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 #1900

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1900. Go in I pray unto my handmaid. That this signifies conjunction with the exterior man, is also evident from what has been said before, namely, that man’s rational is conceived and born of the internal man as a father, and of the exterior man as a mother. Man’s very life is from the internal man, which cannot have communication with the external, except a most obscure communication, until the receiving vessels that are of the memory have been formed, which is effected by means of knowledges [cognitiones et scientiae].

[2] The influx of the internal man goes into the knowledges of the exterior man; affection being the means. Meanwhile, before there are these knowledges, there is indeed a communication, but through affections alone, by which the external man is governed; but from this there exist only the most general motions, and certain appetites, also certain blind inclinations, such as show themselves in infants. But this life becomes by degrees more distinct in proportion as the vessels of the memory are formed by means of knowledges, and the vessels of the interior memory by means of rational things. As these vessels are formed, and are arranged in series-and indeed in such series that they mutually regard each other, comparatively like relationships by blood and by marriage, or like societies and families-thereby is perfected the correspondence of the external man with the internal, and still better is this done by means of rational things, which are intermediate.

[3] But still there is a want of congruity unless the knowledges by which the vessels are formed are truths; for the celestial and spiritual things of the internal man find no correspondence for themselves except in truths. These are the genuine vessels in the organic forms of each memory, and to which the celestial things of love and the spiritual things of faith can be fitted in; for they are there arranged by the Lord according to the idea and image of the societies of heaven, or of His kingdom, insomuch that the man becomes, in least form, a heaven, or a kingdom of the Lord, as also the minds of those who are in the celestial things of love and the spiritual things of faith are called in the Word. But these things have been said for those who love to think more deeply.

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 21

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1 Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said, and Yahweh did to Sarah as he had spoken.

2 Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

3 Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.

4 Abraham circumcised his son, Isaac, when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

5 Abraham was one hundred years old when his son, Isaac, was born to him.

6 Sarah said, "God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears will laugh with me."

7 She said, "Who would have said to Abraham, that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age."

8 The child grew, and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

9 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.

10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this handmaid and her son! For the son of this handmaid will not be heir with my son, Isaac."

11 The thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son.

12 God said to Abraham, "Don't let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy, and because of your handmaid. In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice. For from Isaac will your seed be called.

13 I will also make a nation of the son of the handmaid, because he is your seed."

14 Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; and gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15 The water in the bottle was spent, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

16 She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, "Don't let me see the death of the child." She sat over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept.

17 God heard the voice of the boy. The angel of God called to Hagar out of the sky, and said to her, "What ails you, Hagar? Don't be afraid. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.

18 Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him in your hand. For I will make him a great nation."

19 God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, filled the bottle with water, and gave the boy drink.

20 God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness, and became, as he grew up, an archer.

21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother took a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.

22 It happened at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do.

23 Now, therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son. But according to the kindness that I have done to you, you shall do to me, and to the land in which you have lived as a foreigner."

24 Abraham said, "I will swear."

25 Abraham complained to Abimelech because of a water well, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

26 Abimelech said, "I don't know who has done this thing. Neither did you tell me, neither did I hear of it, until today."

27 Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant.

28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

29 Abimelech said to Abraham, "What do these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves mean?"

30 He said, "You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that it may be a witness to me, that I have dug this well."

31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because they both swore there.

32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and called there on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God.

34 Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines many days.