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

 

Sacred Scripture #103

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103. We can tell from the books of Moses that there was a Word among the ancients because he mentioned it and excerpted from it (Numbers 21:14-15, 27-30). We can tell that the narrative portions of that Word were called “The Wars of Jehovah, ” and that the prophetic portions were called “Pronouncements.” Moses quoted the following from the historical narratives of that Word:

Therefore it says in The Book of the Wars of Jehovah, “Waheb in Suphah and the rivers Arnon, a watercourse of rivers that goes down to [where] Ar is inhabited and rests along the border of Moab.” (Numbers 21:14-15)

In that Word as in ours, the wars of Jehovah were understood to be, and served to describe in detail, the Lord’s battles against hell and his victories over it when he would come into the world. These same battles are meant and described time after time in the historical narratives of our Word - in Joshua’s battles against the nations of the land of Canaan, for example, and in the wars of the judges and the kings of Israel.

[2] Moses quoted the following from the prophetic portions of that Word:

Therefore those who make pronouncements say, “Come to Heshbon! The city of Sihon will be built up and fortified, because fire has gone out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It has devoured Ar of Moab, those who occupy the heights of Arnon. Woe to you, Moab! You have perished, people of Chemosh; he has made his sons fugitives and sent his daughters into captivity to Sihon, king of the Amorites. With arrows we have dealt with them; Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon, and we have spread destruction as far as Nophah, which extends to Medeba.” (Numbers 21:27-30)

Translators change [the title of] this to “Composers of Proverbs, ” but it should be called “Makers of Pronouncements” or “Prophetic Pronouncements, ” as we can tell from the meaning of the word moschalim in Hebrew. It means not only proverbs but also prophetic utterances, as in Numbers 23:7, 18; 24:3, 15 where it says that Balaam gave forth his pronouncement, which was actually a prophetic utterance and was about the Lord. In these instances each of his pronouncements is called a mashal in the singular. There is also the fact that what Moses quoted from this source are not proverbs but prophecies.

[3] We can see that this Word was similarly divine or divinely inspired from a passage in Jeremiah where we find almost the same words:

A fire has gone out from Heshbon and a flame from the midst of Sihon, which has devoured the corner of Moab and the top of the children of tumult. Woe to you, Moab! The people of Chemosh have perished, for your sons have been carried off into captivity and your daughters into captivity. (Jeremiah 48:45-46)

Further, both David and Joshua mention another prophetic book of the former Word, The Book of Jasher or The Book of the Righteous One. Here is where David mentions it:

David lamented over Saul and over Jonathan and wrote, “‘To Teach the Children of Judah the Bow.’ (You will find this written in The Book of Jasher.)” (2 Samuel 1:17-18)

Here is where Joshua mentions it:

Joshua said, “‘Come to rest, O sun, in Gibeon; and, O moon, in the valley of Aijalon.’ Is this not written in The Book of Jasher?” (Joshua 10:12-13)

Then too, I have been told that the first seven chapters of Genesis are right there in that ancient Word, so that not the slightest word is missing.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.

The Bible

 

Numbers 20

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1 The children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month: and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

2 There was no water for the congregation: and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

3 The people strove with Moses, and spoke, saying, "We wish that we had died when our brothers died before Yahweh!

4 Why have you brought the assembly of Yahweh into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals?

5 Why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to this evil place? It is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink."

6 Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the Tent of Meeting, and fell on their faces: and the glory of Yahweh appeared to them.

7 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

8 "Take the rod, and assemble the congregation, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water; and you shall bring forth to them water out of the rock; so you shall give the congregation and their livestock drink."

9 Moses took the rod from before Yahweh, as he commanded him.

10 Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels; shall we bring you water out of this rock for you?"

11 Moses lifted up his hand, and struck the rock with his rod twice: and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.

12 Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you didn't believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."

13 These are the waters of Meribah; because the children of Israel strove with Yahweh, and he was sanctified in them.

14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying: "Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the travail that has happened to us:

15 how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and our fathers:

16 and when we cried to Yahweh, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and brought us forth out of Egypt: and behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost of your border.

17 "Please let us pass through your land: we will not pass through field or through vineyard, neither will we drink of the water of the wells: we will go along the king's highway; we will not turn aside to the right hand nor to the left, until we have passed your border."

18 Edom said to him, "You shall not pass through me, lest I come out with the sword against you."

19 The children of Israel said to him, "We will go up by the highway; and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then will I give its price: let me only, without [doing] anything [else], pass through on my feet."

20 He said, "You shall not pass through." Edom came out against him with many people, and with a strong hand.

21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border, so Israel turned away from him.

22 They traveled from Kadesh: and the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.

23 Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom, saying,

24 "Aaron shall be gathered to his people; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given to the children of Israel, because you rebelled against my word at the waters of Meribah.

25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up to Mount Hor;

26 and strip Aaron of his garments, and put them on Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered [to his people], and shall die there."

27 Moses did as Yahweh commanded: and they went up into Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation.

28 Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them on Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain: and Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

29 When all the congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they wept for Aaron thirty days, even all the house of Israel.