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出埃及记 3

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1 摩西牧养他岳父米甸祭司叶忒罗的羊群;一日领羊群往野外去,到了,就是何烈

2 耶和华的使者从荆棘焰中向摩西显现。摩西观,不料,荆棘烧着,却没有烧毁。

3 摩西:我要过去异象,这荆为何没有烧坏呢?

4 耶和华见他过去要,就从荆呼叫摩西摩西!他:我在这里。

5 :不要近前来。当把你上的鞋脱下来,因为你所站之地是地;

6 :我是你父亲,是亚伯拉罕的以撒的雅各摩西蒙上脸,因为

7 耶和华:我的百姓在埃及所受的困苦,我实在见了;他们因受督工的辖制所发的哀声,我也见了。我原知道他们的痛苦

8 来是要救他们脱离埃及人,领他们出了那,到美、宽阔、流奶与蜜之,就是到迦南人、赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、希未人、耶布斯人之

9 现在以色列人的哀声达到我耳中,我也埃及人怎样欺压他们。

10 故此,我要打发你去见法老,使你可以将我的百姓以色列人埃及领出来。

11 摩西:我是甚麽人,竟能去见法老,将以色列人埃及领出来呢?

12 :我必与你同在。你将百姓从埃及领出来之後,你们必在这上事奉我;这就是我打发你去的证据。

13 摩西:我到以色列人那里,对他们:你们祖宗的打发我到你们这里。他们若问我:他叫甚麽名字?我要对他们甚麽呢?

14 摩西:我是自有永有的;又:你要对以色列人这样:那自有的打发我到你们这里来。

15 又对摩西:你要对以色列人这样耶和华─你们祖宗的,就是亚伯拉罕的以撒的雅各,打发我到你们这里来。耶和华是我的名,直到永远;这也是我的纪念,直到万

16 你去招聚以色列的长老,对他们耶和华你们祖宗的,就是亚伯拉罕的以撒的雅各,向我显现,:我实在眷顾了你们,我也埃及人怎样待你们。

17 我也:要将你们从埃及的困苦中领出来,往迦南人、赫人、亚摩利人、比利洗人、希未人、耶布斯人的去,就是到流奶与蜜之

18 他们必你的话。你和以色列的长老要去见埃及王,对他耶和华希伯来人遇见了我们,现在求你容我们旷野去,走的路程,为要祭祀耶和华我们

19 知道虽用大能的埃及王也不容你们去。

20 我必伸埃及中间施行我一切的奇事,攻击那地,然他才容你们去。

21 我必叫你们在埃及人眼前蒙恩,你们去的时候就不至於空手而去。

22 但各妇女必向他的邻舍,并居住在他家里的女人,要器和衣裳,好给你们的儿女穿戴。这样你们就把埃及人的财物夺去了。

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 7770

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7770. 'And let them ask, a man from his companion and a woman from her companion, vessels of silver and vessels of gold' means that factual knowledge of truth and of good must be removed from the evil who have belonged to the Church and be assigned to the good who belong to it. This is clear from the meaning of 'vessels of silver and vessels of gold' as factual knowledge of truth and of good, 'silver' being truth and 'gold' good, see 1551, 1552, 2954, 5658, 6112, and 'vessels' factual knowledge, 3068, 3079. That knowledge is referred to as vessels of truth and good because it contains them. The assumption is made that the facts which people know about truth or about good are the truths of faith themselves or the forms of the good of faith themselves. But they are not. Affections for truth and good are what compose faith; those affections flow into known facts, which are the appropriate vessels for them. Asking them from the Egyptians is, it is self-evident, taking them away and assigning them to oneself. This is why previously in Chapter 3:22 it says that they were to plunder the Egyptians, and subsequently in Chapter 12:36 that they despoiled them. The reason why it says that 'a man was to ask from his companion and a woman from her companion' is that 'a man' has reference to and also means truth and 'a woman' has reference to and also means good.

[2] The implications of all this may be seen at the explanation of Exodus 3:21-22 in 6914, 6917. That explanation shows that the factual knowledge itself of truth and of good which have been in the possession of those belonging to the Church who have been acquainted with the arcana of faith and yet have led a life of evil are transferred to those who belong to the spiritual Church. How the transfer is effected, see 6914. These things are meant by the Lord's words in Matthew,

The Lord said to him who went away and hid the talent in the earth, Take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents, for to everyone who has, it will be given, so that he may have in abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Cast the useless servant into outer darkness. Matthew 25:25, 28-30; Luke 19:24-26.

And similar words in the same gospel,

To him who has, it will be given, so that he may have abundantly; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Matthew 13:12; Mark 4:24-25.

[3] The reason for the transfer is that the knowledge or cognitions of goodness and truth which the evil possess are applied to evil purposes, whereas the cognitions of goodness and truth that the good possess are applied to good purposes. The cognitions are the same, but the purposes to which any one person applies them gives them their specific character. Such cognitions may be compared to worldly wealth, which one person devotes to good purposes, and another to bad ones, so that the character of any one person's wealth depends on the purposes to which he devotes it. This also shows that the same cognitions, like the same wealth, which the evil have possessed can pass into the possession of the good and serve good purposes. From all this one may now recognize what is represented when it says that the children of Israel were commanded to ask from the Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and in so doing to despoil and plunder them. Such a despoilment or plundering would never have been commanded by Jehovah if such things had not been represented in the spiritual world.

[4] Things like these are what are meant in Isaiah,

At length the merchandise of Tyre and its harlot's wages will be holy to Jehovah, it will not be hoarded or held back; but its merchandise will be for those that dwell before Jehovah to eat to their satiety, and for him who covers himself with what is ancient. Isaiah 23:18.

This refers to 'Tyre', which means cognitions of goodness and truth, 1201. 'Merchandise' and 'harlot's wages' are cognitions applied to evil purposes. Their being given to the good who will apply them to good purposes is meant by 'its merchandise will be for those that dwell before Jehovah to eat to satiety, [and] for him who covers himself with what is ancient'.

[5] Also in Micah,

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze, in order that you may crush many peoples. And I devoted their gain to Jehovah, and their riches to the Lord of the whole earth. Micah 4:13.

'Crushing many peoples' stands for devastating them. 'The gain' which was devoted to Jehovah and the Lord of the whole earth is cognitions of truth and goodness. Something similar is implied in 2 Samuel 8:11-12, where it says that David consecrated to Jehovah the silver and gold which he had taken from the nations he had subdued, from the Syrians, from Moab, from the children of Ammon, from the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadad Ezer; and in 1 Kings 7:51, that Solomon put among the treasures of Jehovah's house the things consecrated by his father.

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