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Genesis 19

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1 Ja need kaks inglit jõudsid õhtul Soodomasse. Lott istus parajasti Soodoma väravas. Kui Lott neid nägi, siis ta tõusis neile vastu, kummardas silmili maha

2 ja ütles: 'Ennäe mu isandaid! Astuge ometi oma sulase kotta, jääge öömajale ja peske oma jalad! Hommikul võite vara üles tõusta ja oma teekonda jätkata!' Kuid nad vastasid: 'Ei, me jääme ööseks välja.'

3 Aga ta käis neile väga peale. Siis nad põikasid tema juurde ning tulid ta kotta. Ja ta valmistas neile pidusöögi, küpsetas hapnemata leibu ja nad sõid.

4 Nad ei olnud veel magama heitnud, kui linna mehed, Soodoma mehed, niihästi noored kui vanad, kogu rahvas viimseni, ümbritsesid koja

5 ja hüüdsid Lotti ning ütlesid temale: 'Kus on mehed, kes öösel tulid sinu juurde? Too nad välja meie kätte, et saaksime neid katsuda!'

6 Siis Lott läks välja nende juurde ukse ette, sulges ukse enese järel

7 ja ütles: 'Mu vennad, ärge ometi tehke kurja!

8 Vaadake, mul on kaks tütart, kes mehest veel midagi ei tea. Ma toon need välja teie kätte ja talitage nendega, nagu teie silmis hea on. Neile meestele ärge tehke midagi, sest nad on tulnud varjule minu katuse alla!'

9 Kuid nad vastasid: 'Käi minema!' Ja nad ütlesid: 'Ise on tulnud võõrana elama, aga tahab olla kohtumõistjaks! Nüüd me kohtleme sind halvemini kui neid!' Ja nad kippusid väga mehe, Loti kallale ning asusid ust maha murdma.

10 Siis mehed sirutasid käed välja, tõmbasid Loti enese juurde kotta ja sulgesid ukse.

11 Aga mehi, kes koja ukse taga olid, lõid nad pimestusega, niihästi väikesi kui suuri, nõnda et need väsisid ust otsimast.

12 Ja mehed ütlesid Lotile: 'Kes sul veel siin on, väimees ja pojad ja tütred ja kõik, kes sul linnas on, vii siit paigast ära,

13 sest me hävitame selle paiga, kuna hädakisa nende pärast on Issanda ees suur; ja Issand on meid läkitanud seda hävitama!'

14 Siis Lott läks välja ja kõneles oma väimeestega, kes pidid võtma ta tütred, ning ütles: 'Tõuske, minge siit paigast ära, sest Issand hävitab selle linna!' Aga oma väimeeste meelest heitis ta nalja.

15 Ja kui hakkas koitma, kiirustasid inglid Lotti, öeldes: 'Tõuse, võta oma naine ja kaks tütart, kes siin on, et sa ei hukkuks linna süü pärast!'

16 Ja kui ta veel kõhkles, siis haarasid mehed kinni ta käest, ja ta naise käest ja ta mõlema tütre käest, sest Issand tahtis teda säästa; ja nad viisid ta ära ning jätsid väljapoole linna.

17 Ja neid välja viies nad ütlesid: 'Päästa oma hing! Ära vaata selja taha ja ära peatu mitte kuskil ümbruskonnas! Põgene mäestikku, et sa ei hukkuks!'

18 Ja Lott vastas neile: 'Muidugi mitte, mu isand!

19 Vaata, su sulane on küll sinu silmis armu leidnud ja suur on su heldus, mida sa oled mulle osutanud, jättes mu hinge elama. Aga ma ei suuda põgeneda mäestikku, et õnnetus mind ei tabaks ja ma ei sureks.

20 Vaata, see linn taamal on nii ligidal, et sinna võiks põgeneda, ja on pisitilluke. Kui ma ometi sinna pääseksin - eks ole, see on ju pisitilluke? -, siis võiks mu hing jääda elama!'

21 Ja ta vastas temale: 'Vaata, ma võtan sind kuulda ka selles asjas ega paiska segi linna, millest sa räägid.

22 Tõtta, põgene sinna, sest ma ei või midagi teha enne, kui sa sinna oled jõudnud!' Seepärast pandi sellele linnale nimeks Soar.

23 Päike oli just tõusnud maa kohale, kui Lott jõudis Soari.

24 Ja Issand laskis sadada Soodoma ja Gomorra peale väävlit ja tuld Issanda juurest taevast

25 ning hävitas need linnad ja kogu ümbruskonna, kõik linnade elanikud ja maa taimestiku.

26 Aga Loti naine, kes ta järel käis, vaatas tagasi ja muutus soolasambaks.

27 Ja Aabraham läks hommikul vara paika, kus ta Issanda ees oli seisnud,

28 heitis pilgu alla Soodoma ja Gomorra poole ja kogu ümbruskonna maapinnale, vaatas, ja ennäe, maast tõusis suits otsekui sulatusahju suits.

29 Kui Jumal oli segi paisanud ümbruskonna linnad, mõtles Jumal Aabrahamile ja saatis Loti ära selle hävituse keskelt, millega ta segi paiskas need linnad, kus Lott oli elanud.

30 Ja Lott läks Soarist üles ning elas mäestikus koos oma kahe tütrega, sest ta kartis elada Soaris; ta elas ühes koopas, tema ise ja ta mõlemad tütred.

31 Kord ütles vanem nooremale: 'Meie isa on vana ja maal pole ühtegi meest, kes tuleks Meie juurde kogu maailma kombe järgi.

32 Tule, joodame oma isa veiniga ja magame temaga, et saaksime oma isalt järeltulija!'

33 Ja nad jootsid oma isa sel ööl veiniga ja vanem läks ning magas oma isaga; see ei märganudki, millal too maha heitis või üles tõusis.

34 Ja järgmisel päeval ütles vanem nooremale: 'Vaata, ma magasin eile oma isaga. Joodame ka sel ööl teda veiniga, siis mine maga sina temaga, et saaksime oma isalt järeltulija!'

35 Ja nad jootsid ka sel ööl oma isa veiniga ja noorem läks ning magas temaga; see ei märganudki, millal too maha heitis või üles tõusis.

36 Ja Loti mõlemad tütred jäid oma isast lapseootele.

37 Ja vanem sünnitas poja ning pani temale nimeks Moab; see on moabide isa tänapäevani.

38 Ja noorem sünnitas ka poja ning pani temale nimeks Ben-Ammi; see on ammonlaste isa tänapäevani.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #2343

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2343. 'And they ate' means making one's own. This is clear from the meaning of 'eating' as being communicated and joined together, thus being made one's own, dealt with already in 2187. What has been stated and explained so far makes clear how the contents of the previous and the present verses are arranged and link together in the internal sense - from the fact that 'the angels' means the Lord's Divine Human and His Holy proceeding, 'turning aside to him' means staying with, 'coming to his house' being confirmed in good, 'making a feast' dwelling together, 'baking unleavened bread' being purified, and 'eating' taking into oneself and making one's own. It shows the nature of the train of thought in the internal sense, though nothing at all of that sense is apparent in the historical sense.

[2] Such is the order and the train of thought that exists with all the individual parts of the Word. But the nature of that actual train of thought cannot begin to reveal itself when each word is explained separately; for in that case each is seen in isolation from the rest and the continuity of meaning is lost. It reveals itself when all the separate details are seen together within one complete idea, or are perceived as one complete mental picture, as is done by those who have the internal sense and who at the same time dwell in heavenly light from the Lord. Within these words [used here in Genesis] such people are given to see the entire process of the reformation and regeneration of those who become members of the Church, represented here by Lot. That is to say, they first of all perceive some degree of temptation, but when they persevere and overcome the Lord stays with them, and confirms them in good, brings them to Himself into His kingdom, and dwells together with them, and there purifies and perfects them, at the same time granting them as their own things that are good and happy. All this He accomplishes by means of His Divine Human and His Holy proceeding.

[3] Within the Church it is indeed well known that all regeneration or new life, and therefore salvation, comes from the Lord alone, but few believe it. The reason they do not believe it is that the good of charity does not exist in them. It is as impossible for those in whom that good does not exist to believe it as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle; for the good of charity is the very seed-bed of faith. Truth and good agree together, but truth and evil never do. They have contrary natures and turn away from each other. Insofar therefore as someone is moved by good, he can be governed by truth, that is, insofar as charity exists with him faith is able to, especially the most fundamental matter of faith that all salvation comes from the Lord.

[4] That this is the most fundamental matter of faith is clear from many places in the Word, as in John,

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.

In the same gospel,

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. John 3:36.

In the same gospel,

This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom the Father has sent. John 6:29.

In the same gospel,

This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:40.

In the same gospel,

Unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins. John 8:24.

In the same gospel,

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he die, yet will he live. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. John 11:25-26.

[5] Nobody is able to believe in the Lord unless he is governed by good, that is, no one can possess faith unless he has charity. This too is clear in John,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13.

And in the same gospel,

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in Me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered. As the Father has loved Me so I have loved you; abide in My love. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:5-6, 9, 12.

[6] From all these quotations it becomes clear that love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour constitute the life of faith. But that people who are immersed in evil, that is, who lead a life of evil, cannot possibly believe that all salvation comes from the Lord has become clear to me from those who have entered the next life from the Christian world; and also from people who during their lifetime have confessed with their lips the established teaching of faith, and indeed have taught it themselves, that without the Lord there is no salvation, but who, for all that, have led a life of evil. At the very mention of the Lord's name these people have filled the atmosphere around them entirely with objections. For in the next life solely that which people are thinking is perceived and sends out from itself a sphere, in which the nature of the faith possessed by those people reveals itself, see 1394.

[7] At the mere mention of love or charity among these people I perceived emanating from them something that was so to speak full of darkness and at the same time dust-filled. The product of some filthy love, it was by nature such that it obliterated, stifled, and corrupted all feeling of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour. Such is the faith at the present day, which, they say, saves without the goods that flow from charity.

[8] The same people were also asked what faith they had since it was not the faith they had professed during their lifetime. Since in the next life nobody can conceal what he actually thinks, they said that they believed in God the Creator of all things. They were examined however as to whether this was really so, and it was discovered that they did not believe in any God at all but thought that all things were the product of natural forces, and all that has been said about eternal life is nonsense. Such is the faith of everyone inside the Church who does not believe in the Lord but says that he believes in God the Creator of all things. For truth cannot flow in from any other source than the Lord, and truth cannot be sown in anything other than good which is derived from the Lord.

[9] That the Lord's Divine Human and His Holy proceeding are together the channel and the source of life and salvation is well recognized from the words of the Holy Supper, 'This is My body, This is My blood', which is the Lord's Divine Human. And it is clear that this is the source of everything holy. Whether we speak of the Divine Human, or His Body, or Flesh, or Bread, or Divine Love, it amounts to the same thing; for the Lord's Divine Human is pure Love, and the Holy [proceeding] consists in love alone, while the Holy that constitutes faith is derived from this.

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