The Bible

 

Postanak 23

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1 A požive Sara sto i dvadeset i sedam godina; to su godine veka Sarinog;

2 I umre Sara u Kirijat-Arvi, a to je Hevron, u zemlji hananskoj. I dođe Avram da ožali Saru i oplače.

3 A kad usta Avram od mrtvaca svog, reče sinovima Hetovim govoreći:

4 Stranac sam i došljak kod vas; dajte mi da imam grob kod vas da pogrebem mrtvaca svog ispred očiju svojih.

5 A sinovi Hetovi odgovoriše Avramu govoreći mu:

6 Čuj nas, gospodaru; ti si knez od Boga među nama; u najboljem grobu našem pogrebi mrtvaca svog; niko između nas neće ti zatvoriti grob svoj da ne pogrebeš mrtvaca svog.

7 Tada usta Avram i pokloni se narodu zemlje one, sinovima Hetovim;

8 I reče im govoreći: Ako hoćete da pogrebem mrtvaca svog ispred očiju svojih, poslušajte me, i govorite za mene Efronu sinu Sarovom,

9 Neka mi da pećinu u Makpeli, koja je nakraj njive njegove; za novce neka mi je da među vama koliko vredi, da imam grob.

10 A Efron seđaše usred sinova Hetovih. Pa reče Efron Hetejin Avramu pred sinovima Hetovim, koji slušahu, pred svim koji ulažahu na vrata grada njegovog, govoreći:

11 Ne, gospodaru; čuj me: poklanjam ti njivu, i pećinu kod nje poklanjam ti: pred sinovima naroda svog poklanjam ti je, pogrebi mrtvaca svog.

12 A Avram se pokloni narodu zemlje one,

13 I reče Efronu pred narodom zemlje one govoreći: Ako si voljan čuj me; da ti dam šta vredi njiva, uzmi od mene, pa ću onda pogrepsti mrtvaca svog onde.

14 A Efron odgovori Avramu govoreći mu:

15 Gospodaru, čuj me; zemlja vredi četiri stotine sikala srebra između mene i tebe; šta je to? Samo ti pogrebi mrtvaca svog.

16 A Avram čuvši Efrona izmeri mu srebro, koje reče pred sinovima Hetovim, četiri stotine sikala srebra, kako su išli među trgovcima.

17 I njiva Efronova u Makpeli prema Mamriji, njiva s pećinom koja je na njoj, i sva drveta na njivi i po međi njenoj unaokolo,

18 Posta Avramova pred sinovima Hetovim, pred svima koji ulaze na vrata grada onog.

19 Potom pogrebe Avram Saru ženu svoju u pećini na njivi Makpeli prema Mamriji, a to je Hevron, u zemlji hananskoj.

20 I potvrdiše sinovi Hetovi njivu i pećinu na njoj Avramu da ima grob.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2915

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2915. 'I am a stranger and an inhabitant among you' means their first state when, although the Lord was not known to them, He was nevertheless able to be with them. This is clear from the representation of 'Abraham' as the Lord, often dealt with already, and from the meaning of 'being a stranger among them' and 'being an inhabitant among them' as not being known but nevertheless being with them. It is evident from what comes before and after that this is the internal sense, for the subject is a new Church, and in this verse the first state of that Church. This state is such that first of all they do not know the Lord, yet because they lead good and charitable lives, and in public life they are just and fair, and in private life honourable and correct, they are the kind of people with whom the Lord is able to be present. For the Lord is present with man in good, and so in justice and fairness, and further still in honourableness and correctness (honourableness being the sum total of all the private virtues, correctness simply the form that honourableness takes). These are the kinds of good that follow one another consecutively, and are the levels with man on which the Lord bases conscience, and consequently intelligence and wisdom. People however with whom these qualities do not exist, that is to say, with whom they do not proceed from the heart or affection, cannot have anything of heaven planted within them. There is no level, nor any ground, thus nothing to receive them. And as they cannot have anything of heaven planted within them, neither can the Lord be present there. The Lord may be said to be present according to the good that is present, that is, according to the nature of that good. And the nature of this good is determined by the state of innocence, love and charity in which the truths of faith have been, or are able to be, implanted.

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