The Bible

 

Genesis 2

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1 Nõnda on taevas ja maa ning kõik nende väed valmis saanud.

2 Ja Jumal oli lõpetanud seitsmendaks päevaks oma töö, mis ta tegi, ja hingas seitsmendal päeval kõigist oma tegudest, mis ta oli teinud.

3 Ja Jumal õnnistas seitsmendat päeva ja pühitses seda, sest ta oli siis hinganud kõigist oma tegudest, mis Jumal luues oli teinud.

4 See on lugu taeva ja maa sündimisest, kui need loodi. Sel ajal, kui Issand Jumal tegi maa ja taeva,

5 kui ainsatki väljapõõsast ei olnud veel maa peal ja ainsatki väljarohtu ei olnud veel tärganud, sest Issand Jumal ei olnud lasknud vihma sadada maa peale, ja inimest ei olnud põldu harimas,

6 tõusis udu maast ja kastis kogu mullapinda.

7 Ja Issand Jumal valmistas inimese, kes põrm on, mullast, ja puhus tema ninasse eluhinguse: nõnda sai inimene elavaks hingeks.

8 Ja Issand Jumal istutas Eedeni rohuaia päevatõusu poole ja pani sinna inimese, kelle ta oli valmistanud.

9 Ja Issand Jumal laskis maast tõusta kõiksugu puid, mis olid armsad pealtnäha ja millest oli hea süüa, ja elupuu keset aeda, ning hea ja kurja tundmise puu.

10 Ja Eedenist sai alguse jõgi, mis kastis rohuaeda, jagunedes sealtpeale neljaks haruks:

11 esimese nimi on Piison, see voolab ümber kogu Havilamaa, kus on kulda;

12 selle maa kuld on hea, seal on bedolavaiku ja karneoolikive.

13 Ja teise jõe nimi on Giihon, see voolab ümber kogu Kuusimaa.

14 Ja kolmanda jõe nimi on Hiddekel, see voolab hommiku pool Assurit; ja neljas jõgi on Frat.

15 Ja Issand Jumal võttis inimese ja pani ta Eedeni aeda harima ja hoidma.

16 Ja Issand Jumal keelas inimest ja ütles: 'Kõigist aia puudest sa võid küll süüa,

17 aga hea ja kurja tundmise puust sa ei tohi süüa, sest päeval, mil sa sellest sööd, pead sa surma surema!'

18 Ja Issand Jumal ütles: 'Inimesel ei ole hea üksi olla; ma tahan teha temale abi, kes tema kohane on.'

19 Ja Issand Jumal valmistas mullast kõik loomad väljal ja kõik linnud taeva all ning tõi inimese juurde, et näha, kuidas tema neid nimetab. Ja kuidas inimene igat elavat olendit nimetas, nõnda pidi selle nimi olema.

20 Ja inimene pani nimed kõigile kariloomadele ja lindudele taeva all ja kõigile metsloomadele, aga inimesele ei leidunud abilist, kes tema kohane oleks.

21 Siis Issand Jumal laskis tulla raske une inimese peale ja see jäi magama; siis ta võttis ühe tema küljeluudest ning sulges selle aseme taas lihaga.

22 Ja Issand Jumal ehitas küljeluu, mille ta inimesest oli võtnud, naiseks ja tõi tema Aadama juurde.

23 Ja Aadam ütles: 'See on nüüd luu minu luust ja liha minu lihast. Teda peab hüütama mehe naiseks, sest ta on mehest võetud!'

24 Seepärast jätab mees maha oma isa ja ema ning hoiab oma naise poole, ja nemad on üks liha!

25 Ja nad olid mõlemad alasti, Aadam ja tema naine, ega häbenenud.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #34

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34. The Divine Infinite is present in human beings as in images of itself, as is evident from the Word, where we read:

At length God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; so God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, Genesis 1:26-27 From this it follows that a human being is an organ capable of receiving God, and that its capability as an organ depends upon its capacity to receive. The human mind, which determines that a human being is human and how far he is so, is organised into three zones in accordance with the three degrees. In the first degree is the celestial zone, in which are the angels of the highest heaven; in the second degree is the spiritual zone in which are the angels of the middle heaven; and in the third degree is the natural zone in which are the angels of the lowest heaven.

[2] The human mind, organised as it is according to those three degrees, is a means of receiving Divine influence, but the Divine influence does not penetrate further than the extent to which a person clears the way or opens the door. If he does so up to the highest or celestial degree, then a person truly becomes an image of God, and after his death an angel of the highest heaven. But if he clears the way or opens the door only to the middle or spiritual degree, then although he becomes an image of God it is not to such a pitch of perfection, and after his death he becomes an angel of the middle heaven. But if he clears the way or opens the door only to the lowest or natural degree, then if he acknowledges God and worships Him with true piety, he becomes an image of God in the lowest degree, and after his death becomes an angel of the lowest heaven.

[3] If, however, he does not acknowledge God and worship Him with true piety, he puts off the image of God and becomes like an animal, apart from possessing the faculty of understanding and therefore of speech. If he then shuts off the highest natural degree, which corresponds to the highest celestial, he becomes so far as love is concerned like an animal. If he shuts off the middle natural degree, which corresponds to the middle spiritual, he becomes so far as love is concerned like a fox, and as far as the sight of the understanding is concerned like a nocturnal bird. But if he also shuts off the spiritual part of the lowest natural degree, he becomes so far as love is concerned like a savage beast, and as far as his understanding of truth is concerned like a fish.

[4] Divine Life, which by radiation from the sun of the heaven of angels makes human beings act, can be compared with the light from the sun of this world and its radiation affecting a diaphanous object. The way life is received in the highest degree is like light striking a diamond; in the second degree like light striking a crystal, and in the lowest degree like light striking glass or a transparent membrane. But if the spiritual part of this degree is totally shut off, which happens when the existence of God is denied and Satan is worshipped, the way life from God is received is like light falling upon dark objects on earth, such as rotten wood or a lump of mud or dung, and so on. For then a person becomes a spiritual corpse.

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