The Bible

 

創世記 3

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1 さてなるが造られた野の生き物のうちで、へびが最も狡猾であった。へびは女に言った、「園にあるどのからも取って食べるなと、ほんとうにが言われたのですか」。

2 女はへびに言った、「わたしたちは園のの実を食べることは許されていますが、

3 ただ園の中央にあるの実については、これを取って食べるな、これに触れるな、死んではいけないからと、は言われました」。

4 へびは女に言った、「あなたがたは決して死ぬことはないでしょう。

5 それを食べると、あなたがたのが開け、神のように善悪を知る者となることを、は知っておられるのです」。

6 女がその見ると、それは食べるに良く、には美しく、賢くなるには好ましいと思われたから、その実を取って食べ、また共にいたにも与えたので、彼も食べた

7 すると、ふたりのが開け、自分たちの裸であることがわかったので、いちじくをつづり合わせて、腰に巻いた。

8 彼らは、の涼しいの吹くころ、園の中になる神の歩まれる音を聞いた。そこで、人とそのとはなる神のを避けて、園のの間に身を隠した。

9 なるは人に呼びかけて言われた、「あなたはどこにいるのか」。

10 彼は答えた、「園の中であなたの歩まれる音を聞き、わたしは裸だったので、恐れて身を隠したのです」。

11 神は言われた、「あなたが裸であるのを、だれが知らせたのか。食べるなと、命じておいたから、あなたは取って食べたのか」。

12 人は答えた、「わたしと一緒にしてくださったあの女が、から取ってくれたので、わたしは食べたのです」。

13 そこでなるは女に言われた、「あなたは、なんということをしたのです」。女は答えた、「へびがわたしをだましたのです。それでわたしは食べました」。

14 なるはへびに言われた、「おまえは、この事を、したので、すべての家畜、野のすべてののうち、最ものろわれる。おまえは腹で、這いあるき、一生、ちりを食べるであろう。

15 わたしは恨みをおく、おまえと女とのあいだに、おまえのすえと女のすえとの間に。彼はおまえのかしらを砕き、おまえは彼のかかとを砕くであろう」。

16 つぎに女に言われた、「わたしはあなたの産みの苦しみを大いに増す。あなたは苦しんでを産む。それでもなお、あなたはを慕い、彼はあなたを治めるであろう」。

17 更に人に言われた、「あなたが妻の言葉を聞いて、食べるなと、わたしが命じたから取って食べたので、地はあなたのためにのろわれ、あなたは一生、苦しんで地から食物を取る。

18 地はあなたのために、いばらとあざみとを生じ、あなたは野の食べるであろう。

19 あなたは顔に汗してパンを食べ、ついに土に帰る、あなたは土から取られたのだから。あなたは、ちりだから、ちりに帰る」。

20 さて、人はその妻の名をエバと名づけた。彼女がすべて生きた者のだからである。

21 なるは人とそのとのために皮の着物を造って、彼らに着せられた。

22 なるは言われた、「見よ、人はわれわれのひとりのようになり、善悪を知るものとなった。彼はを伸べ、命のからも取って食べ、永久に生きるかも知れない」。

23 そこでなるは彼をエデンの園から追い出して、人が造られたその土を耕させられた。

24 神は人を追い出し、エデンの園の東に、ケルビムと、回る炎のつるぎとを置いて、命のの道を守らせられた。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #279

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279. The third experience.

Seven years ago, when I was collecting the passages which Moses wrote drawing on the two books called The Wars of Jehovah and The Utterances (Numbers 21), some angels were present who told me that those books were the ancient Word; its historical parts are called The Wars of Jehovah, the prophetical parts The Utterances. They said that this Word was still preserved in heaven and was used by the ancients there, whose Word it had been when they were in the world. The ancients, among whom this Word is still in use in heaven, were in part from the land of Canaan and the neighbouring countries, for instance, Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia, Chaldaea, Assyria, Egypt, Sidon, Tyre and Niniveh. The inhabitants of all these kingdoms had a representative form of worship, and thus a knowledge of correspondences. The wisdom of those times came from that knowledge, which endowed them with inward perception and communication with the heavens. Those who knew the correspondences of that Word were called wise and intelligent, and in later times soothsayers and sorcerers.

[2] But because that Word was full of the sort of correspondences which conveyed celestial and spiritual ideas distantly, so that many people began to falsify it, therefore by the Lord's Divine providence in course of time it vanished, and another Word was given written by correspondences not so distant; this was done through the prophets among the Children of Israel. This Word retains many place names, not only in the land of Canaan, but also in the adjacent parts of Asia; all of these meant matters concerning the church and its states. But these meanings were taken over from the ancient Word. That was the reason why Abram was ordered to go into that land, and his descendants through Jacob were brought into it.

[3] I am allowed to report this new piece of information about the ancient Word, which was in Asia before the Israelite Word existed. It is still preserved there among the peoples who live in Great Tartary. I have spoken with spirits and angels in the spiritual world who came from there. They said that they possess the Word, and have done so from ancient times; and they conduct their Divine worship in accordance with that Word. It is composed purely of correspondences. They said that it also contains the book of Jashar mentioned in Joshua (Joshua 10:12-13), and in the Second Book of Samuel (2 Samuel 1:17-18); they also have the books called The Wars of Jehovah and The Utterances, which are mentioned by Moses (Numbers 21:14-15, 27-30). When I read in their presence the words which Moses took from this source, they looked to see whether they were there, and they found them. This made it clear to me that they still have the ancient Word. During our conversation they mentioned that they worship Jehovah, some of them as an invisible God, and some as visible.

[4] They went on to say that they do not allow foreigners to enter their territory, except the Chinese, with whom they have peaceful relations, because the Chinese Emperor comes from there. 1 They added that they are so populous that they do not believe any region in all the world is more so. This too is plausible when one considers the wall so many miles long, which the Chinese in former times constructed as a defence against invasion by them.

Moreover I was told by angels that the first chapters of Genesis, dealing with creation, Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, their sons and descendants down to the flood, as well as Noah and his sons, are also found in that Word, and were copied from it by Moses. Angels and spirits from Great Tartary are to be seen in the southern quarter towards the east. They are separated from others by living on a higher level. They do not allow anyone from Christian countries to visit them, and if any do go up, they put them under guard to prevent them leaving. The reason for this isolation is that they possess a different Word.

Footnotes:

1. This may refer to the Yuan dynasty (13th-14th centuries) who were of Mongol origin; but perhaps the reference is to the non-Chinese Manchu dynasty who ruled China from 1644.

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