The Bible

 

Genesis 8

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1 Da ihukom Gud Noa og alle de vilde Dyr og Kvæget, som var hos ham i Arken; og Gud lod en Storm fare hen over Jorden, så at Vandet begyndte at falde;

2 Verdensdybets Kilder og Himmelens Sluser lukkedes, egnen fra Himmelen standsede,

3 og Vandet veg lidt efter lidt bort fra Jorden, og Vandet tog af efter de 150 Dages Forløb.

4 På den syttende Dag i den syvende Måned sad Arken fast på Ararats Bjerge,

5 og Vandet vedblev at synke indtil den tiende Måned, og på den første Dag i denne Måned dukkede Bjergenes Toppe frem.

6 Da der var gået fyrretyve Dage: åbnede Noa den Luge, han havde lavet på Arken,

7 og sendte en avn ud; den fløj frem og tilbage, indtil Vandet var tørret bort fra Jorden.

8 Da sendte han en Due ud for at se, om Vandet var sunket fra Jordens Overflade;

9 men Duen fandt intet Sted at sætte sin Fod og vendte tilbage til ham i Arken, fordi der endnu var Vand over hele Jorden; og han rakte Hånden ud og tog den ind i Arken til sig.

10 Derpå biede han yderligere syv Dage og sendte så atter Duen ud fra Arken;

11 ved Aftenstid kom Duen tilbage til ham, og se, den havde et friskt Olieblad i Næbbet. Da skønnede Noa, at Vandet var svundet bort fra Jorden.

12 Derpå biede han syv Dage til, og da han så sendte Duen ud, kom den ikke mere tilbage til ham.

13 I Noas 601ste Leveår på den første Dag i den første Måned var Vandet tørret bort fra Jorden. Da tog Noa Dækket af Arken, og da han så sig om, se, da var Jordens Overflade tør.

14 På den syv og tyvende Dag i den anden Måned var Jorden tør.

15 Da sagde Gud til Noa:

16 "Gå ud af Arken med din Hustru, dine Sønner og dine Sønnekoner

17 og for alle Dyr, der er hos dig, alt Kød, Fugle, Kvæg og alt Kryb, der kryber på Jorden, ud med dig, at de kan vrimle på Jorden og blive frugtbare og mangfoldige på Jorden!"

18 Da gik Noa ud med sine Sønner, sin Hustru og sine Sønnekoner;

19 og alle de vildtlevende Dyr, alt Kvæget, alle Fuglene og alt Krybet, der kryber på Jorden, efter deres Slægter, gik ud af Arken.

20 Derpå byggede Noa HE EN et Alter og tog nogle af alle de rene Dyr og Fugle og ofrede Brændofre på Alteret.

21 Og da HE EN indåndede den liflige Duft, sagde han til sig selv: "Jeg vil aldrig mere forbande Jorden for Menneskenes Skyld, thi Menneskehjertets Higen er ond fra Ungdommen af, og jeg vil aldrig mere tilintetgøre alt, hvad der lever, således som jeg nu har gjort!

22 Herefter skal, så længe Jorden står, Sæd og Høst, Kulde og Hede, Sommer og Vinter, Dag og Nat ikke ophøre!"

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #935

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935. 'And summer and winter' means the state of a regenerate person as regards things belonging to his new will, which by turns come and go as summer and winter do. This becomes clear from what has been stated about cold and heat. The changes taking place in people who have yet to be regenerated are likened to cold and heat, while those that take place in those who have been regenerated are likened to summer and winter. That the person who has yet to be regenerated is the subject of the former phrase while one who has been regenerated is the subject of this latter is clear from the consideration that with the former 'cold' is mentioned first and 'heat' second, while here 'summer' comes first and 'winter' second. The reason is that the person who is being regenerated starts from 'cold', that is, from the point of no faith and charity; but once he has been regenerated he starts from the point of charity.

[2] The fact that a regenerate person experiences alternations, that is to say, at one point no charity resides with him and at the next some charity, is perfectly clear for the reason that with everybody, even the regenerate, nothing but evil exists. Everything good with him is the Lord's alone. Because nothing but evil exists with him it is inevitable that he undergoes such changes, at one time living so to speak in 'summer', that is, in charity, and at another in 'winter', that is, in no charity. The result of such changes is that a person is being ever more perfected and so made ever more happy. Such changes take place with a regenerate person not only during his lifetime but also when he has entered the next life, for without changes like those of summer and winter as regards things of the will, and like those of day and night as regards things of the understanding, he is in no way perfected and made more happy. In the next life however people's changes are like those of summer and winter in temperate regions and like those of day and night in springtime.

[3] The Prophets too describe these states as summer and winter, and as day and night, as in Zechariah,

And it will be, on that day living waters will flow out from Jerusalem, part of them to the eastern sea and part of them to the western sea; in summer and in winter will it be. Zechariah 14:8.

This refers to the New Jerusalem, or the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth, that is, the state of His kingdom in both places, which is also called summer and winter. In David,

O God, Your is the day, Thine also is the night. You have prepared the light and the sun, You have fixed all the bounds of the earth, You have made summer and winter. Psalms 74:16-17.

These words embody like matters. Similarly in Jeremiah who says that the covenant for the day is not to be broken, nor the covenant for the night, so that day and night come at their appointed time, Jeremiah 33:20.

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