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thestreamofconsciousness777 · 8 months

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Put on high even what is low, and bring low even the high one: Jehovah himself for the sake of his righteousness has taken a delight in that he should magnify the law and make it majestic...

“Son of man, say to Phar’aoh the king of Egypt and to his crowd, “‘Whom have you come to resemble in your greatness? Look! An As·syr’i·an, a cedar in Leb’a·non, pretty in bough, with a woody thicket offering shadow, and high in stature, so that among the clouds its treetop proved to be. Waters were what made it get big; the watery deep caused it to grow high. With its streams it was going all around its planting place; and its channels it sent forth to all the trees of the field. That is why it grew higher in its stature than all the [other] trees of the field.

“‘And its boughs kept multiplying, and its branches continued getting longer because of much water in its watercourses. On its boughs all the flying creatures of the heavens made their nests, and under its branches all the wild beasts of the field gave birth, and in its shade all the populous nations would dwell. And it came to be pretty in its greatness, in the length of its foliage, for its root system proved to be over many waters. [Other] cedars were no match for it in the garden of God. As for juniper trees, they bore no resemblance as respects its boughs. And plane trees themselves did not prove to be like it in branches. No [other] tree in the garden of God resembled it in its prettiness. Pretty is the way that I made it in the abundance of its foliage, and all the [other] trees of E’den that were in the garden of the [true] God kept envying it.’

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘For the reason that you became high in stature, so that it put its treetop even among the clouds and its heart became exalted because of its height, I shall also give it into the hand of the despot of [the] nations. Without fail he will act against it. According to its wickedness I will drive it out. And strangers, the tyrants of [the] nations, will cut it down, and people will abandon it upon the mountains; and in all the valleys its foliage will certainly fall, and its branches will be broken among all the streambeds of the earth. And out from its shade all the peoples of the earth will come down and abandon it. Upon its fallen trunk all the flying creatures of the heavens will reside, and upon its branches there will certainly come to be all the wild beasts of the field; to the end that none of the watered trees may become high in their stature, or put their treetops even among the clouds, and that none drinking water may stand up against them in their height, for they will certainly all of them be given to death, to the land down below, in the midst of the sons of mankind, to those going down into the pit.’

“This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said, ‘On the day of its going down to She’ol I shall certainly cause a mourning. On its account I will cover the watery deep, that I may hold back its streams and [that] the many waters may be restrained; and on its account I shall darken Leb’a·non, and on its account the trees of the field will all swoon away. At the sound of its downfall I shall certainly cause nations to rock when I bring it down to She’ol with those going down into the pit, and in the land down below all the trees of E’den, the choicest and the best of Leb’a·non, all those drinking water, will be comforted. With him they themselves also have gone down to She’ol, to those slain by the sword, and those who as his seed have dwelt in his shadow in the midst of nations.’

“‘Whom have you come to resemble thus in glory and greatness among the trees of E’den? But you will certainly be brought down with the trees of E’den to the land down below. In the midst of the uncircumcised ones you will lie down with those slain by the sword. This is Phar’aoh and all his crowd,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”

And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “Son of man, propound a riddle and compose a proverbial saying toward the house of Israel. And you must say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “The great eagle, having great wings, with long pinions, full of plumage, which had color variety, came to Leb’a·non and proceeded to take the treetop of the cedar. He plucked off the very top of its young shoots and came bringing it to the land of Ca’naan; in a city of traders he placed it. Furthermore, he took some of the seed of the land and put it in a field for seed. As a willow by vast waters, as a willow tree he placed it. And it began to sprout and gradually became a luxuriantly growing vine low in height, inclined to turn its foliage inward; and as for its roots, they gradually came to be under it. And it finally became a vine and produced shoots and sent forth branches.

“‘“And there came to be another great eagle, having great wings, and having large pinions, and, look! this very vine stretched its roots hungrily toward him. And its foliage it thrust out to him in order [for him] to irrigate it, away from the garden beds where it was planted. Into a good field, by vast waters, it was already transplanted, in order to produce boughs and to bear fruit, to become a majestic vine.”’

“Say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “Will it have success? Will not someone tear out its very roots and make its very fruit scaly? And must [not] all its freshly plucked sprouts become dry? It will become dry. Neither by a great arm nor by a multitudinous people will it have to be lifted up from its roots. And, look! although transplanted, will it have success? Will it not dry up completely, even as when the east wind touches it? In the garden beds of its sprout it will dry up.”’”

And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “Say, please, to the rebellious house, ‘Do YOU people actually not know what these things mean?’ Say, ‘Look! The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and proceeded to take its king and its princes and bring them to himself at Babylon. Furthermore, he took one of the royal seed and concluded a covenant with him and brought him into an oath; and the foremost men of the land he took away, in order that the kingdom might become low, unable to lift itself up, that by keeping his covenant it might stand. But he finally rebelled against him in sending his messengers to Egypt, [for it] to give him horses and a multitudinous people. Will he have success? Will he escape, he who is doing these things, and who has broken a covenant? And will he actually escape?’

“‘“As I am alive,” is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, “in the place of the king who put in as king the one that despised his oath and that broke his covenant, with him in the midst of Babylon he will die. And by a great military force and by a multitudinous congregation Phar’aoh will not make him effective in the war, by throwing up a siege rampart and by building a siege wall, in order to cut off many souls. And he has despised an oath in breaking a covenant, and, look! he had given his hand and has done even all these things. He will not make his escape.”’

“‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “As I am alive, surely my oath that he has despised and my covenant that he has broken—I will even bring it upon his head. And I will spread over him my net, and he will certainly be caught in my hunting net; and I will bring him to Babylon and put myself on judgment with him there respecting his unfaithfulness with which he acted against me. And as regards all the fugitives of his in all his bands, by the sword they will fall, and the ones left remaining will be spread abroad even to every wind. And YOU people will have to know that I myself, Jehovah, have spoken [it].”’

“‘This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: “I myself will also take and put some of the lofty treetop of the cedar; from the top of its twigs I shall pluck off a tender one and I will myself transplant [it] upon a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain of the height of Israel I shall transplant it, and it will certainly bear boughs and produce fruit and become a majestic cedar. And under it there will actually reside all the birds of every wing; in the shadow of its foliage they will reside. And all the trees of the field will have to know that I myself, Jehovah, have abased the high tree, have put on high the low tree, have dried up the still-moist tree and have made the dry tree blossom. I myself, Jehovah, have spoken and have done [it].”’”

And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: “What does it mean to YOU people that YOU are expressing this proverbial saying on the soil of Israel, saying, ‘Fathers are the ones that eat unripe grapes, but it is the teeth of the sons that get set on edge’?

“‘As I am alive,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘it will no more continue to be YOURS to express this proverbial saying in Israel. Look! All the souls —to me they belong. As the soul of the father so likewise the soul of the son—to me they belong. The soul that is sinning —it itself will die.

“‘And as regards a man, in case he happens to be righteous and he has executed justice and righteousness; on the mountains he did not eat and his eyes he did not raise to the dungy idols of the house of Israel, and his companion’s wife he did not defile and to a woman in her impurity he would not go near; and no man would he maltreat; the pledge that he took for indebtedness, he would return; nothing would he wrest away in robbery; to the hungry one he would give his own bread and the naked one he would cover with a garment; nothing would he give on interest and no usury would he take; from injustice he would draw back his hand; true justice he would execute between man and man; in my statutes he kept walking and my judicial decisions he kept in order to execute truth, he is righteous. He will positively keep living,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah.

“‘And [if] one has become father to a son who is a robber, a shedder of blood, who has done the like of one of these things (but he himself has done none of these very things); in case he has eaten also upon the mountains, and his companion’s wife he has defiled; the afflicted and poor one he has maltreated; things he has wrested away in robbery, a pledged thing he would not return; and to the dungy idols he lifted up his eyes, a detestable thing is what he has done. On usury he has given, and interest he has taken, and he positively will not keep living. All these detestable things he has done. He will positively be put to death. On him his own blood will come to be.

“‘And, look! one has become father to a son, who keeps seeing all the sins of his father that he has done, and he sees and does not do things like them. On the mountains he has not eaten, and his eyes he has not lifted up to the dungy idols of the house of Israel; his companion’s wife he has not defiled; and no man has he maltreated, no pledge has he seized, and nothing has he taken in robbery; to the hungry one he has given his own bread, and the naked one he has covered with a garment; from the afflicted one he has drawn back his hand; no usury and interest has he taken; my judicial decisions he has carried out; in my statutes he has walked; he himself will not die because of the error of his father. He will positively keep living. As for his father, because he committed outright defrauding, wrested something away in robbery of a brother, and whatever is not good he has done in the midst of his peoples, look! then he must die for his error.

“‘And YOU people will certainly say: “Why is it that the son does not have to bear anything because of the error of the father?” Now as regards the son, justice and righteousness he has executed, all the statutes of mine he has kept and he keeps doing them. He will positively keep living. The soul that is sinning—it itself will die. A son himself will bear nothing because of the error of the father, and a father himself will bear nothing because of the error of the son. Upon his own self the very righteousness of the righteous one will come to be, and upon his own self the very wickedness of a wicked one will come to be.

“‘Now as regards someone wicked, in case he should turn back from all his sins that he has committed and he should actually keep all my statutes and execute justice and righteousness, he will positively keep living. He will not die. All his transgressions that he has committed—they will not be remembered against him. For his righteousness that he has done he will keep living.’

“‘Do I take any delight at all in the death of someone wicked,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘[and] not in that he should turn back from his ways and actually keep living?’

“‘Now when someone righteous turns back from his righteousness and actually does injustice; according to all the detestable things that the wicked one has done he keeps doing and he is living, none of all his righteous acts that he has done will be remembered. For his unfaithfulness that he has committed and for his sin with which he has sinned, for them he will die.

“‘And YOU people will certainly say: “The way of Jehovah is not adjusted right.” Hear, please, O house of Israel. Is not my own way adjusted right? Are not the ways of YOU people not adjusted right?

“‘When someone righteous turns back from his righteousness and he actually does injustice and dies on account of them, for his injustice that he has done he will die.

“‘And when someone wicked turns back from his wickedness that he has committed and proceeds to execute justice and righteousness, he is the one that will preserve his own soul alive. When he sees and he turns back from all his transgressions that he has done, he will positively keep living. He will not die.

“‘And the house of Israel will certainly say: “The way of Jehovah is not adjusted right.” As for my ways, are they not adjusted right, O house of Israel? Are not the ways of YOU people the ones that are not adjusted right?’

“‘Therefore each one according to his ways is how I shall judge YOU, O house of Israel,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ‘Turn back, yes, cause a turning back from all YOUR transgressions, and let nothing prove to be for YOU people a stumbling block causing error. Throw off from yourselves all YOUR transgressions in which YOU have transgressed and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit, for why should YOU die, O house of Israel?’

“‘For I do not take any delight in the death of someone dying,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah. ‘So cause a turning back and keep living, O YOU people.’”

-Ezekiel 31 & 17-18, NWT

Among The Clouds Its Treetop Proved To Be: An As·syr’i·an, A Cedar In Leb’a·non, Pretty In Bough

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