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υμεις εστε το φως του κοσμου ου δυναται πολις κρυβηναι επανω ορους κειμενη
Arcana Coelestia # 8912
8912. A brief explanation must also be given as to what those things mentioned here which must not be coveted are used to mean in the internal sense - 'house', 'wife', 'male slave', 'female slave', 'ox', and 'ass'. They are all the forms of the good of faith and all the truths of faith in their entirety which must not be taken away from anyone and must not be made to suffer harm. They are the same things as are meant in the internal sense by keeping the sabbath day holy, honouring father and mother, not killing, not committing adultery, not stealing, and not bearing false witness. All these, as has been shown in previous paragraphs, are in the internal sense such things as belong to love and faith. 'House' is used to mean all good in general, 'wife' all truth in general, 'male slave' the affection for spiritual truth, 'female slave' the affection for spiritual good, 'ox' the affection for natural good, and 'ass' the affection for natural truth. These are the things that must not be coveted, that is, must not be taken away from anyone or made to suffer harm. The reason why these things are meant in the internal sense is that this sense of the Word is for those in heaven; for those there do not understand the Word in a natural but in a spiritual way. That is, they do not understand it to mean a house, wife, male slave, female slave, ox, or ass, but the spiritual entities to which they correspond, which are forms of the good of love and truths of faith. In short the external or literal sense is for those who are in the world; but the internal sense is for those who are in heaven, and also for those who are in the world, yet only so far as they are at the same time in heaven, that is, so far as charity and faith reside with them.
Exodus 20
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God spoke all these words, saying,
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"I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
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"You shall have no other gods before me.
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"You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
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you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me,
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and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
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"You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
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"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
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You shall labor six days, and do all your work,
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but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates;
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for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy.
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"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you.
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"You shall not murder.
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"You shall not commit adultery.
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"You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
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"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."
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All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance.
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They said to Moses, "Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don't let God Speak with us, lest we die."
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Moses said to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won't sin."
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The people stayed at a distance, and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
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Yahweh said to Moses, "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: 'You yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.
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You shall most certainly not make alongside of me gods of silver, or gods of gold for yourselves.
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You shall make an altar of earth for me, and shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your cattle. In every place where I record my name I will come to you and I will bless you.
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If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of cut stones; for if you lift up your tool on it, you have polluted it.
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Neither shall you go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed to it.'
