The Bible

 

Бытие 19

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1 Между тјмъ, два Ангела пришли въ Содомъ вечеромъ, когда Лоть сидјлъ у воротъ Содомскихъ. Лотъ увидјлъ и всталъ на встрјчу имъ, и поклонился лицомъ до земли.

2 И сказалъ: государи мои! пожалуйте, зайдите теперь въ домъ раба вашего, и ночуйте, и умойте ноги ваши, и вставъ по утру, пойдете въ путь свой. Но они сказали: нјтъ, мы ночуемъ на улицј,

3 Онъ же сильно упрашивалъ ихъ: и они зашли къ нему, и пришли въ домъ его. Онъ сдјлалъ имъ угощеніе, и испекъ прјсные хлјбы; и они јли.

4 Еще не легли они спать, какъ городскіе жители, Содомляне, отъ молодаго до стараго, весь народъ со всјхъ концевъ города, окружили домъ.

5 И кричали Лоту; и говорили ему: гдј люди, пришедшіе къ тебј въ эту ночь? выведи ихъ къ намъ, мы познаемъ ихъ,

6 Лотъ вышелъ къ нимъ за дверъ, и заперъ за собою дверь.

7 И сказалъ: пожалуйте, братія, не дјлайте зла!

8 Вотъ, у меня двј дочери, которыя не знаютъ мужа; выведу лучше я ихъ къ вамъ, дјлайте съ ними, что вамъ угодно; только не дјлайте сего съ людями сими, ибо они для того и пришли подъ кровъ дома моего!

9 Но они сказали: подойди сюда! И сказали: не ужели одинъ пришлецъ, пришедшій сюда, можеть судить насъ? за это мы хуже сдјлаемъ съ тобою, нежели съ ними. И сильно наступали на сего человјка, на Лота, и подошли, чтобы выломать дверь.

10 Тогда гости простерли руки свои, и взяли Лота къ себј въ домъ, и дверь заперли;

11 а людей, бывшихъ за дверьми дома, отъ малаго до большаго, поразили слјпотою, такъ, что они измучились, искавъ двери.

12 Наконецъ гости сказали Лоту: кто у тебя есть еще здјсь? Зять ли, сыновья ли твои, дочери ли твои, и кто бы ни былъ у тебя въ семъ городј, всјхъ выведи изъ сего мјста.

13 Ибо мы истребимъ сіе мјсто; потому что великъ отсюда вопль къ Іеговј, и Іегова послалъ насъ истребить его.

14 Итакъ, Лотъ пошедъ, и говорилъ съ зятьями своими, которые брали за себя дочерей его, и сказалъ: встаньте, выдьте изъ сего мјста; ибо Іегова истребитъ сей городъ; но зятьямъ его показалось, что онъ шутитъ.

15 Когда взошла заря, Ангелы начали торопить Лота, говоря: встань, возми жену свою, и двухъ дочерей своихъ, находящихся здјсь, чтобы не погибнуть и тебј за беззаконія сего города.

16 Но какъ онъ медлилъ, то они, по милости къ нему Іеговы, взяли за руки его, и жену его и двухъ дочерей его, и, выведши, поставили его внј города.

17 Когда же вывели ихъ вонъ изъ города, то одинъ изъ нихъ сказалъ: спасай жизнь твою; не оглядывайся назадъ, и нигдј не останавливайся на равнинј сей; спасайся на гору, чтобы тебј не погибнуть.

18 Но Лотъ сказалъ имъ: нјтъ, Господи!

19 Вотъ рабъ Твой обрјлъ благодать предъ очами Твоими, и велика милость Твоя, которую Ты сдјлалъ со мною, что спасъ жизнь мою; но я не могу спастись на гору, чтобъ не застигла меня бјда сія, и чтобы мнј не умереть.

20 Вотъ ближе бјжать въ сей городъ, онъ же и малъ; позвольте мнј спасаться въ него; не правда ли, что онъ малъ? и сохранится жизнь моя.

21 И сказалъ ему; вотъ, Я въ угодность тебј и сіе сдјлаю, не истреблю города, о которомъ ты говоришь,

22 Поспјшай, спасайся въ него; ибо Я не могу сдјлать Своего дјла, пока ты не придешь туда. Потому и дано имя городу сему: Цоаръ.

23 Солнце взошло надъ землею, и Лотъ пришелъ въ Цоаръ.

24 Тогда Іегова на Содомъ и Гоморръ дождемъ пролилъ сјру и огнь отъ Іеговы съ небесъ.

25 И истребилъ города сіи, и всю равнину сію, и всјхъ жителей городовъ сихъ, и произрастенія земли.

26 Жена же Лотова оглянулась назадъ, и обратилась въ соляной столпъ.

27 Между тјмъ, Авраамъ утромъ, пошелъ на то мјсто, гдј стоялъ предъ лицемъ Іеговы;

28 и посмотрјлъ онъ къ Содому и Гоморру, и на все пространство равнины: и увидјлъ, и се, восходитъ дымъ съ земли, какъ дымъ изъ печи.

29 Такимъ образомъ Богъ, истребляя города равнины сей, вспомнилъ о Авраамј, и вывелъ Лота изъ среды истребленія, когда истреблялъ города, въ которыхъ жилъ Лотъ.

30 Потомъ Лотъ вышелъ изъ Цоара, и сталъ жить въ горј, и съ нимъ двј дочери его: ибо онъ боялся жить въ Цоарј. Итакъ, онъ жилъ въ пещерј, и съ нимъ двј дочери его.

31 И сказала старшая младшей: отецъ нашъ старъ; и нјтъ человјка на землј, который бы вошелъ къ намъ по обычаю всей земли.

32 Итакъ напоимъ отца нашего виномъ, и переспимъ съ нимъ, и возставимъ отъ отца нашего племя.

33 И въ ту ночь напоили отца своего виномъ; и пошла старшая, и спала съ отцемъ своимъ: а онъ не зналъ, какъ она легла и какъ встала.

34 На другой день старшая сказала младшей: вотъ, я спала вчера съ отцемъ моимъ; напоимъ его виномъ и въ сію ночь; и ты поди, спи съ нимъ, и возставимъ отъ отца нашего племя.

35 И напоили отца своего виномъ и въ сію ночь; и встала младшая, и переспала съ нимъ; и онъ не зналъ, какъ она легла, и какъ встала.

36 И сдјлались обј дочери Лотовы беременны отъ отца своего.

37 Старшая родила сына, и нарекла ему имя: Моавъ; сей есть отецъ Моавитянъ, такъ-называемыхъ до сего дня.

38 Младшая также родила сына, и нарекла ему имя: Бен-Амми; сей отецъ Аммонитянъ, такъ-называемыхъ до сего дня.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2343

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2343. 'And they ate' means making one's own. This is clear from the meaning of 'eating' as being communicated and joined together, thus being made one's own, dealt with already in 2187. What has been stated and explained so far makes clear how the contents of the previous and the present verses are arranged and link together in the internal sense - from the fact that 'the angels' means the Lord's Divine Human and His Holy proceeding, 'turning aside to him' means staying with, 'coming to his house' being confirmed in good, 'making a feast' dwelling together, 'baking unleavened bread' being purified, and 'eating' taking into oneself and making one's own. It shows the nature of the train of thought in the internal sense, though nothing at all of that sense is apparent in the historical sense.

[2] Such is the order and the train of thought that exists with all the individual parts of the Word. But the nature of that actual train of thought cannot begin to reveal itself when each word is explained separately; for in that case each is seen in isolation from the rest and the continuity of meaning is lost. It reveals itself when all the separate details are seen together within one complete idea, or are perceived as one complete mental picture, as is done by those who have the internal sense and who at the same time dwell in heavenly light from the Lord. Within these words [used here in Genesis] such people are given to see the entire process of the reformation and regeneration of those who become members of the Church, represented here by Lot. That is to say, they first of all perceive some degree of temptation, but when they persevere and overcome the Lord stays with them, and confirms them in good, brings them to Himself into His kingdom, and dwells together with them, and there purifies and perfects them, at the same time granting them as their own things that are good and happy. All this He accomplishes by means of His Divine Human and His Holy proceeding.

[3] Within the Church it is indeed well known that all regeneration or new life, and therefore salvation, comes from the Lord alone, but few believe it. The reason they do not believe it is that the good of charity does not exist in them. It is as impossible for those in whom that good does not exist to believe it as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle; for the good of charity is the very seed-bed of faith. Truth and good agree together, but truth and evil never do. They have contrary natures and turn away from each other. Insofar therefore as someone is moved by good, he can be governed by truth, that is, insofar as charity exists with him faith is able to, especially the most fundamental matter of faith that all salvation comes from the Lord.

[4] That this is the most fundamental matter of faith is clear from many places in the Word, as in John,

God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.

In the same gospel,

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him. John 3:36.

In the same gospel,

This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom the Father has sent. John 6:29.

In the same gospel,

This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:40.

In the same gospel,

Unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins. John 8:24.

In the same gospel,

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he die, yet will he live. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. John 11:25-26.

[5] Nobody is able to believe in the Lord unless he is governed by good, that is, no one can possess faith unless he has charity. This too is clear in John,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13.

And in the same gospel,

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for without Me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in Me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered. As the Father has loved Me so I have loved you; abide in My love. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:5-6, 9, 12.

[6] From all these quotations it becomes clear that love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour constitute the life of faith. But that people who are immersed in evil, that is, who lead a life of evil, cannot possibly believe that all salvation comes from the Lord has become clear to me from those who have entered the next life from the Christian world; and also from people who during their lifetime have confessed with their lips the established teaching of faith, and indeed have taught it themselves, that without the Lord there is no salvation, but who, for all that, have led a life of evil. At the very mention of the Lord's name these people have filled the atmosphere around them entirely with objections. For in the next life solely that which people are thinking is perceived and sends out from itself a sphere, in which the nature of the faith possessed by those people reveals itself, see 1394.

[7] At the mere mention of love or charity among these people I perceived emanating from them something that was so to speak full of darkness and at the same time dust-filled. The product of some filthy love, it was by nature such that it obliterated, stifled, and corrupted all feeling of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour. Such is the faith at the present day, which, they say, saves without the goods that flow from charity.

[8] The same people were also asked what faith they had since it was not the faith they had professed during their lifetime. Since in the next life nobody can conceal what he actually thinks, they said that they believed in God the Creator of all things. They were examined however as to whether this was really so, and it was discovered that they did not believe in any God at all but thought that all things were the product of natural forces, and all that has been said about eternal life is nonsense. Such is the faith of everyone inside the Church who does not believe in the Lord but says that he believes in God the Creator of all things. For truth cannot flow in from any other source than the Lord, and truth cannot be sown in anything other than good which is derived from the Lord.

[9] That the Lord's Divine Human and His Holy proceeding are together the channel and the source of life and salvation is well recognized from the words of the Holy Supper, 'This is My body, This is My blood', which is the Lord's Divine Human. And it is clear that this is the source of everything holy. Whether we speak of the Divine Human, or His Body, or Flesh, or Bread, or Divine Love, it amounts to the same thing; for the Lord's Divine Human is pure Love, and the Holy [proceeding] consists in love alone, while the Holy that constitutes faith is derived from this.

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