The Bible

 

Genesis 16

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1 Si Sarai nga na asawa ni Abram ay hindi nagkaanak sa kaniya; at siya'y may isang alilang babae na taga Egipto, na nagngangalang Agar.

2 At sinabi ni Sarai kay Abram, Narito, ngayon, ako'y hinadlangan ng Panginoon na ako'y magkaanak; ipinamamanhik ko sa iyong sumiping ka sa aking alilang babae; marahil ay magkakaanak ako sa pamamagitan niya. At dininig ni Abram ang sabi ni Sarai.

3 At kinuha ni Sarai na asawa ni Abram, si Agar na taga Egipto, na kaniyang alila, pagkaraan ng sangpung taon na makatahan si Abram sa lupain ng Canaan, at ibinigay kay Abram na kaniyang asawa upang maging asawa niya.

4 At siya'y sumiping kay Agar, at naglihi: at nang makita niyang siya'y naglihi, ay niwalang halaga niya ang kaniyang panginoong babae sa kaniyang paningin.

5 At sinabi ni Sarai kay Abram, Ang aking pagkaapi ay sumaiyo: idinulot ko ang aking alila sa iyong sinapupunan; at nang makita niyang siya'y naglihi, ay niwalan akong kabuluhan sa kaniyang paningin: ang Panginoon ang humatol sa akin at sa iyo.

6 Datapuwa't sinabi ni Abram kay Sarai, Narito, ang iyong alila ay nasa iyong kamay; gawin mo sa kaniya ang iyong minamagaling sa iyong paningin. At dinuwahagi siya ni Sarai, at si Agar ay tumakas mula sa kaniyang harap.

7 At nasumpungan siya ng anghel ng Panginoon sa tabi ng isang bukal ng tubig sa ilang, sa bukal na nasa daang patungo sa Shur.

8 At sinabi, Agar, alila ni Sarai, saan ka nanggaling? at saan ka paroroon? at kaniyang sinabi, Ako'y tumatakas mula sa harap ni Sarai na aking panginoon.

9 At sinabi sa kaniya ng anghel ng Panginoon, Magbalik ka sa iyong panginoon, at pahinuhod ka sa kaniyang mga kamay.

10 At sinabi sa kaniya ng anghel ng Panginoon, Pararamihin kong mainam ang iyong binhi, na hindi mabibilang dahil sa karamihan.

11 At sinabi sa kaniya ng anghel ng Panginoon, Narito't ikaw ay nagdadalang-tao at ikaw ay manganganak ng isang lalake; at ang itatawag mo sa kaniyang ngalan ay Ismael, sapagka't diningig ng Panginoon ang iyong kadalamhatian.

12 At siya'y magiging parang asnong bundok sa gitna ng mga tao; ang kaniyang kamay ay magiging laban sa lahat, at ang kamay ng lahat ay laban sa kaniya; at siya'y tatahan sa harap ng lahat niyang mga kapatid.

13 At kaniyang tinawagan ang ngalan ng Panginoon na nagsalita sa kaniya, Ikaw ay Dios na nakakakita: sapagka't sinabi niya, Namasdan ko rin ba rito ang likuran niyaong nakakakita sa akin?

14 Kaya't nginalanan ang balong yaon Balon ng Nabubuhay na nakakakita sa akin; narito't ito'y nasa pagitan ng Cades at Bered.

15 At nanganak si Agar ng isang lalake kay Abram at ang itinawag ni Abram, na pangalan sa kaniyang anak na ipinanganak ni Agar, ay Ismael.

16 At si Abram ay may walong pu't anim na taon nang ipanganak si Ismael ni Agar kay Abram.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1936

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1936. 'Return to your mistress' means that the reply indicated the first rational ought not to place trust in itself but in interior truth and the affection for it. This is clear from the meaning of 'mistress' as the affection for interior truth. As for the specific meanings of 'Sarai', 'wife Sarai', and 'mistress Sarai', these cannot be described as no ideas exist to make them intelligible. They are things that lie, as stated already, beyond the understanding even of angels. Here a mere intimation is given of the manner in which the Lord thought regarding the appearances which held the attention of His first rational - namely that no trust ought to be placed in such appearances but in Divine truths themselves, no matter how hard to believe these truths might appear to be to that rational. This is so with all Divine truths; that is, if the rational is consulted regarding those truths they cannot possibly be believed, for they transcend its whole range of understanding. Take for example the truth that no man, spirit, or angel, only the Lord, lives of himself, and that the life a man, spirit, or angel has is but an outward appearance of life with him. To the rational, which judges from illusions, this is repugnant; nevertheless it ought to be believed because it is the truth.

[2] It is a Divine truth that in the Word every expression, which to man seems to be utterly simple and unwrought, possesses an incalculable number of facets, more in fact than the whole of heaven. And the arcana contained there can be displayed by the Lord to angels in unending variety continuing for ever. To the rational this is so hard to believe that it is never willing to give any credence to it. Nevertheless it is the truth.

[3] It is a Divine truth that nobody is ever rewarded in the next life for good deeds if he has set merit by them, and if he has done them for the sake of his own gain, position, and reputation. Nor is anyone ever punished for bad deeds if he has acted with a truly good end in view; for in the next life it is the ends that are regarded, and deeds in the light of those ends. This too the rational is not able to believe, but because this which it does not believe is the truth, no trust should be placed in a rational which does not base its conclusions on internal things but on external.

[4] It is a Divine truth that the one who seeks the least joy in the next life receives the greatest from the Lord, and the one who seeks the greatest has the least; also that within heavenly joy there is never any element of being pre-eminent over another, for insofar as such pre-eminence occurs hell is present; also that within heavenly glory there is not the least trace of worldly glory. These considerations too are repugnant to the rational; but they ought nevertheless to be believed because they are true.

[5] It is also a Divine truth that the more someone believes that none of his wisdom originates in himself the wiser he is, and the more he believes it does originate there, and so attributes sound judgement to himself, the more stupid he is. This too the rational denies, for it supposes that what does not originate in itself is nothing. Countless Divine truths exist such as these few given as examples, which show that no trust should be placed in the rational, since the rational is immersed in illusions and appearances. It therefore rejects truths when these are stripped of illusions and appearances, all the more rejecting them the more that self-love and its desires are present, as well as reasonings, and false assumptions regarding faith. See also the examples presented above in 1911.

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