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Genesis 18

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1 Siden åbenbarede HE EN sig for ham ved Mamres Lund, engang han sad i Teltdøren på den hedeste Tid af Dagen.

2 Da han så op, fik han Øjetre Mænd, der stod foran ham. Så snart han fik Øje på dem, løb han dem i Møde fra Teltdøren, bøjede sig til Jorden

3 og sagde: "Herre, hvis jeg har fundet Nåde for dine Øjne, så gå ikke din Træl forbi!

4 Lad der blive hentet lidt Vand, så I kan tvætte eders Fødder og hvile ud under Træet.

5 Så vil jeg bringe et Stykke Brød, for at I kan styrke eder; siden kan I drage videre - da eders Vej nu engang har ført eder forbi eders Træl!" De svarede: "Gør, som du siger!"

6 Da skyndte Abraham sig ind i Teltet til Sara og sagde: "Tag hurtigt tre Mål fint Mel, ælt det og bag Kager deraf!"

7 Så ilede han ud til Kvæget, tog en fin og lækker Kalv og gav den til Svenden, og han tilberedte den i Hast.

8 Derpå tog han Surmælk og Sødmælk og den tilberedte Kalv, satte det for dem og gik dem til Hånde under Træet, og de spiste.

9 Da sagde de til ham: "Hvor er din Hustru Sara?" Han svarede: "Inde i Teltet!"

10 sagde han: "Næste År ved denne Tid kommer jeg til dig igen, og så har din Hustru Sara en Søn!" Men Sara lyttede i Teltdøren bag ved dem;

11 og da Abraham og Sara var gamle og højt oppe i Årene, og det ikke mere gik Sara på Kvinders Vis,

12 lo hun ved sig selv og tænkte: "Skulde jeg virkelig føle Attrå. nu jeg er affældig, og min Herre er gammel?"

13 Da sagde HE EN til Abraham: "Hvorfor ler Sara og tænker: Skulde jeg virkelig føde en Søn. nu jeg er gammel?

14 Skulde noget være umuligt for Herren? Næste År ved denne Tid kommer jeg til dig igen, og så har Sara en Søn!"

15 Men Sara nægtede og sagde: "Jeg lo ikke!" Thi hun frygtede. Men han sagde: "Jo, du lo!"

16 Så brød Mændene op derfra hen ad Sodoma til, og Abraham gik med for at følge dem på Vej.

17 Men HE EN sagde ved sig selv: "Skulde jeg vel dølge for Abraham, hvad jeg har i Sinde at gøre.

18 da Abraham dog skal blive til et stort og mægtigt Folk, og alle Jordens Folk skal velsignes i ham?

19 Jeg har jo udvalgt ham, for at han skal pålægge sine Børn og sine Efterkommere at vogte på HE ENs Vej ved at øve etfærdighed og et, for at HE EN kan give Abraham alt, hvad han har forjættet ham."

20 Da sagde HE EN: "Sandelig. Skriget over Sodoma og Gomorra er stort, og deres Synd er såre svar.

21 Derfor vil jeg stige ned og se. om de virkelig har handlet så galt. som det lyder til efter Skriget over dem, der har nået mig - derom vil jeg have Vished!"

22 Da vendte Mændene sig bort derfra og drog ad Sodoma til; men HE EN blev stående foran Abraham.

23 Og Abraham trådte nærmere og sagde: "Vil du virkelig udrydde retfærdige sammen med gudløse?

24 Måske findes der halvtredsindstyve retfærdige i Byen; vil du da virkelig udrydde dem og ikke tilgive Stedet for de halvtredsindstyve retfærdiges Skyld, som findes derinde.

25 Det være langt fra dig at handle således: at ihjelslå retfærdige sammen med gudløse, så de retfærdige får samme Skæbne som de gudløse - det være langt.fra dig! Skulde den, der dømmer hele Jorden, ikke selv øve et?"

26 Da sagde HE EN: "Dersom jeg finder halvtredsindstyve retfærdige i Sodoma, i selve Byen, vil jeg for deres Skyld tilgive hele Stedet!"

27 Men Abraham tog igen til Orde: "Se, jeg har dristet mig til at tale til min Herre, skønt jeg kun er Støv og Aske!

28 Måske mangler der fem i de halvtredsindstyve retfærdige - vil du da ødelægge hele Byen for fems Skyld?" Han svarede: "Jeg vil ikke ødelægge Byen, hvis jeg finder fem og fyrretyve i den."

29 Men han blev ved at tale til ham: "Måske findes der fyrretyve i den!" Han. svarede: "For de fyrretyves Skyld vil jeg lade det være."

30 Men han sagde: "Min Herre må ikke blive vred, men lad mig tale: Måske findes der tredive i den!" Han svarede: "Jeg skal ikke gøre det, hvis jeg finder tredive i den."

31 Men han sagde: "Se, jeg har dristet mig til at tale til min Herr: Måske findes de tyve i den!" Han svarede: "For de tyves Skyld vil jeg lade være at ødelægge den."

32 Men han sagde: "Min Herre må ikke blive vred, men lad mig kun tale denne ene Gang endnu; måske findes der ti i den!" Han svarede: "For de tis Skyld vil jeg lade være at ødelægge den."

33 Da nu HE EN havde talt ud med Abraham, gik han bort; og Abraham vendte tilbage til sin Bolig.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2280

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2280. Peradventure twenty shall be found there. That this signifies if there be not anything of combat, but still there be good, is evident from the signification of “twenty.” As all the numbers that are mentioned in the Word signify actual things, and states (as before said and shown in many places, see n. 2252), so also does “twenty;” and what it signifies can be seen from its derivation, namely, from twice ten. “Ten” in the Word, as also “tenths,” signify remains, by which is meant everything good and true that the Lord insinuates into man from infancy even to the end of his life, and which are treated of in the following verse. Twice ten, or double tenths, that is, twenty, signify the same, but in a higher degree, namely, good.

[2] Goods of three kinds are signified by remains, namely, the goods of infancy, the goods of ignorance, and the goods of intelligence. The goods of infancy are those which are insinuated into man from his very birth up to the age in which he is beginning to be instructed and to know something. The goods of ignorance are what are insinuated when he is being instructed and is beginning to know something. The goods of intelligence are what are insinuated when he is able to reflect upon what is good and what is true. The good of infancy exists from the man’s infancy up to the tenth year of his age; the good of ignorance, from this age up to his twentieth year. From this year the man begins to become rational, and to have the faculty of reflecting upon good and truth, and to procure for himself the good of intelligence.

[3] The good of ignorance is that which is signified by “twenty,” because those who are in the good of ignorance do not come into any temptation for no one is tempted before he is able to reflect, and in his own way to perceive the nature of good and truth. Those who have received goods by means of temptations have been treated of in the two immediately preceding verses; those who have not been in temptations, and yet have good, are now treated of in this verse.

[4] As those who have this good, which is called the good of ignorance, are signified by “twenty,” all those who went forth from Egypt were reckoned from “a son of twenty years” and upward; or as it is expressed, “everyone going forth into the army,” by whom are meant those who were no longer in the good of ignorance, concerning whom we read in Numbers (1:20, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 40, 42 (Numbers 1:42), 45; 26:4); and also that all those who were more than twenty years old died in the wilderness (32:10-11), because evil could be imputed to them, and they represented those who yield in temptations; as well as that the valuing made of a male, from “a son of five years” to “a son of twenty years” was “twenty shekels” (Leviticus 17:5); and another valuing from “a son of twenty years” old to one of sixty was fifty shekels (verse 3).

[5] As regards the before-mentioned goods, namely those of infancy, of ignorance, and of intelligence, the case is this. The good of intelligence is the best, for this is of wisdom the good which precedes it, namely that of ignorance, is indeed good, but as there is but little of intelligence in it, it cannot be called the good of wisdom; and as for the good of infancy, it is indeed good in itself, but still it is less good than the other two; for as yet there is not any truth of intelligence adjoined to it, and thus it has not become any good of wisdom, but it is only a plane for being able to become so; for it is the knowledges of good and truth that cause a man to be wise as a man. Infancy itself, by which is signified innocence, does not belong to infancy, but to wisdom; as can be better seen from what will be said about little children in the other life, at the end of this chapter.

[6] By “twenty,” in this verse, as has been said, there is signified no other good than the good of ignorance which good is not only declared to be with those who are under their twentieth year, as already said, but also with all who are in the good of charity and at the same time in ignorance of truth, as are those within the church who are in the good of charity, but from whatever cause, do not know what the truth of faith is; as is the case with very many of those who think devoutly about God and kindly about the neighbor; and as is also the case with all outside the church, who are called Gentiles, and who in like manner live in the good of charity. Both the latter and the former, although not in the truths of faith, yet being in good, are in the faculty of receiving the truths of faith in the other life equally as are little children; for their understanding has not as yet been tainted with principles of falsity, nor their will so confirmed in a life of evil, because they are ignorant of its being falsity and evil; and the life of charity is attended with this: that the falsity and evil of ignorance may be easily bent to truth and good. Not so is it with those who have confirmed themselves in things contrary to the truth, and at the same time have lived a life in things contrary to good.

[7] In other cases by “two tenths” in the Word is signified good both celestial and spiritual, good celestial and thence spiritual by the two tenths of which every loaf of the showbread or bread of faces was prepared (Leviticus 24:5), and spiritual good by the two tenths of the meat-offering with the sacrifice of the ram (Numbers 15:6; 28:12, 20, 28; 29:3, 9, 14), concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy elsewhere.

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