The Bible

 

Genesis 20

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1 Iš ten Abraomas traukė toliau į pietų šalį ir apsigyveno Gerare tarp Kadešo ir Šūro.

2 Abraomas sakė apie savo žmoną Sarą: “Ji yra mano sesuo”. Tada Abimelechas, Geraro karalius, paėmė Sarą.

3 Bet Dievas sapne pasirodė Abimelechui ir tarė: “Tu mirsi dėl moters, kurią paėmei, nes ji turi vyrą”.

4 Abimelechas dar nebuvo jos palietęs. Jis tarė: “Viešpatie, ar žudysi niekuo nekaltą tautą?

5 Argi Abraomas man nesakė: ‘Ji yra mano sesuo’? Ir ar ji pati nesakė: ‘Jis yra mano brolis’? Nekalta širdimi ir tyromis rankomis tai padariau”.

6 Dievas tarė jam sapne: “Aš žinau, kad tai darei nekalta širdimi, todėl tave sulaikiau, kad man nenusidėtum ir jos nepaliestum.

7 Taigi dabar sugrąžink vyrui žmoną, nes jis yra pranašas. Jis melsis už tave, ir tu išliksi gyvas. O jei nesugrąžinsi, tai žinok, kad tikrai mirsi su visais savaisiais!”

8 Abimelechas, atsikėlęs anksti rytą, sušaukė visus savo tarnus ir papasakojo jiems sapną. Žmonės labai nusigando.

9 Abimelechas pasikvietė Abraomą ir jam tarė: “Ką mums padarei? Ir kuo aš tau nusidėjau, kad užtraukei man ir mano karalystei tokią didelę nuodėmę? Tu neturėjai pasielgti su manimi taip, kaip pasielgei”.

10 Abimelechas tęsė toliau: “Ką galvojai taip darydamas?”

11 Abraomas atsakė: “Aš galvojau, kad šioje šalyje nėra Dievo baimės ir dėl mano žmonos jie užmuš mane.

12 Bet ji iš tikrųjų yra mano sesuo: mano tėvo duktė, tik ne mano motinos, ir ji tapo mano žmona.

13 Kai Dievas mane išvedė iš mano tėvo namų, aš jai tariau: “Padaryk man tą malonę­visur, kur nueisime, sakyk apie mane: ‘Jis yra mano brolis’ ”.

14 Abimelechas davė Abraomui avių, galvijų, tarnų bei tarnaičių ir sugrąžino jam jo žmoną Sarą.

15 Abimelechas tarė: “Štai mano kraštas tau atviras, įsikurk, kur tau patinka!”

16 O Sarai jis pasakė: “Aš daviau tavo broliui tūkstantį sidabrinių. Tebūna tai įrodymas visiems, kurie yra su tavimi, ir kitiems, kad esi nekalta”.

17 Abraomas meldė Dievą, ir Jis pagydė Abimelechą, jo žmoną ir tarnaites, kad jos gimdytų.

18 Nes Viešpats buvo padaręs nevaisingomis visas moteris Abimelecho namuose dėl Abraomo žmonos Saros.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2533

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2533. That 'now return the man's wife' means that the spiritual truth of doctrine was by him to be brought back untouched from the rational is clear from the meaning of 'a wife' as spiritual truth, dealt with in 2507, 2510, and from the meaning of 'a man' as doctrine itself. Actually when Abraham who represents the Lord in that state is called 'a man' he means celestial truth, which is the same as doctrine from a celestial origin; for 'man' in the internal sense means the understanding part of the mind, see 158, 265, 749, 915, 1007, 2517. From this it is evident that 'resuming the man's wife' means bringing back the spiritual truth of doctrine untouched. Its being brought back untouched from the rational is meant because 'Abimelech' who was required to return her means doctrine that has regard to rational things, or what amounts to the same, means the rational things comprising doctrine, 2510.

[2] It has been stated above that although the doctrine of faith is in itself Divine and so stands above all human, even angelic, range of understanding, it has nevertheless been expressed in the Word in a rational manner in accordance with man's range of understanding. It is like a parent who is teaching small boys and girls. When teaching them he explains every single thing in accordance with their own mentality, even though he himself thinks from what is more interior or higher. Otherwise he would be teaching without their learning, or it would be like casting seed on bare rock. The same applies also to the angels who in the next life instruct the simple in heart. Although the angels possess celestial and spiritual wisdom they nevertheless do not go above the heads of those they are teaching but use simple ideas to talk to them, yet advance by degrees to higher ideas as the instruction advances. For if they were to speak from angelic wisdom the simple would not grasp anything at all and so would not be led on to the truths and goods of faith. Much the same would happen if in the Word the Lord had not taught in a rational manner in accordance with man's range of understanding. Nevertheless in its internal sense the Word is raised up to angelic understanding. But even so, that highest level of meaning on which the Word exists with angels is infinitely lower than the Divine. This shows what the Word is like in origin, and so what it is in itself, and thus that at every point it embodies more than the whole of heaven is capable of comprehending, even as to one small part, though in the letter it seems so ordinary and so crude.

[3] The fact that the Lord is the Word, because the Word derives from Him and He is in the Word, is clear in John,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1, 4, 14.

See also Revelation 19:11, 13, 16. And because the Lord is the Word, He is doctrine also, for no other doctrine exists which is itself Divine.

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