Bibliorum

 

Exodo 18

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1 Si Jethro nga, saserdote sa Madian, biyanan ni Moises, ay nakabalita ng lahat na ginawa ng Dios kay Moises, at sa Israel na kaniyang bayan, kung paanong inilabas ng Panginoon ang Israel sa Egipto.

2 At ipinagsama ni Jethro, na biyanan ni Moises, si Sephora na asawa ni Moises, pagkatapos na kaniyang maipadala sa kanilang ama,

3 At ang dalawa niyang anak na lalake: na ang pangalan ng isa'y Gersom; sapagka't sinabi ni Moises, Ako'y nakipamayan sa ibang bayan.

4 At ang pangalan ng isa'y Elieser; sapagka't kaniyang sinabi, Ang Dios ng aking ama'y naging aking saklolo, at ako'y iniligtas sa tabak ni Faraon;

5 At si Jethro, na biyanan ni Moises, ay dumating, na kasama ang kaniyang mga anak at ang kaniyang asawa, kay Moises sa ilang na kaniyang hinantungan sa tabi ng bundok ng Dios:

6 At kaniyang ipinasabi kay Moises, Akong iyong biyanang si Jethro ay naparito sa iyo, at ang iyong asawa, at ang kaniyang dalawang anak na kasama niya.

7 At si Moises ay lumabas na sinalubong ang kaniyang biyanan, at kaniyang niyukuran at hinalikan. At sila'y nagtanungang isa't isa ng kanilang kalagayan; at sila'y pumasok sa tolda.

8 At isinaysay ni Moises sa kaniyang biyanan ang lahat ng ginawa ng Panginoon kay Faraon at sa mga Egipcio dahil sa Israel, ang buong hirap na kanilang naranasan sa daan, at kung paanong iniligtas ng Panginoon sila.

9 At ikinagalak ni Jethro ang buong kabutihang ginawa ng Panginoon sa Israel, na iniligtas sila sa kamay ng mga Egipcio.

10 At sinabi ni Jethro, Purihin ang Panginoon, na nagligtas sa inyo, sa kamay ng mga Egipcio, at sa kamay ni Faraon; na siyang nagligtas sa bayan sa kamay ng mga Egipcio.

11 Ngayo'y aking natatalastas na ang Panginoon ay lalong dakila kay sa lahat ng mga dios: oo, sa bagay na ipinagpalalo ng mga Egipcio laban sa mga Hebreo.

12 At si Jethro, na biyanan ni Moises, ay kumuha ng handog na susunugin at mga hain para sa Dios: at si Aaron ay naparoon, at ang lahat ng mga matanda sa Israel, upang kumain ng tinapay na kasalo ng biyanan ni Moises sa harap ng Dios.

13 At nangyari kinabukasan, na lumuklok si Moises upang hatulan ang bayan: at ang bayan ay tumayo sa palibot ni Moises mula sa umaga hanggang sa hapon.

14 At nang makita ng biyanan ni Moises ang lahat ng kaniyang ginagawa sa bayan, ay nagsabi, Anong bagay itong ginagawa mo sa bayan? bakit nauupo kang magisa, at ang buong bayan ay nakatayo sa palibot mo mula sa umaga hanggang sa hapon?

15 At sinabi ni Moises sa kaniyang biyanan, Sapagka't ang bayan ay lumalapit sa akin, upang sumangguni sa Dios.

16 Pagka sila'y may usap ay lumapit sa akin; at aking hinahatulang isa't isa, at aking ipinakikilala sa kanila ang mga palatuntunan ng Dios, at ang kaniyang mga kautusan.

17 At sinabi ng biyanan ni Moises sa kaniya, Ang bagay na iyong ginagawa ay hindi mabuti.

18 Tunay na ikaw ay manghihina, ikaw at ang bayang ito, na nasa iyo: sapagka't ang bagay ay totoong mabigat sa iyo; hindi mo makakayang magisa.

19 Dinggin mo ngayon ang aking tinig; papayuhan kita, at sumaiyo nawa ang Dios: ikaw ang maging tagapagakay sa bayan sa harap ng Dios, at dalhin mo ang mga usap sa Dios:

20 At ituturo mo sa kanila ang mga palatuntunan, at ang mga kautusan, at ipakikilala mo sa kanila ang daang nararapat lakaran, at ang gawang kanilang nararapat gawin.

21 Bukod dito'y hahanap ka sa buong bayan ng mga taong bihasa, gaya ng matatakutin sa Dios, na mga taong mapagpatotoo, na mga napopoot sa kasakiman; at siyang mga ilagay mo sa kanila, na magpuno sa mga lilibuhin, magpuno sa mga dadaanin, magpuno sa mga lilimangpuin, at magpuno sa mga sasangpuin:

22 At pahatulan mo sa kanila ang bayan sa buong panahon: at mangyayari, na bawa't malaking usap ay dadalhin nila sa iyo, datapuwa't bawa't munting usap, ay silasila ang maghahatulan: sa ganyan ay magiging magaan sa iyo, at magpapasan silang katulong mo.

23 Kung gagawin mo ang bagay na ito, at iuutos sa iyong ganyan ng Dios ay iyo ngang mababata, at ang buong bayan namang ito ay uuwing payapa.

24 Sa gayon, ay dininig ni Moises ang kaniyang biyanan, at ginawang lahat yaong sinabi.

25 At pumili si Moises ng mga lalaking bihasa sa buong Israel, at ginawa niyang pangulo sa bayan, na mga puno ng lilibuhin, mga puno ng dadaanin, mga puno ng lilimangpuin, at mga puno ng sasangpuin.

26 At kanilang hinatulan ang bayan sa buong panahon: ang mabibigat na usap ay kanilang dinadala kay Moises, datapuwa't bawa't munting usap ay silasila ang naghahatulan.

27 At tinulutan ni Moises ang kaniyang biyanan na magpaalam at siya'y umuwi sa sariling lupain.

   

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #8644

Studere hoc loco

  
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8644. 'The father-in-law of Moses' means the source of the good that was joined to God's truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'the father-in-law' as the good from which sprang the good that was joined to truth, dealt with in 6827; and from the representation of 'Moses' as God's truth, dealt with in 6752, 6771, 7010, 7014, 7382. The reason why 'the father-in-law' means the good from which sprang the good that was joined to truth is that the wife means good when the man means truth, 2517, 4510, 4823. Since the subject in what follows below is the joining together of Divine Good and Divine Truth, to the end that the arranging of truths into order may as a result take place with the member of the Church, it should be recognized that there is a difference between Divine Good and Divine Truth, in that Divine Good exists within the Lord, but that Divine Truth emanates from the Lord. They are like the fire of the sun and the light radiating from it. Fire exists within the sun but the light radiates from the sun; light holds no fire, only heat.

[2] Furthermore in the next life the Lord is the Sun, and He is the Light too. The Sun there, that is, He Himself, is Divine fire, which is the Divine Good of Divine Love. That Sun is the source of Divine light, which is Divine Truth emanating from Divine Good. This Divine Truth also holds within it Divine Good, though not such as it is in the Sun; it is modified for its reception in heaven. Unless it had been modified for reception, heaven could not have come into existence; for no angel can bear the flame coming from Divine Love. An angel would be consumed by it instantly, just as anyone would be the instant that the flame of the sun in the world breathed on him.

[3] But the way in which the Divine Good of the Lord's Divine Love is modified for reception cannot be known by anyone, not even by angels in heaven, because it is a modification of the Infinite for the finite. The Infinite is such that it lies far beyond all the power of understanding which the finite possesses, so far beyond that when that power of understanding tries to fix its attention on the Infinite it falls away like someone sinking into the depths of the sea and perishes. Regarding the Lord, that He is the Sun in heaven, that the Sun there is the Divine Good of His Divine Love, and that the Light from it is Divine Truth, the source of intelligence, see 1053, 1521-1533, 1619-1632, 2776, 3094, 3138, 3190, 3195, 3222, 3223, 3225, 3339, 3341, 3636, 3643, 3993, 4180, 4302, 4408, 4409, 4415, 4523, 4533, 4696, 7083, 7171, 7174, 7270, 8197.

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

Bibliorum

 

Exodus 18

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1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, how that Yahweh had brought Israel out of Egypt.

2 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, received Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away,

3 and her two sons. The name of one son was Gershom, for Moses said, "I have lived as a foreigner in a foreign land".

4 The name of the other was Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my help and delivered me from Pharaoh's sword."

5 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the Mountain of God.

6 He said to Moses, "I, your father-in-law Jethro, have come to you with your wife, and her two sons with her."

7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed and kissed him. They asked each other of their welfare, and they came into the tent.

8 Moses told his father-in-law all that Yahweh had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the hardships that had come on them on the way, and how Yahweh delivered them.

9 Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which Yahweh had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

10 Jethro said, "Blessed be Yahweh, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

11 Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods because of the thing in which they dealt arrogantly against them."

12 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God. Aaron came with all of the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' father-in-law before God.

13 It happened on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people, and the people stood around Moses from the morning to the evening.

14 When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did to the people, he said, "What is this thing that you do for the people? Why do you sit alone, and all the people stand around you from morning to evening?"

15 Moses said to his father-in-law, "Because the people come to me to inquire of God.

16 When they have a matter, they come to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God, and his laws."

17 Moses' father-in-law said to him, "The thing that you do is not good.

18 You will surely wear away, both you, and this people that is with you; for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to perform it yourself alone.

19 Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You represent the people before God, and bring the causes to God.

20 You shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and shall show them the way in which they must walk, and the work that they must do.

21 Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

22 Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.

23 If you will do this thing, and God commands you so, then you will be able to endure, and all of these people also will go to their place in peace."

24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did all that he had said.

25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

26 They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard causes to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

27 Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way into his own land.