The Bible

 

Genesis 19

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1 Přišli pak dva andělé do Sodomy u večer, a Lot seděl v bráně Sodomské. Kteréžto když uzřel, vstav, šel jim v cestu a sklonil se tváří až k zemi.

2 A řekl: Aj, prosím páni moji, uchylte se nyní do domu služebníka svého, a zůstaňte přes noc; umyjete také nohy své a ráno vstanouce, půjdete cestou svou. Oni pak odpověděli: Nikoli, ale přenocujeme na ulici.

3 Ale když on je velmi nutil, obrátivše se k němu, vešli do domu jeho. I udělal jim hody, a napekl chlebů přesných, i jedli.

4 Prvé pak než lehli, muži města toho, muži Sodomští, osuli se vůkol domu toho, od mladého až do starého, všecken lid odevšad.

5 I volali na Lota, a řekli jemu: Kde jsou ti muži, kteříž přišli k tobě v noci? Vyveď je k nám, ať je poznáme.

6 I vyšel k nim Lot ven, a zavřel po sobě dvéře.

7 A řekl: Prosím, bratří moji, nečiňte zlého.

8 Aj, mám teď dvě dcery, kteréžto nepoznaly muže; vyvedu je nyní k vám, čiňte s nimi, jak se vám líbí; toliko mužům těmto nic nečiňte, poněvadž vešli pod stín střechy mé.

9 I řekli: Odejdi tam! A mluvili: Sám se dostal sem pohostinu, a chce nás souditi? Nyní tobě hůř uděláme, než jim. I obořili se násilně na muže toho, totiž na Lota, a přistoupili, aby vylomili dvéře.

10 Tedy muži ti vztáhli ven ruku svou, a uvedli Lota k sobě do domu, a dvéře zavřeli.

11 A ty muže, kteříž byli přede dveřmi domu, ranili slepotou velikou, od nejmenšího až do největšího, tak že ustali, hledajíce dveří.

12 I řekli muži k Lotovi: Máš-li ještě zde koho, buď zetě neb syny své, neb dcery své, i všecko, což máš v městě, vyveď z místa tohoto.

13 Nebo zkazíme místo toto, proto že se velmi rozmohl křik jejich před Hospodinem, a poslal nás Hospodin, abychom zkazili je.

14 Vyšed tedy Lot, mluvil k zeťům svým, kteříž již měli pojímati dcery jeho, a řekl: Vstaňte, vyjděte z místa tohoto, nebo zkazí Hospodin město toto. Ale zdálo se zeťům jeho, jako by žertoval.

15 A když zasvitávalo, nutili andělé Lota, řkouce: Vstaň, vezmi ženu svou a dvě dcery své, kteréž tu jsou, abys nezahynul v pomstě města.

16 A když prodléval, chopili muži ruku jeho, a ruku ženy jeho, a ruku dvou dcer jeho, nebo se slitoval nad ním Hospodin; i vyvedli jej, a pustili za městem.

17 A stalo se, když je vedli ven, řekl jeden: Zachovejž život svůj, neohlédej se zpět, ani se zastavuj na vší této rovině; ujdi na horu, abys nezahynul.

18 I řekl jim Lot: Ne tak, prosím, páni moji.

19 Aj, nyní nalezl služebník tvůj milost před očima tvýma, a veliké jest milosrdenství tvé, kteréž jsi učinil se mnou, když jsi zachoval duši mou; ale jáť nebudu moci ujíti na tu horu, aby mne nepostihlo to zlé, a umřel bych.

20 Hle, teď jest toto město blízko, do něhož bych utekl, a toť jest malé; prosím, nechť tam ujdu; však pak neveliké jest, a živa bude duše má.

21 I řekl k němu: Aj, uslyšel jsem žádost tvou i v této věci, abych nepodvrátil města toho, o němž jsi mluvil.

22 Pospěšiž, ujdi tam; neboť nebudu moci učiniti ničehož, dokudž tam nedojdeš. A z té příčiny nazváno jest jméno města toho Ségor.

23 Slunce vzcházelo nad zemi, když Lot všel do Ségor.

24 A Hospodin dštil na Sodomu a naGomoru sirou a ohněm od Hospodina s nebe.

25 A podvrátil ta města i všecku tu rovinu, všecky také obyvatele těch měst, i všecko, což roste z země.

26 I ohlédla se žena jeho, jduc za ním, a obrácena jest v sloup solný.

27 Vstav pak Abraham ráno, pospíšil k místu tomu, kdež byl stál před Hospodinem.

28 A pohleděv k Sodomě a Gomoře,i na všecku zemi té roviny, uzřel, a aj, vystupoval dým z země té, jako dým z vápenice.

29 Stalo se tedy, když kazil Bůh města té roviny, že se rozpomenul Bůh na Abrahama, a vytrhl Lota z prostředku podvrácení, když podvracel města, v nichž bydlil Lot.

30 Potom vyšel Lot z Ségor, a bydlil na hoře té, a obě dvě dcery jeho s ním; nebo nesměl bydliti v Ségor. I bydlil v jeskyni s oběma dcerami svými.

31 I řekla prvorozená k mladší: Otec náš jest již starý, a není žádného muže na zemi, ješto by všel k nám podlé obyčeje vší země.

32 Poď, dejme píti otci našemu vína, a spěme s ním, abychom zachovaly z otce našeho símě.

33 I daly píti otci svému vína té noci; a všedši prvorozená, spala s otcem svým, kterýžto necítil, ani když lehla, ani když vstala.

34 Nazejtří pak řekla prvorozená k mladší: Aj, spala jsem včerejší noci s otcem svým; dejme mu píti vína ještě této noci; potom vejduc, spi s ním, a zachovejme símě z otce našeho.

35 I daly píti ještě té noci otci svému vína; a vstala ta mladší, a spala s ním; on pak necítil, ani když ona lehla, ani když vstala.

36 A tak počaly obě dcery Lotovy z otce svého.

37 I porodila prvorozená syna, a nazvala jméno jeho Moáb; onť jest otec Moábských až do dnešního dne.

38 I mladší také porodila syna, a nazvala jméno jeho Ben Ammon; onť jest otcem Ammonitských až do dnešního dne.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2441

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2441. That 'the sun had gone forth over the earth' means the final period which is called the Last Judgement is clear from the meaning of 'sunrise' when the subject is the times and states of the Church. That the times of the day, like the seasons of the year also, in the internal sense mean the consecutive states of the Church has been shown already in 2323, and that 'the dawn' or 'the morning' means the coming of the Lord or approach of His kingdom, in 2405. Thus 'sunrise' or its going forth over the earth is His actual arrival or presence, the reason being that both the sun and the east where it rises mean the Lord - 'the sun', see 31, 32, 1053, 1521, 1529-1531, 2120, and 'the east', 101.

[2] The reason the Lord's arrival or presence coincides with the final period called the judgement is that His presence separates the good from the evil, and leads on to the good being raised into heaven and the evil casting themselves down into hell. For in the next life the Lord is the Sun of the whole of heaven, see 1053, 1521, 1529-1531. Actually it is the Divine celestial manifestation of His Love which appears before their very eyes as the sun and produces the light itself of heaven. To the extent therefore that those in the next life abide in celestial love they are raised up into that celestial light which comes from the Lord. But to the extent they are remote from celestial love they cast themselves away from that light into the darkness of hell.

[3] This then is the reason why 'sunrise' which means the Lord's arrival or presence entails both the salvation of the good and the condemnation of the evil; and why at this point it is first stated that 'Lot came to Zoar', that is, that people represented here by Lot were saved, and immediately after this that 'Jehovah rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire', that is, the evil were condemned.

[4] To those there who are immersed in the evils of self-love and love of the world, that is, who hate all things to do with love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour, the light of heaven actually appears as thick darkness. This is why it is said in the Word that to those people the sun was darkened, which means that they rejected everything to do with love and charity and accepted everything contrary to these, as in Ezekiel,

When I have blotted you out I will cover the heavens and darken their stars, I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light. All the bright lights in the heavens I will make dark over you, and I will put darkness over your land. Ezekiel 32:7-8.

Anyone may see that 'covering the heavens', 'darkening the stars', 'covering the sun', and 'making the bright lights dark' mean different things from these.

[5] Similarly in Isaiah,

The sun will be darkened in its going forth and the moon will not give its light. Isaiah 13:9-10.

And in Joel,

The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. Joel 2:2, 10.

This therefore shows what is meant by these words spoken by the Lord when He was describing the final period of the Church which is called the judgement, in Matthew,

Immediately after the affliction of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven. Matthew 24:29.

'The sun' is not used to mean the sun, nor 'the moon' the moon, nor 'stars' the stars, but 'the sun' is used to mean love and charity, 'the moon' faith derived from these, and 'the stars' cognitions of good and truth, which are said to have been darkened, to lose their light, and to fall from heaven when the acknowledgement of the Lord, and love to Him and charity towards the neighbour, cease to exist any longer. And when these have become non-existent self-love together with falsities deriving from it take possession of man; for the one thing results as a consequence of the other.

[6] This also explains the following in John,

The fourth angel poured out his bowl into the sun and it was allowed to scorch men with fire; therefore men were burned by the fierce heat, and they blasphemed the name of God. Revelation 16:8-9.

This too refers to the last times of the Church when all love and charity is being annihilated, or to express it in ordinary language, when no faith exists any longer. The annihilation of love and charity is meant by the statement that the bowl was poured out into the sun; consequently it is in that case self-love and its desires that are meant by the statement that men were scorched with fire and that they were burned by a fierce heat; and this led to their blaspheming the name of God.

[7] By 'the sun' the Ancient Church understood nothing other than the Lord and the Divine celestial manifestation of His love. It was their custom when praying therefore to turn towards the rising of the sun - yet without giving any thought at all to the sun itself. Later on however when their descendants had lost even this together with every other representative and meaningful sign they began to worship the sun and moon themselves. This kind of worship spread to very many nations, so much so that they dedicated temples to the sun and to the moon, and erected pillars. And because the sun and moon now assumed an opposite meaning they mean self-love and love of the world, which are the complete reverse of celestial and spiritual love.

[8] In the Word therefore worshipping the sun and moon is used to mean worship of self and of the world, as in Moses,

Lest you lift your eyes to heaven and you see the sun and moon and stars, all the host of heaven, and you are drawn away and bow down to them and serve them. Deuteronomy 4:19.

And in the same author,

If anyone has gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, and to the sun or moon, or to all the host of heaven, which I have not commanded, you shall stone them with stones, and they shall die. Deuteronomy 17:3, 5.

People turned the worship of old into such idolatry when they no longer believed that anything internal was meant in the religious observances of the Church, only that which is external.

[9] Similarly in Jeremiah,

At that time the bones of the kings of Judah, of the princes, of the priests, of the prophets, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, they will spread before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven which they have loved and which they have served. Jeremiah 8:1-2.

'The sun' stands for self-love and its desires. 'Spreading out the bones' means the hellish things which such people possess. In the same prophet,

He will break down the pillars of the house of the sun that is in the land of Egypt, and the houses of the gods of Egypt he will burn with fire. Jeremiah 43:13.

'The pillars of the house of the sun' stands for worship of self.

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