The Bible

 

Postanak 14

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1 A kad beše Amarfal car senarski, Arion car elasarski, Hodologomor car elamski i Targal car gojimski,

2 Zavojevaše na Valu cara sodomskog, i na Varsu cara gomorskog, i na Senara cara adamskog, i na Simovora cara sevojimskog i na cara od Valake, koja je sada Sigor.

3 Svi se ovi skupiše u dolini sidimskoj koja je sada slano more.

4 Dvanaest godina behu služili Hodologomoru, pa trinaeste godine odmetnuše se.

5 A četrnaeste godine dođe Hodologomor i carevi koji behu s njim, i pobiše Rafaje u Astarotu karnajimskom i Zuzeje u Amu i Omeje u polju kirijatajskom,

6 I Horeje u planini njihovoj Siru do ravnice Faranske pokraj pustinje.

7 Od tuda vrativši se dođoše u En-Mispat, koji je sada Kadis, i isekoše sve koji živehu u zemlji amaličkoj, i Amoreje koji živehu u Asason-Tamaru.

8 Tada iziđe car sodomski i car gomorski i car adamski i car sevojimski i car od Valake, koje je sada Sigor, izađoše na njih u dolinu sidimsku,

9 Na Hodologomora cara elamskog, i na Targala cara gojimskog, i na Amarfala cara senarskog, i na Arioha cara elasarskog, četiri cara na pet.

10 A u dolini sidimskoj beše mnogo rupa iz kojih se vadila smola; i pobeže car sodomski i car gomorski, i onde padoše, a šta osta pobeže u planinu.

11 I uzeše sve blago u Sodomu i Gomoru i svu hranu njihovu, i otidoše.

12 Uzeše i Lota, sinovca Avramovog, i blago njegovo, i otidoše, jer živeše u Sodomu.

13 A dođe jedan koji beše utekao, te javi Avramu Jevrejinu, koji živeše u ravni Mamrija Amorejina, brata Esholu i brata Avnanu, koji behu u veri s Avramom.

14 A kad Avram ču da mu se zarobio sinovac, naoruža sluge svoje, trista osamnaest, koji se rodiše u njegovoj kući, i pođe u poteru do Dana.

15 Onde razdelivši svoje udari na njih noću sa slugama svojim, i razbi ih, i otera ih do Hovala, koji je na levo od Damaska,

16 I povrati sve blago; povrati i Lota sinovca svog s blagom njegovim, i žene i ljude.

17 A car sodomski iziđe mu na susret kad se vrati razbivši Hodologomora i careve što behu s njim, u dolinu Savinu, koje je sada dolina careva.

18 A Melhisedek car salimski iznese hleb i vino; a on beše sveštenik Boga Višnjeg.

19 I blagoslovi ga govoreći: Blagosloven da je Avram Bogu Višnjem, čije je nebo i zemlja!

20 I blagosloven da je Bog Višnji, koji predade neprijatelje tvoje u ruke tvoje! I dade mu Avram desetak od svega.

21 A car sodomski reče Avramu: Daj meni ljude, a blago uzmi sebi.

22 A Avram reče caru sodomskom: Dižem ruku svoju ka Gospodu Bogu Višnjem, čije je nebo i zemlja, zaklinjući se:

23 Ni konca ni remena od obuće neću uzeti od svega što je tvoje, da ne kažeš: Ja sam obogatio Avrama;

24 Osim što su pojeli momci, i osim dela ljudima koji su išli sa mnom, Esholu, Avnanu i Mamriju, oni neka uzmu svoj deo.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1661

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1661. 'And so it was in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim' means just so many kinds of apparent goods and truths which are not in themselves goods and truths, and which were present with the Lord's external Man. This becomes clear from the meaning of all these in the internal sense, and also from what follows. For the subject is the Lord's conflict against evils and falsities, here His first conflict which came during His childhood and earliest adolescence. That conflict He first entered into and endured after He had been endowed with knowledge and cognitions, hence the expression 'in the days of' these kings.

[2] Nobody can possibly fight against evils and falsities until he knows what evil and falsity are, not therefore until he has received instruction. A person does not know what evil is, still less what falsity is, before he is capable of understanding and of forming judgements for himself, which is the reason why a person does not enter into temptations until he has reached the age of maturity. Thus everyone is tempted in adult life, but the Lord was tempted even in childhood.

[3] Everyone fights first of all from the goods and truths he has received by means of cognitions, and it is from them and by means of them that he forms judgements concerning evils and falsities. Everyone furthermore when he first starts to fight imagines that these goods and truths from which he fights are his own, that is, he ascribes them to himself, and at the same time ascribes to himself the power by which he resists. This is allowed because a person cannot at the time know anything different. Before anyone has been regenerated he cannot possibly know, so as to be able to say that he knows, acknowledges, and believes, that no good or truth at all comes from self, but that everything good and true comes from the Lord; nor can he possibly know that he is unable by his own power to resist any evil or falsity. Indeed he does not know that evil spirits are activating and implanting the evils and falsities, still less that he is in communication with hell by means of evil spirits, and that hell presses on him like the sea against every part of a dike, which he can by no means resist by his own strength. Yet because he cannot do otherwise, until he has been regenerated, than imagine that he resists by his own strength, this too is permitted; and in this condition he is admitted into conflicts, or temptations. Subsequently however he becomes more and more enlightened.

[4] When a person's state is such that he imagines that good and truth originate in himself and that the power to resist is his own, the goods and truths from which he fights against evils and falsities are not really goods and truths, however much they appear to be so, for they have that which is his own within them, and he places self-merit in victory, boasting as though it were he that had overcome evil and falsity, when in fact it is the Lord alone who fights and overcomes. That this is indeed so none can know except those who are being regenerated by means of temptations.

[5] Because the Lord in earliest childhood was led into very serious conflicts against evils and falsities it was inevitable that at that time even He should think that way. This happened both because it was according to Divine order that His Human Essence should through continuous conflicts and victories be brought to the Divine Essence and united to it, and because the goods and truths from which He fought against evils and falsities belonged to the External Man. And because those goods and truths were not completely Divine they are for that reason called appearances of good and truth. His Divine Essence brought the Human Essence to itself in this way in order that it might overcome by its own power. The arcana here however are more than can possibly be described. In short, in those first conflicts the goods and truths residing with the Lord from which He fought were permeated by things inherited from the mother, and insofar as they were permeated by things inherited from the mother they were not Divine. Gradually however, as He overcame evil and falsity they were purified and made Divine.

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