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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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Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) # 49

  
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49. It was stated above, that the first state with the sons of Israel, was the appearing of the Lord Jehovih, calling and covenanting; and we are taught from the Word, that these three things took place, first with Abram, secondly with Moses, and thirdly with the entire people. The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before Abraham is thus described in Genesis:

Jehovah appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre; he was sitting at the door of his tent,... and when he lifted up his eyes and saw, behold! three men stood by him, and as soon as he saw them, he ran from the door of the tent to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, O Lord, if I have found grace in Thine eyes, pass not away, I pray, from Thy servant (Gen. 18:1-3).

It was the Lord our Saviour who appeared in His Divine Trinity, which the three angels represented; for the Lord said,

Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw and was glad... Verily, verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:56, 58).

There is in the Lord a Divine Trinity; and the Divine Unity was represented in Divine Trinity by the "three men," who were also called "angels" (Gen. 18:2; 19:1). But in His Divine Unity He was called "adonai" (Gen. 18:3; 19:18); and also "Jehovah," very frequently (Gen. 18:13-14, 17, 19-20, 22, 26, 33). The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before Moses is thus described in Exodus:

The Angel of Jehovah appeared to Moses at the mountain of Horeb, in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush;... Moses therefore said, I will turn aside and see this great vision, why the bush is not burnt. And Jehovah saw that he turned aside;... therefore God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.... And moreover Moses said to God, . . . What is Thy name?... God said,... I AM THAT I AM. Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Exod. 3[1], 2-4, 14).

The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before the whole people is thus also described in Exodus:

Jehovah said to Moses, Say unto the sons of Israel, that they be ready against the third day; for on the third day Jehovah will come down in the eyes of all the people upon Mount Sinai.... And it came to pass on the third day,... that there were voices, and lightnings, and thick clouds upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.... Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because He descended upon it in fire; and He promulgated the law before the people (Exod. 19:9-24, and 20:1-18).

The Lord also appeared to Joshua as Prince of the army of Jehovah, before whom Joshua fell on his face upon the earth, and called him his "Lord" (Josh. 5:13-14).

THE CALLING OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL TO THE LAND OF CANAAN, thus to the Church, also took place three times; once to Abram, that he should depart thereto out of his fatherland, and afterwards the promise that his seed should inherit that land (Gen. 12:1-7). A calling also took place through Moses (Exod. 3:16-17); and again through Joshua (Josh. 1:3, etc., and 11).

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