Bibliorum

 

Génesis 18

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1 Y APARECIOLE Jehová en el valle de Mamre, estando él sentado á la puerta de su tienda en el calor del día.

2 Y alzó sus ojos y miró, y he aquí tres varones que estaban junto á él: y cuando los vió, salió corriendo de la puerta de su tienda á recibirlos, é inclinóse hacia la tierra,

3 Y dijo: Señor, si ahora he hallado gracia en tus ojos, ruégote que no pases de tu siervo.

4 Que se traiga ahora un poco de agua, y lavad vuestros pies; y recostaos debajo de un árbol,

5 Y traeré un bocado de pan, y sustentad vuestro corazón; después pasaréis: porque por eso habéis pasado cerca de vuestro siervo. Y ellos dijeron: Haz así como has dicho.

6 Entonces Abraham fué de priesa á la tienda á Sara, y le dijo: Toma presto tres medidas de flor de harina, amasa y haz panes cocidos debajo del rescoldo.

7 Y corrió Abraham á las vacas, y tomó un becerro tierno y bueno, y diólo al mozo, y dióse éste priesa á aderezarlo.

8 Tomó también manteca y leche, y el becerro que había aderezado, y púsolo delante de ellos; y él estaba junto á ellos debajo del árbol; y comieron.

9 Y le dijeron: ¿Dónde está Sara tu mujer? Y él respondió: Aquí en la tienda.

10 Entonces dijo: De cierto volveré á ti según el tiempo de la vida, y he aquí, tendrá un hijo Sara tu mujer. Y Sara escuchaba á la puerta de la tienda, que estaba detrás de él.

11 Y Abraham y Sara eran viejos, entrados en días: á Sara había cesado ya la costumbre de las mujeres.

12 Rióse, pues, Sara entre sí, diciendo: ¿Después que he envejecido tendré deleite, siendo también mi señor ya viejo?

13 Entonces Jehová dijo á Abraham: ¿Por qué se ha reído Sara diciendo: Será cierto que he de parir siendo ya vieja?

14 ¿Hay para Dios alguna cosa difícil? Al tiempo señalado volveré á ti, según el tiempo de la vida, y Sara tendrá un hijo.

15 Entonces Sara negó diciendo: No me reí; porque tuve miedo. Y él dijo: No es así, sino que te has reído.

16 Y los varones se levantaron de allí, y miraron hacia Sodoma: y Abraham iba con ellos acompañándolos.

17 Y Jehová dijo: ¿Encubriré yo á Abraham lo que voy á hacer,

18 Habiendo de ser Abraham en una nación grande y fuerte, y habiendo de ser benditas en él todas las gentes de la tierra?

19 Porque yo lo he conocido, sé que mandará á sus hijos y á su casa después de sí, que guarden el camino de Jehová, haciendo justicia y juicio, para que haga venir Jehová sobre Abraham lo que ha hablado acerca de él.

20 Entonces Jehová le dijo: Por cuanto el clamor de Sodoma y Gomorra se aumenta más y más, y el pecado de ellos se ha agravado en extremo,

21 Descenderé ahora, y veré si han consumado su obra según el clamor que ha venido hasta mí; y si no, saberlo he.

22 Y apartáronse de allí los varones, y fueron hacia Sodoma: mas Abraham estaba aún delante de Jehová.

23 Y acercóse Abraham y dijo: ¿Destruirás también al justo con el impío?

24 Quizá hay cincuenta justos dentro de la ciudad: ¿destruirás también y no perdonarás al lugar por cincuenta justos que estén dentro de él?

25 Lejos de ti el hacer tal, que hagas morir al justo con el impío y que sea el justo tratado como el impío; nunca tal hagas. El juez de toda la tierra, ¿no ha de hacer lo que es justo?

26 Entonces respondió Jehová: Si hallare en Sodoma cincuenta justos dentro de la ciudad, perdonaré á todo este lugar por amor de ellos.

27 Y Abraham replicó y dijo: He aquí ahora que he comenzado á hablar á mi Señor, aunque soy polvo y ceniza:

28 Quizá faltarán de cincuenta justos cinco: ¿destruirás por aquellos cinco toda la ciudad? Y dijo: No la destruiré, si hallare allí cuarenta y cinco.

29 Y volvió á hablarle, y dijo: Quizá se hallarán allí cuarenta. Y respondió: No lo haré por amor de los cuarenta.

30 Y dijo: No se enoje ahora mi Señor, si hablare: quizá se hallarán allí treinta. Y respondió: No lo haré si hallare allí treinta.

31 Y dijo: He aquí ahora que he emprendido el hablar á mi Señor: quizá se hallarán allí veinte. No la destruiré, respondió, por amor de los veinte.

32 Y volvió á decir: No se enoje ahora mi Señor, si hablare solamente una vez: quizá se hallarán allí diez. No la destruiré, respondió, por amor de los diez.

33 Y fuése Jehová, luego que acabó de hablar á Abraham: y Abraham se volvió á su lugar.

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #2228

Studere hoc loco

  
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2228. All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. That this signifies that all who are in charity will be saved by Him, is evident from the signification of being “blessed,” as being to be endowed with all goods which are from a heavenly origin (as explained n. 981, 1096, 1420, 1422). They who are endowed with goods from a heavenly origin, that is, with both celestial and spiritual goods (concerning which just above, n. 2177), are also endowed with eternal salvation, that is, are saved. By “all the nations of the earth” are meant in the internal sense those who are in the good of love and of charity, as is evident from the signification of a “nation,” as being good (n. 1159, 1258-1260, 1416, 1849). That all men in the whole globe are not meant by “all the nations of the earth,” is evident to everyone, because there are very many among them who are not saved, but only those who are in charity, that is, who have attained the life of charity.

[2] That none may be unaware how the case is with the salvation of men after their decease, it shall be briefly stated. There are many who say that man is saved by faith, or, in their words, if he only has faith; but for the most part they are those who do not know what faith is. Some suppose that it is mere thought; some that it is an acknowledgment of something to be believed; some that it is the whole doctrine of faith, which is to be believed; and others otherwise. Thus in the bare knowledge of what faith is they wander in error; consequently in the knowledge of what that is by which man is saved. Faith, however, is not mere thought, nor is it an acknowledgment of something to be believed, nor a knowledge of all things which belong to the doctrine of faith. By these no one can be saved; for they can take root no deeper than in the thought, and thought saves no one, but the life which the man has procured for himself in the world by means of the knowledges of faith. This life remains; whereas all thought which does not accord with the life perishes, even so as to become none at all. The heavenly consociations are according to lives, and by no means according to thoughts which are not of the life. Thoughts which are not of the life are counterfeit, and such are altogether rejected.

[3] In general, life is twofold, being on the one hand infernal, on the other heavenly. Infernal life is acquired from all those ends, thoughts, and works which flow from the love of self, consequently from hatred against the neighbor; heavenly life, from all those ends, thoughts, and works which are of love toward the neighbor. The latter is the life to which all things that are called faith have regard, and which is procured by all things of faith. All this shows what faith is, namely, that it is charity, for to charity all things lead which are said to be of the doctrine of faith; in it they are all contained, and from it they are all derived. The soul, after the life of the body, is such as its love is.

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

Bibliorum

 

Genesis 18

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1 Yahweh appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.

2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood opposite him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the earth,

3 and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don't go away from your servant.

4 Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.

5 I will get a morsel of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant." They said, "Very well, do as you have said."

6 Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly prepare three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes."

7 Abraham ran to the herd, and fetched a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant. He hurried to dress it.

8 He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and they ate.

9 They asked him, "Where is Sarah, your wife?" He said, "See, in the tent."

10 He said, "I will certainly return to you when the season comes round. Behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." Sarah heard in the tent door, which was behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.

12 Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old will I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"

13 Yahweh said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Will I really bear a child, yet I am old?'

14 Is anything too hard for Yahweh? At the set time I will return to you, when the season comes round, and Sarah will have a son."

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, "I didn't laugh," for she was afraid. He said, "No, but you did laugh."

16 The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way.

17 Yahweh said, "Will I hide from Abraham what I do,

18 since Abraham has surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed in him?

19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of Yahweh, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that Yahweh may bring on Abraham that which he has spoken of him."

20 Yahweh said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous,

21 I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know."

22 The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh.

23 Abraham drew near, and said, "Will you consume the righteous with the wicked?

24 What if there are fifty righteous within the city? Will you consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous who are in it?

25 Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that be far from you. Shouldn't the Judge of all the earth do right?"

26 Yahweh said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake."

27 Abraham answered, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, who am but dust and ashes.

28 What if there will lack five of the fifty righteous? Will you destroy all the city for lack of five?" He said, "I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there."

29 He spoke to him yet again, and said, "What if there are forty found there?" He said, "I will not do it for the forty's sake."

30 He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if there are thirty found there?" He said, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."

31 He said, "See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord. What if there are twenty found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake."

32 He said, "Oh don't let the Lord be angry, and I will speak just once more. What if ten are found there?" He said, "I will not destroy it for the ten's sake."

33 Yahweh went his way, as soon as he had finished communing with Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.