know without the internal sense what these things are, that is, unless he knows what is meant by 'threshing', 'daughter of Zion', 'horn that will be made like iron', 'hoof that will be made like bronze', both of which will be used 'to crush many peoples'. 'Daughter of Zion' is the celestial Church, 1362; 'horn' is the power of truth that springs from good, 2832; 'iron' is natural truth that will have the ability to destroy falsities, 425, 426; 'hoof' is truth that springs from good in the last and lowest degree; and 'bronze' is natural good that will have power over evils, 425, 1551.

[7] In Zechariah,

I will raise up a shepherd in the land; he will not go 2 to [the sheep] that are to be cut off, he will not seek one tender in age, and he will not heal one that is maimed. 3 But he will eat the flesh of the fat, and tear apart their hoofs. Zechariah 11:16.

This refers to a stupid shepherd. 'Eating the flesh of the fat' stands for turning good into evil, 'tearing apart the hoofs' for turning truth into falsity.

[8] How superior in intelligence the ancients were to people at the present day becomes clear from the consideration that in regard to very many objects in the world they knew which realities in heaven they corresponded to, and therefore what their spiritual meanings were. This knowledge existed not only with those who belonged to the Church but also with those outside the Church, such as the people in Greece, the most ancient of whom employed images with spiritual meanings to depict those realities. But at the present day, since such meanings are entirely unknown, those images are called myths. Knowledge of such correspondences among the sages of old is evident from the fact that they spoke of a winged horse, which they called Pegasus, to depict the rise of intelligence and wisdom. With its hoof it broke open a fountain, at which there were nine virgins, and which was situated on a hill. For they knew that 'the horse' was a sign of the power of understanding, 'its wings' a sign of spirituality, 'its hoofs' a sign of the last and lowest degree of truth, which gave rise to intelligence, 'virgins' a sign of varieties of knowledge, 'hill' a sign of unanimity, and in the spiritual sense of charity, and so on with the rest. But such matters at the present day are some of those that are lost.

Fotnoter:

1. i.e. allow them to settle so that they look clear and deep

2. literally, visit

3. literally, broken

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

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Arcana Coelestia #6125

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6125. 'In exchange for horses' means factual knowledge supplied from the understanding. This is clear from the meaning of 'horses' as ideas forming the understanding, dealt with in 2760-2762, 3217, 5321; and since they are spoken of in connection with Egypt, which means factual knowledge, 'horses' here are factual knowledge supplied from the understanding. But what factual knowledge supplied from the understanding is must be stated. There is an understanding part and there is a will part in the human mind, and these are situated not only in his internal man but also in his external. The human understanding is developing and growing from early childhood through to manhood, and it consists in a discernment of things gained from experience and formal knowledge, also a discernment of causes from effects as well as of consequences from a chain of causes. Thus the understanding part consists in a comprehension and perception of such things as are part of everyday life, public and private. An inflowing of light from heaven brings it into existence, and for that reason everyone's understanding is capable of being made more perfect. Understanding is given to everyone in accordance with his effort to make use of what he knows, in accordance with the life he leads, and in accordance with his individual character; no one lacks it provided he is of sound mind. A person is given it to the end that he may have freedom of choice, that is, have the freedom to choose good or evil. Unless he possesses an understanding like the one just described, he has no power of his own to make that choice; thus nothing could possibly be made his own.

[2] In addition to this it should be recognized that the understanding part of a person's mind is that which receives what is spiritual, so that it is the recipient of spiritual truth and good. For no good at all, that is, no charity, nor any truth at all, that is, any faith, can be instilled into anyone if he does not have that understanding part; but they are instilled in the measure that he does have it. This also explains why a person is not regenerated by the Lord until adult life when he does possess an understanding. Till then the good of love and the truth of faith fall like seed into utterly infertile soil. But once a person has been regenerated his understanding serves the function of enabling him to see and perceive what good is and from this what truth is. For the understanding converts things belonging to the superior light of heaven into those belonging to the inferior light of the natural world, as a consequence of which the former are then seen within the latter in the same way as a person's inner affections are seen in his face when it lacks all pretence. And because the understanding serves that function, many places in the Word where the spiritual side of the Church is referred to refer also to its power of understanding, a matter which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with elsewhere.

[3] From all this one may now see what is meant by factual knowledge supplied from the understanding, namely known facts which lend support to the things a person grasps and perceives with his understanding, whether those things are bad or good. Such facts are what are meant in the Word by 'horses from Egypt', as in Isaiah,

Woe to those who go down into Egypt for help, and rely on horses and trust in chariots because they are many, and on horsemen because they are extremely strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel and do not seek Jehovah. For Egypt is man (homo), not God; and his horses are flesh, not spirit. Isaiah 31:1, 3.

'Horses from Egypt' stands for factual knowledge supplied from a perverted understanding.

[4] In Ezekiel,

He rebelled against him by sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that ha might give him horses and many people. Will he prosper? Will he who does this be rescued? Ezekiel 17:15.

'Horses from Egypt' again stands for factual knowledge supplied from a perverted understanding, which knowledge is resorted to in matters of faith, though there is no belief in the Word, that is, in the Lord, apart from what that knowledge provides. Thus no belief ever comes to exist, for within a perverted understanding a negative attitude reigns.

[5] The destruction which such factual knowledge underwent is represented by the drowning of Pharaoh's horses and chariots in the Sea Suph; and since that knowledge is meant by 'horses' and false matters of doctrine by 'chariots', his horses and chariots are mentioned so many times in the description of that event, see Exodus 14:17-18, 27, 26, 28. And the Song of Moses and Miriam consequently contains these words,

Pharaoh's horse went, also his chariot, also his horsemen, into the sea; but Jehovah made the waters of the sea come back over them. Sing to Jehovah, for He has highly exalted Himself; He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. Exodus 15:19, 21.

[6] Similar factual knowledge is also meant by the things required before-hand for a king over Israel, in Moses,

If they desire a king, from among their brothers shall a king be set over them. Only let him not multiply horses for himself nor lead the people back into Egypt in order to multiply horses. Deuteronomy 17:15-16.

'A king' represented the Lord as regards Divine Truth, 1672, 1728, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670, 4575, 4581, 4789, 4966, 5044, 5068, thus as regards intelligence since this comes, when it is genuine, from Divine Truth. The need for intelligence to be acquired through the Word, which is Divine Truth, and not through factual knowledge taken from one's own understanding is meant by the injunction that the king should not multiply horses or lead the people back into Egypt in order to multiply horses.

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