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創世記 18

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1 耶和華在幔利橡樹那裡向亞伯拉罕顯現出來。那時正熱,亞伯拉罕在帳棚口,

2 舉目觀,見有個人在對面站著。他一見,就從帳棚口跑去迎接他們,俯伏在

3 :我,我若在你眼前蒙恩,求你不要離開僕人往前去。

4 容我拿點來,你們,在歇息歇息。

5 我再拿一點餅來,你們可以加添力,然往前去。你們既到僕人這裡來,理當如此。他們:就照你的行罷。

6 亞伯拉罕急忙進帳棚見撒拉,:你速速拿細亞細麵調和作餅。

7 亞伯拉罕又跑到牛群裡,牽了一隻又嫩又犢來,交僕人,僕人急忙預備了。

8 亞伯拉罕又取了奶油和奶,並預備好的牛犢來,擺在他們面前,自己在站在旁邊,他們就吃了

9 他們問亞伯拉罕:你妻子撒拉在那裡?他:在帳棚裡。

10 三人中有一位:到明年這時候,我必要回到你這裡;你的妻子撒拉必生一個兒子。撒拉在那人邊的帳棚口也見了這話。

11 亞伯拉罕和撒拉年紀老邁,撒拉的月經已斷絕了。

12 撒拉心裡暗笑,:我既已衰敗,我也老邁,豈能有這喜事呢?

13 耶和華亞伯拉罕:撒拉為甚麼暗笑,:我既已年老,果真能生養麼?

14 耶和華豈有難成的事麼?到了日期,明年這時候,我必回到你這裡,撒拉必生一個兒子

15 撒拉就害怕,不承認,:我沒有笑。那位:不然,你實在笑了。

16 三人就從那裡起行,向所多瑪觀看,亞伯拉罕也與他們同行,要送他們一程。

17 耶和華:我所要作的事豈可瞞著亞伯拉罕呢?

18 亞伯拉罕必要成為強的國;上的萬國都必因他得福。

19 我眷顧他,為要叫他吩咐他的眾子和他的眷屬遵守我的道,秉公行,使我所應許亞伯拉罕的話都成就了。

20 耶和華所多瑪和蛾摩拉的惡甚重,聲聞於我。

21 我現在要去,察他們所行的,果然盡像那達到我耳中的聲音一樣麼?若是不然,我也必知道

22 二人轉身離開那裡,向所多瑪去;但亞伯拉罕仍舊站在耶和華面前。

23 亞伯拉罕前來,:無論善惡,你都要剿滅麼?

24 假若那城裡有五十人,你還剿滅那地方麼?不為城裡這五十人饒恕其中的人麼?

25 人與惡人同殺,將人與惡人一樣看待,這斷不是你所行的。審判全的主豈不行公麼?

26 耶和華:我若在所多瑪城裡見有五十人,我就為他們的緣故饒恕那地方的眾人。

27 亞伯拉罕:我雖然是灰塵,還敢對主說話

28 假若這五十人短了五個,你就因為短了五個毀滅全城麼?他:我在那裡若見有四十五個,也不毀滅那城。

29 亞伯拉罕又對他:假若在那裡見有四十個怎麼樣呢?他:為這四十個的緣故,我也不作這事。

30 亞伯拉罕:求主不要動怒,容我,假若在那裡見有三十個怎麼樣呢?他:我在那裡若見有三十個,我也不作這事。

31 亞伯拉罕:我還敢對主說話,假若在那裡見有二十個怎麼樣呢?他:為這二十個的緣故,我也不毀滅那城。

32 亞伯拉罕:求主不要動怒,我再這一次,假若在那裡見有個呢?他:為這個的緣故,我也不毀滅那城。

33 耶和華亞伯拉罕說完了話就走了;亞伯拉罕也回到自己的地方去了。

   

Aus Swedenborgs Werken

 

Arcana Coelestia #468

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468. THE INTERNAL SENSE

It is clear from what was stated and shown in the previous chapter that names meant heresies and systems of doctrine. From that it becomes clear that the names in this chapter do not mean specific individuals but other things that existed. Here they mean systems of doctrine or Churches which, though they underwent certain changes, were preserved from the time of the Most Ancient Church down to that of Noah. Now it so happens that every Church in the course of time gets smaller until at length it remains among only a few people. The few with whom it remained at the time of the Flood were called Noah.

[2] The fact that the true Church gets smaller and remains among the few becomes clear from other Churches which have in a similar manner got smaller. In the Word those who remain are called 'the Remnant' and 'that which is left', and indeed people 'in the midst (or the middle) of the land'. What applies in general applies in particular also; that is, what is true of the Church is equally true of individuals. If the Lord did not preserve remnants with each individual he would inevitably perish in eternal death, for those remnants contain spiritual and celestial life. The same applies to what is general or universal; were there not always some people among whom the Church, or true faith, existed, the human race would perish. For as is well known, a city, even a whole kingdom, is preserved for the sake of a few. These factors are akin to the heart in man: as long as the heart is sound the surrounding organs can go on living. But when it is weak, deterioration sets into them all and the person dies. Final remnants are meant by Noah, for with the exception of these, as is clear from verse 12 of the next chapter, 'the whole earth was corrupt'.

[3] The remnants residing with the individual or within the Church are frequently the subject in the Prophets, as in Isaiah,

He who remains in Zion, and he who is left in Jerusalem will be called holy to Him, everyone who has been written for life 1 in Jerusalem, when the Lord will have washed the filth of the daughters of Zion and washed away the blood 2 of Jerusalem from its midst. Isaiah 4:3-4.

Here holiness is attributed to the remnants, which mean remnants of the Church, and also of the member of the Church, for those left in Zion and in Jerusalem could not be holy people merely because they had been left there.

Similarly in the same prophet,

On that day, the remnant of Israel and those of the house of Jacob that escaped will no more lean on him that smote them; but they will lean upon Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the God of power. (Isaiah 10:20)

In Jeremiah,

In those days and in that time the iniquity of Israel will be sought, but there will be none, and the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon him whom I shall make one that is left. Jeremiah 50:10.

In Micah,

The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples, like dew from Jehovah, like showers on the grass. Micah 5:7.

[4] That which is left, or the remnant, whether of the individual or of the Church, was also represented by tenths, which were holy. And any number involving ten was consequently holy too. Ten therefore has reference to things that are left over, as in Isaiah,

Jehovah will remove man far away, and there will be many forsaken places in the midst of the land; yet there will be a tenth part in it, and this will return; it will be a wiping out like an oak or a terebinth when the stump is cast away from them. The holy seed is its stump. Isaiah 6:12-13.

Here that which is left is called 'the holy stump'. In Amos,

Thus said the Lord Jehovah, The city that goes forth a thousand will have a hundred that are left, and that which goes forth a hundred will have ten that are left to the house of Israel. Amos 9:3.

In these and many other places the internal sense means remnants, also the subject here. The fact that a city is preserved for the sake of the remnant of the Church is clear from what Abraham was told concerning Sodom, Abraham said, Perhaps ten may be found there; and He said, I will not destroy it for the sake of ten. Genesis 18:32.

Fußnoten:

1. literally, lives

2. literally, bloods

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