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創世記 19

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1 那兩個天使晚上到了所多瑪;羅得正所多瑪門口見他們,就起來迎接,臉伏於下拜,

2 :我阿,請你們到僕人家裡,住一夜,清起來再走。他們:不!我們要在街上過夜。

3 羅得切切的請他們,他們這才進去,到他裡。羅得為他們預備筵席,無酵餅,他們就吃了

4 他們還沒有躺下,所多瑪城裡各處的人,連老帶少,都來圍住那房子,

5 呼叫羅得:今日晚上到你這裡的人在那裡呢?把他們,任我們所為。

6 羅得出來,把上,到眾人那裡,

7 :眾弟兄,請你們不要作這惡事。

8 我有兩個女兒,還是處女,容我領出,任憑你們的心願而行;只是這兩個既然到我舍,不要向他們作甚麼。

9 :退去罷!又:這個寄居,還想要作官哪!現在我們要害你比害他們更甚。眾就向前擁擠羅得,要攻

10 只是那二人伸出來,將羅得拉進去,把上,

11 並且使外的人,無論老少,眼都昏迷;他們摸來摸去,總尋不著房

12 二人對羅得:你這裡還有甚麼人麼?無論是女婿是兒女,和這城中一切屬你的人,你都要將他們從這地方帶出去。

13 我們要毀滅這地方;因為城內罪惡的聲音在耶和華面前甚大,耶和華我們來,要毀滅這地方

14 羅得就出去,告訴娶了(或作將要娶)他女兒的女婿們:你們起來離開這地方,因為耶和華要毀滅這城。他女婿們卻以為他的是戲言。

15 天明了,天使催逼羅得說:起來!帶著你的妻子和你在這裡的兩個女兒出去,免得你因這城裡的罪惡同被剿滅。

16 但羅得遲延不走。人因為耶和華憐恤羅得,就拉著他的和他妻子的,並他兩個女兒,把他們領出來,安置在城外;

17 領他們出來以,就:逃命罷!不可回頭,也不可在平原站住。要往上逃跑,免得你被剿滅。

18 羅得對他們:我阿,不要如此!

19 僕人已經在你眼前蒙恩;你又向我顯出莫大的慈愛,我的性命。我不能逃到上去,恐怕這災禍臨到我,我便死了

20 看哪,這座城又小又近,容易逃到,這不是一個小的麼?求你容我逃到那裡,我的性命就得存活。

21 天使對他:這事我也應允你;我不傾覆你所的這城。

22 你要速速地逃到那城;因為你還沒有到那裡,我不能作甚麼。因此那城名瑣珥(就是小的意思)。

23 羅得到了瑣珥,日頭已經出來了

24 當時,耶和華硫磺耶和華那裡降與所多瑪和蛾摩拉,

25 把那些城和全平原,並城裡所有的居民,連地上生長的,都毀滅了。

26 羅得的妻子邊回頭一看,就變成了一根柱。

27 亞伯拉罕起來,到了他從前站在耶和華面前的地方

28 所多瑪和蛾摩拉與平原的全,不料,那方煙氣上騰,如同燒窯一般。

29 毀滅平原諸城的時候,他記念亞伯拉罕,正在傾覆羅得所之城的時候,就打發羅得從傾覆之中出來。

30 羅得因為在瑣珥,就同他兩個女兒從瑣珥上去,裡;他和兩個女兒在一個洞裡。

31 大女兒對小女兒我們父親老了,上又無按著世上的常規進到我們這裡。

32 來!我們可以叫父親喝酒,與他同寢。這樣,我們好從他存留後裔。

33 於是,那夜他們叫父親喝酒,大女兒就進去和他父親同寢;他幾時躺下,幾時起來父親都不知道

34 第二天,大女兒對小女兒:我昨夜與父親同寢。今夜我們再叫他喝酒,你可以進去與他同寢。這樣,我們好從父親存留後裔。

35 於是,那夜他們又叫父親喝酒,小女兒起來與他父親同寢;他幾時躺下,幾時起來父親都不知道

36 這樣,羅得的兩個女兒從他父親懷了孕。

37 大女兒生了兒子,給他起名摩押,就是現今摩押人的始祖。

38 小女兒也生了兒子,給他起名便亞米,就是現今亞捫人的始祖。

   

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Apocalypse Explained # 539

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539. And there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace, signifies dense falsities therefrom out of the evils of earthly and corporeal loves. This is evident from the signification of "smoke," as being the falsity of evil (of which presently); from the signification of "the pit of the abyss," as being the hell where those are who have falsified the Word (respecting which see above, n. 537; and from the signification of "a great furnace," as being the evils of earthly and corporeal loves out of which such falsities break forth (of which in the following article). "Smoke" signifies the falsity of evil, because it proceeds from fire, and "fire" signifies the loves of self and the world and thence all evils; consequently the hells that are in falsities from the evils of those loves, and still more the hells where those are who have falsified the Word by adapting it to favor those loves, appear in a fire like that of a great furnace, from which a dense smoke mingled with fire goes up. I have also seen those hells, and it was evident that it was the loves with those who were in them that presented the appearance of such a fire, and the falsities flowing forth from those loves that presented the appearance of the fiery smoke. But there is no such appearance to those who are therein, for they are in these loves and in the falsities therefrom, their life is in them, and it is by these that they are tormented in many ways, and not by such fire and smoke as are in our natural world. (This can be seen better in the chapter in the work on Heaven and Hell 566-575, which treats of Infernal Fire and the Gnashing of Teeth.)

[2] That "smoke" signifies the dense falsity that flows forth from evil can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:

Abraham looked upon the faces of Sodom and Gomorrah, and upon all the faces of the land of the plain, and he saw, and lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace (Genesis 19:28).

"Sodom and Gomorrah" in the spiritual sense mean those who are altogether in the loves of self; therefore the smoke that Abraham saw rising from their land after the burning, signifies the dense falsity pertaining to those who are altogether in the love of self; for those who love themselves supremely are in the thickest darkness in respect to things spiritual and celestial, for they are merely natural and sensual, and are wholly separated from heaven; and then they not only deny Divine things, but they think out falsities by which to destroy them. These falsities are what are signified by the "smoke" seen rising from Sodom and Gomorrah.

[3] In the same:

And the sun went down, and there was dense darkness, and behold a furnace of smoke, and a torch of fire that passed through between those pieces (Genesis 15:17).

This was said of Abraham's posterity from Jacob, as can be seen from what precedes in that chapter; "the sun went down" signifies the last time, when consummation takes place; "and there was dense darkness" signifies when evil takes the place of good and falsity the place of truth; "behold a furnace of smoke" signifies the densest falsity from evils; "a torch of fire" signifies the heat of cupidities; "it passed through between the pieces" signifies that these separated them from the Lord. (But this may be seen more fully explained in Arcana Coelestia 1858-1862.)

[4] In the same:

Moses made the people to go forth from the camp to meet God; and they stood in the lower parts of the mount. And Mount Sinai smoked, the whole of it, because Jehovah descended upon it in fire; and the smoke ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked exceedingly (Exodus 19:17, 18);

And all the people saw the voices and the torches, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and the people saw, and they were moved and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us and we will hear, but let not God speak with us lest we die (Exodus 20:18, 19).

This represented the quality of that people; for Jehovah, that is, the Lord, appears to everyone according to his quality; to those who are in truths from good He appears as a serene light, but to those who are in falsities from evil as smoke from fire. And because that people was in earthly and corporeal loves, and in falsities of evil therefrom, the Lord appeared to them from Mount Sinai as a devouring fire, and as the smoke of a furnace. (That the sons of Jacob were such has been shown in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, as may be seen from what is brought together in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248; and that the Lord appears to everyone according to his quality, as a vivifying and recreating fire to those who are in good, and as a consuming fire to those who are in evil, see Arcana Coelestia 934, 1861, 6832, 8814, 8819, 9434, 10551; what the other particulars in the passages cited signify may be seen in the same work where the book of Exodus is explained.)

[5] "Smoke and fire" have a like signification in David:

Because He was wroth there went up a smoke out of His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured, coals burned from Him; He bowed heaven also and came down; and gross darkness was under His feet (Psalms 18:7-9; 2 Samuel 22:8, 9).

This does not mean that smoke and a devouring fire went up from Jehovah, for there is no anger in Him; but it is so said because the Lord so appears to those who are in falsities and evils, for they regard Him from their falsities and evils.

[6] The like is signified by the following in the same:

He looketh on the earth and it trembleth; He toucheth the mountains and they smoke (Psalms 104:32).

In the same:

Bow Thy heavens, O Jehovah, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke (Psalms 144:5).

In Isaiah:

Howl, O gate; cry, O city; thou whole Philistia art dissolved; for from the north cometh a smoke (14 Isaiah 14:31).

"Gate" signifies truth introducing into the church, "city" doctrine, "Philistia" faith; therefore "Howl, O gate, cry, O city, thou whole Philistia art dissolved," signifies the vastation of the church in respect to the truth of doctrine, and thence in respect to faith. The "north" signifies the hell where and from which are the falsities of doctrine and the falsities of faith, and "smoke" such falsities; therefore "from the north cometh smoke" signifies devastating falsity out of the hells.

[7] In Nahum:

Behold, I will burn her chariot with smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions (Nahum 2:13).

This, too, treats of the devastation of the church; and "to burn a chariot with smoke" signifies to pervert all truths of doctrine into falsities, "smoke" meaning falsities, and "chariot" doctrine; and "the sword shall devour thy young lions" signifies that falsities will destroy the chief truths of the church, "young lions" meaning the chief and protecting truths of the church, and "sword" meaning falsity destroying truth.

[8] In Joel:

I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth; blood and fire and columns of smoke (Joel 2:30).

This is said of the Last Judgment; and "blood, fire, and columns of smoke," signify the truth of the Word falsified, its good adulterated, and mere falsities resulting therefrom, "blood" meaning the truth of the Word falsified, "fire" its good adulterated, and "columns of smoke" mere and dense falsities therefrom.

[9] In David:

The wicked shall perish, and the enemies of Jehovah as the glory of lambs shall be consumed, in smoke shall they be consumed (Psalms 37:20).

"The wicked and the enemies of Jehovah shall be consumed in smoke" signifies that they shall be destroyed by the falsities of evil; those are called "wicked" who are in falsities, and "enemies" who are in evils, and "smoke" means the falsity of evil.

[10] In the same:

As smoke is driven away Thou wilt drive away; as wax melteth before the fire the wicked shall perish before God (Psalms 68:2).

The destruction of the wicked is compared to smoke driven away by the wind, and to wax that melts before the fire, because "smoke" signifies falsities, and "fire" evils.

[11] In Isaiah:

The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment (Isaiah 51:6).

"Smoke" here signifies falsity, by which those who were in the former heaven would be destroyed; and "the garment waxing old" signifies truth destroyed by the falsities of evil. Comparison is made with smoke vanishing away, and with a garment waxing old, because comparisons in the Word are also correspondences, and in like manner significative.

[12] In Hosea:

They sin more and more, and make them a molten image of their silver, idols in their understanding, all of it the work of the artificers; therefore they shall be as a morning cloud, and as the dew falling early and going away, it is driven by a whirlwind out of the threshing-floor, and like smoke out of a chimney (Hosea 13:2, 3).

This describes the doctrinals that are from self-intelligence, in which are the evils of falsity and the falsities of evil. Such doctrinals are signified by "molten images of silver," and by "idols;" their "silver" signifies what is from self-intelligence, and the "work of the artificers" that intelligence; it is therefore added "in their understanding they have made them idols, all of it the work of the artificers." That such doctrinals, being falsities, would pass away, is signified by "they shall pass away like smoke out of a chimney." It is also said "as a morning cloud, and as the dew falling early, and as [chaff] out of the threshing-floor," because the church in its beginning is like a morning cloud, like dew falling early, and like corn in the threshing-floor, by which are signified the truths of good and the goods of truths, which nevertheless successively pass away and are changed into the falsities of evil and into the evils of falsity.

[13] "Smoke" also signifies falsity in other passages in Revelation, as in the following:

Out of the mouth of the horses went forth fire and smoke and brimstone; and by these was the third part of men slain, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone (Revelation 9:17, 18).

The smoke of their torment goeth up unto the ages of the ages (Revelation 14:11).

And again:

The smoke of Babylon goeth up unto the ages of the ages (Revelation 19:3).

[14] Because "fire" signifies love in both senses, both celestial love and infernal love, and therefore "smoke" signifies that which flows forth from love-falsity, which is from infernal love, and truth, which is from heavenly love-therefore "smoke" signifies in a good sense holy truth. This is what "smoke from the fire of the incense-offerings" signifies, as may be seen above (n. 494), as also in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Jehovah will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and over her convocations, a cloud by day and a smoke and the brightness of a flame of fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a veiling (Isaiah 4:5).

(This may be seen explained above, n. 294, 504.) In the same:

The posts of the thresholds were moved at the voice of the crying seraphim, and the house was filled with smoke (Isaiah 6:4).

In Revelation:

The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power (Revelation 15:8).

And again:

The smoke of the incense-offerings with the prayers of the saints ascended out of the angel's hand before God (Revelation 8:4).

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.