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Genesis 39

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1 And Joseph was brought·​·down to Egypt; and Potiphar, the chamberlain of Pharaoh, prince of the guards, an Egyptian man, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites*, who had brought· him ·down thither.

2 And Jehovah was with Joseph, and he was a man who prospered; and he was in the house of his lord the Egyptian.

3 And his lord saw that Jehovah was with him, and that Jehovah made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

4 And Joseph found grace in his eyes, and he ministered to him; and he appointed him over his house, and all that he had he gave into his hand.

5 And it was, from the·​·time that he appointed him over his house, and over all that he had, that Jehovah blessed the house of the Egyptian because·​·of Joseph; and the blessing of Jehovah was in all that he had, in the house and in the field.

6 And he left all that he had in the hand of Joseph; and he knew not anything that was with him, except the bread which he ate. And Joseph was beautiful in form, and beautiful in appearance.

7 And it was, after these words*, and the wife of his lord lifted·​·up her eyes to Joseph, and she said, Lie with me.

8 And he refused, and said to his lord’s wife, Behold, my lord knows not what is with me in the house, and all that he has he has given into my hand.

9 He is not greater in this house than I; and he has not kept·​·back from me anything but thee, because thou art his wife; and how shall I do this great evil, and sin to God?

10 And it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not to her, to lie beside her, to be with her.

11 And it was as this day, and he came·​·into the house to do his work*; and no man of the men of the house was there in the house.

12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me; and he forsook his garment in her hand, and fled, and went·​·forth outside.

13 And it was as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and had fled outside,

14 that she called to the men of her house, and said to them, saying, See, he has brought us a Hebrew man to mock us; he came to me to lie with me, and I called with a great voice;

15 and it was, when he heard that I lifted·​·high my voice and called, that he left his garment beside me, and fled, and went·​·forth outside.

16 And she placed his garment beside her, until his lord came to his house.

17 And she spoke to him according·​·to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant whom thou hast brought to us, came to me to mock me;

18 and it was, as I lifted·​·high my voice and called, that he left his garment beside me, and fled outside.

19 And it was, when his lord heard the words of his wife, which she spoke to him, saying, According·​·to these words did thy servant to me; that his anger was·​·fierce.

20 And Joseph’s lord took him, and put him into the jail house, the place where the king’s bound ones were bound; and he was there in the jail house.

21 And Jehovah was with Joseph, and stretched·​·out mercy to him, and gave him grace in the eyes of the prince of the jail house.

22 And the prince of the jail house gave into Joseph’s hand all the bound ones that were in the jail house; and all that they did there, he was the doer.

23 Nor did the prince of the jail house see anything of all that was in his hand, because Jehovah was with him; and that which he did, Jehovah made prosper.

   


Thanks to the Kempton Project for the permission to use this New Church translation of the Word.

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Arcana Coelestia # 5236

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5236. 'And a Hebrew boy was there with us' means that owing to temptation the guiltlessness of the Church had been cast away there. This is clear from the meaning of 'a boy' as guiltlessness, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'Hebrew' as a person belonging to the Church, dealt with in 5136, thus some attribute of the Church. His having been cast away there owing to temptation is meant by the words 'was there', that is to say, in custody; for 'custody', in which Joseph had been placed, means a state of temptation, 5036, 5037, 5039, 5044, 5045, that state being the subject in Chapters 39, 40.

[2] The reason 'a boy' [or older 'child'] 1 means guiltlessness is that in the internal sense a young child means innocence. References are made in the Word to suckling, young child, and older child, by whom three degrees of innocence are meant, the first degree being meant by 'suckling', the second degree by 'young child', and the third by 'older child'. But because an older child is one who is beginning to lose his innocence, he therefore means the kind of innocence that is called guiltlessness. Because three degrees of innocence are meant by 'suckling', 'young child', and 'child', three degrees of love and charity are also meant by them, for the reason that celestial and spiritual love, which is love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour, can have no existence except within innocence. It should be recognized however that the innocence of sucklings, young children, and older ones is purely external and that no internal innocence exists with anyone until he has been born anew, that is, has so to speak become a suckling, young child, and older child once again. These are the states meant in the Word by these three, for the internal sense of the Word has only that which is spiritual as its meaning, and therefore has purely spiritual birth - called rebirth and also regeneration - as its meaning.

[3] The fact that the innocence called guiltlessness is meant by 'a child' is clear in Luke,

Jesus said, Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it. Luke 18:17.

'Receiving the kingdom of God like a child' means receiving charity and faith because of one's innocence In Mark,

Jesus took a child, set him in the midst of them and took him up in His arms. He said to them, Whoever takes up one of such children in My name is taking up Me. Mark 9:36-37; Luke 9:47-48.

'A child' here is a representation of innocence; anyone who takes this up is taking up the Lord because He is the Source from which every trace of innocence is derived. Anyone may see that 'taking up a child in the Lord's name' does not mean taking up a child, so that something heavenly is represented by such an action.

[4] In Matthew,

When the children in the temple cried out, Hosanna to the son of David, [the chief priests and scribes] were indignant. Therefore Jesus said to them, Have you not read that out of the mouth of young children and sucklings You have perfected praise? Matthew 21:15-16; Psalms 8:2.

The children's cry 'Hosanna to the son of David' was voiced so as to represent the truth that innocence alone acknowledges and accepts the Lord, that is, that those who have innocence within them do so. The words 'out of the mouth of young children and sucklings You have perfected praise' mean that there is no other path than innocence along which praise can go to the Lord. Along this path alone can any communication be established, any influx take place, or consequently any approach be made. This is why the Lord says, in the same gospel,

Unless you are converted and become as children you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3.

[5] In the following places too 'a boy' [or 'a child'] means innocence: In Zechariah,

The streets of the city will be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Zechariah 8:5.

This refers to a new Jerusalem, or the Lord's kingdom. In David.

Praise Jehovah, Young men and also virgins, old men and children. Psalms 148:12

In the same author,

Jehovah redeems 2 Your life from the pit. He satisfies your mouth with what is good, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. 3 Psalms 103:4-5.

In Joel,

Over My people they have cast lots, for they have given a boy for a harlot and have sold a girl for wine which they have drunk. Joel 3:3.

In Jeremiah,

I will scatter throughout you man and woman, and I will scatter throughout you old man and boy, and I will scatter throughout you young man and virgin. Jeremiah 51:12.

In Isaiah,

To us a boy is born, to us a son is given, upon whose shoulder is the government; and He will call His name, Wonderful, Counsellor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. The Latin word puer used for a boy may also be used to mean simply a child, male or female, as in several places in the remainder of this paragraph.

2. The Latin means renews, but the Hebrew means redeems, which Swedenborg has in another place where he quotes this verse.

3. literally, so that you are renewed like the eagle with your childhood

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