The Bible

 

創世記 16

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1 亞伯蘭的妻子撒萊不給他生兒女。撒萊有一個使女,名叫夏甲,是埃及人。

2 撒萊對亞伯蘭耶和華使我不能生育。求你和我的使女同房,或者我可以因他得孩子(原文作被建立)。亞伯蘭聽從了撒萊的話。

3 於是亞伯蘭的妻子撒萊將使女埃及人夏甲丈夫為妾;那時亞伯蘭迦南已經年。

4 亞伯蘭與夏甲同房,夏甲就懷了孕;他見自己有孕,就小他的主母。

5 撒萊對亞伯蘭:我因你受屈。我將我的使女放在你中,他見自己有了孕,就小我。願耶和華在你我中間判斷

6 亞伯蘭對撒萊:使女在你下,你可以隨意待他。撒萊苦待他,他就從撒萊面前逃走了。

7 耶和華的使者在曠野書珥上的泉旁遇見他,

8 對他:撒萊的使女夏甲,你從那裡?要往那裡去?夏甲:我從我的主母撒萊面前逃出

9 耶和華的使者對他:你回到你母那裡,服在他

10 :我必使你的後裔極其繁多,甚至不可勝

11 :你如今懷孕要生一個兒子,可以給他起名以實瑪利,因為耶和華見了你的苦情。(以實瑪利就是神見的意思)

12 他為人必像野驢。他的要攻打人,人的也要攻打他;他必住在眾弟兄的東邊。

13 夏甲就稱那對他說話耶和華顧人的神。因而:在這裡我也見那顧我的麼?

14 所以這庇耳拉海萊。這正在加低斯和巴列中間。

15 後來夏甲給亞伯蘭生了一個兒子亞伯蘭給他起名以實瑪利

16 夏甲給亞伯蘭以實瑪利的時候,亞伯蘭八十六歲。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2088

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2088. 'Behold I will bless him, I will make him fruitful, and I will multiply him, more and more' means that they were to be furnished and endowed with goods of faith and with truths from that source, without limit. This is clear from the meaning of 'being blessed', 'being fruitful', and 'being multiplied'. 'Being blessed' means being endowed with all goods, as shown in Volume One, in 981, 1096, 1420, 1422. 'Being fruitful' means the goods of faith with which they were to be endowed, and 'being multiplied' the truths from that source, as also shown in Volume One, in 43, 55, 913, 983.

[2] Who exactly are celestial people and who spiritual would take too long to describe here. See where they have been described already, for example in 81, 597, 607, 765, 2069, 2078, and many times elsewhere. In general celestial people are those who have love to the Lord, and spiritual those who have charity towards the neighbour. For the distinction between having love to the Lord and having charity towards the neighbour, see above 2023. Celestial people are those whose affection for good stems from good, but spiritual people are those whose affection for good stems from truth. To begin with all people were celestial, because they were governed by love to the Lord, and from this they received perception by which they perceived what was good, not from truth but from the affection for good.

[3] But after this, when love to the Lord was no longer what it had been, spiritual people took their place, these being called spiritual when they were governed by love towards the neighbour, which is charity. But love towards the neighbour, or charity, was implanted by means of truth and in this way they received a conscience in accordance with which they acted, not from an affection for good but from an affection for truth. With them charity looks like the affection for good, but is in fact the affection for truth. Because it looks like the affection for good charity is still referred to as good. But that good is a good arising out of their faith. It is these who are meant by the Lord in John,

I am the door. If anyone enters by Me he will be saved, and will go in and out, and find pasture. I am the good Shepherd; and I know My own and am known by My own. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd. John 10:9, 14, 16.

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