The Bible

 

Genesis 16

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1 σαρα δε η γυνη αβραμ ουκ ετικτεν αυτω ην δε αυτη παιδισκη αιγυπτια η ονομα αγαρ

2 ειπεν δε σαρα προς αβραμ ιδου συνεκλεισεν με κυριος του μη τικτειν εισελθε ουν προς την παιδισκην μου ινα τεκνοποιησης εξ αυτης υπηκουσεν δε αβραμ της φωνης σαρας

3 και λαβουσα σαρα η γυνη αβραμ αγαρ την αιγυπτιαν την εαυτης παιδισκην μετα δεκα ετη του οικησαι αβραμ εν γη χανααν και εδωκεν αυτην αβραμ τω ανδρι αυτης αυτω γυναικα

4 και εισηλθεν προς αγαρ και συνελαβεν και ειδεν οτι εν γαστρι εχει και ητιμασθη η κυρια εναντιον αυτης

5 ειπεν δε σαρα προς αβραμ αδικουμαι εκ σου εγω δεδωκα την παιδισκην μου εις τον κολπον σου ιδουσα δε οτι εν γαστρι εχει ητιμασθην εναντιον αυτης κριναι ο θεος ανα μεσον εμου και σου

6 ειπεν δε αβραμ προς σαραν ιδου η παιδισκη σου εν ταις χερσιν σου χρω αυτη ως αν σοι αρεστον η και εκακωσεν αυτην σαρα και απεδρα απο προσωπου αυτης

7 ευρεν δε αυτην αγγελος κυριου επι της πηγης του υδατος εν τη ερημω επι της πηγης εν τη οδω σουρ

8 και ειπεν αυτη ο αγγελος κυριου αγαρ παιδισκη σαρας ποθεν ερχη και που πορευη και ειπεν απο προσωπου σαρας της κυριας μου εγω αποδιδρασκω

9 ειπεν δε αυτη ο αγγελος κυριου αποστραφητι προς την κυριαν σου και ταπεινωθητι υπο τας χειρας αυτης

10 και ειπεν αυτη ο αγγελος κυριου πληθυνων πληθυνω το σπερμα σου και ουκ αριθμηθησεται απο του πληθους

11 και ειπεν αυτη ο αγγελος κυριου ιδου συ εν γαστρι εχεις και τεξη υιον και καλεσεις το ονομα αυτου ισμαηλ οτι επηκουσεν κυριος τη ταπεινωσει σου

12 ουτος εσται αγροικος ανθρωπος αι χειρες αυτου επι παντας και αι χειρες παντων επ' αυτον και κατα προσωπον παντων των αδελφων αυτου κατοικησει

13 και εκαλεσεν αγαρ το ονομα κυριου του λαλουντος προς αυτην συ ο θεος ο επιδων με οτι ειπεν και γαρ ενωπιον ειδον οφθεντα μοι

14 ενεκεν τουτου εκαλεσεν το φρεαρ φρεαρ ου ενωπιον ειδον ιδου ανα μεσον καδης και ανα μεσον βαραδ

15 και ετεκεν αγαρ τω αβραμ υιον και εκαλεσεν αβραμ το ονομα του υιου αυτου ον ετεκεν αυτω αγαρ ισμαηλ

16 αβραμ δε ην ογδοηκοντα εξ ετων ηνικα ετεκεν αγαρ τον ισμαηλ τω αβραμ

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1914

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1914. That 'may the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant-girl into your bosom' means its unwillingness to take any blame is clear without explanation. In the internal sense these words embody within themselves the truth that the Lord perceived this first rational to be such as despised intellectual truth, and for that reason He reproached it. The Lord did indeed think from intellectual truth, as stated above in 1904; and because that truth was superior to the rational, He was able to perceive and see the nature of the rational, that is to say, that it held that truth in contempt.

[2] The Lord's being able from the interior man to perceive and see the nature of the new rational within Himself becomes clear from the fact that what is interior is able to perceive that which occurs in the exterior, or what amounts to the same, what is higher is able to see that which occurs in that which is lower, but not the reverse. Moreover, those who have conscience are able and are accustomed to do the same, for when anything contrary to the truth constituting conscience enters their thought or the intentions of their will, they not only recognize it for what it is but also pour blame upon it; indeed it grieves them that their own nature is such. This is all the more true of those who have perception, for perception is more interior within the rational. What then could the Lord not do who had Divine celestial perception and whose thought sprang from the affection for intellectual truth which is above the rational? Therefore He could not be anything else but righteously angry since He knew that no evil or falsity at all stemmed from Himself and that from the affection for truth He strove anxiously with all His might so that the rational might be pure. From this it becomes clear that the Lord did not despise intellectual truth, yet perceived that the first rational with Him did so.

[3] What thinking from intellectual truth is cannot be explained intelligibly, all the less so because nobody except the Lord has ever thought from that affection and that kind of truth. Anyone who thinks from them is above the angelic heaven, for the angels of the third heaven do not think from intellectual truth but from the interior part of the rational. But to the extent that the Lord united the Human Essence to the Divine Essence, He thought from Divine Good itself, that is, from Jehovah.

[4] The early fathers of the Most Ancient Church, who had perception, thought from the interior rational. The fathers of the Ancient Church, who did not have perception but conscience, thought from the exterior or natural rational. But all who do not have conscience never think from the rational at all, since they have no rational however much they appear to do so. Instead they think from the sensory and the bodily experience of the natural. People who do not have conscience are unable to think from the rational for the reason, as has been stated, that they have no rational. The rational man is one in whom the good and truth of faith are the substance of his thought and never one who thinks in opposition to these. Those in whom evil and falsity are the substance of their thought are insane as to their thought and therefore the rational cannot be attributed to them.

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