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Genesis 9

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1 Derpå velsignede Gud Noa og hans Sønner og sagde til dem: Bliv frugtbare og mangfoldige og opfyld Jorden!

2 Frygt for eder og ædsel for eder skal være over alle Jordens vildtlevende Dyr og alle Himmelens Fugle og i alt, hvad Jorden vrimler med, og i alle Havets Fisk; i eders Hånd er de givet!

3 Alt, hvad der rører sig og lever, skal tjene eder til Føde; ligesom de grønne Urter giver jeg eder det alt sammen.

4 Dog Kød med Sjælen, det er Blodet, må I ikke spise!

5 Men for eders eget Blod kræver jeg Hævn; af ethvert Dyr kræver jeg Hævn for det, og af Menneskene indbyrdes kræver jeg Hævn for Menneskenes Liv.

6 Om nogen udøser Menneskers Blod, ved Mennesker skal hans Blod udøses, thi i sit Billede gjorde Gud Menneskene.

7 Men I skal blive frugtbare og mangfoldige! Opfyld Jorden og gør eder til Herre over den!"

8 Derpå sagde Gud til Noa og hans Sønner:

9 "Se, jeg opretter min Pagt med eder og eders Efterkommere efter eder

10 og med hvert levende Væsen, som er hos eder, Fuglene, Kvæget og alle Jordens vildtlevende Dyr, alt, hvad der gik ud af Arken, alle Jordens Dyr;

11 jeg opretter min Pagt med eder og lover, at aldrig mere skal alt Kød udryddes af Flodens Vande, og aldrig mere skal der komme en Vandflod for at ødelægge Jorden!"

12 Fremdeles sagde Gud: "Dette er Tegnet på den Pagt, jeg til evige Tider opretter mellem mig og eder og hvert levende Væsen, som er hos eder:

13 Min Bue sætter jeg i Skyen, og den skal være Pagtstegn mellem mig og Jorden!

14 Når jeg trækker Skyer sammen over Jorden, og Buen da viser sig i Skyerne,

15 vil jeg komme den Pagt i Hu, som består mellem mig og eder og hvert levende Væsen, det er alt Kød, og Vandet skal ikke mere blive til en Vandflod, som ødelægger alt Kød.

16 Når Buen da står i Skyerne, vil jeg se hen til den og ihukomme den evige Pagt mellem Gud og hvert levende Væsen, det er alt KødJorden."

17 Og Gud sagde til Noa: "Det er Tegnet på den Pagt, jeg opretter imellem mig og alt KødJorden!"

18 Noas Sønner, der gik ud af Arken, var Sem, Kam og Jafet; Kam var Fader til Kana'an;

19 det var Noas tre Sønner, og fra dem stammer hele Jordens Befolkning.

20 Noa var Agerdyrker og den første, der plantede en Vingård.

21 Da han nu drak af Vinen, blev han beruset og blottede sig inde i, sit Telt.

22 Da så Kana'ans Fader Kam sin Faders Blusel og gik ud og fortalte sine Brødre det;

23 men Sem og Jafet tog Kappen, lagde den på deres Skuldre og gik baglæns ind og tildækkede deres Faders Blusel med bortvendte Ansigter, så de ikke så deres Faders Blusel.

24 Da Noa vågnede af sin us og fik at vide, hvad hans yngste Søn havde gjort ved ham,

25 sagde han: "Forbandet være Kana'an, Trælles Træl blive han for sine Brødre!"

26 Fremdeles sagde han: "Lovet være HE EN, Sems Gud, og Kana'an blive hans Træl!

27 Gud skaffe Jafet Plads, at han må bo i Sems Telte; og Kana'an blive hans Træl!"

28 Noa levede 350 År efter Vandfloden;

29 således blev Noas fulde Levetid 950 År, og derpå døde han.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

Aus Swedenborgs Werken

 

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.