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Génesis 8

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1 Y ACORDOSE Dios de Noé, y de todos los animales, y de todas las bestias que estaban con él en el arca; é hizo pasar Dios un viento sobre la tierra, y disminuyeron las aguas.

2 Y se cerraron las fuentes del abismo, y las cataratas de los cielos; y la lluvia de los cielos fué detenida.

3 Y tornáronse las aguas de sobre la tierra, yendo y volviendo: y decrecieron las aguas al cabo de ciento y cincuenta días.

4 Y reposó el arca en el mes séptimo, á dicisiete días del mes, sobre los montes de Armenia.

5 Y las aguas fueron decreciendo hasta el mes décimo: en el décimo, al primero del mes, se descubrieron las cimas de los montes.

6 Y sucedió que, al cabo de cuarenta días, abrió Noé la ventana del arca que había hecho,

7 Y envió al cuervo, el cual salió, y estuvo yendo y tornando hasta que las aguas se secaron de sobre la tierra.

8 Envió también de sí á la paloma, para ver si las aguas se habían retirado de sobre la faz de la tierra;

9 Y no halló la paloma donde sentar la planta de su pie, y volvióse á él al arca, porque las aguas estaban aún sobre la faz de toda la tierra: entonces él extendió su mano y cogiéndola, hízola entrar consigo en el arca.

10 Y esperó aún otros siete días, y volvió á enviar la paloma fuera del arca.

11 Y la paloma volvió á él á la hora de la tarde: y he aquí que traía una hoja de oliva tomada en su pico: y entendió Noé que las aguas se habían retirado de sobre la tierra.

12 Y esperó aún otros siete días, y envió la paloma, la cual no volvió ya más á él.

13 Y sucedió que en el año seiscientos y uno de Noé, en el mes primero, al primero del mes, las aguas se enjugaron de sobre la tierra y quitó Noé la cubierta del arca, y miró, y he aquí que la faz de la tierra estaba enjuta.

14 Y en el mes segundo, á los veintisiete días del mes, se secó la tierra.

15 Y habló Dios á Noé diciendo:

16 Sal del arca tú, y tu mujer, y tus hijos, y las mujeres de tus hijos contigo.

17 Todos los animales que están contigo de toda carne, de aves y de bestias y de todo reptil que anda arrastrando sobre la tierra, sacarás contigo; y vayan por la tierra, y fructifiquen, y multiplíquense sobre la tierra.

18 Entonces salió Noé, y sus hijos, y su mujer, y las mujeres de sus hijos con él.

19 Todos los animales, y todo reptil y toda ave, todo lo que se mueve sobre la tierra según sus especies, salieron del arca.

20 Y edificó Noé un altar á Jehová y tomó de todo animal limpio y de toda ave limpia, y ofreció holocausto en el altar.

21 Y percibió Jehová olor de suavidad; y dijo Jehová en su corazón: No tornaré más á maldecir la tierra por causa del hombre; porque el intento del corazón del hombre es malo desde su juventud: ni volveré más á destruir todo viviente, como he hecho.

22 Todavía serán todos los tiempos de la tierra; la sementera y la siega, y el frío y calor, verano é invierno, y día y noche, no cesarán.

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #934

Studere hoc loco

  
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934. 'Cold' means the absence of love, that is, of charity and faith, 'heat' or 'fire' the presence of love or of charity and faith. This becomes clear from the following places in the Word: In John, in the letter to the Church at Laodicea,

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! But because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot I will spew you out of My mouth. Revelation 7:15, 16.

Here 'cold' stands for no charity, 'hot' for much. In Isaiah,

Thus said Jehovah, I will be still and I will behold in My place; like clear heat on the light, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest. Isaiah 18:4.

The subject here is a new Church that is to be founded. 'Heat on the light' and 'the heat of harvest' stand for love and charity. In the same prophet,

Jehovah's fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem. Isaiah 3:9.

'Fire' stands for love. Concerning the cherubim seen by Ezekiel,

As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches, moving between the living creatures. And the five was bright and out of the fire went forth lightning. Ezekiel 1:13.

[2] And concerning the Lord in the same prophet,

Above the firmament that was above the heads of the cherubim, in appearance like a sapphire stone, there was the likeness of a throne, and above the likeness of a throne, there was a likeness as the appearance of a man upon it above. And I saw as it were the shape of fiery coals, as the shape of fire, within it round about, from the appearance of His loins upwards. And from the appearance of His loins and downwards I saw as it were the appearance of fire, whose brightness was round about it. Ezekiel 1:26-27; 8:2.

Here 'fire' stands for love. In Daniel,

The Ancient of Days was seated. His throne was flames of fire, its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came forth from before Him, a thousand thousands served Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. Daniel 7:9-10.

'Fire' stands for the Lord's love. In Zechariah,

I will be to her, said Jehovah, a wall of fire round about. Zechariah 2:5.

This refers to the New Jerusalem. In David,

Jehovah makes winds His messengers, and flaming fire His ministers. Psalms 104:4.

'Flaming fire' stands for that which is celestial-spiritual.

[3] Because 'fire' meant love, fire also became a representative of the Lord. This is clear from 'the five on the altar of burnt offering that was to be kept burning all the time', Leviticus 6:9, 12-13, representing the Lord's mercy. For this reason 'before Aaron entered the place of atonement he had to burn incense with fire taken from the altar of burnt offering', Leviticus 16:12-14. And also, to signify that worship was acceptable to the Lord, 'fire was sent down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering', as in Leviticus 9:24, and elsewhere. In the Word 'fire' also means self-love and its attendant desire. With that love heavenly love can never agree; consequently it is also said that Aaron's two sons were devoured by fire because they employed strange fire, Leviticus 10:1-2. 'Strange fire' means all self-love and love of the world, and every desire accompanying those loves. In addition heavenly love seems to wicked people like nothing else than a burning and devouring fire; and this is why in the Word devouring fire is attributed to the Lord. The fire on Mount Sinai, for example, which represented the Lord's love or mercy, was perceived by the people as a consuming fire, as a consequence of which they told Moses not to make them hear the voice of Jehovah God, or see the great Fire lest they died, Deuteronomy 18:16. This is how the Lord's love or mercy appears to people engulfed in the fire of self-love and love of the world.

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

Bibliorum

 

Psalms 104

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1 Bless Yahweh, my soul. Yahweh, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty.

2 He covers himself with light as with a garment. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain.

3 He lays the beams of his rooms in the waters. He makes the clouds his chariot. He walks on the wings of the wind.

4 He makes his messengers winds; his servants flames of fire.

5 He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a cloak. The waters stood above the mountains.

7 At your rebuke they fled. At the voice of your thunder they hurried away.

8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down, to the place which you had assigned to them.

9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over; that they don't turn again to cover the earth.

10 He sends forth springs into the valleys. They run among the mountains.

11 They give drink to every animal of the field. The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 The birds of the sky nest by them. They sing among the branches.

13 He waters the mountains from his rooms. The earth is filled with the fruit of your works.

14 He causes the grass to grow for the livestock, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food out of the earth:

15 wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face to shine, and bread that strengthens man's heart.

16 Yahweh's trees are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted;

17 where the birds make their nests. The stork makes its home in the fir trees.

18 The high mountains are for the wild goats. The rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19 He appointed the moon for seasons. The sun knows when to set.

20 You make darkness, and it is night, in which all the animals of the forest prowl.

21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God.

22 The sun rises, and they steal away, and lay down in their dens.

23 Man goes forth to his work, to his labor until the evening.

24 Yahweh, how many are your works! In wisdom have you made them all. The earth is full of your riches.

25 There is the sea, great and wide, in which are innumerable living things, both small and large animals.

26 There the ships go, and leviathan, whom you formed to play there.

27 These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season.

28 You give to them; they gather. You open your hand; they are satisfied with good.

29 You hide your face: they are troubled; you take away their breath: they die, and return to the dust.

30 You send forth your Spirit: they are created. You renew the face of the ground.

31 Let the glory of Yahweh endure forever. Let Yahweh rejoice in his works.

32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles. He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to Yahweh as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.

34 Let your meditation be sweet to him. I will rejoice in Yahweh.

35 Let sinners be consumed out of the earth. Let the wicked be no more. Bless Yahweh, my soul. Praise Yah!