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Ezekiel第18章

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1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying,

2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?

3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

5 But if a man is just, and doeth that which is lawful and right,

6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbor's wife, neither hath come near to a polluted woman,

7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath stripped none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment:

8 He that hath not given forth upon interest, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man,

9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.

10 If he begetteth a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things,

11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbor's wife,

12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath stripped by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination.

13 Hath given forth upon interest, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him.

14 Now lo, if he begetteth a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like,

15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbor's wife,

16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withheld the pledge, neither hath stripped by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment,

17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received interest nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, stripped his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity.

19 Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.

20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned to him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.

23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?

26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

27 Again, when a wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

28 Because he considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?

30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, by which ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn ye, and live.

   

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Apocalypse Explained#238

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238. And miserable and poor. That this signifies that neither do they know that these have neither knowledges of truth nor knowledges of good, is evident from the signification of misery, or miserable, as being those who are destitute of the knowledges of truth; and from the signification of poor, as being those who are without the knowledges of good. That the terms miserable and poor have such signification is evident from many passages in the Word, and moreover from this consideration, that spiritual misery and poverty are nothing else but a defect of the knowledges of truth and good, for when such defect exists, the spirit is both miserable and poor; but when these knowledges are possessed, the spirit is rich and opulent; therefore by riches and wealth in the Word are signified spiritual riches and wealth, which are the knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and good, as was shown above (n. 236).

[2] Miserable and poor are terms used in many passages in the Word; but when the spiritual sense of these terms is not known, it is believed that only those are meant who are miserable and poor as to the things of the world; when nevertheless these are not meant, but those who are not in truths and goods and in the knowledges thereof. Indeed, by the miserable are meant those who are not in truths because not in the knowledges of them, and by the poor, those who are not in goods because they are not in the knowledges thereof. Because truths and goods, are meant by these two expressions, therefore in many places both are mentioned, as in David:

"I am miserable and poor, Lord, remember me" (Psalms 40:17; 70:5).

Again:

"Incline thine ear, O Jehovah, answer; for I am miserable and poor" (Psalms 86:1).

That by the miserable and poor are not meant those who are so as to worldly riches, but as to spiritual riches, is clear, because David spoke this concerning himself; therefore he also said, "Jehovah, incline thine ear, and answer."

[3] Again:

"The wicked make bare the sword, and bend their bow, to cast down the miserable and poor" (Psalms 37:14).

That by the miserable and poor are here also meant those who are spiritually such but yet desire the knowledges of truth and good is evident, for it is said that the wicked make bare the sword, and bend their bow; the sword signifying falsity fighting against truth and endeavouring to destroy it; and the bow, the doctrine of falsity against the doctrine of truth; therefore it is said that they do this to cast down the miserable and poor. (That by sword is signified truth fighting against falsity, and, in an opposite sense, falsity fighting against truth, may be seen above, n. 131; and that by bow is signified doctrine in both senses, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 2686, 2709.)

[4] Again:

The wicked "persecuted the miserable and poor, and the dejected in heart to slay him" (Psalms 109:16).

In Isaiah:

"The fool speaketh foolishness, and his heart doeth iniquity to practise hypocrisy and to speak error against Jehovah, to make empty the hungry soul, and to make him who thirsteth for drink to faint. He deviseth wicked devices to destroy the miserable with words of falsehood, even when the poor speaketh judgment" (32:6, 7).

In this passage, also, by the miserable and poor are meant those who are destitute of the knowledges of truth and good; therefore it is said that the wicked deviseth wicked devices to destroy the miserable with words of falsehood, even when the poor speaketh judgment; words of falsehood denote falsities, and to speak judgment denotes what is right. Because such are here treated of, it is also said that they practise hypocrisy and utter error against Jehovah, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause him that thirsteth for drink to faint. To practise hypocrisy and to utter error denotes to do evil from falsity, and to speak falsity from evil; to make empty the soul of the hungry denotes to deprive of the knowledges of good those who desire them, and to cause the thirsty to faint for drink is to deprive of the knowledges of truth those who desire them. Again:

"The miserable shall have joy in Jehovah, and the poor of men shall exult in the Holy One of Israel" (29:19).

By the miserable and poor are here also signified those with whom there is a deficiency of truth and good, and who, nevertheless, desire them; of these it is said that they "shall have joy in Jehovah, and exult in the Holy One of Israel," and not of those who are miserable and poor as to worldly wealth.

[5] From these considerations it is evident what is signified by the miserable and poor in other passages in the Word, as in the following:

"The poor shall not always be forgotten; and the hope of the miserable shall not perish for ever" (Psalms 9:18).

Again:

"God shall judge the miserable of the people, he shall keep the sons of the poor. He shall liberate the poor when he crieth; the miserable also. He shall spare the poor and the needy, and shall save the souls of the poor" (Psalms 72:4, 12, 13).

Again:

"The miserable shall see, those seeking Jehovah shall be glad, because Jehovah heareth the poor" (Psalms 69:32, 33).

Again:

"Jehovah delivereth the miserable from him that is too strong for him, and the poor from him that spoileth him?" (Psalms 35:10).

Again:

"The miserable and poor praise thy name" (74:21; 109:22).

"I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the miserable, and the judgment of the poor" (Psalms 140:12).

And also elsewhere; as in Isaiah 10:2; Jeremiah 22:16; Ezekiel 16:49; 18:12; 22:29; Amos. 8:4; Deuteronomy 15:11; 24:14. The reason why both the miserable and the poor are mentioned in the passages adduced above, is, that it is according to the style of the Word that where truth is treated of good is also treated of; and, in the opposite sense, where falsity is treated of evil is also treated of, because they form one, and are like a marriage. On this account the miserable and the poor are mentioned together; for by the miserable are meant those who are deficient in the knowledges of truth, and by the poor those who are deficient in the knowledges of good. (That there is such a marriage almost everywhere in the prophetical parts of the Word, may be seen in Arcana Coelestia 683, 793, 801, 2516, 2712, 3004, 3005, 3009, 4138, 5138, 5194, 5502, 6343, 7022, 7945, 8339, 9263, 9314.) On this account also it is said in what follows: "And blind and naked;" for by the blind are meant those who have no understanding of truth, and by the naked those who have no understanding and will of good. Also, in the verse following, it is said, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed;" for by gold tried in the fire is meant the good of love, and by white raiment the truths of faith. And further, it is said, "That the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see," by which is meant lest the evils and falsities should be seen. The case is the same in other passages; but that such a marriage exists in every part of the Word, none can see but those who are acquainted with its internal sense.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.