The Bible

 

Postanak 18

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1 Posle mu se javi Gospod u ravnici mamrijskoj kad seđaše na vratima pred šatorom svojim u podne.

2 Podigavši oči svoje pogleda, i gle, tri čoveka stajahu prema njemu. I ugledavši ih potrča im u susret ispred vrata šatora svog, i pokloni se do zemlje;

3 I reče: Gospode, ako sam našao milost pred Tobom, nemoj proći sluge svog.

4 Da vam donesem malo vode i operite noge, te se naslonite malo pod ovim drvetom.

5 I izneću malo hleba, te potkrepite srce svoje, pa onda pođite, kad idete pored sluge svog. I rekoše: Učini šta si kazao.

6 I Avram otrča u šator k Sari, i reče: Brže zamesi tri kopanje belog brašna i ispeci pogače.

7 Pa otrča ka govedima i uhvati tele mlado i dobro, i dade ga momku da ga brže zgotovi.

8 Pa onda iznese masla i mleka i tele koje beše zgotovio, i postavi im, a sam stajaše pred njima pod drvetom dokle jeđahu.

9 I oni mu rekoše: Gde je Sara žena tvoja? A on reče: Eno je pod šatorom.

10 A jedan između njih reče: Dogodine u ovo doba opet ću doći k tebi, a Sara će žena tvoja imati sina. A Sara slušaše na vratima od šatora iza njega.

11 A Avram i Sara behu stari i vremeniti, i u Sare beše prestalo šta biva u žena.

12 Zato se nasmeja Sara u sebi govoreći: Pošto sam ostarela, sad li će mi doći radost? A i gospodar mi je star.

13 Tada reče Gospod Avramu: Što se smeje Sara govoreći: Istina li je da ću roditi kad sam ostarela?

14 Ima li šta teško Gospodu? Dogodine u ovo doba opet ću doći k tebi, a Sara će imati sina.

15 A Sara udari u bah govoreći: Nisam se smejala. Jer se uplaši. Ali On reče: Nije istina, nego si se smejala.

16 Potom ustaše ljudi odande, i pođoše put Sodoma; a Avram pođe s njima da ih isprati.

17 A Gospod reče: Kako bih tajio od Avrama šta ću učiniti,

18 Kad će od Avrama postati velik i silan narod, i u njemu će se blagosloviti svi narodi na zemlji?

19 Jer znam da će zapovediti sinovima svojim i domu svom nakon sebe da se drže puteva Gospodnjih i da čine što je pravo i dobro, da bi Gospod navršio na Avramu šta mu je obećao.

20 I reče Gospod: Vika je u Sodomu i Gomoru velika, i greh je njihov grdan.

21 Zato ću sići da vidim eda li sve čine kao što vika dođe preda me; ako li nije tako, da znam.

22 I ljudi okrenuvši se pođoše put Sodoma; ali Avram još stajaše pred Gospodom,

23 I pristupiv Avram reče: Hoćeš li pogubiti i pravednog s nepravednim?

24 Može biti da ima pedeset pravednika u gradu; hoćeš li i njih pogubiti, i nećeš oprostiti mestu za onih pedeset pravednika što su u njemu?

25 Nemoj to činiti, ni gubiti pravednika s nepravednikom, da bude pravedniku kao i nepravedniku; nemoj; eda li sudija cele zemlje neće suditi pravo?

26 I reče Gospod: Ako nađem u Sodomu pedeset pravednika u gradu, oprostiću celom mestu njih radi.

27 A Avram odgovori i reče: Gle, sada bih progovorio Gospodu, ako i jesam prah i pepeo.

28 Može biti pravednika pedeset manje pet, hoćeš li za onih pet potrti sav grad? Odgovori: Neću, ako nađem četrdeset i pet.

29 I stade dalje govoriti, i reče: Može biti da će se naći četrdeset. Reče: Neću radi onih četrdeset.

30 Potom reče: Nemoj se gneviti, Gospode, što ću reći; može biti da će se naći trideset. I reče: Neću, ako nađem trideset.

31 Opet reče: Gle sada bih progovorio Gospodu; može biti da će se naći dvadeset. Reče: Neću ih pogubiti za onih dvadeset.

32 Najposle reče: Nemoj se gneviti, Gospode, što ću još jednom progovoriti; može biti da će se naći deset. Reče: Neću ih pogubiti radi onih deset.

33 I Gospod otide svršivši razgovor sa Avramom; a Avram se vrati na svoje mesto.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2227

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2227. That 'Abraham will certainly become a great and numerous nation' means that from the Lord will come all good, and from this all truth, is clear from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord, dealt with often above, and also from the meaning of 'nation' as good, dealt with in 1159, 1258-1260, 1416, 1849 - here 'a great and numerous nation', by which good and truth deriving from it are meant. That 'great' has reference to good and 'numerous' to truth may become clear from other places in the Word, but I must refrain from quoting them here. Truth derived from good is in the genuine sense spiritual good, for there are two kinds of good, quite distinct and separate from each other, namely celestial good and spiritual good. Celestial good is the manifestation of love to the Lord, spiritual good the manifestation of love towards the neighbour. From the former, that is, celestial good, flows the latter, that is, spiritual good; for no one is able to love the Lord unless he also loves the neighbour. Love to the Lord embraces love towards the neighbour, for love to the Lord originates in the Lord, thus in Love itself towards the whole human race. Abiding in love to the Lord is the same as abiding in the Lord, and one who abides in the Lord must inevitably abide in His love which is directed towards the human race, and thus towards the neighbour, so that in him both kinds of good are present - both celestial and spiritual. Celestial good is indeed good itself, but spiritual good is in fact truth that goes with or is derived from that celestial good. This truth, as stated, is spiritual good. It is celestial good that is meant by 'great', but spiritual good by 'numerous'.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1159

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1159. 'Every one according to his tongue, according to their families, as to their nations' means that they were ranged according to the character of each one, 'according to his tongue' meaning according to each one's individual belief, 'according to their families' meaning according to uprightness, 'as to their nations' meaning as to both belief and uprightness in general. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'tongue', and 'families', and 'nations' in the Word, which will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed later on. The reason why in the internal sense 'tongue' means individual belief, and so basic assumptions and persuasions, is that the tongue corresponds to the understanding part of man's mind, that is, to his thought, in the way that an effect corresponds to its cause. Such is the case not only with the influx of a person's thoughts into the movements of the tongue in speaking, but also with the influx of heaven, about which something from personal experience will in the Lord's Divine mercy be stated elsewhere.

[2] That 'families' in the internal sense means uprightness, as well as charity and love, arises from the fact that all things belonging to mutual love are in the heavens like blood relatives and relatives by marriage, and so are like families, see 685. This is why in the Word things belonging to love or charity are described as 'houses' and also as 'families', points which there is no need to pause over and confirm here. That 'a house' has this meaning, see 710.

[3] That 'nations' means both belief and uprightness in general is clear from the meaning of 'a nation' or 'nations' in the Word. In the good sense nations mean things of the new will and understanding, and so mean the goods of love and the truths of faith. But in the contrary sense evils and falsities are meant. The same applies to houses, families, and tongues, as may be confirmed from very many places in the Word. The reason is that the Most Ancient Church was distinguished into separate houses, families, and nations. A married couple with their children, together with menservants and maidservants, constituted one house. A number of houses in close proximity in turn constituted one family, while a number of families constituted a nation. Consequently nations meant all families taken together as a whole. The same applies in heaven, but all relationships there are determined by love to and faith in the Lord, 685.

[4] This then is how nations come to mean what they do in the internal sense, namely that which is general embracing things both of the will and of the understanding, or what amounts to the same, both the things of love and those of faith. Their meaning however depends on the families and houses of which they consist. For these points, see also what has been stated already in 470, 471, 483 From these considerations it is clear that 'nations' means both belief and uprightness in general, and that 'everyone according to his tongue, according to their families, and as to their nations' means the disposition of each person, family, and nation whose worship was derived from the Ancient Church.

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