The Bible

 

Genesis 20

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1 καὶ ἐκίνησεν ἐκεῖθεν αβρααμ εἰς γῆν πρὸς λίβα καὶ ὤ|κησεν ἀνὰ μέσον καδης καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον σουρ καὶ παρῴκησεν ἐν γεραροις

2 εἶπεν δὲ αβρααμ περὶ σαρρας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ ὅτι ἀδελφή μού ἐστιν ἐφοβήθη γὰρ εἰπεῖν ὅτι γυνή μού ἐστιν μήποτε ἀποκτείνωσιν αὐτὸν οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως δι' αὐτήν ἀπέστειλεν δὲ αβιμελεχ βασιλεὺς γεραρων καὶ ἔλαβεν τὴν σαρραν

3 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς αβιμελεχ ἐν ὕπνῳ τὴν νύκτα καὶ εἶπεν ἰδοὺ σὺ ἀποθνῄσκεις περὶ τῆς γυναικός ἧς ἔλαβες αὕτη δέ ἐστιν συνῳκηκυῖα ἀνδρί

4 αβιμελεχ δὲ οὐχ ἥψατο αὐτῆς καὶ εἶπεν κύριε ἔθνος ἀγνοοῦν καὶ δίκαιον ἀπολεῖς

5 οὐκ αὐτός μοι εἶπεν ἀδελφή μού ἐστιν καὶ αὐτή μοι εἶπεν ἀδελφός μού ἐστιν ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ καὶ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ χειρῶν ἐποίησα τοῦτο

6 εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς καθ' ὕπνον κἀγὼ ἔγνων ὅτι ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ ἐποίησας τοῦτο καὶ ἐφεισάμην ἐγώ σου τοῦ μὴ ἁμαρτεῖν σε εἰς ἐμέ ἕνεκεν τούτου οὐκ ἀφῆκά σε ἅψασθαι αὐτῆς

7 νῦν δὲ ἀπόδος τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ὅτι προφήτης ἐστὶν καὶ προσεύξεται περὶ σοῦ καὶ ζήσῃ εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀποδίδως γνῶθι ὅτι ἀποθανῇ σὺ καὶ πάντα τὰ σά

8 καὶ ὤρθρισεν αβιμελεχ τὸ πρωὶ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν πάντας τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐλάλησεν πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα εἰς τὰ ὦτα αὐτῶν ἐφοβήθησαν δὲ πάντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι σφόδρα

9 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αβιμελεχ τὸν αβρααμ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας ἡμῖν μή τι ἡμάρτομεν εἰς σέ ὅτι ἐπήγαγες ἐπ' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν μου ἁμαρτίαν μεγάλην ἔργον ὃ οὐδεὶς ποιήσει πεποίηκάς μοι

10 εἶπεν δὲ αβιμελεχ τῷ αβρααμ τί ἐνιδὼν ἐποίησας τοῦτο

11 εἶπεν δὲ αβρααμ εἶπα γάρ ἄρα οὐκ ἔστιν θεοσέβεια ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ ἐμέ τε ἀποκτενοῦσιν ἕνεκεν τῆς γυναικός μου

12 καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἀδελφή μού ἐστιν ἐκ πατρός ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκ μητρός ἐγενήθη δέ μοι εἰς γυναῖκα

13 ἐγένετο δὲ ἡνίκα ἐξήγαγέν με ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ εἶπα αὐτῇ ταύτην τὴν δικαιοσύνην ποιήσεις ἐπ' ἐμέ εἰς πάντα τόπον οὗ ἐὰν εἰσέλθωμεν ἐκεῖ εἰπὸν ἐμὲ ὅτι ἀδελφός μού ἐστιν

14 ἔλαβεν δὲ αβιμελεχ χίλια δίδραχμα πρόβατα καὶ μόσχους καὶ παῖδας καὶ παιδίσκας καὶ ἔδωκεν τῷ αβρααμ καὶ ἀπέδωκεν αὐτῷ σαρραν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ

15 καὶ εἶπεν αβιμελεχ τῷ αβρααμ ἰδοὺ ἡ γῆ μου ἐναντίον σου οὗ ἐάν σοι ἀρέσκῃ κατοίκει

16 τῇ δὲ σαρρα εἶπεν ἰδοὺ δέδωκα χίλια δίδραχμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου ταῦτα ἔσται σοι εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ προσώπου σου καὶ πάσαις ταῖς μετὰ σοῦ καὶ πάντα ἀλήθευσον

17 προσηύξατο δὲ αβρααμ πρὸς τὸν θεόν καὶ ἰάσατο ὁ θεὸς τὸν αβιμελεχ καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰς παιδίσκας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔτεκον

18 ὅτι συγκλείων συνέκλεισεν κύριος ἔξωθεν πᾶσαν μήτραν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ αβιμελεχ ἕνεκεν σαρρας τῆς γυναικὸς αβρααμ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2541

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2541. 'And called his servants' means rational concepts and factual knowledge. This is clear from the meaning of 'servants' in the Word, dealt with further on at verse 14, in 2567. Within the person who is in the Lord's kingdom, that is, who is the Lord's kingdom, there are celestial things, spiritual things, rational concepts, factual knowledge, and sensory impressions; and all these are ordered one beneath another. Celestial things and spiritual things hold the primary position and are the Lord's; rational concepts come next in order beneath them and are subservient to them; factual knowledge in turn comes beneath and serves rational concepts; and lastly sensory impressions come beneath and serve factual knowledge. The things which are subservient, or which serve, are in these relationships servants, and in the Word they are called 'servants'. Anyone whose thought is based solely on sensory impressions and factual knowledge is unaware of these things existing in their ordered sequence; and anyone who does know something about them nevertheless has only a very obscure idea because he is still immersed in bodily interests. Angels however have a very distinct idea, for thousands, indeed myriads, of distinct and separate ideas existing with angels do not present themselves to men except as one single obscure idea, as for example with the words that occur here, 'Abimelech called his servants and spoke all these words in their ears; and the men were very much afraid'. In these words angels perceive deeper arcana than man can possibly grasp or is indeed able to believe; that is to say, they perceive how the Lord brought rational concepts and factual knowledge into a condition of obedience, yet in such a way that He did not bring into that condition the rational concepts and the factual knowledge themselves but the affections rising up against the celestial and the spiritual things of doctrine; for it was when those affections had been brought into subjection that rational concepts and factual knowledge were brought into a condition of obedience and at the same time into order. These matters are to angels some of the most common and general; but to man they are perhaps some of the most obscure or are unintelligible.

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 20

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1 Abraham traveled from there toward the land of the South, and lived between Kadesh and Shur. He lived as a foreigner in Gerar.

2 Abraham said about Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken. For she is a man's wife."

4 Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said, "Lord, will you kill even a righteous nation?

5 Didn't he tell me, 'She is my sister?' She, even she herself, said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands have I done this."

6 God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know that in the integrity of your heart you have done this, and I also withheld you from sinning against me. Therefore I didn't allow you to touch her.

7 Now therefore, restore the man's wife. For he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will live. If you don't restore her, know for sure that you will die, you, and all who are yours."

8 Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ear. The men were very scared.

9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, "What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done!"

10 Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you see, that you have done this thing?"

11 Abraham said, "Because I thought, 'Surely the fear of God is not in this place. They will kill me for my wife's sake.'

12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

13 It happened, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her, 'This is your kindness which you shall show to me. Everywhere that we go, say of me, "He is my brother."'"

14 Abimelech took sheep and cattle, male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored Sarah, his wife, to him.

15 Abimelech said, "Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it pleases you."

16 To Sarah he said, "Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes to all that are with you. In front of all you are vindicated."

17 Abraham prayed to God. God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his female servants, and they bore children.

18 For Yahweh had closed up tight all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.