The Bible

 

Genesis 13

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1 ἀνέβη δὲ αβραμ ἐξ αἰγύπτου αὐτὸς καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ καὶ λωτ μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον

2 αβραμ δὲ ἦν πλούσιος σφόδρα κτήνεσιν καὶ ἀργυρίῳ καὶ χρυσίῳ

3 καὶ ἐπορεύθη ὅθεν ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν ἔρημον ἕως βαιθηλ ἕως τοῦ τόπου οὗ ἦν ἡ σκηνὴ αὐτοῦ τὸ πρότερον ἀνὰ μέσον βαιθηλ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον αγγαι

4 εἰς τὸν τόπον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου οὗ ἐποίησεν ἐκεῖ τὴν ἀρχήν καὶ ἐπεκαλέσατο ἐκεῖ αβραμ τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου

5 καὶ λωτ τῷ συμπορευομένῳ μετὰ αβραμ ἦν πρόβατα καὶ βόες καὶ σκηναί

6 καὶ οὐκ ἐχώρει αὐτοὺς ἡ γῆ κατοικεῖν ἅμα ὅτι ἦν τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτῶν πολλά καὶ οὐκ ἐδύναντο κατοικεῖν ἅμα

7 καὶ ἐγένετο μάχη ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ποιμένων τῶν κτηνῶν τοῦ αβραμ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ποιμένων τῶν κτηνῶν τοῦ λωτ οἱ δὲ χαναναῖοι καὶ οἱ φερεζαῖοι τότε κατῴκουν τὴν γῆν

8 εἶπεν δὲ αβραμ τῷ λωτ μὴ ἔστω μάχη ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ποιμένων μου καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν ποιμένων σου ὅτι ἄνθρωποι ἀδελφοὶ ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν

9 οὐκ ἰδοὺ πᾶσα ἡ γῆ ἐναντίον σού ἐστιν διαχωρίσθητι ἀπ' ἐμοῦ εἰ σὺ εἰς ἀριστερά ἐγὼ εἰς δεξιά εἰ δὲ σὺ εἰς δεξιά ἐγὼ εἰς ἀριστερά

10 καὶ ἐπάρας λωτ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ εἶδεν πᾶσαν τὴν περίχωρον τοῦ ιορδάνου ὅτι πᾶσα ἦν ποτιζομένη πρὸ τοῦ καταστρέψαι τὸν θεὸν σοδομα καὶ γομορρα ὡς ὁ παράδεισος τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὡς ἡ γῆ αἰγύπτου ἕως ἐλθεῖν εἰς ζογορα

11 καὶ ἐξελέξατο ἑαυτῷ λωτ πᾶσαν τὴν περίχωρον τοῦ ιορδάνου καὶ ἀπῆρεν λωτ ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ διεχωρίσθησαν ἕκαστος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ

12 αβραμ δὲ κατῴκησεν ἐν γῇ χανααν λωτ δὲ κατῴκησεν ἐν πόλει τῶν περιχώρων καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν σοδομοις

13 οἱ δὲ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ἐν σοδομοις πονηροὶ καὶ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἐναντίον τοῦ θεοῦ σφόδρα

14 ὁ δὲ θεὸς εἶπεν τῷ αβραμ μετὰ τὸ διαχωρισθῆναι τὸν λωτ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἀναβλέψας τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου ἰδὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου οὗ νῦν σὺ εἶ πρὸς βορρᾶν καὶ λίβα καὶ ἀνατολὰς καὶ θάλασσαν

15 ὅτι πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἣν σὺ ὁρᾷς σοὶ δώσω αὐτὴν καὶ τῷ σπέρματί σου ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος

16 καὶ ποιήσω τὸ σπέρμα σου ὡς τὴν ἄμμον τῆς γῆς εἰ δύναταί τις ἐξαριθμῆσαι τὴν ἄμμον τῆς γῆς καὶ τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐξαριθμηθήσεται

17 ἀναστὰς διόδευσον τὴν γῆν εἴς τε τὸ μῆκος αὐτῆς καὶ εἰς τὸ πλάτος ὅτι σοὶ δώσω αὐτήν

18 καὶ ἀποσκηνώσας αβραμ ἐλθὼν κατῴκησεν παρὰ τὴν δρῦν τὴν μαμβρη ἣ ἦν ἐν χεβρων καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ θυσιαστήριον κυρίῳ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1608

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1608. And to thy seed forever. That this signifies those who should have faith in Him, is evident from the signification of “seed,” as being faith, and indeed the faith of charity (spoken of before, n. 255, 256, 1025). That the heavenly kingdom should be given to His seed, that is, to those who have faith in Him, is clearly evident from the words of the Lord Himself in John:

The Father loveth the Son,, and hath given all things into His hand; he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, but he that believeth not the Son shall not see life (John 3:35-36).

[2] And again:

As many as received Him, to them gave He power [potestas] to become the sons of God, to those that believe in His name, who were born not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man (John 1:12-13).

From these words it is evident what faith, or believing in Him, is, namely, that it is with those who receive Him and believe in Him, not from “the will of the flesh,” nor from “the will of man.” “The will of the flesh” is what is contrary to love and charity, for this is signified by “flesh” (n. 999); and “the will of man” is what is contrary to the faith that is from love or charity, for this is what is signified by “man.” For the will of the flesh and the will of man are what disjoin; but love and the derivative faith are what conjoin; therefore they in whom are love and the derivative faith, are they who are born of God. And because they are born of God, they are called “sons of God,” and are His “seed,” to whom is given the heavenly kingdom. These things are signified by the following words in this verse: “all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed, forever.”

[3] That the heavenly kingdom cannot be given to those who are in faith without charity, that is, to those who say that they have faith and yet hold the neighbor in hatred, may be seen by anyone who is willing to reflect; for there can be no life in such faith, when hatred, that is hell, constitutes the life. For hell consists of nothing but hatreds; not of the hatreds which a man has received hereditarily, but of those which he has acquired by actual life.

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