The Bible

 

Genesis 12

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1 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος τῷ αβραμ ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν ἄν σοι δείξω

2 καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς ἔθνος μέγα καὶ εὐλογήσω σε καὶ μεγαλυνῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου καὶ ἔσῃ εὐλογητός

3 καὶ εὐλογήσω τοὺς εὐλογοῦντάς σε καὶ τοὺς καταρωμένους σε καταράσομαι καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς

4 καὶ ἐπορεύθη αβραμ καθάπερ ἐλάλησεν αὐτῷ κύριος καὶ ὤ|χετο μετ' αὐτοῦ λωτ αβραμ δὲ ἦν ἐτῶν ἑβδομήκοντα πέντε ὅτε ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ χαρραν

5 καὶ ἔλαβεν αβραμ τὴν σαραν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν λωτ υἱὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῶν ὅσα ἐκτήσαντο καὶ πᾶσαν ψυχήν ἣν ἐκτήσαντο ἐν χαρραν καὶ ἐξήλθοσαν πορευθῆναι εἰς γῆν χανααν καὶ ἦλθον εἰς γῆν χανααν

6 καὶ διώδευσεν αβραμ τὴν γῆν εἰς τὸ μῆκος αὐτῆς ἕως τοῦ τόπου συχεμ ἐπὶ τὴν δρῦν τὴν ὑψηλήν οἱ δὲ χαναναῖοι τότε κατῴκουν τὴν γῆν

7 καὶ ὤφθη κύριος τῷ αβραμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τῷ σπέρματί σου δώσω τὴν γῆν ταύτην καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ αβραμ θυσιαστήριον κυρίῳ τῷ ὀφθέντι αὐτῷ

8 καὶ ἀπέστη ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος κατ' ἀνατολὰς βαιθηλ καὶ ἔστησεν ἐκεῖ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ βαιθηλ κατὰ θάλασσαν καὶ αγγαι κατ' ἀνατολάς καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ θυσιαστήριον τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατο ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου

9 καὶ ἀπῆρεν αβραμ καὶ πορευθεὶς ἐστρατοπέδευσεν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ

10 καὶ ἐγένετο λιμὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ κατέβη αβραμ εἰς αἴγυπτον παροικῆσαι ἐκεῖ ὅτι ἐνίσχυσεν ὁ λιμὸς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς

11 ἐγένετο δὲ ἡνίκα ἤγγισεν αβραμ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς αἴγυπτον εἶπεν αβραμ σαρα τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ γινώσκω ἐγὼ ὅτι γυνὴ εὐπρόσωπος εἶ

12 ἔσται οὖν ὡς ἂν ἴδωσίν σε οἱ αἰγύπτιοι ἐροῦσιν ὅτι γυνὴ αὐτοῦ αὕτη καὶ ἀποκτενοῦσίν με σὲ δὲ περιποιήσονται

13 εἰπὸν οὖν ὅτι ἀδελφὴ αὐτοῦ εἰμι ὅπως ἂν εὖ μοι γένηται διὰ σέ καὶ ζήσεται ἡ ψυχή μου ἕνεκεν σοῦ

14 ἐγένετο δὲ ἡνίκα εἰσῆλθεν αβραμ εἰς αἴγυπτον ἰδόντες οἱ αἰγύπτιοι τὴν γυναῖκα ὅτι καλὴ ἦν σφόδρα

15 καὶ εἶδον αὐτὴν οἱ ἄρχοντες φαραω καὶ ἐπῄνεσαν αὐτὴν πρὸς φαραω καὶ εἰσήγαγον αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν οἶκον φαραω

16 καὶ τῷ αβραμ εὖ ἐχρήσαντο δι' αὐτήν καὶ ἐγένοντο αὐτῷ πρόβατα καὶ μόσχοι καὶ ὄνοι παῖδες καὶ παιδίσκαι ἡμίονοι καὶ κάμηλοι

17 καὶ ἤτασεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν φαραω ἐτασμοῖς μεγάλοις καὶ πονηροῖς καὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ περὶ σαρας τῆς γυναικὸς αβραμ

18 καλέσας δὲ φαραω τὸν αβραμ εἶπεν τί τοῦτο ἐποίησάς μοι ὅτι οὐκ ἀπήγγειλάς μοι ὅτι γυνή σού ἐστιν

19 ἵνα τί εἶπας ὅτι ἀδελφή μού ἐστιν καὶ ἔλαβον αὐτὴν ἐμαυτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ ἡ γυνή σου ἐναντίον σου λαβὼν ἀπότρεχε

20 καὶ ἐνετείλατο φαραω ἀνδράσιν περὶ αβραμ συμπροπέμψαι αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ λωτ μετ' αὐτοῦ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1480

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1480. 'That the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful' means that the knowledge which is comprised of cognitions is to itself highly pleasing. This is clear from what has been stated above at verse 11, to the effect that in childhood knowledge is of such a nature. Within knowledge an inclination so to speak exists - for that inclination is innate in man - which disposes it first of all to take pleasure in knowing just for the sake of knowing, and with no other end in view. This is so with everyone: his spirit takes great delight in knowing, so that it scarcely desires anything better, knowledge being its food by which it is sustained and renewed, as the external man is by earthly food. And this which nourishes his spirit is communicated to the external man to the end that the external man may be adapted so as to serve the internal. These foods exist consecutively, in the following order: Celestial food consists in every good of love and charity received from the Lord, while spiritual food consists in every truth of faith; these are the kinds of food by which angels live. From these comes the food - also celestial and spiritual, but of a lower angelic degree - by which angelic spirits live. And from this again comes celestial and spiritual food of a still lower degree, which is that of reason and from this of knowledge, by which good spirits live. Last of all comes bodily food, which is proper to man while he lives in the body. All these foods correspond to one another in a remarkable manner. From this it is also evident why and how knowledge is to itself most pleasing, for that pleasure is as appetite and taste; therefore also eating with man corresponds in the world of spirits to facts, and appetite and taste themselves to the intense desire for facts, as is clear from experience which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be presented further on.

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