The Bible

 

創世記 18

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1 耶和華在幔利橡樹那裡向亞伯拉罕顯現出來。那時正熱,亞伯拉罕在帳棚口,

2 舉目觀,見有個人在對面站著。他一見,就從帳棚口跑去迎接他們,俯伏在

3 :我,我若在你眼前蒙恩,求你不要離開僕人往前去。

4 容我拿點來,你們,在歇息歇息。

5 我再拿一點餅來,你們可以加添力,然往前去。你們既到僕人這裡來,理當如此。他們:就照你的行罷。

6 亞伯拉罕急忙進帳棚見撒拉,:你速速拿細亞細麵調和作餅。

7 亞伯拉罕又跑到牛群裡,牽了一隻又嫩又犢來,交僕人,僕人急忙預備了。

8 亞伯拉罕又取了奶油和奶,並預備好的牛犢來,擺在他們面前,自己在站在旁邊,他們就吃了

9 他們問亞伯拉罕:你妻子撒拉在那裡?他:在帳棚裡。

10 三人中有一位:到明年這時候,我必要回到你這裡;你的妻子撒拉必生一個兒子。撒拉在那人邊的帳棚口也見了這話。

11 亞伯拉罕和撒拉年紀老邁,撒拉的月經已斷絕了。

12 撒拉心裡暗笑,:我既已衰敗,我也老邁,豈能有這喜事呢?

13 耶和華亞伯拉罕:撒拉為甚麼暗笑,:我既已年老,果真能生養麼?

14 耶和華豈有難成的事麼?到了日期,明年這時候,我必回到你這裡,撒拉必生一個兒子

15 撒拉就害怕,不承認,:我沒有笑。那位:不然,你實在笑了。

16 三人就從那裡起行,向所多瑪觀看,亞伯拉罕也與他們同行,要送他們一程。

17 耶和華:我所要作的事豈可瞞著亞伯拉罕呢?

18 亞伯拉罕必要成為強的國;上的萬國都必因他得福。

19 我眷顧他,為要叫他吩咐他的眾子和他的眷屬遵守我的道,秉公行,使我所應許亞伯拉罕的話都成就了。

20 耶和華所多瑪和蛾摩拉的惡甚重,聲聞於我。

21 我現在要去,察他們所行的,果然盡像那達到我耳中的聲音一樣麼?若是不然,我也必知道

22 二人轉身離開那裡,向所多瑪去;但亞伯拉罕仍舊站在耶和華面前。

23 亞伯拉罕前來,:無論善惡,你都要剿滅麼?

24 假若那城裡有五十人,你還剿滅那地方麼?不為城裡這五十人饒恕其中的人麼?

25 人與惡人同殺,將人與惡人一樣看待,這斷不是你所行的。審判全的主豈不行公麼?

26 耶和華:我若在所多瑪城裡見有五十人,我就為他們的緣故饒恕那地方的眾人。

27 亞伯拉罕:我雖然是灰塵,還敢對主說話

28 假若這五十人短了五個,你就因為短了五個毀滅全城麼?他:我在那裡若見有四十五個,也不毀滅那城。

29 亞伯拉罕又對他:假若在那裡見有四十個怎麼樣呢?他:為這四十個的緣故,我也不作這事。

30 亞伯拉罕:求主不要動怒,容我,假若在那裡見有三十個怎麼樣呢?他:我在那裡若見有三十個,我也不作這事。

31 亞伯拉罕:我還敢對主說話,假若在那裡見有二十個怎麼樣呢?他:為這二十個的緣故,我也不毀滅那城。

32 亞伯拉罕:求主不要動怒,我再這一次,假若在那裡見有個呢?他:為這個的緣故,我也不毀滅那城。

33 耶和華亞伯拉罕說完了話就走了;亞伯拉罕也回到自己的地方去了。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Coronis (An Appendix to True Christian Religion) #49

  
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49. It was stated above, that the first state with the sons of Israel, was the appearing of the Lord Jehovih, calling and covenanting; and we are taught from the Word, that these three things took place, first with Abram, secondly with Moses, and thirdly with the entire people. The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before Abraham is thus described in Genesis:

Jehovah appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre; he was sitting at the door of his tent,... and when he lifted up his eyes and saw, behold! three men stood by him, and as soon as he saw them, he ran from the door of the tent to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth, and said, O Lord, if I have found grace in Thine eyes, pass not away, I pray, from Thy servant (Gen. 18:1-3).

It was the Lord our Saviour who appeared in His Divine Trinity, which the three angels represented; for the Lord said,

Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw and was glad... Verily, verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (John 8:56, 58).

There is in the Lord a Divine Trinity; and the Divine Unity was represented in Divine Trinity by the "three men," who were also called "angels" (Gen. 18:2; 19:1). But in His Divine Unity He was called "adonai" (Gen. 18:3; 19:18); and also "Jehovah," very frequently (Gen. 18:13-14, 17, 19-20, 22, 26, 33). The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before Moses is thus described in Exodus:

The Angel of Jehovah appeared to Moses at the mountain of Horeb, in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush;... Moses therefore said, I will turn aside and see this great vision, why the bush is not burnt. And Jehovah saw that he turned aside;... therefore God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.... And moreover Moses said to God, . . . What is Thy name?... God said,... I AM THAT I AM. Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Exod. 3[1], 2-4, 14).

The appearing of the Lord Jehovih before the whole people is thus also described in Exodus:

Jehovah said to Moses, Say unto the sons of Israel, that they be ready against the third day; for on the third day Jehovah will come down in the eyes of all the people upon Mount Sinai.... And it came to pass on the third day,... that there were voices, and lightnings, and thick clouds upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.... Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because He descended upon it in fire; and He promulgated the law before the people (Exod. 19:9-24, and 20:1-18).

The Lord also appeared to Joshua as Prince of the army of Jehovah, before whom Joshua fell on his face upon the earth, and called him his "Lord" (Josh. 5:13-14).

THE CALLING OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL TO THE LAND OF CANAAN, thus to the Church, also took place three times; once to Abram, that he should depart thereto out of his fatherland, and afterwards the promise that his seed should inherit that land (Gen. 12:1-7). A calling also took place through Moses (Exod. 3:16-17); and again through Joshua (Josh. 1:3, etc., and 11).

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

The Bible

 

Joshua 11

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1 It happened, when Jabin king of Hazor heard of it, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph,

2 and to the kings who were on the north, in the hill country, in the Arabah south of Chinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the west,

3 to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the hill country, and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpah.

4 They went out, they and all their armies with them, many people, even as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots.

5 All these kings met together; and they came and encamped together at the waters of Merom, to fight with Israel.

6 Yahweh said to Joshua, "Don't be afraid because of them; for tomorrow at this time, I will deliver them up all slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire."

7 So Joshua came, and all the people of war with him, against them by the waters of Merom suddenly, and fell on them.

8 Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Israel, and they struck them, and chased them to great Sidon, and to Misrephoth Maim, and to the valley of Mizpeh eastward. They struck them until they left them none remaining.

9 Joshua did to them as Yahweh told him. He hamstrung their horses and burnt their chariots with fire.

10 Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword: for Hazor used to be the head of all those kingdoms.

11 They struck all the souls who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was no one left who breathed. He burnt Hazor with fire.

12 Joshua captured all the cities of those kings, with their kings, and he struck them with the edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed them; as Moses the servant of Yahweh commanded.

13 But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only. Joshua burned that.

14 The children of Israel took all the spoil of these cities, with the livestock, as spoils for themselves; but every man they struck with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them. They didn't leave any who breathed.

15 As Yahweh commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua. Joshua did so. He left nothing undone of all that Yahweh commanded Moses.

16 So Joshua captured all that land, the hill country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, the Arabah, the hill country of Israel, and the lowland of the same;

17 from Mount Halak, that goes up to Seir, even to Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount Hermon. He took all their kings, struck them, and put them to death.

18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took all in battle.

20 For it was of Yahweh to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

21 Joshua came at that time, and cut off the Anakim from the hill country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel: Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.

22 There were none of the Anakim left in the land of the children of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, did some remain.

23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that Yahweh spoke to Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. The land had rest from war.