8858. A man is wholly such as is the ruling principle of his life; by this he is distinguished from others; according to this is formed his heaven if he is good, and his hell if he is evil; for it is his veriest will, and thus the very being of his life, which cannot be changed after death. From all this it is evident what is the nature of the life of one who is regenerate, and what is the nature of the life of one who is not regenerate.
EXODUS 20
1. And God spake all these words, saying,
2. I am Jehovah thy God, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of servants.
3. Thou shalt have no other gods before My faces.
4. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any likeness, of that which is in the heavens above, or that which is in the earth beneath, or that which is in the waters under the earth:
5. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I Jehovah thy God am a zealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons, upon the thirds and upon the fourths of them that hate Me:
6. And doing mercy to thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments.
7. Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
8. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10. And the seventh day is the Sabbath to Jehovah thy God; thou shalt not do any work, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and thy beast, and thy sojourner who is in thy gates:
11. For in six days Jehovah made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested in the seventh day; wherefore Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be prolonged upon the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee.
13.* Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not answer against thy neighbor the witness of a lie.
14. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, and his manservant, and his maidservant, and his ox, and his ass, and anything that is thy neighbor's.
15. And all the people saw the voices, and the torches, and the voice of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and the people saw, and they quaked, and stood afar off.
16. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; and let not God speak with us, lest perchance we die.
17. And Moses said unto the people, Fear not; because God is come to tempt you, and that the fear of Him may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
18. And the people stood afar off, and Moses came near unto the thick darkness where God was.
19. And Jehovah said unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the sons of Israel, Ye have seen that I have spoken with you from heaven.
20. Ye shall not make with Me gods of silver and gods of gold, ye shall not make unto you.
21. An altar of ground thou shalt make to Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt-offerings, and thy thank-offerings, thy flocks, and thy herds; in every place where I shall put the memory of My name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.
22. And if thou make Me an altar of stones, thou shalt not build it of hewn stones; for if thou move thy tool upon it, thou wilt profane it.
23. And thou shalt not go up on steps unto Mine altar, that thy nakedness be not uncovered upon it.
* The numbering here followed by Swedenborg from the Hebrew and Latin Bible of Schmidius, includes in verse 13, verses 14, 15, and 16 of our English version. [Reviser.]
