The Bible

 

Postanak 17

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1 Kad je Abramu bilo devedeset i devet godina, ukaza mu se Jahve pa mu reče: "Ja sam El Šadaj - Bog Svesilni, Mojim hodi putem i neporočan budi.

2 A Savez svoj ja sklapam s tobom i silno ću te razmnožiti."

3 Abram pade ničice dok mu Bog govoraše dalje:

4 "A ovo je Savez moj s tobom: postat ćeš ocem mnogim narodima;

5 i nećeš se više zvati Abram - već Abraham će ti ime biti, jer naroda mnogih ocem ja te postavljam.

6 Silno ću te rodnim učiniti; narode ću iz tebe izvesti; i kraljevi će od tebe izaći.

7 Savez svoj sklapam između sebe i tebe i tvoga potomstva poslije tebe - Savez svoj za vjekove: ja ću biti Bogom tvojim i tvoga potomstva poslije tebe.

8 Tebi i tvome potomstvu poslije tebe dajem zemlju u kojoj boraviš kao pridošlica - svu zemlju kanaansku - u vjekovni posjed; a ja ću biti njihov Bog."

9 Još reče Bog Abrahamu: "A ti Savez čuvaj moj - ti i tvoje potomstvo poslije tebe u sve vijeke.

10 A ovo je Savez moj s tobom i tvojim potomstvom poslije tebe koji ćeš vršiti: svako muško među vama neka bude obrezano.

11 Obrezujte se, i to neka bude znak Saveza između mene i vas.

12 Svako muško među vama, kroz vaša pokoljenja, kad mu se navrši osam dana, neka bude obrezano; i rob, rođen u vašem domu, i onaj što bude kupljen od stranca, koji ne bude od vaše krvi.

13 Da, i rob rođen u tvome domu ili za novac kupljen mora se obrezati! Tako će moj Savez na vašem tijelu ostati vječnim Savezom.

14 Muško koje se ne bi obrezalo neka se odstrani od svoga roda: takav je prekršio moj Savez."

15 Još reče Bog Abrahamu: "Tvojoj ženi Saraji nije više ime Saraja: Sara će joj ime biti.

16 Nju ću ja blagosloviti i od nje ti dati sina; blagoslov ću na nju izliti te će se narodi od nje razviti; kraljevi će narodima od nje poteći."

17 Abraham pade ničice pa se nasmija i reče u sebi: "Onome komu je stotinu godina, zar se može roditi dijete? Zar će Sara u devedesetoj rod rađati!"

18 Abraham reče Bogu: "Neka tvojom milošću Jišmael poživi!"

19 A Bog reče: "Ipak će ti tvoja žena Sara roditi sina; nadjeni mu ime Izak. Savez svoj s njime ću sklopiti, Savez vječni s njime i s njegovim potomstvom poslije njega.

20 I za Jišmaela uslišah te. Evo ga blagoslivljam: rodnim ću ga učiniti i silno ga razmnožiti; dvanaest će knezova od njega postati i u velik će narod izrasti.

21 Ali ću držati svoj Savez s Izakom, koga će ti roditi Sara dogodine u ovo doba."

22 Kad je završio razgovor s njim, od Abrahama Bog se podiže.

23 Uzme zatim Abraham svoga sina Jišmaela i sve robove koji su bili rođeni u njegovu domu i sve koje je kupio novcem - sve muške ukućane - pa ih toga istog dana obreže, kako mu je Bog rekao.

24 Abrahamu bijaše devedeset i devet godina kad se obrezao,

25 a njegovu sinu Jišmaelu bijaše trinaest godina kad ga obreza.

26 Tako su toga istog dana bili obrezani Abraham i njegov sin Jišmael;

27 i svi muškarci njegova doma, rođeni u njegovoj kući ili za novac kupljeni od stranca - svi s njim bijahu obrezani.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2094

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2094. The previous chapter and the present chapter up to this point have dealt with the conception and birth of the Rational within the Lord; and how this was made Divine is also dealt with in what follows. But some may possibly suppose that knowing these details does not contribute very much to faith, provided one knows that the Lord's Human Essence was made Divine and that the Lord is God as regards both Essences. The position however is this: People who in simplicity believe it to be so do not need to know how it became so, for the only reason for their knowing how it became so is so that they may believe that it is so.

[2] There are many at the present day who do not believe anything unless they know it to be so from reason, as is made quite clear from the fact that few believe in the Lord, although they make lip confession of belief for the reason that the doctrine of faith so teaches. Nevertheless they tell themselves and one another that if they knew it could be so they would believe. The reason they do not believe and yet say this is that the Lord was born as any other is born and to outward appearance was like any other. These people cannot possibly receive any faith unless they first of all grasp in some measure how it can be so. This is why these matters have been explained. Those who believe the Word in simplicity do not need to know all these details because they have already arrived at the end which those who have just been described cannot reach except by becoming acquainted with such details.

[3] What is more, these are the details which are contained in the internal sense, and the internal sense is the Word of the Lord in heaven. Those who are in heaven perceive it in this fashion. When someone is in touch with the truth, that is, with the internal sense, he is able to make one as to thought with those in heaven, even though his ideas are by comparison very general and very obscure. The celestial ones there, who possess faith itself, see that those things are so from good, whereas the spiritual ones see the same from truth. The spiritual ones are also confirmed, and in that way perfected, by such things as are contained in the internal sense, that confirmation being achieved however by means of thousands of interior reasons which cannot flow into man's pattern of thought so as to be perceived there.

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