The Bible

 

1 Mózes 20

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1 És elköltözék onnan Ábrahám a déli tartományba, és letelepedék Kádes és Súr között, és tartózkodék Gérárban.

2 És monda Ábrahám Sáráról az õ feleségérõl: Én húgom õ. Elkülde azért Abimélek Gérárnak királya, és elviteté Sárát.

3 De Isten Abimélekhez jöve éjjeli álomban, és monda néki: Ímé meghalsz az asszonyért, a kit elvettél, holott férjnél van.

4 Abimélek pedig nem illette vala õt, és monda: Uram, az ártatlan népet is megölöd-é?

5 Avagy nem õ mondotta-é nékem: én húgom õ; s ez is azt mondotta: én bátyám õ. Szívem ártatlanságában, és kezeim tisztaságában cselekedtem ezt.

6 És monda az Isten néki álomban: Én is tudom, hogy szívednek ártatlanságában mívelted ezt, azért tartóztattalak én is, hogy ne vétkezzél ellenem, azért nem engedtem, hogy illessed azt.

7 Mostan azért add vissza az embernek az õ feleségét, mert Próféta õ: és imádkozik te éretted, és élsz; hogyha pedig vissza nem adod: tudd meg, hogy halállal halsz meg te, és minden hozzád tartozó.

8 Felkele azért Abimélek reggel, és elõhívatá minden szolgáját, s fülök hallatára mindezeket elbeszélé és az emberek igen megfélemlének.

9 És hívatá Abimélek Ábrahámot, és monda néki: Mit cselekedtél mi velünk? És mit vétettem te ellened, hogy én reám és az én országomra ilyen nagy bûnt hoztál? A miket cselekedni nem szabad, olyan dolgokat cselekedtél ellenem.

10 És monda Abimélek Ábrahámnak: Mit láttál, hogy ezt a dolgot cselekedted?

11 Felele Ábrahám: Bizony azt gondoltam: nincsen istenfélelem e helyen, és megölnek engem az én feleségemért.

12 De valósággal húgom is, az én atyámnak leánya õ, csakhogy nem az én anyámnak leánya; és így lõn feleségemmé.

13 És lõn hogy a mikor kibujdostata engem az Isten az én atyámnak házából, azt mondám néki: Ilyen kegyességet cselekedjél én velem, mindenütt valahová megyünk, azt mondjad én felõlem: én bátyám ez.

14 Akkor Abimélek vett juhokat, ökröket, szolgákat és szolgálókat, és adá Ábrahámnak, és vissza adá néki Sárát is az õ feleségét.

15 És monda Abimélek: Ímé elõtted van az én országom, a hol tenéked jónak tetszik, ott lakjál.

16 Sárának pedig monda: Ímé ezer ezüst pénzt adtam a te bátyádnak, ímé az neked a szemek befedezõje mindazok elõtt, a kik veled vannak; és így mindenképen igazolva vagy.

17 Könyörge azért Ábrahám az Istennek, és meggyógyítá Isten Abiméleket, és az õ feleségét, és az õ szolgálóit, és szûlének.

18 Mert az Úr erõsen bezárta vala az Abimélek háza népének méhét, Sáráért az Ábrahám feleségéért.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2553

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2553. 'Because I said, Surely there is no fear of God in this place' means the thought derived from this that men would have no respect for spiritual truth in that state in which they were then. This is clear from the meaning of 'the fear of God' as respect for Divine, or spiritual, truth, and from the meaning of 'a place' as a state, dealt with in 1273-1275, 1377. Involved here is the fact that man is unable to grasp any doctrine which is purely spiritual and celestial, that which is Divine, because it goes infinitely above and beyond his grasp of things, and so also above the range of his belief. All thoughts which man has are confined within natural things experienced by his senses, and anything that is said which does not draw on and does not fit in with those natural things is not comprehended but perishes, like sight gazing into some ocean or universe without any object there on which it may focus. Consequently if matters of doctrine were presented to man in any other manner, they would not be received at all, and so he would have no respect for them. This may become quite clear from each detail in the Word. There purely Divine things are for the same reason presented as natural, indeed sensory ones, such as that Jehovah has ears, eyes, and a face, has affections as man does, anger, and many more things.

[2] This was still more the case with men when the Lord came into the world. At that time they did not even have any knowledge of what the celestial or the spiritual was, nor even of anything internal. Wholly earthly and worldly, and thus external things possessed every thought in their minds, even the minds of the apostles themselves who supposed that the Lord's kingdom would be like a worldly kingdom. For that reason these asked to sit one on His right hand and the other on the left and for a long while imagined they were going to sit on twelve thrones and to judge the twelve tribes of Israel, still unaware of the fact that in the next life they would not have the power to judge even the least detail of any one individual's affairs, 2129 (end). His looking into this state of the human race was the reason why the Lord at first thought about whether the rational ought to be consulted in the doctrine of faith. In this He was moved by a love which was that the salvation of all might be taken care of and that the Word should not perish.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1273

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1273. POSITION IN THE GRAND MAN, ALSO PLACE AND DISTANCE IN THE NEXT LIFE

When the time has come to allow souls recently arrived from the world to leave the company of spiritual angels in order to enter that of spirits and at length to enter the community which they were in during their lifetime, they are carried by angels around to many dwelling-places, which are separate communities yet joined to others. At each place they are taken in and then move on to other communities. This continues for some time until they reach the community which they were in during their lifetime; and there they stay. This marks a new beginning to their life. If someone is an impostor, a hypocrite, or deceitful - one who is able to assume a deceptive state and a seemingly angelic disposition - he is sometimes received by good spirits. But in a little while the association is broken, and then he wanders around unaccompanied by the angels, and begs to be received. He is however rejected, and sometimes punished, till at length he comes down to be among those in hell. Those who, after they have been vastated, are borne away to be among angels - they too pass from one community to another. And when they move on from one to another, those whom they are leaving allow them to go with civility and charity; and this continues until they reach the angelic community that accords with their own kind of charity, true piety, honesty, or genuine civility. So that I might know about all this I too have been conducted in a similar way through those dwelling-places, and those who are there have talked to me. I was at that time allowed to reflect on changes of place, that they were merely apparent, and that they were nothing else than changes of state, with the body remaining where it was.

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