The Bible

 

Genesi 19

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1 OR que’ due Angeli giunsero in Sodoma, in su la sera; e Lot sedeva alla porta di Sodoma; e come egli li vide, si levò per andar loro incontro, e s’inchinò verso terra.

2 E disse: Or su, signori miei, io vi prego, riducetevi in casa del vostro servitore, e statevi questa notte ad albergo, e vi lavate i piedi: poi domattina voi vi leverete, e ve ne andrete al vostro cammino. Ed essi dissero: No; anzi noi staremo questa notte in su la piazza.

3 Ma egli fece loro gran forza, tanto che essi si ridussero appo lui, ed entrarono in casa sua. Ed egli fece loro un convito, e cosse de’ pani azzimi, ed essi mangiarono.

4 Avanti che si fossero posti a giacere, gli uomini della città di Sodoma intorniarono la casa, giovani e vecchi, tutto il popolo, fin dalle estremità della città.

5 E chiamarono Lot, e gli dissero: Ove son quegli uomini che son venuti a te questa notte? menaceli fuori, acciocchè noi li conosciamo.

6 E Lot uscì fuori a loro, in su la porta, e si serrò l’uscio dietro.

7 E disse: Deh! fratelli miei, non fate male.

8 Ecco, ora io ho due figliuole che non hanno conosciuto uomo; deh! lasciate che io ve le meni fuori, e fate loro come vi piacerà; solo non fate nulla a questi uomini; perciocchè per questo son venuti all’ombra del mio coperto.

9 Ma essi gli dissero: Fatti in là. Poi dissero: Quest’uno è venuto qua per dimorarvi come straniere, e pur fa il giudice! Ora noi faremo peggio a te che a loro. Fecero adunque gran forza a quell’uomo Lot, e si accostarono per romper l’uscio.

10 E quegli uomini stesero le mani, e ritrassero Lot a loro, dentro alla casa; poi serrarono l’uscio.

11 E percossero d’abbarbaglio gli uomini ch’erano alla porta della casa, dal minore al maggiore; onde essi si stancarono, per trovar la porta.

12 E quegli uomini dissero a Lot: Chi de’ tuoi è ancora qui? fa’ uscir di questo luogo generi, figliuoli e figliuole, e chiunque è de’ tuoi in questa città.

13 Perciocchè noi di presente distruggeremo questo luogo; perchè il grido loro è grande nel cospetto del Signore; e il Signore ci ha mandati per distruggerlo.

14 Lot adunque uscì fuori, e parlò a’ suoi generi, che doveano prender le sue figliole, e disse loro: Levatevi, uscite di questo luogo; perciocchè il Signore di presente distruggerà questa città. Ma parve loro ch’egli si facesse beffe.

15 E, come l’alba cominciò ad apparire, gli Angeli sollecitarono Lot, dicendo: Levati, prendi la tua moglie, e le tue due figliuole che qui si ritrovano; che talora tu non perisca nell’iniquità della città.

16 Ed egli s’indugiava; ma quegli uomini presero lui, la sua moglie e le sue due figliuole, per la mano perciocchè il Signore voleva risparmiarlo, e lo fecero uscire, e lo misero fuor della città.

17 E quando li ebber fatti uscir fuori, il Signore disse: Scampa sopra l’anima tua; non riguardare indietro, e non fermarti in tutta la pianura; scampa verso il monte, che talora tu non perisca.

18 E Lot disse loro: Deh! no, Signore.

19 Ecco, ora il tuo servitore ha trovato grazia appo te, e tu hai usata gran benignità in ciò che hai fatto verso me, conservando in vita la mia persona; ma io non potrò scampar verso il monte, che il male non mi giunga, onde io morrò.

20 Deh! ecco, questa città è vicina, per rifuggirmici, ed è poca cosa; deh! lascia che io mi salvi là non è ella poca cosa?, e la mia persona resterà in vita.

21 Ed egli gli disse: Ecco, io ti ho esaudito eziandio in questa cosa, per non sovvertir quella città, della quale tu hai parlato.

22 Affrettati, scampa là; perciocchè io non potrò far nulla fin che tu non vi sii arrivato. Perciò quella città è stata nominata Soar.

23 Il sole si levava in su la terra, quando Lot arrivò a Soar.

24 E il Signore fece piover dal cielo sopra Sodoma e sopra Gomorra, solfo e fuoco, dal Signore.

25 E sovvertì quelle città e tutta la pianura, e tutti gli abitanti di esse città, e le piante della terra.

26 Or la moglie di Lot riguardò di dietro a lui, e divenne una statua di sale.

27 Ed Abrahamo levatosi la mattina a buon’ora, andò al luogo ove si era fermato davanti al Signore.

28 E, riguardando verso Sodoma e Gomorra e verso tutto il paese della pianura, vide che dalla terra saliva un fumo simile ad un fumo di fornace.

29 Così avvenne che, quando Iddio distrusse le città della pianura, egli si ricordò di Abrahamo, e mandò Lot fuori di mezzo la sovversione, mentre egli sovvertiva le città nelle quali Lot era dimorato.

30 POI Lot salì di Soar, e dimorò sul monte, insieme con le sue due figliuole perciocchè egli temeva di dimorare in Soar, e dimorò in una spelonca, egli e le sue due figliuole.

31 E la maggiore disse alla minore: Nostro padre è vecchio, e non vi è più uomo alcuno sulla terra ch’entri da noi, secondo l’usanza di tutta la terra.

32 Vieni, diam da bere del vino a nostro padre, e giaciamoci con lui; e così di nostro padre conserveremo in vita alcuna progenie.

33 Quell’istessa notte adunque diedero a ber del vino al loro padre; e la maggiore venne, e si giacque con suo padre, il quale non si avvide nè quando ella si pose a giacere, nè quando si levò.

34 E il giorno seguente, la maggiore disse alla minore: Ecco, la notte passata io son giaciuta con mio padre; diamogli a ber del vino ancora questa notte; poi va’, e giaciti con lui; così di nostro padre conserveremo in vita alcuna progenie.

35 Quella notte adunque diedero ancora a ber del vino al padre loro, e la minore si levò, e si giacque con lui; ed egli non si avvide nè quando ella si pose a giacere, nè quando si levò.

36 E le due figliuole di Lot concepettero di lor padre.

37 E la maggiore partorì un figliuolo, al quale pose nome Moab. Esso è il padre de’ Moabiti, che son fino ad oggi.

38 E la minore partorì anch’essa un figliuolo, al quale pose nome Ben-ammi. Esso è il padre degli Ammoniti, che son fino ad oggi.

   


To many Protestant and Evangelical Italians, the Bibles translated by Giovanni Diodati are an important part of their history. Diodati’s first Italian Bible edition was printed in 1607, and his second in 1641. He died in 1649. Throughout the 1800s two editions of Diodati’s text were printed by the British Foreign Bible Society. This is the more recent 1894 edition, translated by Claudiana.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #6000

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6000. 'And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night' means obscure revelation. This is clear from the meaning of 'God spoke in visions' as revelation. For revelations were made either by means of dreams, or by night visions, or by daytime visions, or by utterances made within a person, or by utterances made outside him by angels who had become visible, as well as by utterances made outside by angels who had not become visible. Various kinds of revelation are meant in the Word by all these. 'A vision of the night' means revelation that is obscure, since 'night' means obscurity, 1712, 2514, and in the spiritual sense obscurity implies that truth is not visible. In the Word 'night' also means falsity due to evil; for people who because of evil are subject to falsity dwell in the obscurity of night, which is why all in hell are said to be in night. Those in hell do, it is true, have an inferior kind of light, for they see one another; but that light is like the light emitted by a coal fire, which is turned into darkness and pitch darkness when heavenly light flows in. This is why the inhabitants of hell are said to be in night and are called angels of the night and darkness, whereas the inhabitants of heaven are called angels of the day and light.

[2] The meaning of 'the night' as obscurity and also falsity may be seen in addition from the following places in the Word: In John,

Jesus said, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day he does not stumble. But if anyone walks in the night he stumbles, because the light is not in him. John 11:9-10.

'Twelve hours' stands for all states of truth. 'Walking in the day' stands for living in the truth, and 'walking in the night' for living in falsity.

[3] In the same gospel,

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; night is coming when nobody will be able to work. John 9:4.

'Day' stands for truth coming from good, and 'night' for falsity coming from evil. The first period of the Church is what is meant by 'day', for at this time truth is entertained by people because they are governed by good. But the final period of the Church is what is meant by 'night', for at that time no truth at all is entertained by its members, because they are not governed by good; and when someone is not governed by good, that is, by charity towards the neighbour, then even if told perfect truths he does not entertain them. In this situation there is no perception at all of what truth is, because the light of truth falls on matters of a bodily and worldly nature, to which alone such people give their attention and which alone they love and consider to have any reality. It does not fall on things of a heavenly nature because they are considered to be of little or no value at all compared with other things. Consequently the light of truth is swallowed up by and snuffed out in what is a mass of thick darkness, like sunlight falling on an object that is black. This is what is meant by 'night is coming when nobody will be able to work'; and the situation is like this at the present day.

[4] In Matthew,

While the bridegroom was tarrying all the virgins were drowsy and went to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, Behold, the bridegroom is coming. Matthew 25:5-7.

'Midnight' too stands for the final period of the old Church when no faith at all exists because no charity at all does so, and also for the first period of the new Church. In Luke,

I tell you, in that night there will be two upon one bed; one will be taken, the other left. Luke 17:34.

'Night' in the same way here stands for the final period of the old Church, and the first of the new.

[5] In Matthew,

Jesus said to the disciples, All of you will be made to stumble [by sinning] against Me this night. And to Peter, This night, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times. Matthew 26:31, 34.

The Lord allowed Himself to be arrested at night, and this was a sign that Divine Truth dwelt for them in the obscurity of night and that falsity springing from evil existed in place of it. Peter's denial of the Lord three times that night also represented the final period of the Church when the truth of faith is indeed taught, but no one believes it. This final period is 'night' because at this time people utterly deny the Lord in their hearts. For like the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve apostles represented all the aspects of faith, 577, 2089, 2129 (end), 2130 (end), 3272, 3354, 3488, 3858, 3913, 3926, 3939, 4060; and Peter represented the faith of the Church, see Preface to Genesis 18, also Preface to Genesis 22, as well as 3750, 4738. So it was that the Lord said to Peter that he would deny Him three times that night, and to the disciples, 'All of you will be made to stumble [by sinning] against Me this night'.

[6] In Isaiah,

One was calling to me from Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, Morning comes, and also the night.

This refers to the Coming of the Lord, which is 'morning'. That Coming took place when spiritual truth existed no longer on earth, which is 'the night'.

[7] In Zechariah,

There will be one day, which is known to Jehovah, not day nor night, because around evening time there will be light. It will happen, that on that day living waters will go out from Jerusalem. And Jehovah will be King over all the earth; on that day there will be one Jehovah, and His name one. Zechariah 14:7-9.

This too refers to the Lord, and also to a new Church. The prophecy that Jehovah, who will be King, will be one and that His name will be one refers to the Lord's Divine Human, which will be one with the Divine Himself, called the Father. Prior to the Lord's Coming the Divine Human was Jehovah in the heavens; for it was by His passing through the heavens that He presented Himself as a Divine Person before the eyes of many on earth. In those times the Divine Human was not so much one with the Divine Himself, called the Father, as when the Lord had made the Divine Human within Himself completely one with the Father. Prior to His Coming the two were seemingly distinct and separate, as is evident from Genesis 19:24, where it says that Jehovah rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from 1 Jehovah out of heaven, 2447. A day when it will be 'not day nor night' is the time when the Lord was born, for then it was 'evening', that is, when representatives in the Church came to an end. 'Light around evening time' is Divine Truth which is to appear then.

[8] In Isaiah,

Surely at night Ar has been laid waste, Moab has been cut off; surely at night Kir of Moab has been laid waste. Isaiah 15:1.

'Moab' stands for natural good, and in the contrary sense for adulterated good, 2468; in this text a laying waste of that good is referred to. Acts of laying waste are said to happen at night because they are occasions when truth is rendered obscure and falsity enters in. In Jeremiah,

The great city will weep bitterly in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks. Lamentations 1:2.

This refers to a desolation of truth, 'night' standing for falsity.

[9] In David,

You will not be afraid of the terror of the night, of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the death that lays waste at noonday. Psalms 91:5-6.

'The terror of the night' stands for falsities arising from evil that come from hell. 'The arrow that flies by day' stands for falsity that is taught openly and is destructive of good. 'The death that lays waste at noonday' is evil that is openly practised in life and is destructive of good. In John,

The gates of the holy Jerusalem will not be shut by day, for there is no night there. Revelation 21:25.

There will be no night there, nor do they need a lamp or light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. Revelation 22:5.

'There will be no night there' stands for no falsity there. In Daniel,

Daniel said, I saw in my vision when it was night. After this also I saw in visions of the night. Daniel 7:2, 7.

'Visions of the night' also stands for obscure revelation; for that chapter in Daniel describes four beasts and their horns, and gives many details belonging to revelation that was obscure. Something similar is involved with the different coloured horses that Zechariah saw at night, Zechariah 1:8 and following verses.

Footnotes:

1. Two Latin words meaning from and with are in fact used here; they represent a double preposition in the Hebrew.

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