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Genezo 14

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1 Kaj estis en la tempo de Amrafel, regxo de SXinar, Arjohx, regxo de Elasar, Kedorlaomer, regxo de Elam, kaj Tidal, regxo de Gojim;

2 ili faris militon kontraux Bera, regxo de Sodom, kaj Birsxa, regxo de Gomora, SXinab, regxo de Adma, kaj SXemeber, regxo de Ceboim, kaj la regxo de Bela, kiu estas Coar.

3 CXiuj cxi tiuj kunvenis en la valo Sidim, kiu nun estas la Sala Maro.

4 Dek du jarojn ili servis al Kedorlaomer, kaj en la dek-tria ili ribeligxis.

5 Kaj en la dek-kvara jaro venis Kedorlaomer, kaj la regxoj, kiuj estis kun li, kaj ili venkobatis la Rafaidojn en Asxterot-Karnaim, kaj la Zuzidojn en Ham, kaj la Emidojn en SXave-Kirjataim,

6 kaj la HXoridojn sur ilia monto Seir gxis El-Paran, kiu estas cxe la dezerto.

7 Kaj ili reiris kaj venis al En-Misxpat, kiu estas Kadesx, kaj venkobatis la tutan kampon de la Amalekidoj, kaj ankaux la Amoridojn, kiuj logxis en HXacacon-Tamar.

8 Kaj eliris la regxo de Sodom kaj la regxo de Gomora kaj la regxo de Adma kaj la regxo de Ceboim, kaj la regxo de Bela, kiu estas Coar, kaj komencis batalon kontraux ili en la valo Sidim,

9 kontraux Kedorlaomer, regxo de Elam, kaj Tidal, regxo de Gojim, kaj Amrafel, regxo de SXinar, kaj Arjohx, regxo de Elasar; kvar regxoj kontraux kvin.

10 Kaj en la valo Sidim estis multe da bitumaj kavoj; kaj la regxoj de Sodom kaj Gomora forkuris kaj falis tien, kaj la restintoj kuris sur la monton.

11 Kaj ili prenis la tutan havon de Sodom kaj Gomora kaj ilian tutan mangxeblajxon, kaj foriris.

12 Ili prenis Loton, la nevon de Abram, kaj lian havon, cxar li logxis en Sodom, kaj ili foriris.

13 Kaj venis forsavigxinto kaj diris al Abram la Hebreo, kiu logxis en la arbareto de Mamre la Amorido, frato de Esxkol kaj frato de Aner, kiuj estis en interligo kun Abram.

14 Kaj Abram auxdis, ke lia frato estas kaptita, kaj li elkondukis siajn ekzercitojn, naskitajn en lia domo, tricent dek ok, kaj persekutis gxis Dan.

15 Kaj li dividis sin kontraux ili en la nokto, li kaj liaj domanoj, kaj venkobatis ilin, kaj persekutis ilin gxis HXoba, kiu estas maldekstre de Damasko.

16 Kaj li revenigis la tutan havon, kaj ankaux sian fraton Lot kaj lian havon li revenigis, kaj ankaux la virinojn kaj la popolon.

17 Kaj la regxo de Sodom eliris al li renkonte, kiam li revenis, venkinte Kedorlaomeron kaj la regxojn, kiuj estis kun li, en la valon SXave, kiu estas Valo de la Regxo.

18 Kaj Melkicedek, regxo de Salem, elportis panon kaj vinon. Li estis pastro de Dio Plejsupra.

19 Kaj li benis lin kaj diris: Benata estu Abram de Dio Plejsupra, la Kreinto de la cxielo kaj la tero;

20 kaj benata estu Dio Plejsupra, kiu transdonis viajn malamikojn en viajn manojn. Kaj Abram donis al li dekonajxon el cxio.

21 Kaj la regxo de Sodom diris al Abram: Donu al mi la homojn, kaj la havon prenu al vi.

22 Kaj Abram diris al la regxo de Sodom: Mi levas mian manon al la Eternulo, Dio Plejsupra, la Kreinto de la cxielo kaj la tero,

23 ke ecx fadenon aux rimenon de sxuo mi ne prenos el cxio, kio apartenas al vi, por ke vi ne diru: Mi ricxigis Abramon;

24 escepto estos nur tio, kion mangxis la junuloj, kaj la parto de la homoj, kiuj iris kun mi: Aner, Esxkol, kaj Mamre; ili prenu sian parton.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #1616

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1616. And Abram pitched his tent, and came and dwelt in the oak-groves of Mamre that are in Hebron. That this signifies that the Lord attained to a perception still more internal, is evident from the signification of “pitching a tent,” that is, of moving and fixing a tent, as being to be conjoined,—for a “tent” is the holy of worship (as shown before, n. 414, 1452), by which the external man is conjoined with the internal-and from the signification of an “oak-grove,” as being perception, as explained above (n. 1442, 1443), where it was “the oak-grove of Moreh,” which is the first perception; but here, “the oak-groves of Mamre,” in the plural, which signify more perception, that is, perception more internal. This perception is called “the oak-groves of Mamre that are in Hebron.” “Mamre” is also mentioned elsewhere (as in Genesis 14:13; 18:1; 23:17-19; 35:27), and Hebron likewise (as in Genesis 35:27; 37:14; Josh. 10:36, 39; 14:13-14, 15; 15:13, 54; 20:7; 21:11, 13; Judges 1:10, 20; and in other places); but with what signification, will of the Lord’s Divine mercy be seen where these passages are explained.

[2] As to “the oak-groves of Mamre that are in Hebron” signifying a still more internal perception, the case is as follows. As the things that are of the external man are conjoined with the celestial things of the internal man, so perception increases and becomes more internal. Conjunction with celestial things gives perception; for in the celestial things that are of love to Jehovah is the very life of the internal man; or what is the same, in the celestial things that are of love, that is, in celestial love, Jehovah is present, which presence is not perceived in the external man until conjunction has been effected, all perception being from conjunction.

[3] From the internal sense it is here evident how the case was with the Lord, namely, that His external man, or the Human Essence, was conjoined with the Divine Essence by degrees, according to the multiplication and fructification of knowledges. In no way can anyone, as a man, be conjoined with Jehovah or the Lord, except by means of knowledges, for by means of knowledges a man becomes a man; and so the Lord, because born as are other men, was also instructed as they are, but into His knowledges as receptacles celestial things were constantly being insinuated, so that the knowledges continually became the recipient vessels of celestial things, and themselves also became celestial.

[4] He continually advanced in this way to the celestial things of infancy for, as before said, the celestial things that are of love are insinuated from the earliest infancy up to childhood, and also to youth, when being a man he is then and afterwards imbued with knowledges [scientiae et cognitiones]. If the man is such that he can be regenerated, these knowledges are then filled with the celestial things that are of love and charity, and are thus implanted in the celestial things with which he has been gifted from infancy up to childhood and youth; and thus his external man is conjoined with his internal man.

They are first implanted in the celestial things with which he was gifted in youth, next in those with which he was gifted in childhood, and finally in those with which he was gifted in infancy; and then he is a “little child,” of whom the Lord said that “of such is the kingdom of God.” This implantation is effected by the Lord alone; and for this reason nothing celestial is possible with man, nor can be, that is not from the Lord, and that is not the Lord’s.

[5] But the Lord from His own power conjoined His external man with His internal man, and filled His knowledges with celestial things, and implanted them in the celestial things, and this in fact according to Divine order; first in the celestial things of His childhood, next in the celestial things of the age between childhood and infancy; and finally in the celestial things of His infancy; and thus at the same time became, as to the Human Essence, innocence itself and love itself, from which are all innocence and all love in the heavens and on earth. Such innocence is true infancy, because it is at the same time wisdom. But the innocence of infancy, unless by means of knowledges it becomes the innocence of wisdom, is of no use; and therefore in the other life infants are imbued with knowledges. As the Lord implanted knowledges in celestial things, so had He perception, for, as before said, all perception is from conjunction. He had His first perception when He implanted the memory-knowledges of childhood, which perception is signified by “the oak-grove of Moreh;” and His second, treated of here, which is more internal, when He implanted knowledges, which perception is signified by “the oak-groves of Mamre that are in Hebron.”

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

The Bible

 

Joshua 9

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1 It happened, when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country, and in the lowland, and on all the shore of the great sea in front of Lebanon, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard of it

2 that they gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.

3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,

4 they also resorted to a ruse, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins, old and torn and bound up,

5 and old and patched shoes on their feet, and wore old garments. All the bread of their provision was dry and moldy.

6 They went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel, "We have come from a far country. Now therefore make a covenant with us."

7 The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "What if you live among us. How could we make a covenant with you?"

8 They said to Joshua, "We are your servants." Joshua said to them, "Who are you? Where do you come from?"

9 They said to him, "Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of Yahweh your God; for we have heard of his fame, all that he did in Egypt,

10 and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth.

11 Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, 'Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and tell them, "We are your servants. Now make a covenant with us."'

12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we went out to go to you; but now, behold, it is dry, and has become moldy.

13 These wineskins, which we filled, were new; and behold, they are torn. These our garments and our shoes have become old because of the very long journey."

14 The men sampled their provisions, and didn't ask counsel from the mouth of Yahweh.

15 Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them, to let them live. The princes of the congregation swore to them.

16 It happened at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they lived among them.

17 The children of Israel traveled and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath Jearim.

18 The children of Israel didn't strike them, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel. All the congregation murmured against the princes.

19 But all the princes said to all the congregation, "We have sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch them.

20 This we will do to them, and let them live; lest wrath be on us, because of the oath which we swore to them."

21 The princes said to them, "Let them live, so they became wood cutters and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the princes had spoken to them."

22 Joshua called for them, and he spoke to them, saying, "Why have you deceived us, saying, 'We are very far from you,' when you live among us?

23 Now therefore you are cursed, and some of you will never fail to be bondservants, both wood cutters and drawers of water for the house of my God."

24 They answered Joshua, and said, "Because your servants were certainly told how Yahweh your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you. Therefore we were very afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.

25 Now, behold, we are in your hand. Do to us as it seems good and right to you to do."

26 He did so to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they didn't kill them.

27 That day Joshua made them wood cutters and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of Yahweh, to this day, in the place which he should choose.