Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 6712

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6712. From all this it is now evident whence the origin of neighbor is to be drawn by the man of the church; and that everyone is the neighbor in the degree in which he is near the Lord; and because the Lord is in the good of charity, that the neighbor is according to the quality of the good, thus according to the quality of the charity. EXODUS 2

1. And there went a man from the house of Levi, and took a daughter of Levi. 2. And the woman conceived, and bare a son; and she saw him, that he was good, and she hid him three months. 3. And she could no longer hide him; and she took for him an ark of rush, and daubed it with bitumen and with pitch; and she put the child therein, and laid him in the sedge at the bank of the river. 4. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. 5. And Pharaoh's daughter came down to wash at the river; and her girls were going at the side of the river; and she saw the ark in the midst of the sedge, and sent her handmaid, and took it. 6. And she opened it, and saw him, the child; and behold the boy wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. 7. And his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call thee a woman, a nurse, from the Hebrew women, that she may suckle the child for thee? 8. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the girl went, and called the mother of the child. 9. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Take this child to thee, and suckle him for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child and suckled him. 10. And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he was to her as a son. And she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the waters. 11. And it came to pass in those days, and Moses grew, and he went out unto his brethren, and saw their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian man smiting a Hebrew man, one of his brethren. 12. And he looked forth hither and thither, and saw that there was no man, and he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 13. And he went out the second day, and held two Hebrew men quarreling; and he said to the wicked one, Wherefore smitest thou thy companion? 14. And he said, Who set thee for a man, a prince, and a judge over us? Sayest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely the word is known. 15. And Pharaoh heard this word, and he sought to kill Moses. And Moses fled from before Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian, and he dwelt by a well. 16. And the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came, and drew, and filled the troughs, to give drink to their father's flock. 17. And the shepherds came, and drove them away; and Moses arose, and helped them; and he gave drink to their flock. 18. And they came unto Reuel their father, and he said, Wherefore hasted ye to come today? 19. And they said, An Egyptian man delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds; and also drawing he drew for us, and gave drink to the flock. 20. And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? Why is this that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread. 21. And Moses was willing to dwell with the man; and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 22. And she bare a son, and he called his name Gershom; for he said, I have been a sojourner in a strange land. 23. And it came to pass in these many days that the king of Egypt died; and the sons of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25. And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took knowledge.


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