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Gênesis 8

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1 Deus lembrou-se de Noé, de todos os animais e de todo o gado, que estavam com ele na arca; e Deus fez passar um vento sobre a terra, e as águas começaram a diminuir.

2 Cerraram-se as fontes do abismo e as janelas do céu, e a chuva do céu se deteve;

3 as águas se foram retirando de sobre a terra; no fim de cento e cinqüenta dias começaram a minguar.

4 No sétimo mês, no dia dezessete do mês, repousou a arca sobre os montes de Arará.

5 E as águas foram minguando até o décimo mês; no décimo mês, no primeiro dia do mês, apareceram os cumes dos montes.

6 Ao cabo de quarenta dias, abriu Noé a janela que havia feito na arca;

7 soltou um corvo que, saindo, ia e voltava até que as águas se secaram de sobre a terra.

8 Depois soltou uma pomba, para ver se as águas tinham minguado de sobre a face da terra;

9 mas a pomba não achou onde pousar a planta do , e voltou a ele para a arca; porque as águas ainda estavam sobre a face de toda a terra; e Noé, estendendo a mão, tomou-a e a recolheu consigo na arca.

10 Esperou ainda outros sete dias, e tornou a soltar a pomba fora da arca.

11 Â tardinha a pomba voltou para ele, e eis no seu bico uma folha verde de oliveira; assim soube Noé que as águas tinham minguado de sobre a terra.

12 Então esperou ainda outros sete dias, e soltou a pomba; e esta não tornou mais a ele.

13 No ano seiscentos e um, no mês primeiro, no primeiro dia do mês, secaram-se as águas de sobre a terra. Então Noé tirou a cobertura da arca: e olhou, e eis que a face a terra estava enxuta.

14 No segundo mês, aos vinte e sete dias do mês, a terra estava seca.

15 Então falou Deus a Noé, dizendo:

16 Sai da arca, tu, e juntamente contigo tua mulher, teus filhos e as mulheres de teus filhos.

17 Todos os animais que estão contigo, de toda a carne, tanto aves como gado e todo réptil que se arrasta sobre a terra, traze-os para fora contigo; para que se reproduzam abundantemente na terra, frutifiquem e se multipliquem sobre a terra.

18 Então saiu Noé, e com ele seus filhos, sua mulher e as mulheres de seus filhos;

19 todo animal, todo réptil e toda ave, tudo o que se move sobre a terra, segundo as suas famílias, saiu da arca.

20 Edificou Noé um altar ao Senhor; e tomou de todo animal limpo e de toda ave limpa, e ofereceu holocaustos sobre o altar.

21 Sentiu o Senhor o suave cheiro e disse em seu coração: Não tornarei mais a amaldiçoar a terra por causa do homem; porque a imaginação do coração do homem é má desde a sua meninice; nem tornarei mais a ferir todo vivente, como acabo de fazer.

22 Enquanto a terra durar, não deixará de haver sementeira e ceifa, frio e calor, verão e inverno, dia e noite.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 987

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987. 'Upon every beast of the earth' means the desires that belong to the lower mind. This is clear from the meaning of 'beast' in the Word, where beasts mean either affections or else evil desires. Affections for what is good are meant by gentle, useful, and clean beasts, while affections for what is evil, that is, evil desires, are meant by savage, useless, and unclean ones - see 45, 46, 142, 143, 246, 776. Because here they mean evil desires they are called 'beasts of the earth', not beasts of the field. As for a regenerate person's rule over evil desires, it should be recognized that people err very greatly and are in no sense regenerate who believe they are able to rule over evils from themselves. For a human being is nothing but evil, he is one mass of evils, and his whole will consists solely in evil. This was stated in the previous chapter - 'the imagination of man's heart is evil from his childhood', 8:21. I have been shown by actual experience that a man or a spirit, and even an angel, regarded in himself, that is, as to his entire proprium, is vilest excrement, and left to himself breathes out nothing but hatred, revenge, cruelty, and most filthy adultery. These are the things that are his own, and are the things which constitute his will.

[2] This matter also becomes clear to anyone if he reflects, merely from the consideration that when a person is born he is the lowest thing alive among all wild animals and beasts. And when he grows up and becomes responsible for his own actions he would rush into every kind of ungodliness but for external legal restraints and the restraints he imposes on himself to the end that he may become pre-eminent and very wealthy. He would not rest content until he had made everyone throughout the world subject to himself and had raked in the wealth of everyone in it. He would spare no one except those who surrendered to him as his mere slaves. Such is the nature of everyone, though those people do not recognize it who do not have the opportunity and ability to behave in that way, or who are subject to the restraints mentioned above. But once the opportunity and ability have been provided and the restraints have been loosened, they would plunge themselves, as far as they were able, into such actions. Wild animals never demonstrate natures such as this, but are born into a certain natural order. Those that are savage beasts of prey do inflict harm on other animals, yet only in self-defence; and their devouring of other creatures is so that they may satisfy their hunger. And once that is satisfied they harm none. The human being however is altogether different. From this it is clear what man's proprium is and what his will is.

[3] Since a person is just so much evil and excrement, it is clear that he cannot possibly from himself rule over evil. To say that evil can rule over evil is an utter contradiction. And this applies not only to ruling over evil but also over hell, for everybody is in communication with hell by means of evil spirits, and it is from that source that the evil residing with him is activated. From these considerations anyone may know, and he who is mentally normal may conclude, that it is the Lord alone who rules over evil residing with man and over hell residing with him. So that the evil residing with a person, that is, hell which is trying moment by moment to force its way into him and destroy him eternally, may be overpowered, a person is regenerated by the Lord and has a new will conferred on him, which is conscience, and through which the Lord alone works everything good. These considerations are matters of faith, that is to say, the considerations that man is nothing but evil and that everything good comes from the Lord. A person ought therefore not merely to know them but also acknowledge and believe them. If he does not acknowledge and believe during his lifetime, it is demonstrated to him convincingly in the next life.

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