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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 #2654

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2654. Mocking. That this signifies not in agreement with or favoring the Divine rational, is evident from the signification of “mocking,” as being that which comes of an affection contrary to what does not agree with and favor one’s self. In the preceding verse it was said that the child grew, and was weaned, and that Abraham made a great feast when he weaned Isaac; by which is signified that when the Lord’s rational was made Divine, the former rational was separated. Therefore there now immediately follows that which concerns the son of Hagar the Egyptian, by whom this rational is meant, as was shown in the explication at the sixteenth chapter, where Ishmael and Hagar are treated of. From this it is likewise manifest that the things which are in the internal sense follow together in a continuous series.

[2] But in regard to the Lord’s first rational, seeing that it was born as with another man, namely, by means of knowledges [per scientias et cognitiones], it could not but be in appearances of truth which are not truths in themselves, as is evident from what has been shown before (n. 1911, 1936, 2196, 2203, 2209, 2519); and as it was in appearances of truth, truths without appearances, such as Divine truths are, could not agree with it or favor it, both because this rational does not comprehend them, and because they oppose it. But take examples for illustration.

[3] The human rational-that namely which has its birth 1 from worldly things through impressions of sense, and afterwards from analogies of worldly things by means of knowledges [per scientifica et cognitiones]—is ready to laugh and mock if told that it does not live of itself, but only appears to live so; and that one lives the more, that is, the more wisely and intelligently, and the more blissfully and happily, the less he believes that he lives of himself; and that this is the life of angels, especially of those who are celestial, and inmost, or nearest to the Lord; for they know that no one lives of himself except Jehovah alone, that is, the Lord.

[4] This rational would mock also if it were told that it has nothing of its own, and that its having anything of its own is a fallacy or an appearance; and still more would it mock if told that the more it is in the fallacy that it has anything of its own, the less it has; and the converse. So too would it mock if told that whatever it thinks and does from what is its own is evil, although it were good; and that it is not wise until it believes and perceives that all evil is from hell, and all good from the Lord. In this belief, and even in this perception, are all the angels; who nevertheless have what is their own more abundantly than all others; but they know and perceive that this is from the Lord, although it altogether appears as theirs.

[5] Again: this rational would mock if it were said that in heaven the greatest are they who are least, the wisest they who believe and perceive themselves to be the least wise, and the happiest they who desire others to be the most happy, and themselves the least so; that it is heaven to wish to be below all, but hell to wish to be above all; consequently that in the glory of heaven there is absolutely nothing the same as in the glory of the world.

[6] In the same way would that rational mock, if it were said that in the other life there is nothing of space and time, but that there are states, according to which there are appearances of space and time; and that life is the more heavenly the further it is from what is of space and time, and the nearer it is to what is eternal; in which, namely, in what is eternal, there is nothing at all from the idea of time, nor from anything analogous to it: and so with numberless other things.

[7] That there were such things in the merely human rational, and that therefore this rational mocked at Divine things, the Lord saw, and indeed from the Divine spiritual (which is signified by Sarah’s seeing the son of Hagar the Egyptian, n. 2651, 2652). That man is able to look from within into the things in himself which are below, is known by experience to those who are in perception, and even to those who are in conscience; for they see so far as to reprove their very thoughts. Hence the regenerate can see what is the quality of the rational which they had before regeneration. With man such perception is from the Lord; but the Lord’s was from Himself.

Footnotes:

1. Natura, probably a misprint for natum. [Rotch ed.]

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