The Bible

 

Genesis 9

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1 Derpå velsignede Gud Noa og hans Sønner og sagde til dem: Bliv frugtbare og mangfoldige og opfyld Jorden!

2 Frygt for eder og ædsel for eder skal være over alle Jordens vildtlevende Dyr og alle Himmelens Fugle og i alt, hvad Jorden vrimler med, og i alle Havets Fisk; i eders Hånd er de givet!

3 Alt, hvad der rører sig og lever, skal tjene eder til Føde; ligesom de grønne Urter giver jeg eder det alt sammen.

4 Dog Kød med Sjælen, det er Blodet, må I ikke spise!

5 Men for eders eget Blod kræver jeg Hævn; af ethvert Dyr kræver jeg Hævn for det, og af Menneskene indbyrdes kræver jeg Hævn for Menneskenes Liv.

6 Om nogen udøser Menneskers Blod, ved Mennesker skal hans Blod udøses, thi i sit Billede gjorde Gud Menneskene.

7 Men I skal blive frugtbare og mangfoldige! Opfyld Jorden og gør eder til Herre over den!"

8 Derpå sagde Gud til Noa og hans Sønner:

9 "Se, jeg opretter min Pagt med eder og eders Efterkommere efter eder

10 og med hvert levende Væsen, som er hos eder, Fuglene, Kvæget og alle Jordens vildtlevende Dyr, alt, hvad der gik ud af Arken, alle Jordens Dyr;

11 jeg opretter min Pagt med eder og lover, at aldrig mere skal alt Kød udryddes af Flodens Vande, og aldrig mere skal der komme en Vandflod for at ødelægge Jorden!"

12 Fremdeles sagde Gud: "Dette er Tegnet på den Pagt, jeg til evige Tider opretter mellem mig og eder og hvert levende Væsen, som er hos eder:

13 Min Bue sætter jeg i Skyen, og den skal være Pagtstegn mellem mig og Jorden!

14 Når jeg trækker Skyer sammen over Jorden, og Buen da viser sig i Skyerne,

15 vil jeg komme den Pagt i Hu, som består mellem mig og eder og hvert levende Væsen, det er alt Kød, og Vandet skal ikke mere blive til en Vandflod, som ødelægger alt Kød.

16 Når Buen da står i Skyerne, vil jeg se hen til den og ihukomme den evige Pagt mellem Gud og hvert levende Væsen, det er alt KødJorden."

17 Og Gud sagde til Noa: "Det er Tegnet på den Pagt, jeg opretter imellem mig og alt KødJorden!"

18 Noas Sønner, der gik ud af Arken, var Sem, Kam og Jafet; Kam var Fader til Kana'an;

19 det var Noas tre Sønner, og fra dem stammer hele Jordens Befolkning.

20 Noa var Agerdyrker og den første, der plantede en Vingård.

21 Da han nu drak af Vinen, blev han beruset og blottede sig inde i, sit Telt.

22 Da så Kana'ans Fader Kam sin Faders Blusel og gik ud og fortalte sine Brødre det;

23 men Sem og Jafet tog Kappen, lagde den på deres Skuldre og gik baglæns ind og tildækkede deres Faders Blusel med bortvendte Ansigter, så de ikke så deres Faders Blusel.

24 Da Noa vågnede af sin us og fik at vide, hvad hans yngste Søn havde gjort ved ham,

25 sagde han: "Forbandet være Kana'an, Trælles Træl blive han for sine Brødre!"

26 Fremdeles sagde han: "Lovet være HE EN, Sems Gud, og Kana'an blive hans Træl!

27 Gud skaffe Jafet Plads, at han må bo i Sems Telte; og Kana'an blive hans Træl!"

28 Noa levede 350 År efter Vandfloden;

29 således blev Noas fulde Levetid 950 År, og derpå døde han.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1097

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1097. And Canaan shall be his servant. That this signifies that such as make worship consist solely in externals are among those who may perform vile services to the men of the church, is evident especially from the representatives in the Jewish Church. In the Jewish Church the internal church was represented by Judah and Israel; by Judah the celestial church, by Israel the spiritual church, and by Jacob the external church. But those who made worship consist solely in externals were represented by the Gentiles, whom they called strangers, and who were their servants, and performed menial services in the church. As in Isaiah:

Strangers shall stand and feed your flock, and the sons of the stranger shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers; but ye shall be called the priests of Jehovah; the ministers of our God shall ye be called; ye shall eat the wealth of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves (Isaiah 61:5-6).

Here celestial men are called the “priests of Jehovah” spiritual men the “ministers of our God;” those who make worship consist solely in externals are called the “sons of the stranger” who should serve in their fields and vineyards.

[2] Again:

The sons of the stranger shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee (Isaiah 60:10), where in like manner their services are mentioned.

In Joshua concerning the Gibeonites:

Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall not be cut off from you a servant, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God; and Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, especially for the altar of Jehovah (Joshua 9:23, 27).It may be seen elsewhere who were represented by the Gibeonites, because of the covenant made with them, in spite of which however they were among those who served in the church. Concerning strangers, a law was delivered, that if they would receive peace and open their gates, they should be tributary and serve (Deuteronomy 20:11; 1 Kings 9:21-22). Everything written in the Word concerning the Jewish Church was representative of the kingdom of the Lord. The kingdom of the Lord is such that everyone in it, whosoever and whatsoever he may be, must perform some use. Nothing but use is regarded by the Lord in His kingdom. Even the infernals must perform some use, but the uses which they perform are most vile. Among those who in the other life perform vile uses are those who have had merely external worship, separated from internal.

[3] Moreover the representatives in the Jewish Church were of such a nature that there was no thought about the person that represented, but only about the thing represented thereby; as for instance in the case of the Jews, who were by no means celestial men, and yet represented them; and Israel again was by no means a spiritual man, yet represented him; and so it was with Jacob and the rest. The same was the case with the kings and priests, by whom was represented the royalty and holiness of the Lord. This is very evident from the use of inanimate things for representation, as Aaron’s garments, the altar itself, the tables for bread, the lamps, the bread and wine, besides oxen, bullocks, goats, sheep, kids, lambs, pigeons, and turtledoves. And because the sons of Judah and Israel only represented the internal and external worship of the Lord’s church, and yet more than others made all worship consist in externals, they above all others may be called “Canaan” according to his signification here.

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