The Bible

 

Genesis 26

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1 Šalyje vėl kilo badas kaip anksčiau Abraomo laikais. Izaokas nuėjo pas filistinų karalių Abimelechą į Gerarą.

2 Jam pasirodė Viešpats ir tarė: “Neik į Egiptą. Gyvenk žemėje, kurią tau nurodysiu.

3 Būk kaip ateivis šitoje šalyje. Aš būsiu su tavimi ir laiminsiu tave, nes tau ir tavo palikuonims duosiu visas šias žemes ir ištesėsiu priesaiką, kurią daviau tavo tėvui Abraomui.

4 Aš padauginsiu tavo palikuonis, kad jų bus tiek, kiek danguje žvaigždžių, ir duosiu jiems visas šias žemes. Tavo palikuonyse bus palaimintos visos žemės giminės,

5 nes Abraomas paklausė mano balso ir laikėsi mano įstatymų, įsakymų, nuostatų ir nurodymų”.

6 Izaokas pasiliko Gerare.

7 Tos vietos vyrams, teiraujantis apie jo žmoną, jis sakė: “Ji mano sesuo”, nes jis bijojo sakyti: “Ji mano žmona”, kad tos vietos vyrai neužmuštų jo dėl ebekos, nes ji buvo graži.

8 Pagyvenus ten ilgesnį laiką, pasitaikė, kad filistinų karalius Abimelechas, žiūrėdamas pro langą, pamatė Izaoką, glamonėjantį savo žmoną ebeką.

9 Abimelechas pasišaukė Izaoką ir tarė: “Man aišku, kad ji tavo žmona! Kodėl sakei: ‘Ji mano sesuo’?” Izaokas jam atsakė: “Bijojau, kad nereikėtų dėl jos mirti”.

10 Tada Abimelechas tarė: “Kodėl mums taip padarei? Juk kas nors galėjo sugulti su tavo žmona, ir tu būtum apkaltinęs mus!”

11 Abimelechas įspėjo visą tautą: “Kas palies šitą vyrą ar jo žmoną, bus baudžiamas mirtimi”.

12 Izaokas įdirbo žemę ir gavo tais metais šimteriopą derlių, nes Viešpats jį laimino.

13 Ir jis tapo didis žmogus, ir toliau augo, ir plėtėsi, kol tapo labai didis.

14 Jis turėjo daug gyvulių ir avių, ir didelį skaičių tarnų, todėl jam pavydėjo filistinai.

15 Visus šulinius, kuriuos jo tėvo tarnai buvo iškasę Abraomo dienomis, filistinai užvertė žemėmis.

16 Abimelechas tarė Izaokui: “Pasitrauk nuo mūsų, nes tu pasidarei daug galingesnis už mus!”

17 Izaokas pasitraukė iš ten, pasistatė palapinę Geraros slėnyje ir ten gyveno.

18 Tada Izaokas vėl atkasė šulinius, kuriuos Abraomas, jo tėvas, buvo iškasęs ir filistinai, Abraomui mirus, buvo užvertę. Jis juos pavadino tais pačiais vardais, kuriais jo tėvas juos buvo pavadinęs.

19 Izaoko tarnai kasė šulinį slėnyje ir rado vandens versmę.

20 Geraro piemenys ginčijosi su Izaoko piemenimis: “Mums priklauso vanduo!” Jis pavadino tą šulinį Eseku, nes jie ginčijosi su juo.

21 Po to jis iškasė kitą šulinį, bet jie ir dėl to susiginčijo. Jis jį pavadino Sitna.

22 Iš ten jis kėlėsi toliau ir vėl iškasė šulinį. Dėl šito jie nebesiginčijo. Jis jį pavadino ehobotu ir tarė: “Dabar mums Viešpats suteikė daug vietos, galėsime plėstis šalyje”.

23 Iš ten jis persikėlė į Beer Šebą.

24 Tą naktį pasirodė jam Viešpats ir tarė: “Aš esu tavo tėvo Abraomo Dievas. Nebijok! Aš esu su tavimi ir dėl mano tarno Abraomo laiminsiu tave bei padauginsiu tavo palikuonis”.

25 Izaokas čia pastatė aukurą ir šaukėsi Viešpaties vardo, ir čia jis ištiesė savo palapinę. Jo tarnai toje vietoje iškasė šulinį.

26 Abimelechas iš Geraro atvyko pas jį su savo draugu Achuzatu ir kariuomenės vadu Picholu.

27 Izaokas paklausė: “Ko atėjote? Juk jūs nekenčiate manęs ir mane išvarėte!”

28 Jie atsakė: “Mes aiškiai matome, kad Viešpats yra su tavimi, todėl sakome: ‘Tarkimės, sudarykime sandorą!’

29 Nesielk su mumis piktai, juk ir mes tavęs neskriaudėme, gerai elgėmės su tavimi ir išleidome ramybėje. Tu esi Viešpaties palaimintasis!”

30 Izaokas iškėlė jiems pokylį, jie valgė ir gėrė.

31 Atsikėlę anksti rytą, jie sudarė sandorą. Po to Izaokas juos išleido, ir jie iškeliavo ramybėje.

32 Tą pačią dieną Izaoko tarnai atėję pranešė jam apie naujai iškastą šulinį, sakydami: “Mes radome vandens”.

33 Ir jis pavadino jį Šiba, todėl tas miestas ligi šios dienos tebevadinamas Beer Šeba.

34 Ezavas, turėdamas keturiasdešimt metų, vedė hetito Beerio dukterį Juditą ir hetito Elono dukterį Basmatą.

35 Jos apkartino Izaoko ir ebekos gyvenimą.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2723

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2723. As regards Beersheba however, 'Beersheba' means the state and the essential nature of the doctrine, that is to say, it is Divine doctrine to which merely human rational ideas have been allied. This becomes clear from the train of thought in verse 22 to the present verse, 2613, 2614, and also from the meaning of the actual expression in the original language as 'the well of the oath' and 'the well of seven'. 'A well' means the doctrine of faith, see 2702, 2720, 'an oath' means a joining together, 2720, as does 'the covenant established with an oath', 1996, 2003, 2021, 2037; and 'seven' means that which is holy and so that which is Divine, 395, 433, 716, 881. From these meanings it may become clear that 'Beersheba' means doctrine which in itself is Divine together with merely human rational ideas or appearances allied to it.

[2] The fact that this is how the name Beersheba was derived is evident from Abraham's words,

Abraham said, Because you will take the seven ewe-lambs from my hand, that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well. Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath. And they made a covenant in Beersheba (verses 30-32).

Similarly from Isaac's words recorded in Chapter 26,

So it was on that day, that Isaac's servants came and pointed out to him the reasons for the well which they had dug, and they said to him, We have found water. And he called it Shibah ('an oath' and 'seven'); therefore the name of the city is Beersheba even to this day. Genesis 26:32-33.

This too has to do with wells, about which there was disagreement with Abimelech, and with a covenant made with him. 'Beersheba' means merely human rational ideas which were again allied to the doctrine of faith, and because they were allied to it again and the doctrine was in that way made such that the human mind could grasp it, it is called 'a city' - 'a city' being doctrine in its entirety, see 402, 2268, 2449, 2451. What is more, the name Beersheba is used with a similar meaning in the internal sense in Genesis 22:19; 26:23; 28:10; 46:1, 5; Joshua 15:28; 19:1-2; 1 Samuel 8:2; 1 Kings 19:3, and in the contrary sense in Amos 5:5; 8:13-14. The whole range of celestial and spiritual things taught by doctrine is meant in the internal sense where the land of Canaan is said to range from 'Dan even to Beersheba'; for the land of Canaan means the Lord's kingdom, also the Church, and therefore means the celestial and spiritual things taught by doctrine, as in the Book of Judges.

All the children of Israel came out, and the congregation assembled as one man from Dan even to Beersheba. Judges 20:1.

In the Book of Samuel,

All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba. 1 Samuel 3:20.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba, 2 Samuel 3:10.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

Hushai said to Absalom, Let all Israel be assembled together, from Dan even to Beersheba. 2 Samuel 17:11.

Elsewhere in Samuel, David told Joab to go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan even to Beersheba. 2 Samuel 24:2, 7.

Elsewhere in Samuel,

There died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. 2 Samuel 24:15.

In the Book of Kings,

Judah dwelt under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 1 Kings 4:25.

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

The Bible

 

Ezekiel 48

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1 Now these are the names of the tribes: From the north end, beside the way of Hethlon to the entrance of Hamath, Hazar Enan at the border of Damascus, northward beside Hamath, (and they shall have their sides east [and] west), Dan, one [portion].

2 By the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, Asher, one [portion].

3 By the border of Asher, from the east side even to the west side, Naphtali, one [portion].

4 By the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west side, Manasseh, one [portion].

5 By the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, Ephraim, one [portion].

6 By the border of Ephraim, from the east side even to the west side, Reuben, one [portion].

7 By the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, Judah, one [portion].

8 By the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the offering which you shall offer, twenty-five thousand [reeds] in breadth, and in length as one of the portions, from the east side to the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in its midst.

9 The offering that you shall offer to Yahweh shall be twenty-five thousand [reeds] in length, and ten thousand in breadth.

10 For these, even for the priests, shall be the holy offering: toward the north twenty-five thousand [in length], and toward the west ten thousand in breadth, and toward the east ten thousand in breadth, and toward the south twenty-five thousand in length: and the sanctuary of Yahweh shall be in its midst.

11 [It shall be] for the priests who are sanctified of the sons of Zadok, who have kept my instruction, who didn't go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray.

12 It shall be to them an offering from the offering of the land, a thing most holy, by the border of the Levites.

13 Answerable to the border of the priests, the Levites shall have twenty-five thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth: all the length shall be twenty-five thousand, and the breadth ten thousand.

14 They shall sell none of it, nor exchange it, nor shall the first fruits of the land be alienated; for it is holy to Yahweh.

15 The five thousand that are left in the breadth, in front of the twenty-five thousand, shall be for common use, for the city, for dwelling and for suburbs; and the city shall be in its midst.

16 These shall be its measures: the north side four thousand and five hundred, and the south side four thousand and five hundred, and on the east side four thousand and five hundred, and the west side four thousand and five hundred.

17 The city shall have suburbs: toward the north two hundred fifty, and toward the south two hundred fifty, and toward the east two hundred fifty, and toward the west two hundred fifty.

18 The remainder in the length, answerable to the holy offering, shall be ten thousand eastward, and ten thousand westward; and it shall be answerable to the holy offering; and its increase shall be for food to those who labor in the city.

19 Those who labor in the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it.

20 All the offering shall be twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand: you shall offer the holy offering foursquare, with the possession of the city.

21 The residue shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy offering and of the possession of the city; in front of the twenty-five thousand of the offering toward the east border, and westward in front of the twenty-five thousand toward the west border, answerable to the portions, it shall be for the prince: and the holy offering and the sanctuary of the house shall be in its midst.

22 Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince's, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, it shall be for the prince.

23 As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west side, Benjamin, one [portion].

24 By the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, Simeon, one [portion].

25 By the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, Issachar, one [portion].

26 By the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, Zebulun, one [portion].

27 By the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, Gad, one [portion].

28 By the border of Gad, at the south side southward, the border shall be even from Tamar to the waters of Meribath Kadesh, to the brook [of Egypt], to the great sea.

29 This is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their several portions, says the Lord Yahweh.

30 These are the exits of the city: On the north side four thousand and five hundred [reeds] by measure;

31 and the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel, three gates northward: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one.

32 At the east side four thousand and five hundred [reeds], and three gates: even the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one.

33 At the south side four thousand and five hundred [reeds] by measure, and three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one.

34 At the west side four thousand and five hundred [reeds], with their three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one.

35 It shall be eighteen thousand [reeds] around: and the name of the city from that day shall be, Yahweh is there.