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民數記 24

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1 巴蘭耶和華喜歡賜福與以色列,就不像前兩次去求法術,卻面向曠野。

2 巴蘭舉目,以色列人照著支派居住。的靈就臨到他身上,

3 他便題起詩歌:比珥的兒子巴蘭,眼目閉住的人,(閉住或作:睜開)

4 神的言語,得見全能者的異象,眼目睜開而仆倒的人

5 雅各阿,你的帳棚何等華美!以色列阿,你的帳幕何其華麗!

6 如接連的山谷,如旁的園子,如耶和華所栽的沉香樹,如邊的香柏木。

7 要從他的桶裡流出;種子要撒在多之處。他的王必超過亞甲;他的國必要振興。

8 神領他出埃及;他似乎有野牛之力。他要吞喫敵國,折斷他們的骨頭,用射透他們。

9 他蹲如公獅,臥如母獅,誰敢惹他?凡給你祝福的,願他蒙福;凡咒詛你的,願他受咒詛。

10 巴勒向巴蘭生氣,就拍起手來,對巴蘭:我召你來為我咒詛仇敵,不料,你這三次竟為他們祝福

11 如今你快回本地去罷!我想使你得大尊榮,耶和華卻阻止你不得尊榮。

12 巴蘭對巴勒:我豈不是對你所差遣到我那裡的使者

13 巴勒就是將他滿我,我也不得越過耶和華的命,憑自己的意行行歹。耶和華甚麼,我就要甚麼?

14 現在我要回本族去。你來,我告訴你這民日後要怎樣待你的民。

15 他就題起詩歌:比珥的兒子巴蘭:眼目閉住的人,(閉住或作:睜開)

16 神的言語,明白至者的意旨,看見全能者的異象,眼目睜開而仆倒的人

17 他卻不在現時;我望他卻不在近日。有要出於雅各,有杖要興於以色列,必打破摩押的四角,毀壞擾亂.之子。

18 他必得以東為基業,又得仇敵之地西珥為產業;以色列必行事勇敢。

19 有一位出於雅各的,必掌大權;他要除滅城中的餘民。

20 巴蘭觀亞瑪力,就題起詩歌:亞瑪力原為諸國之首,但他終必沉淪。

21 巴蘭觀基尼人,就題起詩歌:你的處本是堅固;你的窩做在巖穴中。

22 然而基尼必至衰微,直到亞述把你擄去。

23 巴蘭又題起詩歌:哀哉!神行這事,誰能得活?

24 必有人乘船從基提界而來,苦害亞述,苦害希伯;他也必至沉淪。

25 於是巴蘭起來,回他本地去;巴勒也回去了。

   

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Jacob or Israel (the man)

  

Jacob is told twice that his name will now be Israel. The first time is when he wrestles with an angel on his journey to meet Esau, and the angel tells him that his name will be changed. After he is reconciled with Esau, they go their separate ways. Jacob moves to Shechem and then on to Bethel, where he builds an altar to the Lord. The Lord appears to him there, renews the covenant He first made with Abraham and again tells him that his name will be Israel (Genesis 35). The story goes on to tell of Benjamin's birth and Rachel's death in bearing him, and then of Jacob's return to Isaac and Isaac's death and burial. But at that point the main thread of the story leaves Israel and turns to Joseph, and Israel is hardly mentioned until after Joseph has risen to power in Egypt, has revealed himself to his brothers and tells them to bring all of their father's household down to Egypt. There, before Israel dies, he blesses Joseph's sons, plus all his own sons. After his death he is returned to the land of Canaan for burial in Abraham's tomb. In the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob represents truth, and Esau good. Jacob's stay in Padan-Aram, and the wealth he acquired there, represent learning the truths of scripture, just as we learn when we read the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount. The change of name from Jacob to Israel represents the realization that what we learn should not simply be knowledge, but should be the rules of our life, to be followed by action. This action is the good that Esau has represented in the story up to that time, but after the reconciliation between Jacob and Esau, Jacob as Israel now represents the truth and the good, together. It is interesting that even after his name change Jacob is rarely called Israel. Sometimes he is called one and sometimes the other, and sometimes he is called both Jacob and Israel in the same verse (Genesis 46:2, 5, & 8 also Psalm 14:7). This is because Jacob represents the external person and Israel the internal person, and even after the internal person comes into being, we spend much of our lives living on the external level.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 4274, 4292, 4570, 5595, 6225, 6256, Genesis 2:5, 46:8)