The Bible

 

Genesis 2

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1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,

5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.

6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.

13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.

14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.

21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #487

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487. 'Days means periods of time and states in general. This has been shown in Chapter 1, where the 'days of creation' have no other meaning. In the Word it is very common for a whole period of time to be called 'a day', as it clearly is in the present verse and in verses 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 27, 31, below; and therefore the states that belong to periods of time in general are meant by 'days' as well. And when 'years' is attached, then periods of years mean the natures of those states, and so the states in particular.

[2] The most ancient people had their own particular numbers which they would use to mean different aspects of the Church - for instance, the numbers three, seven, ten, twelve, and many which they obtained from these and other numbers - and in so doing incorporated states of the Church. These numbers therefore contain arcana that would require considerable effort to unravel. Really a number was an evaluation of the states of the Church. The same feature occurs throughout the Word, especially in the prophetical. And the religious ceremonies of the Jewish Church also entail numbers specifying periods of time as well as quantities; for example, in connection with sacrifices, minchahs, oblations, and other practices, which in every case have special reference to holy things. Consequently eight hundred in this verse, nine hundred and thirty in the next, and the numbers of years mentioned in the verses that follow after that, embody in particular more matters than can possibly be retold; matters, that is to say, which have to do with changes in the state of their Church in relationship to their own general state. Later on, in the Lord's Divine mercy, the meaning of the simple numbers up to twelve will be given, for without knowing these first of all no one can grasp what compound numbers mean.

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

The Bible

 

Psalms 104

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1 Bless Yahweh, my soul. Yahweh, my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty.

2 He covers himself with light as with a garment. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain.

3 He lays the beams of his rooms in the waters. He makes the clouds his chariot. He walks on the wings of the wind.

4 He makes his messengers winds; his servants flames of fire.

5 He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever.

6 You covered it with the deep as with a cloak. The waters stood above the mountains.

7 At your rebuke they fled. At the voice of your thunder they hurried away.

8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down, to the place which you had assigned to them.

9 You have set a boundary that they may not pass over; that they don't turn again to cover the earth.

10 He sends forth springs into the valleys. They run among the mountains.

11 They give drink to every animal of the field. The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 The birds of the sky nest by them. They sing among the branches.

13 He waters the mountains from his rooms. The earth is filled with the fruit of your works.

14 He causes the grass to grow for the livestock, and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food out of the earth:

15 wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face to shine, and bread that strengthens man's heart.

16 Yahweh's trees are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon, which he has planted;

17 where the birds make their nests. The stork makes its home in the fir trees.

18 The high mountains are for the wild goats. The rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19 He appointed the moon for seasons. The sun knows when to set.

20 You make darkness, and it is night, in which all the animals of the forest prowl.

21 The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God.

22 The sun rises, and they steal away, and lay down in their dens.

23 Man goes forth to his work, to his labor until the evening.

24 Yahweh, how many are your works! In wisdom have you made them all. The earth is full of your riches.

25 There is the sea, great and wide, in which are innumerable living things, both small and large animals.

26 There the ships go, and leviathan, whom you formed to play there.

27 These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season.

28 You give to them; they gather. You open your hand; they are satisfied with good.

29 You hide your face: they are troubled; you take away their breath: they die, and return to the dust.

30 You send forth your Spirit: they are created. You renew the face of the ground.

31 Let the glory of Yahweh endure forever. Let Yahweh rejoice in his works.

32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles. He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to Yahweh as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I have any being.

34 Let your meditation be sweet to him. I will rejoice in Yahweh.

35 Let sinners be consumed out of the earth. Let the wicked be no more. Bless Yahweh, my soul. Praise Yah!