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Genesis 4

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1 αδαμ δὲ ἔγνω ευαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν τὸν καιν καὶ εἶπεν ἐκτησάμην ἄνθρωπον διὰ τοῦ θεοῦ

2 καὶ προσέθηκεν τεκεῖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν αβελ καὶ ἐγένετο αβελ ποιμὴν προβάτων καιν δὲ ἦν ἐργαζόμενος τὴν γῆν

3 καὶ ἐγένετο μεθ' ἡμέρας ἤνεγκεν καιν ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς θυσίαν τῷ κυρίῳ

4 καὶ αβελ ἤνεγκεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν προβάτων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν στεάτων αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπεῖδεν ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ αβελ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς δώροις αὐτοῦ

5 ἐπὶ δὲ καιν καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις αὐτοῦ οὐ προσέσχεν καὶ ἐλύπησεν τὸν καιν λίαν καὶ συνέπεσεν τῷ προσώπῳ

6 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῷ καιν ἵνα τί περίλυπος ἐγένου καὶ ἵνα τί συνέπεσεν τὸ πρόσωπόν σου

7 οὐκ ἐὰν ὀρθῶς προσενέγκῃς ὀρθῶς δὲ μὴ διέλῃς ἥμαρτες ἡσύχασον πρὸς σὲ ἡ ἀποστροφὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ σὺ ἄρξεις αὐτοῦ

8 καὶ εἶπεν καιν πρὸς αβελ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πεδίον καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ καὶ ἀνέστη καιν ἐπὶ αβελ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν

9 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς καιν ποῦ ἐστιν αβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου ὁ δὲ εἶπεν οὐ γινώσκω μὴ φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μού εἰμι ἐγώ

10 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεός τί ἐποίησας φωνὴ αἵματος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου βοᾷ πρός με ἐκ τῆς γῆς

11 καὶ νῦν ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἣ ἔχανεν τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς δέξασθαι τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου

12 ὅτι ἐργᾷ τὴν γῆν καὶ οὐ προσθήσει τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς δοῦναί σοι στένων καὶ τρέμων ἔσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς

13 καὶ εἶπεν καιν πρὸς τὸν κύριον μείζων ἡ αἰτία μου τοῦ ἀφεθῆναί με

14 εἰ ἐκβάλλεις με σήμερον ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου κρυβήσομαι καὶ ἔσομαι στένων καὶ τρέμων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὁ εὑρίσκων με ἀποκτενεῖ με

15 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ κύριος ὁ θεός οὐχ οὕτως πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας καιν ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύσει καὶ ἔθετο κύριος ὁ θεὸς σημεῖον τῷ καιν τοῦ μὴ ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν πάντα τὸν εὑρίσκοντα αὐτόν

16 ἐξῆλθεν δὲ καιν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ὤ|κησεν ἐν γῇ ναιδ κατέναντι εδεμ

17 καὶ ἔγνω καιν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν τὸν ενωχ καὶ ἦν οἰκοδομῶν πόλιν καὶ ἐπωνόμασεν τὴν πόλιν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ ενωχ

18 ἐγενήθη δὲ τῷ ενωχ γαιδαδ καὶ γαιδαδ ἐγέννησεν τὸν μαιηλ καὶ μαιηλ ἐγέννησεν τὸν μαθουσαλα καὶ μαθουσαλα ἐγέννησεν τὸν λαμεχ

19 καὶ ἔλαβεν ἑαυτῷ λαμεχ δύο γυναῖκας ὄνομα τῇ μιᾷ αδα καὶ ὄνομα τῇ δευτέρᾳ σελλα

20 καὶ ἔτεκεν αδα τὸν ιωβελ οὗτος ἦν ὁ πατὴρ οἰκούντων ἐν σκηναῖς κτηνοτρόφων

21 καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ιουβαλ οὗτος ἦν ὁ καταδείξας ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν

22 σελλα δὲ ἔτεκεν καὶ αὐτὴ τὸν θοβελ καὶ ἦν σφυροκόπος χαλκεὺς χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου ἀδελφὴ δὲ θοβελ νοεμα

23 εἶπεν δὲ λαμεχ ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ γυναιξίν αδα καὶ σελλα ἀκούσατέ μου τῆς φωνῆς γυναῖκες λαμεχ ἐνωτίσασθέ μου τοὺς λόγους ὅτι ἄνδρα ἀπέκτεινα εἰς τραῦμα ἐμοὶ καὶ νεανίσκον εἰς μώλωπα ἐμοί

24 ὅτι ἑπτάκις ἐκδεδίκηται ἐκ καιν ἐκ δὲ λαμεχ ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά

25 ἔγνω δὲ αδαμ ευαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν υἱὸν καὶ ἐπωνόμασεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ σηθ λέγουσα ἐξανέστησεν γάρ μοι ὁ θεὸς σπέρμα ἕτερον ἀντὶ αβελ ὃν ἀπέκτεινεν καιν

26 καὶ τῷ σηθ ἐγένετο υἱός ἐπωνόμασεν δὲ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ενως οὗτος ἤλπισεν ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #358

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358. 'The face 1 falling' means change taking place as to interiors. This is clear from the meaning of 'the face' and from the meaning of 'falling'. Among the ancients the face meant internal things, for it is through the face that internal things shine forth. What is more, people in most ancient times were such that the face was in complete accord with internal things, so that anyone could see from another person's face the character of his disposition or mind (animus aut mens). They considered it something monstrous to express one thing in the face and to be thinking another; pretence and deceit in those times were abhorrent. Consequently the face meant things that were internal. When charity shone out of the face, the face was said to be 'lifted up', but when the reverse happened the face was said to 'fall'. This also explains why the Lord is referred to as lifting up His face upon man, as in the Blessing in Numbers 6:26 and Psalms 4:6, which means the Lord's gift of charity to man. What 'the falling of the face' means is clear in Jeremiah,

I will not cause My face to fall upon you, for I am merciful, said Jehovah. Jeremiah 3:12.

By 'Jehovah's face' is meant mercy. When He 'lifts up His face' on anyone, He is from His mercy imparting charity to him. The reverse is the case when He 'causes His face to fall', that is, when man's face falls.

Footnotes:

1. literally, faces

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

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