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創世記 4

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1 有一日,那和他妻子夏娃同房,夏娃就懷孕,生了該隱(就是得的意思),便耶和華使我得了一個子。

2 又生了該隱兄弟亞伯亞伯是牧的;該隱是種地的。

3 有一日,該隱拿地裡的出產為供物獻給耶和華

4 亞伯也將他羊群中頭生的和的脂油獻上。耶和華看中了亞伯和他的供物,

5 只是看不中該隱和他的供物。該隱就大大的發怒,變了臉色。

6 耶和華該隱:你為甚麼發怒呢?你為甚麼變了臉色呢?

7 你若行得好,豈不蒙悅納?你若行得不好,就伏在前。他必戀慕你,你卻要制伏他。

8 該隱與他兄弟亞伯話;二人正在田間。該隱起來打他兄弟亞伯,把他殺了。

9 耶和華該隱:你兄弟亞伯在那裡?他:我不知道!我豈是看守我兄弟的麼?

10 耶和華:你作了甚麼事呢?你兄弟的血有聲音從地裡向我哀告。

11 開了,從你裡接受你兄弟的血。現在你必從這地受咒詛。

12 你種不再你效力;你必流離飄蕩在上。

13 該隱耶和華:我的刑罰太重,過於我所能當的。

14 你如今趕逐我離開這,以致不見你面;我必流離飄蕩在上,凡遇見我的必殺我。

15 耶和華對他:凡殺該隱的,必遭報七倍。耶和華就給該隱立一個記號,免得人遇見他就殺他。

16 於是該隱離開耶和華的面,去在伊甸東邊挪得之

17 該隱妻子同房,他妻子就懷孕,生了以諾該隱建造了一座城,就按著他兒子的名將那城以諾

18 以諾生以拿;以拿生米戶雅利;米戶雅利生瑪土撒利;瑪土撒利生拉麥。

19 拉麥娶了兩個妻:個名叫亞大,個名叫洗拉。

20 亞大生雅八;雅八就是帳棚、牧養牲畜之人的祖師。

21 雅八的兄弟名叫猶八;他是一切彈琴吹簫之人的祖師。

22 洗拉又生了土八該隱;他是打造各樣銅利器的(或作:是銅匠匠的祖師)。土八該隱的妹子是拿瑪。

23 拉麥對他兩個妻子:亞大、洗拉,我的聲音;拉麥的妻子,細我的話語:壯年傷我,我把他殺了;少年損我,我把他害了(或作我殺壯士卻傷自己,我害幼童卻損本身。)

24 若殺該隱,遭報七倍,殺拉麥,必遭報七倍

25 亞當又與妻子同房,他就生了一個兒子,起名塞特,意思另給我立了一個兒子代替亞伯,因為該隱殺了他。

26 塞特也生了一個兒子,起名以挪士。那時候,人才求告耶和華的名。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #415

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415. 'Father of cattle' means good deriving from these, that is, from the holy things of love. This becomes clear from what has been shown already at verse 2 of this chapter, to the effect that 'a shepherd of the flock' means good that stems from charity. In the present verse, however, 'father' is used instead of shepherd, and 'cattle' instead of flock, with the words 'and of cattle', whose father he was, standing immediately after the word 'tent', from which it is clear that good stemming from the holiness of love is meant. And whether the dwelling-place, which was 'a cattle-fold', or 'father of those who dwelt in tent and cattle-folds' is understood here, goods stemming from the celestial things of love are meant, as is also clear from various parts of the Word, as in Jeremiah,

I will gather the remnant of My flock from all lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their folds to give birth and multiply. Jeremiah 13:3.

In Ezekiel,

I will pasture them in a good pasture, and their fold will be on the mountains of the height of Israel; there they will lie down in a good fold, and on fat pasture they will pasture on the mountains of Israel. Ezekiel 34:14.

Here 'folds' and 'pastures', referred to as 'fat', stand for goods that stem from love.

[2] In Isaiah,

He will give rain for your seed with which you will sow the ground; and bread, the produce of the ground, will be fat and full of it. On that day He will pasture your cattle in a broad grassland. Isaiah 30:23.

Here 'bread' means that which is celestial, and 'fat on which they will pasture their flocks' goods stemming from that which is celestial. In Jeremiah,

Jehovah has redeemed Jacob; and they will come and sing on the height of Zion, and they will converge on the goodness of Jehovah, for the wheat, and the new wine, and the oil, for the young 1 of the flock and of the herd. And their life 2 will be like a watered garden. Jeremiah 31:11-12.

Here the Holy of Jehovah is described by 'the wheat and oil', and goods deriving from it by 'the new wine and by the young' of the flock and of the herd', or cattle. In the same prophet,

Shepherds and their flocks of cattle will come against the daughter of Zion, they will pitch their tents against her round about; they will pasture, each in his own space. Jeremiah 6:3.

'The daughter of Zion' stands for the celestial Church, to which both 'tents' and 'flocks of cattle' have reference.

Footnotes:

1. literally, the sons

2. literally, soul

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