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Genesis 18

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1 And Jehovah appeared to him in the oak·​·groves of Mamre, and he was sitting at* the entrance of the tent, as the day was becoming·​·warm.

2 And he lifted·​·up his eyes and saw, and behold, three men standing over him; and he saw, and ran to meet them from the entrance of the tent, and bowed· himself ·down toward the earth.

3 And he said, My Lord, if, I pray, I have·​·found grace in Thine eyes, pass not, I pray, from over Thy servant.

4 Let, I pray, a·​·little water be taken, and bathe ye your feet, and recline under the tree.

5 And I will take a morsel of bread, and sustain ye your heart; afterwards you may pass·​·on; for therefore have you passed·​·through to your servant. And they said, So do as thou hast spoken.

6 And Abraham hastened toward the tent to Sarah, and said, Hasten, knead three seahs of meal, of flour, and make cakes.

7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a son of the herd, tender and good, and gave it to the lad, and he hastened to make it.

8 And he took butter and milk, and the son of the herd that he had made, and put before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they ate.

9 And they said to him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10 And He said, Returning I will return to thee about this time of life, and behold, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard at* the entrance of the tent, and it was behind him*.

11 And Abraham and Sarah were old, coming into days; the way as of women had stopped being for Sarah.

12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am worn·​·down shall I have pleasure, and my lord being·​·old?

13 And Jehovah said to Abraham, What is this, that Sarah laughed, saying, Yea, shall I truly give·​·birth, and I am·​·old?

14 Shall any thing be· too ·wonderful for Jehovah? At the appointed·​·time I will return to thee, according·​·to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

15 And Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was fearful. And He said, No, for thou didst laugh.

16 And the men rose·​·up thence, and gazed upon the faces of Sodom; and Abraham walked with them, to send them on.

17 And Jehovah said, Shall I hide* from Abraham that which I do?

18 And Abraham being shall be for a nation, great and numerous, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.

19 For I know him, because·​·of which he will command his sons, and his house after him, and they will keep the way of Jehovah, to do justice and judgment; so·​·that Jehovah may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken concerning him.

20 And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and because their sin has become· very ·heavy,

21 I will go·​·down now, and I will see whether they have made a complete end of it according·​·to her cry which has come to Me, and if not I will know.

22 And the men turned· their ·faces from thence, and went toward Sodom; and Abraham was still standing before Jehovah.

23 And Abraham approached, and said, Wilt Thou also consume the just with the wicked?

24 Perhaps there·​·be fifty just in the midst of the city; wilt Thou also consume and not spare* the place for the sake of the fifty just who are in the midst of her?

25 Far·​·be·​·it from Thee to do according·​·to this thing, to cause the just to die with the wicked, so that the just be as the wicked; far·​·be·​·it from Thee; shall not the Judge of all the earth do judgment?

26 And Jehovah said, If I find in Sodom fifty just in the midst of the city, I will spare* all the place on account of them.

27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold, I pray, I would speak to my Lord, and I am dust and ashes.

28 Perhaps there shall be·​·wanting five of the fifty just men; wilt Thou destroy all the city for the five? and He said, I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.

29 And he added still to speak to Him, and said, Perhaps forty shall be·​·found there; and He said, I will not do it on account of the forty.

30 And he said, I pray, let not my Lord be·​·incensed, and I will speak: perhaps thirty shall be·​·found there; and He said, I will not do it if I find thirty there.

31 And he said, Behold, I pray, I would speak to my Lord: perhaps twenty shall be·​·found there; and He said, I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.

32 And he said, I pray, let not my Lord be·​·incensed, and I will speak only this time: perhaps ten shall be·​·found there; and He said, I will not destroy it on account of the ten.

33 And Jehovah went when He had completed speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Arcana Coelestia # 2272

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2272. 'And said, Perhaps forty will be found there' means people who have undergone temptations. This is clear from the meaning of the number 'forty' as temptations, dealt with in Volume One, in 730. How these details follow on in the train of thought is seen from what temptations are. Temptations arise not only so that a person may be confirmed in truths but also so that truths may be joined more closely to goods; for in times of temptation he fights for truths against falsities. And because during temptations he suffers inward distress and suffers torment, the delights of life belonging to evil desires and their attendant pleasures cease to exist. Goods from the Lord flow in, and at the same time evils are regarded as abominable. As a consequence of this new thoughts contrary to those that he had previously now arise. Towards these his mind is then able to be turned, and so it is able to be turned from evils to goods, which are then joined to truths. And because it is through temptations that good becomes joined to truth, and because in the previous verse it was said that those would be saved with whom goods are able to be joined to truths, what occurs in this verse to the effect that goods and truths are able to be joined through temptations therefore follows. This is the sequence of ideas seen by those who know the internal sense.

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