176、人不断倾向并陷入他所遗传来的东西。他从这个源头在自己里面强化这邪恶，又从自己增添更多邪恶。这些邪恶完全反对并摧毁属灵生命。因此，除非一个人从主接受新生命，即属灵生命，也就是说，除非他重生被孕育，重新出生，重新接受教育，事实上，除非他重新被造，否则他就会受到诅咒。因为他只意愿和思想属于自己和世界的事，就像地狱里的人所行的那样。
176、人按照他遗传所得的品相不断地发展和堕落。此外，他还通过自己的行为强化邪恶，使它花样更多。这邪恶与属灵的生命全然相反，并败坏后者。因此，除非人从主那里接受新生命，也就是属灵生命。除非他被重新孕育，被重生，被重新教导，就是说被重新创造，否则他是被咒诅的。因为他只会像在地狱里的人那样意愿和思考自己和世界。
176. We constantly tend toward and lapse into what we have received by heredity, so we ourselves reinforce this evil in ourselves and also add even more to it. 1
These evils are absolutely opposed to a spiritual life. They destroy it. So unless we get from the Lord a new life, a spiritual life-unless, then, we are conceived anew, born anew, and raised anew (that is, created anew)-we are damned, because we want nothing and think about nothing but loving ourselves and the world, just as the people in hell do.
Footnotes:
1. On the inherited evil to which Swedenborg refers here, see New Jerusalem 83, the references there to further passages in Secrets of Heaven, and note 1 in New Jerusalem 79 above. He is not referring to the physical inheritance of genetic traits, but to the spiritual inheritance of moral traits. [SS]
176. We constantly tend toward whatever is passed on to us by our parents. We are always falling into it, so we strengthen their bad traits in ourselves and add more of our own.
These bad traits go completely against a spiritual life. They destroy it. So unless we accept a new, spiritual life from the Lord, we are lost. This means we are lost unless we are newly conceived, born, and raised — meaning we are newly created. Otherwise, all we want and think about are things that have to do with ourselves and the material world — just like people in hell.
176. A person has a continuing tendency to and slips into what he has inherited. As a result he strengthens that evil in himself, and also supplements it with many more evils. These are totally inimical to spiritual life, and destroy it. Consequently unless he has new life, which is spiritual life, given to him by the Lord, unless, that is, he is conceived anew, born anew, and brought up anew, unless in fact he is created anew, he is damned. For his only wish and his only thought is concerned with himself and the world, which is what happens in hell.
176. Towards that which a man derives by heredity, he continually inclines, and lapses into it; and from that source he confirms himself in evil, and also superadds more from himself. These evils are altogether opposed to spiritual life, and are destructive of it; wherefore, unless a man receives from the Lord a new life, namely, spiritual life; unless, therefore, he is conceived anew, born anew, and educated anew; that is, unless he is created anew, he belongs to the damned; for he does not will anything else and hence does not think anything else, than what belongs to self and the world even as is done by those in hell.
176. Man continually inclines to, and lapses into, what he derives from heredity: hence he confirms with himself that evil, and also superadds more from himself. These evils are altogether contrary to spiritual life; they destroy it; wherefore, unless man receives new life, which is spiritual life, from the Lord, thus unless he is conceived anew, is born anew, is educated anew, that is, is created anew, he is damned; for he wills nothing else, and thence thinks nothing else, but what is of self and the world, in like manner as they do in hell.
176. Quod homo ex hereditario trahit, ad hoc inclinat continue, et in hoc labitur: inde ipse confirmat apud se id malum, et quoque ex se superaddit plura. Haec mala sunt prorsus contraria vitae spirituali; destruunt illam: quapropter nisi homo a Domino accipit vitam novam, quae est vita spiritualis, ita nisi e novo concipitur, e novo nascitur, et e novo educatur, hoc est, e novo creatur, est damnatus; nam nihil aliud vult, et inde nihil aliud cogitat, quam quod sui et mundi est, similiter ut faciunt in inferno.