The Bible

 

Genesis 11

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1 At ang buong lupa ay iisa ang wika at iisa ang salita.

2 At nangyari, na, sa kanilang paglalakbay sa silanganan, ay nakasumpong sila ng isang kapatagan sa lupain ng Sinar; at sila'y nanahan doon.

3 At nagsangusapang, Halikayo! tayo'y gumawa ng mga laryo, at ating lutuing mabuti. At inari nilang bato ang laryo at ang betun ay inaring argamasa.

4 At nagsipagsabi, Halikayo! Magtayo tayo ng isang bayan natin at ng isang moog, na ang taluktok niyaon ay aabot hanggang sa langit, at magtaglay tayo ng isang ngalan; baka tayo'y mangalat sa ibabaw ng buong lupa.

5 At bumaba ang Panginoon upang tingnan ang bayan at ang moog, na itinayo ng mga anak ng mga tao.

6 At sinabi ng Panginoon, Narito, sila'y iisang bayan at silang lahat ay may isang wika; at ito ang kanilang pinasimulang gawin: at, ngayon nga'y walang makasasawata sa anomang kanilang balaking gawin.

7 Halikayo! tayo'y bumaba at diyan din ay ating guluhin ang kanilang wika, na anopa't sila'y huwag magkatalastasan sa kanilang salita.

8 Ganito pinanabog sila ng Panginoon mula riyan, sa ibabaw ng buong lupa; at kanilang iniwan ang pagtatayo ng bayan.

9 Kaya ang pangalang itinawag ay Babel; sapagka't doon ginulo ng Panginoon ang wika ng buong lupa: at mula roon ay pinanabog sila ng Panginoon sa ibabaw ng buong lupa.

10 Ito ang sali't saling lahi ni Sem. May isang daan taon si Sem at naging anak si Arphaxad, dalawang taon pagkatapos ng bahang gumunaw,

11 At nabuhay si Sem, pagkatapos na maipanganak si Arphaxad, ng limang daang taon, at nagkaanak ng mga lalake at mga babae.

12 At nabuhay si Arphaxad, ng tatlong pu't limang taon, at naging anak si Sala.

13 At nabuhay si Arphaxad pagkatapos na maipanganak si Sala, ng apat na raan at tatlong taon, at nagkaanak ng mga lalake at mga babae.

14 At nabuhay si Sala ng tatlong pung taon, at naging anak si Heber:

15 At nabuhay si Sala pagkatapos na maipanganak si Heber, ng apat na raan at tatlong taon, at nagkaanak ng mga lalake at mga babae.

16 At nabuhay si Heber ng tatlong pu't apat na taon, at naging anak si Peleg:

17 At nabuhay si Heber pagkatapos na maipanganak si Peleg, ng apat na raan at tatlong pung taon, at nagkaanak ng mga lalake at mga babae.

18 At nabuhay si Peleg ng tatlong pung taon, at naging anak si Reu:

19 At nabuhay si Peleg pagkatapos na maipanganak si Reu, ng dalawang daan at siyam na taon; at nagkaanak ng mga lalake at mga babae.

20 At nabuhay si Reu ng tatlong pu't dalawang taon, at naging anak si Serug:

21 At nabuhay si Reu pagkatapos na maipanganak si Serug, ng dalawang daan at pitong taon, at nagkaanak ng mga lalake at mga babae.

22 At nabuhay si Serug ng tatlong pung taon, at naging anak si Nachor:

23 At nabuhay si Serug pagkatapos maipanganak si Nachor, ng dalawang daang taon, at nagkaanak ng mga lalake at mga babae.

24 At nabuhay si Nachor ng dalawang pu't siyam na taon, at naging anak si Thare:

25 At nabuhay si Nachor pagkatapos na maipanganak si Thare, ng isang daan at labing siyam na taon, at nagkaanak ng mga lalake at mga babae.

26 At nabuhay si Thare ng pitong pung taon, at naging anak si Abram, si Nachor at si Haran.

27 Ito nga ang mga lahi ni Thare. Naging anak ni Thare si Abram, si Nachor, at si Haran; at naging anak ni Haran si Lot.

28 At namatay si Haran bago namatay ang kaniyang amang si Thare sa lupaing kaniyang tinubuan, sa Ur ng mga Caldeo.

29 At nagsipagasawa si Abram at si Nachor: ang pangalan ng asawa ni Abram ay Sarai; at ang pangalan ng asawa ni Nachor, ay Milca, anak ni Haran, ama ni Milca at ama ni Iscah.

30 At si Sarai ay baog; siya'y walang anak.

31 At ipinagsama ni Thare si Abram na kaniyang anak, at si Lot na anak ni Haran, na anak ng kaniyang anak, at si Sarai na kaniyang manugang, asawa ni Abram na kaniyang anak; at samasamang nagsialis sa Ur ng mga Caldeo upang magsipasok sa lupain ng Canaan, at nagsidating sila sa Haran, at nagsitahan doon.

32 At ang mga naging araw ni Thare ay dalawang daan at limang taon: at namatay si Thare sa Haran.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1298

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1298. And they had brick for stone. That this signifies that they had falsity for truth, is evident from the signification of “brick,” just now shown to be falsity; and from the signification of “stone,” which in a wide sense is truth, concerning which above n. 643). Stones have signified truth for the reason that the boundaries of the most ancient people were marked off by stones, and that they set up stones as witnesses that the case was so and so, or that it was true; as is evident from the stone that Jacob set up for a pillar (Genesis 28:22; 35:14), and from the pillar of stones between Laban and Jacob (Genesis 31:46-47, 52), and from the altar built by the sons of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, near the Jordan, as a witness (Joshua 22:10, 28, 34). Therefore in the Word truths are signified by “stones;” insomuch that not only by the stones of the altar, but also by the precious stones upon the shoulders of Aaron’s ephod and upon the breastplate of judgment, there were signified holy truths which are of love.

[2] As regards the altar, when the worship of sacrifices upon altars began, the altar signified the representative worship of the Lord in general; but the stones themselves represented the holy truths of that worship; and therefore it was commanded that the altar should be built of whole stones, not hewn, and it was forbidden that any iron should be moved upon them (Deuteronomy 27:5-7; Joshua 8:31); for the reason that hewn stones, and stones on which iron has been used, signified what is artificial, and thus what is fictitious in worship; that is, what is of man’s own or of the figment of his thought and heart. This was to profane worship, as is plainly said in Exodus 20:25. For the same reason iron was not used upon the stones of the temple (1 Kings 6:7).

[3] That the precious stones upon the shoulders of Aaron’s ephod, and in the breastplate of judgment, signified holy truths, has been shown before n. 114). The same is evident in Isaiah:

Behold I will make thy stones to lie in carbuncle, and I will lay thy foundation in sapphires, and will put rubies for thy suns (windows), and thy gates in gem stones, and all thy border in stones of desire; and all thy sons shall be taught of Jehovah, and great shall be the peace of thy sons (Isaiah 54:11-13).

The stones here named denote holy truths, and therefore it is said, “all thy sons shall be taught of Jehovah.” Hence it is said in John that the foundations of the wall of the city, the holy Jerusalem, were adorned with every precious stone, and the stones are named (Revelation 21:19-20). The “holy Jerusalem” denotes the kingdom of the Lord in heaven and on earth, the foundations of which are holy truths. In like manner the tables of stone, on which the commands of the Law, or the Ten Words, were written, signified holy truths; and therefore they were of stone, or their foundation [fundus] was stone, concerning which see Exodus 24:12; 31:18; 34:1; Deuteronomy 5:22; 10:1, for the commands themselves are nothing else than truths of faith.

[4] As then in ancient times truths were signified by stones, and afterwards, when worship began upon pillars and altars, and in a temple, holy truths were signified by the pillars, altars, and temple, therefore the Lord also was called “a Stone;” as in Moses:

The Mighty One of Jacob, from thence is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel (Genesis 49:24).

In Isaiah:

Thus saith the Lord Jehovih, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tried Stone of the corner, of price, of a sure foundation (Isaiah 28:16).

In David:

The Stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner (Psalms 118:22).

The like is signified in Daniel by “the stone cut out of the rock,” which brake in pieces the statue of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:34-35, 45).

[5] That “stones” signify truths, is evident also in Isaiah:

By this shall the iniquity of Jacob be expiated, and this shall be all the fruit, to take away his sin; when he shall put all the stones of the altar as chalk stones that are scattered (Isaiah 27:9);

“the stones of the altar” denote truths in worship, which are dispersed. Again:

Make ye level the way of the people; flatten out, flatten ye out the path; gather out the stones (Isaiah 62:10);

“Way” and “stone” denote truths.

In Jeremiah:

I am against thee, O destroying mountain; I will roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee into a mountain of burning; and they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone of foundation (Jeremiah 51:25-26).

This is said of Babel; “a mountain of burning,” is the love of self. That “a stone should not be taken from it,” means that there is no truth.

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