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以西結書第23章

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1 耶和華的又臨到我說:

2 人子啊,有兩個女子,是母所生,

3 他們在埃及行邪淫,在幼年時行邪淫。他們在那裡作處女的時候,有人擁抱他們的懷,撫摸他們的乳。

4 他們的名字,姊姊名叫阿荷拉,妹妹名叫阿荷利巴。他們都歸於我,生了兒女。論到他們的名字,阿荷拉就是撒瑪利亞,阿荷利巴就是耶路撒冷

5 阿荷拉歸我之後行邪淫,貪戀所的人,就是他的鄰邦亞述人。

6 這些人都穿藍衣,作省長、副省長,都,是可愛的少年人。

7 阿荷拉就與亞述人中最美的男子放縱淫行,他因所戀愛之人的一切偶像,玷污自己。

8 自從在埃及的時候,他就沒有離開淫亂,因為他年幼作處女的時候,埃及人與他行淫,撫摸他的乳,縱慾與他行淫。

9 因此,我將他交在他所的人中,就是他所戀的亞述人中。

10 他們就露了他的下體,擄掠他的兒女,用刀殺了他,使他在婦女中留下臭名,因他們向他施行審判。

11 妹妹阿荷利巴雖然見了,卻還貪戀,比他姊姊更醜;行淫亂比他姊姊更多。

12 他貪戀鄰邦的亞述人,就是穿極華美的衣服,的省長、副省長,都是可愛的少年人。

13 見他被玷污了,他姊妹人同行

14 阿荷利巴又加增淫行,因他見人像畫在上,就是用丹色所畫迦勒底人的像,

15 腰間繫著子,上有下垂的裹巾,都是軍長的形狀,仿照巴比倫人的形像;他們的故土就是迦勒底

16 阿荷利巴一看見就貪戀他們,打發使者往迦勒底去見他們。

17 巴比倫人就登他愛情的,與他行淫玷污他。他被玷污,隨後心裡與他們生疏。

18 這樣,他顯露淫行,又顯露下體;我心就與他生疏,像先前與他姊姊生疏一樣。

19 他還加增他的淫行,追念他幼年在埃及行邪淫的日子,

20 貪戀情人身壯精足,如

21 這樣,你就想起你幼年的淫行。那時,埃及人擁抱你的懷,撫摸你的乳。

22 阿荷利巴啊,耶和華如此:我必激動你先而後生疏的人攻擊你。我必使他們,在你四圍攻擊你。

23 所來的就是巴比倫人、迦勒底的眾人、比割人、書亞人、哥亞人,同著他們的還有亞述眾人,乃是作省長、副省長、作軍長有名聲的,都,是可愛的少年人。

24 他們必帶兵器、戰車、輜重車,率領大眾攻擊你。他們要拿大小盾牌,頂盔擺陣,在你四圍攻擊你。我要將審判的事交他們,他們必按著自己的條例審判你。

25 我必以忌恨攻擊你;他們必以忿怒辦你。他們必割去你的鼻子和耳朵;你遺留(或譯:餘剩;下同)的人必倒在刀下。他們必擄去你的兒女;你所遺留的必被焚燒。

26 他們必剝去你的衣服,奪取你華美的寶器。

27 這樣,我必使你的淫行和你從埃及染來的淫亂止息了,使你不再仰望亞述,也不再追念埃及

28 耶和華如此:我必將你交在你所恨惡的人中,就是你心與他生疏的人中。

29 他們必以恨惡辦你,奪取你一切勞碌得來的,留下你赤身露體。你淫亂的下體,連你的淫行,帶你的淫亂,都被顯露。

30 人必向你行這些事;因為你隨從外邦人行邪淫,被他們的偶像玷污了。

31 走了你姊姊所走的,所以我必將他的杯交在你中。

32 耶和華如此:你必你姊姊所的杯;那杯又深又廣,盛得甚多,使你被人嗤笑譏刺。

33 你必酩酊大醉,滿有愁苦,喝乾你姊姊撒瑪利亞的杯,就是令人驚駭淒涼的杯。

34 你必這杯,以致盡。杯破又齦杯片,撕裂自己的乳;因為這事我曾說過。這是耶和華的。

35 耶和華如此:因你忘記我,將我丟在背後,所以你要擔當你淫行和淫亂的報應。

36 耶和華又對我:人子啊,你要審問阿荷拉與阿荷利巴麼﹖當指出他們所行可憎的事。

37 他們行淫,中有殺人的血,又與偶像行淫,並使他們為我所生的兒女經火燒給偶像

38 此外,他們還有向我所行的,就是同日玷污我的聖所,干犯我的安息日。

39 他們殺了兒女獻與偶像,當又入我的聖所,將聖所褻瀆了。他們在我殿中所行的乃是如此。

40 況且你們二婦打發使者去請遠方人。使者到他們那裡,他們就來了。你們為他們沐浴己身,粉飾眼目,佩戴妝飾,

41 在華美的床上,前面擺設桌案,將我的香料膏擺在其上。

42 在那裡有群眾安逸歡樂的聲音,並有粗俗的人和酒徒從曠野同,把鐲子戴在二婦的上,把華冠戴在他們的上。

43 我論這行淫衰老的婦人:現在人還要與他行淫,他也要與人行淫。

44 人與阿荷拉,並阿荷利巴二淫婦茍合,好像與妓女苟合。

45 必有人,照審判淫婦和流人血的婦人之例,審判他們;因為他們是淫婦,中有殺人的血。

46 耶和華如此:我必使多人來攻擊他們,使他們拋來拋去,被人搶奪。

47 這些人必用石頭打死他們,用刀殺害他們,又殺戮他們的兒女,用焚燒他們的房屋

48 這樣,我必使淫行從境內止息,好叫一切婦人都受警戒,不效法你們的淫行。

49 人必照著你們的淫行報應你們;你們要擔當拜偶像的罪,就知道我是耶和華

   

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Arcana Coelestia#7456

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7456. 'Will they not stone us?' means that they would thereby demolish the truths of faith that related to worship. This is clear from the meaning of 'stoning' as demolishing and wiping out falsities, but in the contrary sense, when done by the evil, as demolishing and wiping out the truths of faith. If the vile, foul, and hellish things referred to above in 7454 were to enter in among people whose worship is holy its holiness would be destroyed. The reason for this is that when a person's worship is holy he is withheld from such things, and people who are governed by good in faith and life are raised above the level of the senses on which such things reside. But when such objects do enter in the foul things present on the sensory level are stirred up - that is, the things which a person is withheld from when his worship is holy, as has been stated, and which people governed by good are raised above - and the holiness of the worship is destroyed. Experience too demonstrates this plainly, for if, when a person offers worship to God, some foul object appears and is not removed, worship ceases and is destroyed. This is what is meant when it is said that if those steeped in falsities arising from evils were nearby they would demolish the truths of faith that relate to worship.

[2] As for the meaning of 'stoning', it should be recognized that the Jews and Israelites, among whom a representative of the Church had been established, had two kinds of capital punishment, one being stoning, the other hanging on wood. Stoning was used if anyone sought to destroy the truths relating to worship which were commanded, while hanging was used if anyone sought to destroy goodness of life. The reason why those who sought to destroy truths relating to worship were stoned was that a stone was a sign of truth and in the contrary sense of falsity, 643, 1298, 3720, 6426. And the reason why those who sought to destroy goodness of life were hanged on wood was that wood was a sign of good and in the contrary sense of the evil belonging to evil desires, 643, 2784, 2812, 3720.

[3] The fact that punishment by stoning would be used if anyone should destroy truths relating to worship is evident from the following places: In Ezekiel,

Finally they will cause an assembly to come up upon you, and they will stone you with stones and cut you up with their swords. Ezekiel 16:40.

This refers to the perverse Jerusalem and the destruction of the truth of faith by means of falsities. This is why it says that 'they will stone with stones' and also 'cut up with swords', for 'a sword' means truth engaged in conflict with falsity and destroying it, and in the contrary sense falsity engaged in conflict with truth and destroying it, 2799, 4499, 6353, 7102.

[4] A similar statement occurs elsewhere in the same prophet,

Cause an assembly to come up against them, in order that the assembly may stone them with stones and tear them apart with their swords. Ezekiel 23:46-47.

This refers to Jerusalem and Samaria, by which the Church is meant. Jerusalem means the celestial-spiritual Church, Samaria the spiritual Church, and this chapter describes how forms of the good and truth of faith were destroyed in them.

[5] In Moses,

If an ox strikes a man or woman with its horn so that the person dies, the ox shall surely be stoned. Exodus 21:28.

'Striking a man or woman with the horn' means falsity engaged in conflict with truth and goodness and destroying them. For 'the horn' is falsity engaged in conflict, and also the power of falsity, 2832, while 'man and woman' in the Word means truth and goodness; and this makes plain what the internal sense of that command is and why it was that the ox had to be stoned.

[6] In the same author,

Anyone blaspheming the name of Jehovah shall surely be killed; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. Leviticus 24:16.

'Blaspheming the name of Jehovah' means using malevolent falsities to do violence to truths and forms of good that relate to worship. 'The name of Jehovah' means everything in one embrace that is used to worship Jehovah, see 2724, 3006, thus every aspect of faith and charity, 6674. This also explains why the Israelite woman s son who blasphemed the name of Jehovah was led outside the camp and stoned, Leviticus 24:11, 14, 23. Furthermore it had been commanded that those who served other gods should be stoned, Deuteronomy 17:3, 5, and also those who enticed anyone to serve other gods, Deuteronomy 13:6-10. 'Serving other gods' means profane worship by means of which true worship is destroyed.

[7] If no evidence of virginity were found with a young woman when she married she was to be stoned because she had played the fool in Israel by committing whoredom in her father's house, Deuteronomy 22:20-21. The reason for this was that 'whoredom' meant the falsification of truth, thus the destruction of it, 2466, 4865. If a man lay in the city with a young woman, a virgin, who was betrothed to a man, both were to be stoned, Deuteronomy 22:23-24, and for the same reason, namely whoredom; for spiritual whoredom is the falsification of truth. In Luke 20:5-6, [one reads about the chief priests, scribes, and elders] coming to the conclusion among themselves that if they said John's baptism was from heaven [the Lord] would say, 'Why did you not believe him?' But if they said 'From men', all the people would stone them. Here also 'stoning' is spoken of because of opposition to the truth.

The reason why the Jews sought to stone Jesus because He said, Before Abraham was, I am, John 8:58-59, was that that nation believed this to be false. In a similar way they sought to stone Jesus because He said He and His Father were one, John 10:30-33; for they thought, as these verses also state, that this was blasphemy.

From all this one may now see what stoning was and why it was commanded, and also that punishment by stoning, administered since ancient times as its use in Egypt proves, was derived from the representatives of the Ancient Church.

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