The Bible

 

Бытие 17

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1 Когда Авраму было девяносто девять лјтъ отъ рожденія, Іегова явился Авраму и сказалъ: Я Богъ всемогущій; ходи предъ лицемъ Моимъ, и будь непороченъ;

2 и Я поставлю завјтъ Мой между Мною и тобою, и весьма, весьма размножу тебя.

3 И палъ Аврамъ на лице свое; а Богъ говорилъ съ нимъ и сказалъ:

4 Я! се, завјтъ Мой съ тобою; и ты будёшь отецъ множества народовъ.

5 И отнынј ты не будешь называться Аврамомъ; но да будетъ тебј имя: Авраамъ; ибо Я дјлаю тебя отцемъ множества народовъ.

6 И весьма, весьма распложу тебя, и произведу отъ тебя народы, и цари произойдутъ отъ тебя.

7 И поставлю завјтъ Мой между Мною и тобою, и между потомками твоими въ роды ихъ, завјтъ вјчный, въ томъ, что Я буду Богомъ твоимъ, и потомства твоего послј тебя

8 И дамъ тебј и потомкамъ твоимъ послј тебя землю, по которой ты странствуешь, всю землю Ханаанскую, въ наслјдіе вјчное; и буду ихъ Богомъ.

9 И сказалъ Богъ Аврааму: ты же соблюди завјтъ Мой, ты и потомки твои послј тебя, въ роды ихъ.

10 Сей есть завјтъ Мой, который вы должны соблюдать между Мною и между вами, и между потомками твоими послј тебя: чтобъ у васъ весь мужескій полъ былъ обрјзанъ.

11 Обрјжьте край плоти вашей; и сіе будетъ знакомъ завјта между Мною и вами.

12 Осми дней оть рожденія да обрјжется у васъ въ роды ваши всякой младенецъ мужескаго пола, рожденный въ домј, и купленный за сребро у какого-нибудь иноплеменника, который не отъ вашего племени.

13 Непремјнно да обрјжется и рожденный въ домј твоемъ, и купленный за сребро; и завјтъ Мой на тјлј вашемъ будетъ завјтомъ вјчнымъ.

14 Не обрјзанный же мужескаго пола, который не обрјжетъ края плоти своея, истребится душа та изъ народа своего; ибо онъ нарушилъ завјтъ Мой.

15 Сказалъ Богъ также Аврааму: Сару жену твою не называй Сарою; но да будетъ имя ей: Сарра.

16 Я благословлю ее, и дамъ тебј отъ нея сына; благословлю ее, и произойдутъ отъ нея народы, и цари народовъ произойдутъ отъ нея.

17 Тогда Аврамъ палъ на лице свое, и разсмјялся, и сказалъ самъ въ себј: не ужели отъ столјтняго будутъ дјти? и Сарра, будучи девяносто лјтъ, не ужелн родитъ?

18 И сказалъ Авраамъ Богу: о! хотя бы Измаилъ былъ живъ предъ лицемъ Твоимъ.

19 Но Богъ. сказалъ: точно родитъ тебј сына Сарра жена твоя; и ты наречешь ему имя: Исаакъ; и Я поставлю завјтъ Мой съ нимъ, какъ завјтъ вјчный для потомства его послј него.

20 И о Измаилј Я услышалъ тебя; се, Я благословлю его, и возвращу его, и весьма, весьма размножу; двјнадцать князей родятся отъ него; и Я произведу отъ него великій народъ.

21 Но завјтъ Мой поставлю съ Исаакомъ, котораго родитъ тебј Сарра въ сіе самое время на другой годъ.

22 И окончилъБогъ разговоръ свой съ нимъ, и возшелъ отъ Авраама.

23 И взялъ Авраамъ Измаила сына своего, и всјхъ рожденныхъ въ дому своемъ, и всјхъ купленныхъ за сребро свое, весь мужескій полъ дома Авраамова; и обрјзалъ край плоти ихъ въ тотъ самый день, какъ сказалъ ему Богъ.

24 Аврааму было девяносто девять лјтъ отъ рожденія, когда онъ обрјзалъ край плоти своей.

25 Измаилу сыну его, было тринадцать лјтъ отъ рожденія, когда обрјзанъ край плоти его.

26 Въ тотъ же самый день обрјзаны были Авраамъ и Измаилъ, сынъ его;

27 и съ нимъ обрјзанъ былъ весь мужескій полъ дома его, рожденные въ домј, и купленные за сребро у иноплеменниковъ.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2049

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2049. 'From every son who is a foreigner and not of your seed' means those outside the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'son who is a foreigner' as those who are not born inside the Church and so are not governed by goods and truths of faith because they have no knowledge of them. 'Sons who are foreigners' also means people whose worship is external, dealt with in 1097, though in that context people inside the Church are the subject. Here however, the subject being the Lord's Church in its widest extent, 'sons who are foreigners' means those who, like gentiles, are not born inside the Church. Gentiles outside the Church can possess truths, but not the truths of faith. Their truths, like the Ten Commandments, are that parents should be honoured; that people should not murder, steal, commit adultery, or covet the things that belong to others; and also that they should worship God. Truths of faith consist however of all doctrinal teachings concerning eternal life, the Lord's kingdom, and the Lord. Such teachings cannot be known by gentiles because they do not possess the Word.

[2] These are the people who are meant by 'sons who are foreigners and not of your seed' but who are to be circumcised, that is to be purified. From this it is evident that they are just as much capable of being purified as those inside the Church, which purification was represented by being circumcised. They are purified when they cast aside filthy loves and live among one another in charity, for in their case truths have a part to play in their lives because charity and all truths go together, though such truths belong to the first of the two types mentioned above. When these truths play a part in their lives they then absorb the truths of faith with ease, if not during this life then in the next, because truths of faith are the interior truths of charity. Indeed at that point there is nothing they desire more than to be introduced into the interior truths of charity. Interior truths of charity are what constitute the Lord's kingdom. Regarding these, see 932, 1032, 1059, 1327, 1328, 1366.

[3] In the next life mere knowledge of the cognitions of faith is of no value at all, for the worst people, even those in hell, can have such knowledge, sometimes a better knowledge than others have. Leading a life in accordance with those cognitions is what matters, for all cognitions have life as their end in view. If life was not the reason for learning them they would have no use, apart from enabling people to discuss them and as a result to be considered learned in the world, to be raised to positions of importance, and to enhance reputation and wealth. From this it is clear that a life in keeping with the cognitions of faith is nothing other than the life of charity. Indeed love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour constitute the Law and the Prophets, that is, the doctrine of faith in its entirety together with all the cognitions of it, as is plain to anyone from the Lord's words in Matthew 22:35-40, and Mark 12:28-35.

[4] Matters of doctrine, or cognitions of faith, are nevertheless absolutely vital for the formation of the life of charity; it cannot be formed without them. This is the life which saves a person after death. The life of faith never exists without the life of charity, for without charity the life of faith is impossible. People in whom the life of love and charity dwells have the Lord's life within them. Nobody can be joined to Him by means of any other life. From this it is also clear that the truths of faith cannot possibly be acknowledged as truths - that is, no acknowledgement of what they are saying is possible - other than outwardly or with the lips, if they are not implanted within charity, since inwardly or at heart they are denied. For as has been stated, all truths of faith have charity as their end in view, and if charity is not present within them then inwardly they are rejected. The nature of the things that are interior is plain to see when those that are exterior are taken away, as is done in the next life, namely that they are utterly contrary to all the truths of faith. No people can possibly receive the life of charity, or mutual love, in the next life, when they have had none in this life; but their life as it has been with them in the world remains with them after death. Indeed they are averse to and hate mutual love. When merely approaching a community where the life that belongs to mutual love exists they quiver and shake, and experience torment.

[5] Although people such as these are born inside the Church, they are called 'sons who are foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in the flesh' who are not to be allowed into the sanctuary, that is, into the Lord's kingdom. They are also meant in Ezekiel,

No son who is a foreigner, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter the sanctuary. Ezekiel 44:7, 9.

And in the same prophet,

Whom have you thus become like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? You will be made to go down with the trees of Eden into the nether world; you will lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword. Ezekiel 31:18.

This refers to Pharaoh who means types of knowledge in general, 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462. 'The trees of Eden' with which they were to go down into the nether world also means types of knowledge, but knowledge of the cognitions of faith. From this it is now evident what 'one uncircumcised' means in the internal sense, namely one in whom filthy loves and the life belonging to these are present.

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