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Genesis 26

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1 At nagkagutom sa lupain, bukod sa unang pagkakagutom na nangyari ng mga araw ni Abraham. At naparoon si Isaac kay Abimelech, na hari ng mga Filisteo sa Gerar.

2 At napakita ang Panginoon sa kaniya, at nagsabi, Huwag kang bumaba sa Egipto; matira ka sa lupaing aking sasabihin sa iyo:

3 Matira ka sa lupaing ito, at ako'y sasa iyo, at ikaw ay aking pagpapalain; sapagka't sa iyo at sa iyong binhi ay ibibigay ko ang lahat ng lupaing ito, at pagtitibayin ko ang sumpang aking isinumpa kay Abraham na iyong ama;

4 At aking pararamihin ang iyong binhi na gaya ng mga bituin sa langit, at ibibigay ko sa iyong binhi ang lahat ng lupaing ito: at pagpapalain sa iyong binhi ang lahat ng bansa sa lupa;

5 Sapagka't sinunod ni Abraham ang aking tinig, at ginanap ang aking bilin, ang aking mga utos, ang aking mga palatuntunan at ang aking mga kautusan.

6 At tumahan si Isaac sa Gerar.

7 At tinanong siya ng mga taong tagaroon tungkol sa kaniyang asawa; at sinabi niya, Siya'y aking kapatid; sapagka't natakot na sabihin, Siya'y aking asawa: baka ako'y patayin, aniya, ng mga taong tagarito, dahil kay Rebeca; dahil sa siya'y may magandang anyo.

8 At nangyari nang siya'y naroong mahabang panahon, na dumungaw si Abimelech, na hari ng mga Filisteo sa isang durungawan, at tumingin, at narito't si Isaac ay nakikipaglaro kay Rebeca na kaniyang asawa.

9 At tinawag ni Abimelech si Isaac, at sa kaniya'y sinabi, Narito, tunay na siya'y iyong asawa: at bakit sinabi mo, Siya'y aking kapatid? At sumagot sa kaniya si Isaac, Sapagka't sinabi ko, Baka ako'y mamatay dahil sa kaniya.

10 At sinabi ni Abimelech, Ano itong ginawa mo sa amin? hindi malayong ang sinoman sa bayan ay nakasiping sa iyong asawa, at sa gayon ay pinapagkasala mo kami.

11 At ibinilin ni Abimelech sa buong bayan, na sinabi, Ang gumalaw sa lalaking ito o sa kaniyang asawa ay tunay na papatayin.

12 At si Isaac ay naghasik sa lupaing yaon, at umani siya ng taong yaon, ng tigisang daan at pinagpala siya ng Panginoon.

13 At naging dakila ang lalake at lalo't lalong naging dakila hanggang sa naging totoong dakila.

14 At siya'y may tinatangkilik na mga kawan, at mga tinatangkilik na mga bakahan, at malaking sangbahayan: at kinainggitan siya ng mga Filisteo.

15 Lahat ng mga balon ngang hinukay ng mga bataan ng kaniyang ama, nang mga kaarawan ni Abraham na kaniyang ama, ay pinagtabunan ng mga Filisteo, na mga pinuno ng lupa.

16 At sinabi ni Abimelech kay Isaac; Humiwalay ka sa amin, sapagka't ikaw ay makapupong matibay kay sa amin.

17 At umalis si Isaac doon, at humantong sa libis ng Gerar, at tumahan doon.

18 At muling hinukay ni Isaac ang mga balon ng tubig na kanilang hinukay nang mga kaarawan ni Abraham na kaniyang ama; sapagka't pinagtabunan ng mga Filisteo, pagkamatay ni Abraham: at kaniyang mga pinanganlan ng ayon sa mga pangalang inilagay ng kaniyang ama.

19 At humukay sa libis ang mga bataan ni Isaac, at nangakasumpong doon ng isang balon ng tubig na bumubukal.

20 At nakipagtalo ang mga pastor ni Gerar sa mga pastor ni Isaac, na sinasabi, Amin ang tubig; at kaniyang tinawag ang pangalan ng balon, na Esec; sapagka't ipinakipagkaalit sa kaniya.

21 At sila'y humukay ng ibang balon; at kanilang pinagtalunan din: at kaniyang tinawag ang pangalan na Sitnah.

22 At bumunot siya roon, at humukay ng ibang balon; at hindi nila pinagtalunan: at kaniyang tinawag ang pangalan na Rehoboth; at kaniyang sinabi, Sapagka't ngayo'y binigyan tayo ng Panginoon ng kaluwagan, at lalago tayo sa lupain.

23 At mula roon ay umahon siya sa Beerseba.

24 At napakita sa kaniya ang Panginoon ng gabi ring yaon, at nagsabi, Ako ang Dios ni Abraham na iyong ama: huwag kang matakot, sapagka't ako'y sumasaiyo, at ikaw ay aking pagpapalain, at aking pararamihin ang iyong binhi, alangalang kay Abraham na aking lingkod.

25 At si Isaac ay nagtayo roon ng isang dambana, at kaniyang sinambitla ang pangalan ng Panginoon, at itinindig niya roon ang kaniyang tolda: at humukay roon ang mga bataan ni Isaac ng isang balon.

26 Nang magkagayo'y si Abimelech ay naparoon sa kaniya mula sa Gerar, at si Ahuzath na kaniyang kaibigan, at si Phicol na kapitan ng kaniyang hukbo.

27 At sinabi sa kanila ni Isaac, Bakit kayo naparirito sa akin, dangang kayo'y nangapopoot sa akin at pinalayas ninyo ako sa inyo?

28 At sinabi nila, Malinaw na aming nakita, na ang Panginoon ay sumasaiyo: at aming sinabi, Magkaroon ng pagsusumpaan tayo, kami at ikaw at makipagtipan kami sa iyo:

29 Na hindi ka gagawa sa amin ng masama, gaya naman namin na hindi ka namin ginalaw, at wala kaming ginawa sa iyong di mabuti, at pinayaon ka naming payapa: ikaw ngayon ang pinagpala ng Panginoon.

30 At pinaghandaan niya sila, at sila'y nagkainan at naginuman.

31 At sila'y gumising ng madaling araw, at sila'y nagpanumpaan: at sila'y pinagpaalam ni Isaac, at nagsialis na payapa sa kaniya.

32 At nangyari, nang araw ding yaon, na nagsidating ang mga bataan ni Isaac, at siya'y binalitaan tungkol sa balon nilang hinukay, at sinabi sa kaniya, Nakasumpong kami ng tubig.

33 At tinawag niyang Seba: kaya't ang pangalan ng bayang yaon ay Beerseba hanggang ngayon.

34 At nang si Esau ay may apat na pung taon ay nagasawa kay Judit, na anak ni Beeri na Heteo, at kay Basemat na anak ni Elon na Heteo:

35 At sila'y nakasama ng loob kay Isaac at kay Rebeca.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3398

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3398. 'One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us' means that it could have been adulterated and so profaned. This is clear from the meaning of 'lying wish' as being perverted or adulterated; from the meaning of 'one of the people' as one who belongs to the Church, that is to say, to the spiritual Church, dealt with in 2928; from the meaning of 'wife' - who is Rebekah here - as Divine Truth, dealt with above; and from the meaning of 'guilt' as blame for the profanation of truth. From this it is evident that 'one of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us' means that Divine Truth could easily have been adulterated by someone within the Church and so he would have made himself culpable of the profanation of truth. It has been stated above in 3386 that the reason why Abraham on two occasions spoke of Sarah his wife as his sister - first of all in Egypt, and then, when dwelling with Abimelech, in Gerar - and why Isaac in a similar way spoke of Rebekah his wife as his sister, when he too was dwelling with Abimelech, and why those three occasions are mentioned in the Word, is a very deep arcanum. The actual arcanum contained in these words is evident in the internal sense, and it is this: 'A sister' means rational truth, and 'a wife' Divine Truth; and rational truth is called this - that is, 'a sister' - to prevent Divine Truth, which is 'a wife' (Rebekah in this case) from being adulterated and so perverted.

[2] With regard to the profanation of truth the position is that Divine Truth cannot possibly be profaned except by those who have already acknowledged it. For these people have first of all, through acknowledgement and faith, come to the truth, and so have been introduced into it. If after this they depart from that truth there remains within them a permanent imprint of it, which is recalled together with falsity and evil whenever these are recalled. And being attached to falsity and evil that truth is consequently made profane. People therefore with whom this happens have within them permanently that which is condemning, and so the hell which is their own. Indeed when those in hell draw near a sphere where good and truth are present they instantly experience their own hell, for they run into that which they hate, and as a consequence into torment. People therefore who have profaned truth dwell permanently with that which torments them - the intensity of torment depending on the degree of profanation. This being so, the Lord makes the greatest provision to prevent Divine Good and Truth being made profane. He does so especially with anyone who is such that he cannot help profaning them, by keeping him as far back as possible from acknowledgement of and faith in truth and good. For as has been stated, no one is able to profane them except him who has already acknowledged and come to believe them.

[3] This was the reason why internal truths were not disclosed to the descendants of Jacob - to the Israelites and Jews. Not even the existence of anything internal within man, nor thus any kind of internal worship was openly declared to them, and scarcely anything about life after death, or about the heavenly kingdom of the Lord or the Messiah whom they awaited. The reason why these truths were not declared was, as foreseen, that if they had been disclosed to them, the Jews and Israelites were such as could not help profaning them; for they had no desire for anything other than what was earthly. And because those descendants were such, and are so still, they are still allowed to remain without any belief at all in internal truths. For if at one point they had given their assent to them and then had withdrawn it they would inevitably have ended up in the worst hell of all.

[4] This was also the reason why the Lord did not come into the world and reveal the internal features of the Word until the time when no good at all, not even natural good, remained with them. For at that point they were no longer capable of receiving any truth and acknowledging it internally - for good is what receives - and so were no longer capable of profaning it. It is this state that is meant by the fulness of time, and by the close of the age, and also by the last day, spoken of many times in the Prophets.

[5] It is for the same reason also that at the present time the arcana belonging to the internal sense of the Word are being revealed, for today scarcely any faith exists because charity is non-existent, so that the close of the age is here. When these conditions prevail these arcana can be revealed without any risk of profanation since they are not acknowledged interiorly. It is for the sake of this arcanum that in the Word mention is made of Abraham and of Isaac, of how, when dwelling in Gerar with Abimelech, each called his wife his sister. See in addition what has been stated and shown already on the same subject, to the effect that those who acknowledge are able to profane, but not those who do not acknowledge, still less those who do not even know, 593, 1008, 1010, 1059. How much danger lies in profaning sacred things and the Word, see 571, 582. People inside the Church are able to profane sacred things, but not those outside, 2051. The Lord provides against the occurrence of profanation, 1001, 2426. Worship may become external to prevent the profaning of internal worship, 1327, 1328. People are kept in ignorance to prevent the truths of faith being made profane, 301-303.

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