The Bible

 

创世记 18

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1 耶和华在幔利橡树那里向亚伯拉罕显现出来。那时正热,亚伯拉罕在帐棚口,

2 举目观,见有个人在对面站着。他一见,就从帐棚口跑去迎接他们,俯伏在

3 :我,我若在你眼前蒙恩,求你不要离开仆人往前去。

4 容我拿点来,你们,在歇息歇息。

5 我再拿一点饼来,你们可以加添力,然往前去。你们既到仆人这里来,理当如此。他们:就照你的行罢。

6 亚伯拉罕急忙进帐棚见撒拉,:你速速拿细亚细面调和作饼。

7 亚伯拉罕又跑到牛群里,牵了一只又嫩又犊来,交仆人,仆人急忙预备了。

8 亚伯拉罕又取了奶油和奶,并预备好的牛犊来,摆在他们面前,自己在站在旁边,他们就吃了

9 他们问亚伯拉罕:你妻子撒拉在那里?他:在帐棚里。

10 三人中有一位:到明年这时候,我必要回到你这里;你的妻子撒拉必生一个儿子。撒拉在那人边的帐棚口也见了这话。

11 亚伯拉罕和撒拉年纪老迈,撒拉的月经已断绝了。

12 撒拉心里暗笑,:我既已衰败,我也老迈,岂能有这喜事呢?

13 耶和华亚伯拉罕:撒拉为甚麽暗笑,:我既已年老,果真能生养麽?

14 耶和华岂有难成的事麽?到了日期,明年这时候,我必回到你这里,撒拉必生一个儿子

15 撒拉就害怕,不承认,:我没有笑。那位:不然,你实在笑了。

16 三人就从那里起行,向所多玛观看,亚伯拉罕也与他们同行,要送他们一程。

17 耶和华:我所要作的事岂可瞒着亚伯拉罕呢?

18 亚伯拉罕必要成为强的国;上的万国都必因他得福。

19 我眷顾他,为要叫他吩咐他的众子和他的眷属遵守我的道,秉公行,使我所应许亚伯拉罕的话都成就了。

20 耶和华所多玛和蛾摩拉的恶甚重,声闻於我。

21 我现在要去,察他们所行的,果然尽像那达到我耳中的声音一样麽?若是不然,我也必知道

22 二人转身离开那里,向所多玛去;但亚伯拉罕仍旧站在耶和华面前。

23 亚伯拉罕前来,:无论善恶,你都要剿灭麽?

24 假若那城里有五十人,你还剿灭那地方麽?不为城里这五十人饶恕其中的人麽?

25 人与恶人同杀,将人与恶人一样看待,这断不是你所行的。审判全的主岂不行公麽?

26 耶和华:我若在所多玛城里见有五十人,我就为他们的缘故饶恕那地方的众人。

27 亚伯拉罕:我虽然是灰尘,还敢对主说话

28 假若这五十人短了五个,你就因为短了五个毁灭全城麽?他:我在那里若见有四十五个,也不毁灭那城。

29 亚伯拉罕又对他:假若在那里见有四十个怎麽样呢?他:为这四十个的缘故,我也不作这事。

30 亚伯拉罕:求主不要动怒,容我,假若在那里见有三十个怎麽样呢?他:我在那里若见有三十个,我也不作这事。

31 亚伯拉罕:我还敢对主说话,假若在那里见有二十个怎麽样呢?他:为这二十个的缘故,我也不毁灭那城。

32 亚伯拉罕:求主不要动怒,我再这一次,假若在那里见有个呢?他:为这个的缘故,我也不毁灭那城。

33 耶和华亚伯拉罕说完了话就走了;亚伯拉罕也回到自己的地方去了。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2249

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2249. And Abraham drew near, and said. That this signifies the Lord’s thought from the Human, which thought adjoined itself more closely to the Divine, follows from the things that precede, where the Lord’s thought concerning the human race is treated of: thus without explication. That in this chapter in the internal sense the state of the Lord’s thought and perception is so fully described, and at the beginning the state of the conjunction of the Lord’s Human with His Divine, will possibly appear to man as if it were not of so much importance.

[2] And yet it is of the greatest moment; for before the angels, to whom the internal sense is the Word, these things are presented to the life, together with their representatives, in a most beautiful form; besides numberless things that follow from them and bear their likeness, concerning the Lord’s conjunction with heaven, and the reception of His Divine in their human; for the ideas of angels are such that they relish such things above all others, and perceive them as being most pleasant; and they are also enlightened and confirmed by them more and more in regard to the unition of the Lord’s Human Essence with His Divine Essence; for the angels have been men, and when men they could not but think of the Lord as a man, and of the Lord as God, as also of the Divine Trinity, and form for themselves various ideas, although at that time they knew not of what quality these ideas were.

[3] For heavenly arcana are of such a nature that although they surpass all apprehension, yet everyone forms for himself some idea of them; for nothing can possibly be retained in the memory, still less enter into anything of thought, except by means of some idea formed in one way or another. And because their ideas could not be formed otherwise than from things in the world, or from things analogous to those in the world; and because fallacies then insinuated themselves from things not understood (which in the other life alienate the ideas of thought-which are then more internal-from the truth and good of faith),

[4] in order that such things may be dispersed, so much is said in this chapter, in its internal sense, about the conjunction of the Lord’s Human with His divine, and about His perception and thought; and accordingly when the Word is read, these things are so presented to the perception of the angels that their former ideas, formed from other sources and from scruples easily springing therefrom, are gradually dissipated, and new ideas are insinuated that are in conformity with the light of truth in which the angels are. This takes place more with the spiritual angels than with the celestial; for according to the purification of their ideas are they perfected for the reception of celestial things. It is known that heaven is not pure before the Lord; and it is a truth that the angels are continually being perfected.

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