The Bible

 

Genesis 20

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1 At mula roon ay naglakbay si Abraham sa dakong lupain ng Timugan, at tumahan sa pagitan ng Cades at Shur; at siya'y nakipamayan sa Gerar.

2 At sinabi ni Abraham tungkol kay Sara na kaniyang asawa, Siya'y aking kapatid; at si Abimelech na hari sa Gerar, ay nagsugo at kinuha si Sara.

3 Datapuwa't naparoon ang Dios kay Abimelech sa panaginip sa gabi, at sa kaniya'y sinabi, Narito, ikaw ay dili iba't isang patay dahil sa babaing iyong kinuha; sapagka't siya'y asawa ng isang lalake.

4 Nguni't si Abimelech ay hindi pa, nakasisiping sa kaniya: at nagsabi, Panginoon, papatayin mo ba pati ng isang bansang banal?

5 Hindi ba siya rin ang nagsabi sa akin, Siya'y aking kapatid? at si Sara man ay nagsabi, Siya'y aking kapatid; sa katapatang loob ng aking puso, at kawalang sala ng aking mga kamay, ay ginawa ko ito.

6 At sinabi sa kaniya ng Dios sa panaginip: Oo, talastas ko, na sa katapatang loob ng iyong puso ay ginawa mo ito, at hinadlangan din naman kita sa pagkakasala ng laban sa akin: kaya't hindi ko ipinahintulot sa iyong galawin mo siya.

7 Ngayon nga'y isauli mo ang asawa ng lalaking ito; sapagka't siya'y profeta, at ikaw ay ipananalangin niya, at mabubuhay ka: at kung di mo siya isauli, ay talastasin mong walang pagsalang mamamatay ka, ikaw at ang lahat ng iyo.

8 At si Abimelech ay bumangong maaga ng kinaumagahan at tinawag ang lahat niyang bataan, at sinabi sa kanilang pakinig ang lahat ng bagay na ito: at ang mga tao'y natakot na mainam.

9 Nang magkagayo'y tinawag ni Abimelech si Abraham, at sa kaniya'y sinabi, Anong ginawa mo sa amin? at sa ano ako nagkasala laban sa iyo, na dinalhan mo ako at ang aking kaharian ng isang malaking kasalanan? Ginawan mo ako ng mga gawang di marapat gawin.

10 At sinabi ni Abimelech kay Abraham, Anong nakita mo na ginawa mo ang bagay na ito?

11 At sinabi ni Abraham, Sapagka't inisip ko. Tunay na walang takot sa Dios sa dakong ito: at papatayin nila ako dahil sa aking asawa.

12 At saka talagang siya'y kapatid ko, na anak ng aking ama, datapuwa't hindi anak ng aking ina; at siya'y naging asawa ko:

13 At nangyari, na nang ako'y palayasin ng Dios sa bahay ng aking ama, na sinabi ko sa kaniya, Ito ang magandang kalooban mo na maipakikita sa akin; sa lahat ng dakong ating datnin, ay sabihin mo tungkol sa akin, Siya'y aking kapatid.

14 At si Abimelech ay kumuha ng mga tupa at mga baka, at mga aliping lalake at babae, at ipinagbibigay kay Abraham, at isinauli sa kaniya si Sara na kaniyang asawa.

15 At sinabi ni Abimelech, Narito ang lupain ko ay nasa harapan mo: tumahan ka kung saan mo magalingin.

16 At kay Sara'y sinabi niya, Narito, nagbigay ako ng isang libong putol na pilak sa iyong kapatid: narito, ito sa iyo'y piring sa mga mata ng lahat ng kasama mo; at sa harap ng lahat ay nagbangong puri ka.

17 At nanalangin si Abraham sa Dios; at pinagaling ng Dios si Abimelech, at ang kaniyang asawa, at ang kaniyang mga aliping babae, na ano pa't nagkaanak sila.

18 Sapagka't sinarhang lubos ng Panginoon ang lahat ng bahay-bata sa bahay ni Abimelech, dahil kay Sara, na asawa ni Abraham.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2520

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2520. And he said, Lord, wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation? That this signifies whether would the good and truth be extinguished, is evident from the signification of “nation,” as being good (see n. 1259, 1260, 1416); and as it is predicated of the nation of Abimelech, by whom is signified the doctrine of faith, by a “righteous nation” is here signified both good and truth; for both are of doctrine.

[2] That this was said from the zeal of affection or of love toward the whole human race, is manifest. This love directed the Lord’s thoughts while He was still in the maternal human; and although He perceived from the Divine that the doctrine of faith was from a celestial origin only, nevertheless in order that the human race might be provided for, which does not receive anything of which it cannot have some idea from its rational, it is therefore said, “Wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation?” by which is signified whether would the good and truth of doctrine be extinguished. That man does not receive anything of which he cannot have some idea from his rational, is evident from the ideas which man cherishes respecting Divine arcana. Some idea from worldly things or from things analogous to these always adheres to them, by which they are retained in the memory, and by which they are reproduced in the thought; for without an idea from worldly things man can think nothing at all. If therefore truths from a Divine origin were set forth naked, they would never be received, but would completely transcend man’s comprehension, and therefore his belief, and most especially with those who are in external worship.

[3] To illustrate this take the following examples: The Divine Itself can be in nothing but the Divine, thus in nothing but the Lord’s Divine Human, and with man through this. If the rational were consulted it would say that the Divine Itself can be in the human of everyone. Again: Nothing is holy which does not proceed from the Lord, thus from the Divine, which is one. If the rational were consulted it would say that there may be what is holy from other sources also.

[4] Again: Man does not live, nor do good, nor believe truth, from himself, nay, does not even think from himself; but the good and truth are from the Lord, while the evil and falsity are from hell; and what is more, hell, that is, they who are in hell, do not think from themselves, but receive the Lord’s good and truth in the manner indicated. If the rational were consulted it would reject this, because it does not comprehend it. In like manner it would reject the truth that no one is rewarded on account of doing what is good and teaching what is true; and that the external contributes nothing, but only the internal insofar as there is the affection of good in doing what is good, and insofar as there is from that the affection of truth in teaching what is true, and this not from self. And so in a thousand other instances.

[5] It is because the human rational is of such a character that the Word has spoken in accordance with man’s apprehension, and also in accordance with his genius. This therefore is the reason why the internal sense of the Word is different from its literal sense; which is very evident in the Word of the Old Testament, where most things have been written in accordance with the apprehension and genius of the people who then lived. On this account almost nothing is said concerning the life after death, salvation, and the internal man. For the Jewish and Israelitish people with whom the church then was, were of such a character that if these things had been disclosed they would not only not have understood them, but would also have derided them. And it would have been the same if it had been disclosed to them that the Messiah or Christ was to come to eternally save their souls: this also they would have rejected as a matter of no moment; as is also evident from the same nation at the present day; for if what is internal or spiritual is mentioned in their presence even now, and it is said that the Messiah will not be the greatest king on the earth, they deride it.

[6] This is why the Lord sometimes spoke like the Prophets, and taught the rest of what He had to say by parables, as He Himself has declared in Matthew:

Jesus said, I speak unto them by parables, because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Matthew 13:13).

By “those who see and hear” are meant those within the church who although they see and hear, still do not understand.

Also in John:

He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, lest they should see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them (John 12:40).

Their being “converted” and “healed” implies that nevertheless they would afterwards reject, and so would profane, which involves eternal condemnation (see n. 301-303vvv2, 582, 1008, 1010, 1059, 1327, 1328, 2051, 2426). Nevertheless the Lord has disclosed the interior things of the Word in many places, but only for the wise.

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