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创世记 38

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1 那时,犹大离开他弟兄去,到一个亚杜兰名叫希拉的家里去。

2 犹大在那里见一个迦南名叫书亚的女儿,就娶他为妻,与他同房,

3 他就怀孕生了儿子,犹大给他起名珥。

4 他又怀孕生了儿子,母亲给他起名俄南。

5 他复又生了儿子,给他起名示拉。他生示拉的时候,犹大正在基悉。

6 犹大长子珥娶妻,名叫他玛。

7 犹大长子珥在耶和华眼中看为恶,耶和华就叫他死了。

8 犹大对俄南:你当与你哥哥妻子同房,向他尽你为弟的本分,为你哥哥生子立後。

9 俄南知道生子不归自己,所以同房的时候便遗在,免得哥哥留後。

10 俄南所做的在耶和华眼中看为恶,耶和华也就叫他死了

11 犹大心里:恐怕示拉也,像他两个哥哥一样,就对他儿妇他玛:你去,在你父亲里守寡,等我儿子示拉长大。他玛就回去,在他父亲里。

12 过了许久,犹大妻子书亚的女儿死了犹大得了安慰,就和他朋友亚杜兰人希拉上亭拿去,到他剪毛的人那里。

13 有人告诉他玛说:你的公公上亭拿剪毛去了。

14 他玛见示拉已经长大,还没有娶他为妻,就脱了他作寡妇的衣裳,用帕子蒙着脸,又遮住身体,在亭拿上的伊拿印城口。

15 犹大见他,以为是妓女,因为他蒙着脸。

16 犹大就到他那里去,罢!让我与你同寝。他原不知道是他的儿妇。他玛:你要与我同寝,把甚麽我呢?

17 犹大:我从羊群里取一只山羊羔,打发人送来你。他玛:在未送以先,你愿意我一个当头麽?

18 :我你甚麽当头呢?他玛:你的印、你的带子,和你里的杖。犹大就了他,与他同寝,他就从犹大怀了孕。

19 他玛起来走了,除去帕子,仍旧穿上作寡妇的衣裳。

20 犹大托他朋友亚杜兰人送一只山羊羔去,要从那女人里取回当头来,却不着他,

21 就问那地方的人:伊拿印旁的妓女在那里?他们:这里并没有妓女。

22 他回去见犹大:我没有着他,并且那地方的人:这里没有妓女。

23 犹大:我把这山羊羔送去了,你竟不着他。任凭他拿去罢,免得我们被羞辱。

24 约过了,有人告诉犹大:你的儿妇他玛作了妓女,且因行淫有了身孕。犹大:拉出他来,把他烧了!

25 他玛被拉出来的时候便打发去见他公公,对他:这些东西是谁的,我就是从谁怀的孕。请你认一认,这印和带子并杖都是谁的?

26 犹大承认:他比我更有,因为我没有将他我的儿子示拉。从此犹大不再与他同寝了。

27 他玛将要生产,不料他腹里是一对双生。

28 到生产的时候,一个孩子伸出一只来;收生婆拿红线拴在他上,说:这是头生的。

29 随後这孩子把收回去,他哥哥生出来了;收生婆:你为甚麽抢着来呢?因此给他起名法勒斯。

30 後来,他兄弟上有红线的也生出来,就给他起名谢拉。

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 4925

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4925. 'That behold, his brother came out' means the truth of good. This is clear from the meaning of 'brother' as that which is kindred, by virtue of good, dealt with in 3815, 4267, and so the truth of good. The truth of good is that truth which is rooted in good, or that faith which is rooted in charity. Dealt with here in the internal sense is the birthright in the case of those who are being born again or regenerated by the Lord, and therefore the birthright within the Church. It has been a matter of argument since most ancient times as to which is the firstborn, whether this is the good of charity or whether it is the truth of faith. Unseen while a person is being born again and becoming a Church, good conceals itself within the interior man and reveals itself solely within some affection which does not pass into the conscious feelings of the external or natural man until he has been born again. But truth reveals itself, for this does enter his conscious feelings and lodges in the memory belonging to the external or natural man. This explains why many have fallen into the error that truth is the firstborn, and at length even thinking that truth is the vital element of the Church, so vital that truth which is called faith can save a person without the good of charity.

[2] From this one error very many others have been derived which have infected not only what is taught but also life, such as the error that no matter what kind of life a person leads he can be saved provided he has faith. A further derivative error is that very wicked people are accepted into heaven provided that in the final hour before they die they declare their belief in those things which are matters of faith; and another such error is that, irrespective of the kind of life one has led, one is accepted into heaven solely by grace. Because people hold to this teaching they fail at length to know what charity is or to have any concern about what it is, till in the end they do not believe in the existence of it, or consequently in the existence of heaven and hell. The reason for this is that faith without charity, or truth without good, teaches a person nothing; and the more it departs from good, the more foolish it makes him. For good is what the Lord flows into and through which He flows, imparting intelligence and wisdom and consequently a superior ability to see, and also perception whether something is really true or not.

[3] From these considerations one may now see the position with regard to the birthright, namely that in actual fact it belongs to good but appears to belong to truth. This is what the birth of Tamar's two sons is used to describe in the internal sense. 'The twice-dyed thread' which the midwife bound on the hand that came out means good, as shown in 4922; 'coming out first' means priority of place, 4923; 'withdrawing the hand' means that good concealed its own power, as stated immediately above [in 4924]; 'his brother came out' means truth; 'you have made a breach upon yourself means this truth's apparent separation from good; 'afterwards his brother came out' means that good is in actual fact first; and 'on whose hand was the twice-dyed thread' means the acknowledgement that good is first. For it is not until after a person has been born again that good is acknowledged to be first, at which point that person's actions spring from good, and his view of truth and what this is like springs from the same.

[4] These are the matters contained within the internal sense, in which teaching is given regarding the good and truth with a person who is being born anew, namely that good in actual fact occupies first place but truth appears to do so, and that good is not seen to occupy the first place while a person is being regenerated but is plainly seen to do so once he has been regenerated. But there is no need to explain these matters any further since they have been explained already - see 3324, 3325, 3494, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3603, 3701, 4243, 4244, 4247, 4337; and the fact that controversy has taken place since ancient times over whether the birthright belonged to good or to truth, that is, to charity or to faith, 2435.

[5] Because in the highest sense the Lord is the firstborn, and therefore love to Him and charity towards the neighbour are the firstborn, the law was for that reason laid down in the representative Church that firstborn things were Jehovah's: in Moses,

Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, that which opens the womb among the children of Israel; with man and with beast let them be Mine. Exodus 13:2.

You shall make over to Jehovah all that opens the worm', and every firstling of a beast; however many males you have they shall be Jehovah's. Exodus 13:12.

All that opens the womb is Mine; therefore among all your cattle, you shall give the male. that among oxen and small cattle which opens [the womb]. Exodus 34:19.

All that opens the womb among all flesh which they bring to Jehovah, from men and from beasts, shall be yours. Nevertheless you shall surely redeem all the firstborn of men. Numbers 18:15.

Behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from the midst of the children of Israel, instead of every firstborn, that which opens the womb, from the children of Israel, so that the Levites may be Mine. Numbers 3:12.

[6] Because the firstborn is the one that opens the womb, the expression 'that which opens the womb' is therefore added, when the firstborn is mentioned in these places, so as to mean good. It is evident that this expression means good from the specific details contained in the internal sense, especially from those which are recorded regarding the sons of Tamar: Zerah is said to have opened the womb with his hand, and 'Zerah' represents good, as is also clear from the twice-dyed thread placed on his hand, dealt with in 4922. In addition to this 'the womb', to which the expression 'opened' is applied, means the place where good and truth, consequently the Church, lie, see 4918, while 'opening the womb' means supplying the power which enables truth to be born.

[7] Because the Lord is the only firstborn - He being Good itself, and His Good being the source of all truth - Jacob, who was not the firstborn, was therefore allowed to purchase the birthright from Esau his brother so that he might represent Him. Also, because this was not sufficient, he was called Israel, so that by this name he might represent the good of truth; for 'Israel' in the representative sense means good which comes through truth, 3654, 4286, 4598.

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