The Bible

 

Genesis 21

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1 At dumalaw ang Panginoon kay Sara, ayon sa sinabi niya, at ginawa ng Panginoon kay Sara ang ayon sa kaniyang sinalita.

2 At si Sara ay naglihi at nagkaanak ng isang lalake kay Abraham sa kaniyang katandaan, sa tadhanang panahong sinabi ng Dios sa kaniya.

3 At tinawag na Isaac ni Abraham ang ngalan ng kaniyang anak na ipinanganak sa kaniya, na siyang ipinanganak ni Sara.

4 At tinuli ni Abraham si Isaac ng magkaroon ng walong araw gaya ng iniutos ng Dios sa kaniya.

5 At si Abraham ay may isang daang taon, nang sa kaniya'y ipanganak si Isaac na kaniyang anak.

6 At sinabi ni Sara, Pinatawa ako ng Dios, sinomang makarinig ay makikitawa.

7 At sinabi niya, Sinong nakapagsabi kay Abraham na si Sara ay magpapasuso ng anak? sapagka't ako'y nagkaanak sa kaniya ng isang lalake sa kaniyang katandaan.

8 At lumaki ang sanggol, at inihiwalay sa suso; at nagpiging ng malaki si Abraham ng araw na ihiwalay sa suso si Isaac.

9 At nakita ni Sara ang anak ni Agar na taga Egipto, na ito'y nagkaanak kay Abraham, na tumutuya sa kaniya.

10 Kaya't sinabi niya kay Abraham, Palayasin mo ang aliping ito at ang kaniyang anak: sapagka't hindi magmamana ang anak ng aliping ito na kahati ng aking anak, sa makatuwid baga'y ni Isaac.

11 At ang bagay na ito ay naging lubhang mabigat sa paningin ni Abraham dahil sa kaniyang anak.

12 At sinabi ng Dios kay Abraham, Huwag mong mabigatin ito sa iyong paningin dahil sa iyong alipin; sa lahat na sabihin sa iyo ni Sara, ay makinig ka sa kaniyang tinig, sapagka't kay Isaac tatawagin ang iyong lahi.

13 At ang anak din naman ng alipin ay gagawin kong isang bansa, sapagka't siya'y anak mo.

14 At nagbangong maaga sa kinaumagahan si Abraham, at kumuha ng tinapay at ng isang bangang balat ng tubig, at ibinigay kay Agar, na ipinatong sa kaniyang balikat, at ang bata at siya ay pinapagpaalam, at siya'y nagpaalam at naggala sa ilang ng Beerseba.

15 At naubos ang tubig sa bangang balat, at kaniyang inilapag ang bata sa ilalim ng isa sa mabababang punong kahoy.

16 At yumaon at naupo sa tapat niya, na ang layo ay isang hilagpos ng pana; sapagka't sinabi niya, Huwag kong makita ang kamatayan ng bata. At naupo sa tapat, at naghihiyaw at umiyak.

17 At narinig ng Dios ang tinig ng bata; at tinawag ng anghel ng Dios si Agar, mula sa langit, at sa kaniya'y sinabi, Naano ka Agar? Huwag kang matakot; sapagka't narinig ng Dios ang tinig ng bata sa kinalalagyan.

18 Magtindig ka, iyong itayo ang bata, at alalayan mo siya ng iyong kamay; sapagka't siya'y gagawin kong isang bansang malaki.

19 At idinilat ng Dios ang kaniyang mga mata, at siya'y nakakita ng isang balon ng tubig: at naparoon at pinuno ng tubig ang bangang balat, at pinainom ang bata.

20 At ang Dios ay sumabata, at siya'y lumaki; at tumahan sa ilang at naging mamamana.

21 At nanahan siya sa ilang ng Paran: at ikinuha siya ng kaniyang ina ng asawa sa lupain ng Egipto.

22 At nangyari ng panahong yaon, na si Abimelech, at si Ficol na kapitan ng kaniyang hukbo ay nagsalita kay Abraham, na nagsasabi, Sumasaiyo ang Dios sa lahat mong ginagawa:

23 Ngayon nga'y ipanumpa mo sa akin dito alangalang sa Dios, na di ka maglililo sa akin, kahit sa aking anak, kahit sa anak ng aking anak; kundi ayon sa kagandahang loob na ipinakita ko sa iyo, ay gayon ang gagawin mo sa akin, at sa lupaing iyong pinakipamayanan.

24 At sinabi ni Abraham, Susumpa ako.

25 At pinagwikaan ni Abraham si Abimelech dahil sa isang balon ng tubig, na marahas na inalis sa kaniya ng mga bataan ni Abimelech.

26 At sinabi ni Abimelech, Aywan, kung sinong gumawa ng bagay na ito: na di mo man sinabi sa akin, at hindi ko man nabalitaan kundi ngayon.

27 At kumuha si Abraham ng mga tupa, at mga baka, at ibinigay kay Abimelech; at gumawa silang dalawa ng isang tipan.

28 At ibinukod ni Abraham ang pitong korderong babae sa kawan.

29 At sinabi ni Abimelech kay Abraham, Anong kahulugan nitong pitong korderong babae na iyong ibinukod?

30 At kaniyang sinabi, Itong pitong korderong babae ay iyong kukunin sa aking kamay, upang sa akin ay maging patotoo na hinukay ko ang balong ito.

31 Kaya't tinawag niya ang dakong yaong Beerseba; sapagka't doon sila kapuwa nanumpa.

32 Sa gayo'y gumawa sila ng isang tipan sa Beerseba: at nagtindig si Abimelech, at si Ficol na kapitan ng kaniyang hukbo at nagsipagbalik sa lupain ng mga Filisteo.

33 At nagtanim si Abraham ng isang punong kahoy na tamaring sa Beerseba, at sinambitla doon ang pangalan ng Panginoong Dios na walang hanggan.

34 At maraming araw na nakipamayan si Abraham sa lupain ng mga Filisteo.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2534

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2534. 'For he is a prophet' means that thus it was to be taught. This is clear from the meaning of 'a prophet'. One reads the word 'prophet' many times in the Word, and in the sense of the letter it means those to whom revelation is given, and also - abstractedly from persons - revelation itself. But in the internal sense that word means one who teaches, and also - abstractedly - doctrine itself. And because, as has been stated, the Lord is doctrine itself, or the Word which teaches, He is called 'a Prophet', as also in Moses,

Jehovah your God will raise up a Prophet like me from the midst of you, from your brothers; Him shall you obey. Deuteronomy 18:15, 18.

The words 'like me' are used because the Lord was represented by Moses, as He also was by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and many more. And because people awaited Him it is therefore said in John,

When the people saw the sign which Jesus had done, they said, This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world. John 6:14.

[2] Since the Lord in the highest sense is 'the Prophet' and 'the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy', Revelation 19:10, 'a prophet' therefore means in the internal sense of the Word a person who teaches, and also - abstractedly - doctrine, as becomes quite clear from the following places: In Luke,

You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High. Luke 1:76.

Zechariah said this in reference to his son, John the Baptist, who was not the prophet but one preparing the way by teaching and preaching the good news about the Lord's Coming, as he himself says,

They asked him, What are you? Are you Elijah? But he said, I am not. Are you the prophet? He answered, No. Therefore they said to him. Who are you? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord. John 1:21-23.

[3] In Matthew,

Many will say on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name? Matthew 7:22.

Here it is evident that 'prophesying' means teaching. In John,

You must again prophesy over many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. Revelation 10:11.

'Prophesying' stands for teaching. What 'peoples', 'nations', 'tongues', and 'kings' mean has been stated and shown in various places. In the same book,

The nations will trample the holy city for forty-two months, but I will grant My two witnesses to prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. Revelation 11:2-3.

Here also 'prophesying' stands for teaching. In Moses,

Jehovah said to Moses, See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. Exodus 7:1.

Here 'prophet' stands for one teaching or saying what Moses would have to say. In Joel,

I will pour out My spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Joel 2:28.

'They will prophesy' stands for they will teach.

[4] In Isaiah,

Jehovah has poured out over you a spirit of sleep, and has closed your eyes; the prophets and your heads, the seers, He has covered; and the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a sealed book which men give to one who is able to read, saying, Read this, now; and he will say, I cannot, for it is sealed. Isaiah 29:10-11.

Here 'the prophets' is used to mean those who teach truth, and 'the seers' those who see truth. Their heads are said to be 'covered' when they know no truth at all and see none at all. Because in ancient times those who taught were called prophets, they were also called 'seers', for 'seeing' meant understanding, 2150, 2325. The fact that they were called 'seers', see 1 Samuel 9:9; 2 Samuel 24:11. They were also called 'men (vir) of God' because of the meaning 'man' carried, dealt with in 158, 265, 749, 915, 1007, 2517. The fact that they were called 'men of God', see 2 Kings 1:9-16; 4:7, 9, 16, 21-22, 25, 27, 40, 42; 5:8, 14, 20; 13:19; 23:16-17.

[5] That 'prophets' means in the internal sense those who teach is clear in the whole of Jeremiah 23 and the whole of Ezekiel 13, where prophets are referred to specifically, and also in many other places where they are mentioned. This also explains why 'pseudoprophets' means those who teach falsities, as in Matthew,

At the close of the age many pseudoprophets will arise and lead many astray. False Christs and false prophets 1 will arise and will show great signs, and will lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22.

No others are meant here by 'pseudoprophets' and 'false prophets', nor likewise by the pseudoprophet in Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10.

[6] How much the internal sense of the Word is obscured by ideas that have been conceived from the representatives of the Jewish Church becomes clear from the fact that every time a prophet is mentioned in the Word the idea of prophets like those who lived in those times immediately springs to mind, an idea which impedes greatly any discernment of what is meant by them. But the wiser anyone is, the more easily is an idea conceived from such representatives banished. For example, when the temple is mentioned, people who are more wise in their thinking do not envisage the temple in Jerusalem but the temple of the Lord; when Mount Zion, or simply Zion, is mentioned, they do not envisage a location in Jerusalem but the Lord's kingdom; and when Jerusalem is mentioned, they do not envisage the Jerusalem situated in the tribe of Benjamin and Judah but the holy and heavenly Jerusalem.

Footnotes:

1. Here, apparently following Schmidius' Latin version of the Scriptures, Swedenborg has two similar but not identical expressions - pseudoprophetae and falsi prophetae. But in the original Greek the same word occurs in both places.

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