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Génesis 12

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1 Pero el SEÑOR había dicho a Abram: Vete de tu tierra y de tu naturaleza, y de la casa de tu padre, a la tierra que yo te mostraré;

2 y haré de ti una nación grande, y te bendeciré, y engrandeceré tu nombre, y serás bendición.

3 Y bendeciré a los que te bendijeren, y a los que te maldijeren maldeciré; y serán benditas en ti todas las familias de la tierra.

4 Y se fue Abram, como el SEÑOR le dijo; y fue con él Lot; y era Abram de edad de setenta y cinco años cuando salió de Harán.

5 Y tomó Abram a Sarai su mujer, y a Lot hijo de su hermano, y toda su hacienda que habían ganado, y las almas que habían hecho en Harán, y salieron para ir a tierra de Canaán; y a tierra de Canaán llegaron.

6 Y pasó Abram por aquella tierra hasta el lugar de Siquem, hasta el alcornoque de More; y el cananeo estaba entonces en la tierra.

7 Y apareció el SEÑOR a Abram, y le dijo: A tu simiente daré esta tierra. Y edificó allí un altar al SEÑOR, que se le había aparecido.

8 Y se pasó de allí a un monte al oriente de Betel, y tendió su tienda, teniendo a Betel al occidente y Hai al oriente; y edificó allí altar al SEÑOR, e invocó el nombre del SEÑOR.

9 Y movió Abram de allí , caminando y yendo hacia el mediodía.

10 Y hubo hambre en la tierra, y descendió Abram a Egipto para peregrinar allá; porque era grande el hambre en la tierra.

11 Y aconteció que cuando llegó para entrar en Egipto, dijo a Sarai su mujer: He aquí, ahora conozco que eres mujer hermosa de vista;

12 y será, que cuando te vean los egipcios, dirán: Su mujer es; y me matarán a mí, y a ti te darán la vida.

13 Ahora pues, di que eres mi hermana, para que yo halle bien por causa tuya, y viva mi alma por amor de ti.

14 Y aconteció que, cuando entró Abram en Egipto, los egipcios vieron la mujer que era hermosa en gran manera.

15 También la vieron los príncipes del Faraón, y se la alabaron al Faraón; y fue llevada la mujer a casa del Faraón,

16 que hizo bien a Abram por causa de ella; y tuvo ovejas, y vacas, y asnos, y siervos, y criadas, y asnas y camellos.

17 Mas el SEÑOR hirió al Faraón y a su casa de grandes plagas, por causa de Sarai, mujer de Abram.

18 Entonces el Faraón llamó a Abram y le dijo: ¿Qué es esto que has hecho conmigo? ¿Por qué no me declaraste que era tu mujer?

19 ¿Por qué dijiste: Es mi hermana? ¡Y yo la tomé para mí por mujer! Ahora, pues, he aquí tu mujer, tómala y vete.

20 Entonces el Faraón mandó acerca de él a varones, que le acompañaran, y a su mujer, con todo lo que tenía.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1472

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1472. That 'it will be, when the Egyptians see you' means knowledge comprised of cognitions, it being the nature of that knowledge when celestial cognitions are seen that is described, becomes clear from the meaning of 'Egypt' as knowledge comprised of cognitions, as shown already. And from this what the words 'if the Egyptians see you' mean may become clear, namely that this knowledge is such as is described in the present verse. Such is the case with knowledge comprised of cognitions; and it has also a certain naturalness within it, as is manifested in children when they first start to learn - that is to say, the higher things are, the more they desire them; and all the more so when they hear that these things are celestial and Divine. But this delight is natural and arises from a strong desire that belongs to the external man. With others that strong desire causes them to take delight solely in knowledge comprised of cognitions, without any other end in view; yet that knowledge is nothing else than a certain means that exists to achieve an end, which is use. That is to say, cognitions exist to serve as vessels for celestial and spiritual things, and when they are performing that service, for the first time they have a use, and from that use receive their delight. It may become clear to anyone, if he pays the matter any attention, that in itself the knowledge comprised of cognitions exists for no other reason than that a person should become rational, and from that become spiritual, and at length celestial, and that by means of those cognitions his external man may be allied to his internal. When this point is reached he has arrived at the use itself, the internal man having nothing else than uses in view. For the sake of the same end also the Lord instills the delight that childhood and youth experience in forms of knowledge. When however a person begins to take delight in knowledge alone, it is a bodily desire that carries him away; and to the extent it carries him away, that is, to the extent he takes delight in knowledge alone, to the same extent does he move away from what is celestial, and to the same extent do the facts he knows close themselves up in the Lord's direction and become materially inclined. But insofar as facts are learned with a view to use - such as for the sake of human society, for the sake of the Lord's Church on earth, for the sake of the Lord's kingdom in heaven, and still more for the sake of the Lord Himself - the more they are opened out towards Him. For these reasons also the angels, who possess the knowledge that is comprised of all cognitions - having so full a possession of it that scarcely one ten thousandth part of what they know can be presented to man's entire mental grasp - nevertheless place no value at all in knowledge when compared with use. These considerations show what is meant by the words, 'when the Egyptians see you they will say, This is his wife, and they will slay me and let you live'. It is because the Lord when He was a boy knew this and thought in this way, that these things have been stated, namely that if He were to be carried away by a strong desire for nothing else than the knowledge that is comprised of cognitions, this knowledge would be such that He would have no interest any more in celestial things but only in the cognitions which that strong desire for knowledge would seize upon. More regarding these matters follows below.

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