The Bible

 

Postanak 11

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1 Sva je zemlja imala jedan jezik i riječi iste.

2 Ali kako su se ljudi selili s istoka, naiđu na jednu dolinu u zemlji Šinearu i tu se nastane.

3 Jedan drugome reče: "Hajdemo praviti opeke te ih peći da otvrdnu!" Opeke im bile mjesto kamena, a paklina im služila za žbuku.

4 Onda rekoše: "Hajde da sebi podignemo grad i toranj s vrhom do neba! Pribavimo sebi ime, da se ne raspršimo po svoj zemlji!"

5 Jahve se spusti da vidi grad i toranj što su ga gradili sinovi čovječji.

6 Jahve reče. "Zbilja su jedan narod, s jednim jezikom za sve! Ovo je tek početak njihovih nastojanja. Sad im ništa neće biti neostvarivo što god naume izvesti.

7 Hajde da siđemo i jezik im pobrkamo, da jedan drugome govora ne razumije."

8 Tako ih Jahve rasu odande po svoj zemlji te ne sazidaše grada.

9 Stoga mu je ime Babel, jer je ondje Jahve pobrkao govor svima u onom kraju i odande ih je Jahve raspršio po svoj zemlji.

10 Ovo su potomci Šemovi: Kad je Šemu bilo sto godina - dvije godine poslije Potopa - rodi mu se Arpakšad.

11 Po rođenju Arpakšadovu Šem je živio petsto godina te mu se rodilo još sinova i kćeri.

12 Kad je Arpakšadu bilo trideset i pet godina, rodi mu se Šelah.

13 Po rođenju Šelahovu Arpakšad je živio četiri stotine i tri godine te mu se rodilo još sinova i kćeri.

14 Kad je Šelahu bilo trideset godina, rodi mu se Eber.

15 Po rođenju Eberovu Šelah je živio četiri stotine i tri godine te mu se rodilo još sinova i kćeri.

16 Kad su Eberu bile trideset i četiri godine, rodi mu se Peleg.

17 Po rođenju Pelegovu Eber je živio četiri stotine i trideset godina te mu se rodilo još sinova i kćeri.

18 Kad je Pelegu bilo trideset godina, rodi mu se Reu.

19 Po rođenju Reuovu Peleg je živio dvjesta i devet godina te mu se rodilo još sinova i kćeri.

20 Kad su Reuu bile trideset i dvije godine, rodi mu se Serug.

21 Po rođenju Serugovu Reu je živio dvjesta i sedam godina te mu se rodilo još sinova i kćeri.

22 Kad je Serugu bilo trideset godina, rodi mu se Nahor.

23 Po rođenju Nahorovu Serug je živio dvjesta godina te mu se rodilo još sinova i kćeri.

24 Kad je Nahoru bilo dvadeset i devet godina, rodi mu se Terah.

25 Po rođenju Terahovu Nahor je živio sto i devetnaest godina te mu se rodilo još sinova i kćeri.

26 Kad je Terahu bilo sedamdeset godina, rode mu se: Abram, Nahor i Haran.

27 Ovo je povijest Terahova. Terahu se rodio Abram, Nahor i Haran; a Haranu se rodio Lot.

28 Haran umrije za života svoga oca Teraha, u svome rodnom kraju, u Uru Kaldejskom.

29 Abram se i Nahor ožene. Abramovoj ženi bijaše ime Saraja, a Nahorovoj Milka; ova je bila kći Harana, oca Milke i Jiske.

30 Saraja bijaše nerotkinja - nije imala poroda.

31 Terah povede svoga sina Abrama, svog unuka Lota, sina Haranova, svoju snahu Saraju, ženu svoga sina Abrama, pa se zaputi s njima iz Ura Kaldejskoga u zemlju kanaansku. Kad stignu do Harana, ondje se nastane.

32 Dob Terahova dosegnu dvjesta i pet godina; a onda Terah umrije u Haranu.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1295

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1295. And they said a man to his fellow. That this signifies that it was begun, or that they had begun, follows from the connection. In this verse the third state of the church is treated of, when falsities had begun to reign; and in fact from cupidities. There are two beginnings of falsities, one from ignorance of truth, the other from cupidities. Falsity from ignorance of truth is not so pernicious as falsity from cupidities. For the falsity of ignorance arises either from one’s having been so instructed from childhood, or from having been diverted by various occupations so that one has not examined whether what professes to be true is really so, or from not having had much faculty of judging concerning what is true and what is false. The falsities from these sources do not inflict much harm, provided the man has not much confirmed and thus persuaded himself, being incited thereto by some cupidity so as to defend the falsities; for by doing this he would make the cloud of ignorance dense, and turn it into darkness so that he could not see the truth.

[2] But the falsity of cupidities exists when the origin of the falsity is the cupidity or love of self and of the world; as when one seizes upon some point of doctrine and professes it in order to captivate minds and lead them, and explains or perverts the doctrine in favor of self, and confirms it both by reasonings from memory-knowledges, and by the literal sense of the Word. The worship derived from this is profane, however holy it may outwardly appear; for inwardly it is not the worship of the Lord, but the worship of self. Nor does such a man acknowledge anything as true except insofar as he can explain it so as to favor himself. Such worship is that which is signified by “Babel.” But the case is different with those who have been born and brought up in such worship, and who do not know that it is false, and who live in charity. In their ignorance there is innocence, and in their worship there is good from charity. The profanity in worship is not predicated so much from the worship itself, as from the quality of the man who is in the worship.

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