The Bible

 

Genesis 15

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1 After these things the word of Jehovah came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram; I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward.

2 And Abram said, Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me? seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus.

3 And Abram said, Lo, to me thou hast given no seed, and behold, a son of my house will be mine heir.

4 And behold, the word of Jehovah [came] to him, saying, This shall not be thine heir, but he that will come forth out of thy body shall be thine heir.

5 And he led him out, and said, Look now toward the heavens, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them. And he said to him, So shall thy seed be!

6 And he believed Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him [as] righteousness.

7 And he said to him, I am Jehovah who brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give thee this land to possess it.

8 And he said, Lord Jehovah, how shall I know that I shall possess it?

9 And he said to him, Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.

10 And he took all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid the half of each opposite its fellow; but the birds he did not divide.

11 And the birds of prey came down on the carcases; and Abram scared them away.

12 And as the sun was just going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, a horror, a great darkness, fell upon him.

13 And he said to Abram, Know assuredly that thy seed will be a sojourner in a land [that is] not theirs, and they shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.

14 But also that nation which they shall serve I will judge; and afterwards they shall come out with great property.

15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

16 And [in the] fourth generation they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

17 And it came to pass when the sun had gone down, and it was dark, that behold, there was a smoking furnace, and a flame of fire which passed between those pieces.

18 On the same day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates;

19 the Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,

20 and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaim,

21 and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1680

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1680. 'And also the Amorites inhabiting Hazezon-tamar' means kinds of evils derived from this. This is clear from what has just been stated and also from the representation and meaning of 'the Amorites', dealt with at verse 16 of the next chapter. As for the evils and falsities against which the Lord fought, it should be recognized that they were spirits from hell who were ruled by evils and falsities, that is, they were hells that were full of such things, hells which were infesting the human race constantly. Those in hell have but one desire, to destroy everyone; and they find nothing more pleasurable than inflicting torture on others.

[2] All spirits in the next life are distinguished as follows: Those who wish evil on others are hellish or devilish spirits, whereas those who will good to others are good and angelic spirits. A person may know whom he is among, whether among those from hell or those who are angelic, from this: If he intends evil to his neighbour, thinks nothing but evil regarding him, and when possible actually does it, and takes delight in this, he is among spirits from hell and also becomes one himself in the next life. The person however who intends good to his neighbour, thinks nothing but good regarding him, and when possible actually does it, is among angelic spirits, and also becomes an angel in the next life. This is how one spirit is to be distinguished from another; so let the individual examine himself in this way to discover what he himself is really like.

[3] Refraining from evil when one is unable to do it or when one dare not do it amounts in the end to nothing; and doing good for selfish reasons also amounts to nothing. These are external considerations that are taken away in the next life. There it is a person's thought and intention that determine what he is. There are many spirits who because they were accustomed to do so in the world are able to speak virtuously, but it is discerned in an instant whether their mind or intention is in agreement with what they say. If it is not, a person is cast away among spirits in hell who are of his own genus and species.

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