Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 8969

Previous Number Next Number Next Translation See Latin 

8969. In Temptations man ought to fight against evils and falsities as from himself, but still believe that he does so from the Lord. If during the Temptation itself he does not believe this, because he is then in obscurity, still he should believe it after the Temptation. If after Temptation the man does not believe that the Lord alone has fought for him and conquered for him, he has undergone only external Temptation, which Temptation does not penetrate deeply, nor cause anything of faith and of charity to take root. EXODUS 21

1. And these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. 2. When thou shalt buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh year he shall go out free for nothing. 3. If in his body he shall come in, in his body he shall go out; if he is master of a woman, then his woman shall go out with him. 4. If his master shall give him a woman, and she bear him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall be his master's, and he shall go out in his body. 5. And if saying the servant shall say, I love my master, my woman, and my children; I will not go out free:

6. Then his master shall bring him unto God, and shall bring him to the door, or unto the door-post; and his master shall bore through his ear with his awl; and he shall serve him forever. 7. And when a man shall sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out according to the going out of the menservants. 8. If she be evil in the eyes of her master, so that he will not betroth her, then she shall be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange people he shall have no power, in his acting treacherously against her. 9. And if he shall betroth her to his son, he shall do to her according to the judgment of daughters. 10. If he shall take him another; her food, her covering, and her conjugial due, he shall not diminish. 11. And if he shall not do these three to her, then she shall go out free with no silver. 12. He that smiteth a man, and he die, dying he shall die. 13. And he that hath not lain in wait, and God caused it to happen to his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee. 14. And when a man shall act of set purpose against his companion, to kill him with deceit; thou shalt take him from Mine altar that he may die. 15. And he that smiteth his father and his mother, dying he shall die. 16. And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, and if he shall be found in his hand, dying he shall die. 17. And he that curseth his father and his mother, dying he shall die. 18. And when men shall dispute, and a man shall smite his companion with a stone, or with his fist, and he dieth not, and lieth down in bed:

19. If he rise and walk abroad upon his staff, the smiter shall be guiltless; only he shall give his cessation, and healing shall heal him. 20. And when a man shall smite his manservant, or his maidservant, with a rod, and he die under his hand; in being avenged he shall be avenged. 21. Nevertheless if he shall stand for a day or two, he shall not be avenged, because he is his silver. 22. And when men shall quarrel, and shall strike a pregnant woman, and her births go forth, and harm is not done, with fining he shall be fined, as the woman's master shall lay upon him; and he shall give according to the judges. 23. And if harm is done, then thou shalt give soul for soul, 24. Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25. Burning for burning, wound for wound, blow for blow. 26. And when a man shall smite the eye of his manservant, or the eye of his maidservant, and shall destroy it; he shall let him go free for his eye. 27. And if he shall knock out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth. 28. And when an ox shall strike with the horn a man or a woman, and he dieth, with stoning the ox shall be stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; and the master of the ox shall be guiltless. 29. But if the ox were wont to strike with his horn from yesterday the day before yesterday, and it hath been attested to his master, and he hath not watched him, and he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his master also shall die. 30. If expiation be laid on him, then he shall give the redemption of his soul according to all that is laid upon him. 31. Whether he have struck with the horn a son, or struck with the horn a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done to him. 32. If the ox shall strike with the horn a manservant, or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. 33. And when a man shall open a pit, or when a man shall dig a pit and not cover it, and an ox or an ass shall fall in there:

34. The master of the pit shall repay; he shall pay silver to its master, and the dead one shall be his. 35. And when a man's ox shall strike the ox of his companion, and he die; then they shall sell the living ox, and shall divide the silver of it; and the dead one also they shall divide. 36. Or if it be known that the ox was wont to strike with the horn from yesterday the day before yesterday, and his master hath not watched him; repaying he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead one shall be his. 37.* When a man shall steal an ox, or one of the flock, and shall kill it, or sell it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four of the small cattle for one of the small cattle. * In the English Bible this is verse 1 of chapter 22. [REVISER.]


This page is part of the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

© 2000-2001 The Academy of the New Church