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Genesis 45

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1 Joseph could no longer refrain himself before many that stood by: whereupon he commanded that all should go out, and no stranger be present at their knowing one another.

2 And he lifted up his voice with weeping, which the Egyptians and all the house of Pharao heard.

3 And he said to his brethren: I am Joseph: is my father yet living? His brethren could no answer him, being struck with exceeding great fear.

4 And he said mildly to them: Come nearer to me. And when they were come near him, he said: I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

5 Be not afraid, and let it not seem to you a hard case that you sold me into these countries: for God sent me before you into Egypt for your preservation.

6 For it is two years since the famine began to be upon the land, and five years more remain, wherein there can be neither ploughing nor reaping.

7 And God sent me before, that you may be preserved upon the earth, and may have food to live.

8 Not by your counsel was I sent hither, but by the will of God: who hath made me as it were a father to Pharao, and lord of his whold house, and governor in all the land of Egypt.

9 Make haste, and go ye up to my father, and say to him: Thus saith thy son Joseph: God hath made me lord of the whole land of Egypt: come down to me, linger not.

10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Gessen: and thou shalt be near me, thou and thy sons, and thy son's sons, thy sheep, and thy gerds, and all things that thou hast.

11 And there I will feed thee, (for there are yet five years of famine remaining,) lest both thou perish, and thy house, and all things that thou hast.

12 Behold, your eyes, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaketh to you.

13 You shall tell my father of all my glory, and all things that you have seen in Egypt: make haste and bring him to me.

14 And falling upon the neck of his brother Benjamin, he embraced him and wept: and Benjamin in like manner wept also on his neck.

15 And Joseph kissed all his brethren, and wept upon every one of them: after which they were emboldened to ,peak to him.

16 And it was heard, and the fame was abroad in the king's court: The brethren of Joseph are come: and Pharao with all his family was glad.

17 And he spoke to Joseph that he should give orders to his brethren, saying : Load your beasts, and go into the land of Chanaan.

18 And bring away from thence your father and kindred, and come to me: and I will give you all the good things of Egypt, that you may eat the marrow of the land.

19 Give orders also that they take wagons out of the land of Egypt, for/ the carriage of their children and their wives: and say: Take up your father, and make haste to come with all speed:

20 And leave nothing of your house- hold stuff: for all the riches of Egypt shall be yours.

21 And the sons of Israel did as they were bid. And Joseph gave them wagons according to Pharao's commandment: and provisions for the way.

22 He ordered also to be brought out for every one of them two robes: but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver with Ave robes of the best:

23 Sending to his father as much money and raiment, adding besides ten he asses to carry off all the riches of Egypt, and as many she asses, carrying wheat and bread for the journey.

24 So he sent away his brethren, and at their departing said to them: Be not angry in the way.

25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Chanaan to their father Jacob.

26 And they told him, saying: Joseph thy son is living: and he is ruler in all the land of Egypt. Which when Jacob heard, he awaked as it were out of a deep sleep, yet did not believe them.

27 They, on the other side, told the whole order of the thing. And when he saw the wagons and all that he had sent his spirit revived,

28 And he said: It is enough for me, if Joseph my son be yet living: Iwill go and see him before I die.

   

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Arcana Coelestia # 5948

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5948. 'And do not let your eye be sparing over your household utensils' means let no concern be shown for anything that serves instrumentally. This is clear from the meaning of 'household utensils' or vessels as things that serve instrumentally; and a showing of no concern for these is meant by 'do not let your eye be sparing'. There are essentials and there are instruments. To act and produce any effect an essential must be served by an instrument through which it can act; and according to the way the instrument has been fashioned, so the essential acts. For example, the body serves as the instrument of its spirit; the external man serves as the instrument of the internal man; factual knowledge serves as the instrument of truth; truth serves as the instrument of good, 3068, 3079; and so on.

[2] In the Word instruments are called vessels, in the present context 'household utensils' because it is speaking about the moving of those people from one place to another and so about the contents of their houses. But essentials are called 'things' in the Word, and are what act by means of instruments. Thus because interior things act by means of exterior ones the former are essentials, in relation to the latter. When saying that no concern should be shown for anything that serves instrumentally one means that not these but the essentials should be kept as the end in view. For to the extent that the instruments are kept as the end in view the essentials withdraw and disappear from sight. If for example factual knowledge is kept in view without any concern for truths, the truths at length disappear so far from sight that one cannot tell whether they are truths. Or if truths are kept in view without any concern for good, the good at length disappears so far from sight that it no longer exists. It is the same with people who keep earthly, bodily, or worldly things in view, so that their only concern is for them and not at all for heavenly ones. The heavenly things disappear from sight till at length scarcely anything heavenly is recognized. These and other similar considerations are what are meant by 'do not let your eye be sparing over your household utensils'.

[3] But it should be remembered that 'the essential and the instrument' describes a relationship. That is to say, the expression 'essential' is used of one thing because of its action through another serving as its instrument or organ. When however something else acts through the instrumentality of that which was the essential, this now becomes an instrument; and so on. Furthermore there is nothing in the whole of creation that is an ultimate essential; such exists solely in the Supreme Being, that is, in the Lord. Since His is the ultimate Being or Essential (Esse seu Essentiale) He is called Jehovah, a name formed from Being; and all else is merely an instrument. From all this it now follows that because, as has been stated, one should keep Essentials, not instruments, as one's end in view, the Lord alone should be kept in view.

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