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Genesis 20

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1 Der På brød Abraham op derfra til Sydlandet og slog sig ned mellem Kadesj og Sjur og boede som fremmed i Gerar.

2 Da nu Abraham sagde om sin Hustru Sara, at hun var hans Søster, sendte Kong Abimelek af Gerar Bud og lod Sara hente til sig.

3 Men Gud kom til Abimelek i en Drøm om Natten og sagde til ham: "Se, du skal for den Kvindes Skyld, som du har taget, thi hun er en anden Mands Hustru!"

4 Abimelek var imidlertid ikke kommet hende nær; og han sagde: "Herre, vil du virkelig.slå retfærdige Folk ihjel?

5 Har han ikke sagt mig, at hun er hans Søster? Og hun selv har også sagt, at han er hendes Broder; i mit Hjertes Troskyldighed og med rene Hænder har jeg gjort dette."

6 Da sagde Gud til ham i Drømmen: "Jeg ved, at du har gjort det i dit Hjertes Troskyldighed, og jeg har også hindret dig i at synde imod mig; derfor tilstedte jeg dig ikke at røre hende.

7 Men send nu Mandens Hustru tilbage, thi han er en Profet, så han kan gå i Forbøn for dig, og du kan blive i Live; men sender du hende ikke tilbage, så vid, at du og alle dine er dødsens!"

8 Tidligt næste Morgen lod Abimelek alle sine Tjenere kalde og fortalte dem det hele, og Mændene blev såre forfærdede.

9 Men Abimelek lod Abraham kalde og sagde til ham: "Hvad har du dog gjort imod os? Og hvad har jeg forbrudt imod dig, at du bragte denne store Synd over mig og mit ige? Du har gjort imod mig, hvad man ikke bør gøre!"

10 Og Abimelek sagde til Abraham: "Hvad bragte dig til at handle således?"

11 Abraham svarede: "Jo, jeg tænkte: Her er sikkert ingen Gudsfrygt på dette Sted, så de vil slå mig ihjel for min Hustrus Skyld.

12 Desuden er hun virkelig min Søster, min Faders Datter, kun ikke min Moders; men hun blev min Hustru.

13 Og da nu Gud lod mig flakke om fjernt fra min Faders Hus, sagde jeg til hende: Den Godhed må du vise mig, at du overalt, hvor vi kommer hen, siger, at jeg er din Broder."

14 Derpå tog Abimelelk Småkvæg og Hornkvæg, Trælle og Trælkvinder og gav Abraham dem og sendte hans Hustru Sara tilbage til ham;

15 og Abimelek sagde til ham: "Se, mit Land ligger åbent for dig; slå dig ned, hvor du lyster!"

16 Men til Sara sagde han: "Jeg har givet din Broder 1000 Sekel Sølv, det skal være dig Godtgørelse for alt, hvad der er tilstødt dig. Hermed har du fået fuld Oprejsning."

17 Men Abraham gik i Forbøn hos Gud, og Gud helbredte Abimelek og hans Hustru og Medhustruer, så at de atter fik Børn.

18 HE EN havde nemlig lukket for ethvert Moderliv i Abimeleks Hus for Abrahams Hustru Saras Skyld.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1589

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1589. 'Like the land of Egypt as you come to Zoar' means facts acquired from affections for good. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'Egypt', dealt with in 1164, 1165, in a good sense in 1462, as knowledge, and from the meaning of 'Zoar' as the affection for good. Zoar was a city not far from Sodom, to which also Lot fled when he was snatched by angels from the fire of Sodom, as described in Genesis 19:20, 22, 30. In addition to this, Zoar is referred to in Genesis 14:2, 8; Deuteronomy 34:3; Isaiah 15:5; Jeremiah 48:34, in all of which places also it means an affection. And since it means the affection for good, it also means in the contrary sense, as is usual, the affection for evil.

[2] There are three constituent parts of the external man - rational, factual, and external sensory. The rational part is more interior, the factual more exterior, and the external sensory the most external. The rational is the part by means of which the internal man is joined to the external, the character of the rational determining the character of this conjunction. The external sensory part consists in the present instance in sight and hearing. But in itself the rational has no existence if affection does not flow into it, making it active so as to receive life. Consequently the rational receives its character from that of the affection flowing into it. When the affection for good flows in, that affection for good becomes with the rational an affection for truth; and the contrary happens when the affection for evil flows in. Because the factual part attaches itself to the rational and serves as its agent it also follows that the affection flows into and reorganizes the factual part. For nothing has life in the external man apart from affection. The reason is that the affection for good comes down from the celestial, that is, from celestial love, which imparts life to everything into which it flows, even to affections for evil, that is, to evil desires.

[3] Actually the good of love from the Lord flows in constantly, doing so through the internal man into the external. But anyone who is governed by an affection for evil, that is, by an evil desire, corrupts that good. Nevertheless the life brought to it remains. Such may be seen from a comparison with objects on which the sun's rays fall. There are some objects which accept them in a most beautiful way, converting them into the most beautiful colours, as a diamond, ruby, jacinth, sapphire, and other precious stones do. Other objects however do not accept them in that manner but convert them into the ugliest colours. The same point may be shown from the very characters of people. There are some who accept the good actions of another with every display of affection, while others convert them into evil. From this it becomes clear what the knowledge acquired from affections for good is which is meant by 'the land of Egypt as you come to Zoar' when the rational is 'like the garden of Jehovah'.

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