The Bible

 

Postanak 4

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1 Iza toga Adam pozna Jevu ženu svoju, a ona zatrudne i rodi Kajina, i reče: Dobih čoveka od Gospoda.

2 I rodi opet brata njegovog Avelja. I Avelj posta pastir a Kajin ratar.

3 A posle nekog vremena dogodi se, te Kajin prinese Gospodu prinos od roda zemaljskog;

4 A i Avelj prinese od prvina stada svog i od njihove pretiline. I Gospod pogleda na Avelja i na njegov prinos,

5 A na Kajina i na njegov prinos ne pogleda. Zato se Kajin rasrdi veoma, i lice mu se promeni.

6 Tada reče Gospod Kajinu: Što se srdiš? Što li ti se lice promeni?

7 Nećeš li biti mio, kad dobro činiš? A kad ne činiš dobro, greh je na vratima. A volja je njegova pod tvojom vlašću, i ti si mu stariji.

8 Posle govoraše Kajin s Aveljem bratom svojim. Ali kad behu u polju, skoči Kajin na Avelja brata svog, i ubi ga.

9 Tada reče Gospod Kajinu: Gde ti je brat Avelj? A on odgovori: Ne znam; zar sam ja čuvar brata svog?

10 A Bog reče: Šta učini! Glas krvi brata tvog viče sa zemlje k meni.

11 I sada, da si proklet na zemlji, koja je otvorila usta svoja da primi krv brata tvog iz ruke tvoje.

12 Kad zemlju uzradiš, neće ti više davati blaga svog. Bićeš potukač i begunac na zemlji.

13 A Kajin reče Gospodu: Krivica je moja velika da mi se ne može oprostiti.

14 Evo me teraš danas iz ove zemlje da se krijem ispred Tebe, i da se skitam i potucam po zemlji, pa će me ubiti ko me udesi.

15 A Gospod mu reče: Zato ko ubije Kajina, sedam će se puta to pokajati. I načini Gospod znak na Kajinu da ga ne ubije ko ga udesi.

16 I otide Kajin ispred Gospoda, i naseli se u zemlji naidskoj na istoku prema Edemu.

17 I pozna Kajin ženu svoju, a ona zatrudne i rodi Enoha. I sazida grad i prozva ga po imenu sina svog Enoh.

18 A Enohu rodi se Gaidad; a Gaidad rodi Maleleila: a Maleleilo rodi Matusala; a Matusal rodi Lameha.

19 I uze Lameh dve žene: jednoj beše ime Ada a drugoj Sela.

20 I Ada rodi Jovila; od njega se narodiše koji žive pod šatorima i stoku pasu.

21 A bratu njegovom beše ime Juval; od njega se narodiše gudači i svirači.

22 A i Sela rodi Tovela, koji beše vešt kovati svašta od bronze i od gvožđa; a sestra Tovelu beše Noema.

23 I reče Lameh svojim ženama, Adi i Seli: Čujte glas moj, žene Lamehove, poslušajte reči moje: ubiću čoveka za ranu svoju i mladića za masnicu svoju.

24 Kad će se Kajin osvetiti sedam puta, Lameh će sedamdeset i sedam puta.

25 A Adam opet pozna ženu svoju, i ona rodi sina, i nade mu ime Sit, jer mi, reče, Bog dade drugog sina za Avelja, kog ubi Kajin.

26 I Situ se rodi sin, kome nadede ime Enos. Tada se poče prizivati ime Gospodnje.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #353

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353. 'Fat' means the celestial itself, which also is the Lord's. The celestial consists in everything that is an aspect of love. Faith too is celestial when it has its origin in love. Charity is the celestial, and all good stemming from charity is celestial. All of these were represented by 'the fat' in sacrifices, especially by the fat on the liver or omentum, by the fat on the kidneys, by the fat covering the entrails, and by that actually on the entrails. These were consecrated and burnt on the altar, Exodus 29:13, 22; Leviticus 3:3-4, 14; 4:8-9, 19, 26, 31, 35; 8:16, 25, and were consequently called 'the bread offered by fire for an odour of rest' for Jehovah, 1 Leviticus 3:15-16. For this reason the Jewish people were forbidden to eat any of the fat from animals, and this was called 'a perpetual statute throughout their generations', Leviticus 3:17; 7:23, 25. They were forbidden to do so because that Church was such that it did not acknowledge anything internal, still less anything celestial.

[2] That 'fat' means celestial things and goods that flow from charity is clear in the Prophets, as in Isaiah,

Why do you weigh out silver for 2 that which is not bread, and your labour on that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will find its delight in fatness. Isaiah 55:2.

In Jeremiah,

I will fill the soul of the priests with fat, and My people will be satisfied with My goodness. Jeremiah 31:14.

Here it is quite clear that 'fat' is not used to mean fat but celestial-spiritual good. In David,

They will be filled with the fat of Your house, and You givest them drink from the river of Your delights; for with You is the fountain of life, in Your light do we see light. Psalms 36:8-9.

Here 'fat' and 'the fountain of life' stand for the celestial, which consists in love, and 'river of delights' and 'light' stand for the spiritual, which consists in faith deriving from love. In the same author,

My soul will be satisfied with fat and fatness, and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips. 3 Psalms 63:5.

Here similarly 'fat' stands for the celestial, 'joyful lips' 3 for the spiritual. It is quite clear that the celestial is meant for the reason that 'the soul will be satisfied'. And first-fruits, which were the firstborn of the earth, are for the same reason called 'fat' in Numbers 18:12.

[3] Since there are countless genera of celestial things, and still more countless species of them, they are described in general in the words of the song which Moses recited to the people,

Butter from the cattle, and milk from the flock, with the fat of lambs and rams, the breed 4 of Bashan, and of goats, with the kidney-fat of wheat; and of the blood of the grape you will drink unmixed wine. Deuteronomy 32:14.

Nobody can possibly know what these expressions mean except from the internal sense. Without the internal sense nobody is able to know what butter from the cattle means, or milk from the flock, or the fat of lambs, or the fat of rams and of goats, or the breed 4 of Bashan, or the kidney-fat of wheat, or the blood of the grape. Without the internal sense they would be mere words and nothing more. In reality every single thing mentioned there means the genera and species of celestial things.

Footnotes:

1. The Latin here means for a rest to Jehovah but comparison with the original Hebrew suggests that Swedenborg intended for an odour of rest, as in 2165:2, 5943:3.

2. or Why do you spend money on

3. literally, lips of songs

4. literally, sons

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