The Bible

 

Exodus 19

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1 In the third month of the going·​·out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, on this day they came·​·into the wilderness of Sinai.

2 And they journeyed from Rephidim, and came·​·into the wilderness of Sinai, and encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped in·​·front·​·of the mountain.

3 And Moses went up to God, and Jehovah called to him from the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell to the sons of Israel,

4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and I bore you on eagleswings, and brought you to Me.

5 And now, if obeying you shall obey My voice, and keep My covenant, then you shall be for Me a special possession more* than all peoples; for all the earth is Mine;

6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak to the sons of Israel.

7 And Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Jehovah commanded him.

8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that Jehovah has spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people to Jehovah.

9 And Jehovah said to Moses, Behold I come to thee in the thick cloud, on·​·account·​·of which the people will hear when I speak with thee, and will also believe in thee to eternity; and Moses told the words of the people to Jehovah.

10 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go to the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their raiment.

11 And let them be prepared for the third day, for in the third day Jehovah will come·​·down to the eyes of all the people on Mount Sinai.

12 And thou shalt set·​·a·​·border to the people round·​·about, saying, Take·​·heed to yourselves, that you go not up into the mountain, or touch the extremity of it; everyone that touches the mountain, dying he shall·​·die;

13 a hand shall not touch it, for stoning he shall be stoned, or shooting he shall be shot; if a beast, if a man, he shall not live; when the jobel* is drawn out, they shall come·​·up into the mountain.

14 And Moses went·​·down from the mountain to the people, and sanctified the people, and they washed their raiment.

15 And he said to the people, Prepare for three days, approach not a woman.

16 And it was, on the third day, when it was morning, that there were voices* and lightnings, and a heavy cloud on the mountain, and the voice of a shophar* exceedingly firm, and all the people who were in the camp were·​·frightened.

17 And Moses made the people go·​·out from the camp to meet God; and they stood·​·forth in the lower part of the mountain.

18 And Mount Sinai smoked, all of it, because Jehovah came·​·down upon it in fire; and the smoke’thereof went·​·up as the smoke of a furnace, and all the mountain trembled* exceedingly.

19 And when the voice of the shophar was going, and waxing strong mightily, Moses spoke, and God answered him in a voice.

20 And Jehovah came·​·down on Mount Sinai, to the head of the mountain; and Jehovah called Moses to the head of the mountain, and Moses went·​·up.

21 And Jehovah said to Moses, Go·​·down, call· the people ·to·​·testify, lest they break·​·through to Jehovah to see, and many of them fall.

22 And the priests also, who approach Jehovah, shall sanctify themselves, lest Jehovah break·​·forth on them.

23 And Moses said to Jehovah, The people are· not ·able come·​·up to Mount Sinai; for Thou callest· us ·to·​·testify, saying, set·​·a·​·border on the mountain, and sanctify it.

24 And Jehovah said to him, Go, Go·​·down; and come·​·up, thou and Aaron with thee; and let not the priests and the people break·​·through to come·​·up to Jehovah, lest He break·​·forth against them.

25 And Moses went·​·down to the people, and talked with them.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8783

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8783. 'And also will believe in you forever' means in order that a faith composed of truth may exist, a faith that is going to be permanent. This is clear from the representation of 'Moses' as the truth from God, dealt with in 6771, 6827, 7014; from the meaning of 'believing' as faith; and from the meaning of 'forever' as that which is going to be permanent. The situation here is that the truth from God cannot be received by anyone unless it is adjusted to what he is capable of understanding, and so unless it is seen in a natural shape and form. For initially human minds can understand only earthly and worldly things, and not at all spiritual and celestial ones. If therefore spiritual and celestial things were made plainly visible they would be cast aside, as if they were worthless. This accords with the Lord's words in John,

If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how [will you believe] if I tell you heavenly things? John 3:12.

Still less would those who lived before the Lord's Coming have believed them. They were eventually so blind that they knew nothing, because they did not wish to know anything, about the life after death, about the internal man, about charity and faith, or about any heavenly reality. They rejected these because they had no liking for them, for those who have earthly and worldly things as their end in view, that is, love them more than anything else, have no liking for spiritual things; they virtually detest the very mention of them. Those things would suffer almost the same rejection at the present day. Learned people in the world do indeed believe that they would be better able to receive the Word if heavenly things were made plainly visible in it and if it were not written in so simple a style. But they are very much mistaken. They would reject it more than simple people, and would see no light in it, only complete and utter darkness. This darkness is brought about by human learning among those who trust in their own intelligence and therefore set themselves up above others. The Lord teaches that such things have been hidden from the wise and revealed to young children, that is, to the simple, in Matthew 11:25-26, and Luke 10:21. This is also perfectly clear from the consideration that those who are atheists and nature-worshippers, as they are called, are people who are learned. The world knows this, and they themselves know it.

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