The Bible

 

Postanak 6

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1 Kad su se ljudi počeli širiti po zemlji i kćeri im se narodile,

2 opaze sinovi Božji da su kćeri ljudske pristale, pa ih uzimahu sebi za žene koje su god htjeli.

3 Onda Jahve reče: "Neće moj duh u čovjeku ostati dovijeka; čovjek je tjelesan, pa neka mu vijek bude stotinu dvadeset godina."

4 U ona su vremena - a i kasnije - na zemlji bili Nefili, kad su Božji sinovi općili s ljudskim kćerima pa im one rađale djecu. To su oni od starine po snazi glasoviti ljudi.

5 Vidje Jahve kako je čovjekova pokvarenost na zemlji velika i kako je svaka pomisao u njegovoj pameti uvijek samo zloća.

6 Jahve se pokaja i u svom srcu ražalosti što je načinio čovjeka na zemlji.

7 Reče Jahve: "Ljude koje sam stvorio izbrisat ću s lica zemlje - od čovjeka do zvijeri, puzavce i ptice u zraku - jer sam se pokajao što sam ih napravio."

8 Ali je Noa našao milost u očima Jahvinim.

9 Ovo je povijest Noina: Noa je bio čovjek pravedan i neporočan u svom vremenu. S Bogom je Noa hodio.

10 Tri su se sina rodila Noi: Šem, Ham i Jafet.

11 U očima Božjim zemlja se bila iskvarila; nepravdom se napunila.

12 I kad je Bog vidio kako se zemlja iskvarila - tÓa svako se biće na zemlji izopačilo -

13 reče Bog Noi: "Odlučio sam da bude kraj svim bićima jer se zemlja napunila opačinom; i, evo, uništit ću ih zajedno sa zemljom.

14 Napravi sebi korablju od smolastoga drveta; korablju načini s prijekletima i obloži je iznutra i izvana paklinom.

15 A pravit ćeš je ovako: neka korablja bude trista lakata u duljinu, pedeset u širinu, a trideset lakata u visinu.

16 Na korablji načini otvor za svjetlo, završi ga jedan lakat od vrha. Vrata na korablji načini sa strane; neka ima donji, srednji i gornji kat.

17 Ja ću, evo, pustiti potop - vode na zemlju - da izgine svako biće pod nebom, sve u čemu ima dah života: sve na zemlji mora poginuti.

18 A s tobom ću učiniti Savez; ti ćeš ući u korablju - ti i s tobom tvoji sinovi, tvoja žena i žene tvojih sinova.

19 A od svega što je živo - od svih bića - uvedi u korablju od svakoga po dvoje da s tobom preživi, i neka budu muško i žensko.

20 Od ptica prema njihovim vrstama, od životinja prema njihovim vrstama i od svih stvorova što po tlu puze prema njihovim vrstama: po dvoje od svega neka uđe k tebi da preživi.

21 Sa sobom uzmi svega za jelo pa čuvaj da bude hrane tebi i njima."

22 Noa učini tako. Sve kako mu je Bog naredio, tako je izvršio.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #637

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637. The implications of 'I will destroy them together with the earth' meaning that the human race would perish together with the Church are as follows: If the Lord's Church had been completely wiped out on earth, the human race could not have remained in being at all, for all without exception would have perished. As previously stated, the Church is as the heart. As long as the heart is alive, surrounding organs and limbs are able to live as well. But the moment the heart dies, everything else dies as well. The Lord's Church on earth is as the heart, and from it the human race, even that part of it lying outside of the Church, has life. The reason why is totally unknown to anybody. But so that something of this may be known, let it be said that the whole human race on earth is like the body and all its parts, with the Church resembling the heart. And if there were no Church, with which as a kind of heart the Lord might unite Himself by way of heaven and the world of spirits, there would be a severance; and once the human race was severed from the Lord it would perish instantly. This is the reason why since man was first created there has always been some Church in existence; and as often as the Church has begun to perish it has nevertheless remained with certain people.

[2] This was also the reason why the Lord came into the world. Unless, in His Divine mercy, He had come, the whole human race on this planet would have perished, for at that time the Church was nearing its end, and scarcely any good or truth was surviving. The reason the human race cannot possibly live unless it is joined to the Lord by way of heaven and the world of spirits is that regarded in himself man is even lower than animals. Left to himself he would rush to ruin himself and everybody else, for he has no other desire than to destroy himself and everybody else. His order ought to be as one person loving another as he does himself, but at present everyone loves himself more than others and so hates everybody else. Dumb animals are quite different however, for theirs is an order which they do live according to; and so they live wholly according to the order that is theirs, whereas man lives altogether contrary to order. Consequently unless the Lord had taken pity on man and by means of angels joined him to Himself he could not possibly live for a single moment. Of this man has no knowledge.

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