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Genesis 48

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1 At nangyari, pagkatapos ng mga bagay na ito, na sinabi ng isa kay Jose, Narito, ang iyong ama ay may sakit: at kaniyang ipinagsama ang kaniyang dalawang anak, si Manases at si Ephraim.

2 At may nagsaysay kay Jacob, at nagsabi, Narito, pinaparituhan ka ng anak mong si Jose: at si Israel ay nagpakalakas at umupo sa higaan.

3 At sinabi ni Jacob kay Jose, Ang Dios na Makapangyarihan sa lahat ay napakita sa akin sa Luz sa lupain ng Canaan, at binasbasan ako.

4 At sinabi sa akin, Narito, palalaguin kita, at pararamihin kita, at gagawin kitang isang kapisanan ng mga bayan; at aking ibibigay ang lupaing ito sa iyong lahi pagkamatay mo, na pinakaari magpakailan man.

5 At ang iyo ngang dalawang anak na ipinanganak sa iyo sa lupain ng Egipto bago ako naparito sa iyo sa Egipto, ay akin; si Ephraim at si Manases, gaya ni Ruben at ni Simeon ay magiging akin.

6 At ang iyong mga anak, na iyong mga naging anak na sumunod sa kanila ay magiging iyo; sila'y tatawagin ayon sa pangalan ng kanilang mga kapatid sa kanilang mana.

7 At tungkol sa akin, nang ako'y dumating mula sa Padan, si Raquel ay namatay sa akin sa lupain ng Canaan sa daan, nang kulang pa ng kaunti upang dumating sa Ephrata: at aking inilibing siya roon sa daan ng Ephrata (na siya ring Bethlehem).

8 At nakita ni Israel ang mga anak ni Jose, at sinabi, Sino sino ito?

9 At sinabi ni Jose sa kaniyang ama, Sila'y aking mga anak, na silang mga ibinigay ng Dios sa akin dito. At kaniyang sinabi, Isinasamo ko sa iyo, na iyong dalhin sila rito sa akin, at sila'y aking babasbasan.

10 Ang mga mata nga ni Israel ay malabo na dahil sa katandaan, na ano pa't hindi na siya makakita. At kaniyang inilapit sila sa kaniya; at sila'y kaniyang hinagkan, at niyakap.

11 At sinabi ni Israel kay Jose, Hindi ko akalaing makita ang iyong mukha: at, narito, ipinakita sa akin ng Dios pati ng iyong binhi.

12 At sila'y pinagkuha ni Jose sa pagitan ng kaniyang mga tuhod; at siya'y nagpatirapa sa lupa.

13 At kapuwa dinala ni Jose, si Ephraim sa kaniyang kanang kamay, sa dakong kaliwang kamay ni Israel, at si Manases sa kaniyang kaliwang kamay, sa dakong kanang kamay ni Israel, at inilapit niya sa kaniya.

14 At iniunat ni Israel ang kaniyang kanang kamay, at ipinatong sa ulo ni Ephraim, na siyang bunso, at ang kaniyang kaliwang kamay ay sa ulo ni Manases, na pinapatnubayang sadya ang kaniyang mga kamay; sapagka't si Manases ang panganay.

15 At kaniyang binasbasan si Jose, at sinabi, Ang Dios na sa harap niya ay lumakad ang aking mga magulang na si Abraham at si Isaac, ang Dios na nagpakain sa akin sa buong buhay ko hanggang sa araw na ito,

16 Ang anghel na tumubos sa akin sa buong kasamaan, ay siya nawang magpala sa mga batang ito; at tawagin nawa sila sa aking pangalan, at sa pangalan ng aking mga magulang na si Abraham at si Isaac; at magsidami nawa silang totoo sa ibabaw ng lupa.

17 At nang makita ni Jose na ipinatong ng kaniyang ama ang kaniyang kanang kamay sa ulo ni Ephraim, ay minasama niya; at itinaas niya ang kamay ng kaniyang ama, upang ilipat sa ulo ni Manases mula sa ulo ni Ephraim.

18 At sinabi ni Jose sa kaniyang ama, Hindi ganyan, ama ko: sapagka't ito ang panganay; ipatong mo ang iyong kanang kamay sa kaniyang ulo.

19 At tumanggi ang kaniyang ama, at sinabi, Talastas ko, anak ko, talastas ko; siya man ay magiging isang bayan, at siya man ay magiging dakila: gayon ma'y ang kaniyang kapatid na bata ay magiging lalong dakila kay sa kaniya, at ang kaniyang binhi ay magiging isang makapal na bansa.

20 At kaniyang binasbasan sila ng araw na yaon, na sinasabi Sa iyo magbabasbas ang Israel, na magsasabi, Gawin ka nawa ng Dios na gaya ni Ephraim at gaya ni Manases, at kaniyang ipinagpauna si Ephraim bago si Manases.

21 At sinabi ni Israel kay Jose, Narito, ako'y namamatay: nguni't ang Dios ay sasainyo, at dadalhin kayo uli sa lupain ng inyong mga magulang.

22 Bukod dito'y binigyan kita ng isang bahaging higit kay sa iyong mga kapatid, na aking kinuha ng aking tabak at ng aking busog sa kamay ng Amorrheo.

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

True Christianity # 247

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247. Many passages in the Prophets show that the church among the Israelite and Jewish nation was completely destroyed and was no longer a church because its members had falsified the meaning, or their understanding, of the Word. Nothing else destroys a church.

In the Prophets, especially in Hosea, the name "Ephraim" stands for an understanding of the Word, whether true or false. Throughout the Word, in fact, "Ephraim" means the church's understanding of the Word. Because an understanding of the Word forms the church, Ephraim is called a precious child and one born of delight (Jeremiah 31:20); a firstborn (Jeremiah 31:9); the strength of Jehovah's head (Psalms 60:7; 108:8); powerful (Zechariah 10:7); and someone outfitted with a bow (Zechariah 9:13); and Ephraim's children are said to be armed and to shoot with a bow (Psalms 78:9). A "bow" means a body of teaching from the Word that fights against false ideas. For this reason Israel laid his right hand rather than his left on Ephraim and blessed him, and Ephraim took the place of Reuben (Genesis 48:5, 11, and following). For this reason during Moses' blessing of the children of Israel, Ephraim and his brother Manasseh were exalted above all the rest as part of Moses' blessing of their father, Joseph ().

[2] The Prophets, especially Hosea, also describe as "Ephraim" what the church is like when it has lost its understanding of the Word. For example,

Israel and Ephraim will collapse. Ephraim will be desolate. Ephraim will be oppressed and broken in judgment. (Hosea 5:5, 9, )

What will I do to you, Ephraim, since your holiness has gone away like a cloud at sunrise and like the dew that falls in the morning? (Hosea 6:4)

They will not live on Jehovah's land. Ephraim will go back to Egypt and will eat what is unclean in Assyria. (Hosea 9:3)

"Jehovah's land" is the church; "Egypt" is scholarly study on the part of our earthly self; "Assyria" is reasoning based on that study. The latter two things together falsify our deeper understanding of the Word. This is why it says that Ephraim will go back to Egypt and eat what is unclean in Assyria.

[3] Ephraim is feeding on the wind and pursuing the east wind. Every day he increases lying and devastation. He is making a pact with Assyria and oil is being carried down to Egypt. (Hosea 12:1)

"Feeding on the wind," "pursuing the east wind," and "increasing lying and devastation" means falsifying truths and thereby destroying the church.

Ephraim's whoring means the same thing, in that "whoring" in the following passages means falsifying an understanding of the Word and its genuine truth:

I know that Ephraim has whored in every way and Israel has become defiled. (Hosea 5:3)

In the house of Israel, I have seen a foul thing. Ephraim has whored there and Israel has become defiled. (Hosea 6:10)

"Israel" is the church itself; "Ephraim" is the understanding of the Word on which the church depends and is based. This is why it says that Ephraim whored and Israel became defiled.

[4] Since the church in the Israelite and Jewish nation was obviously destroyed by falsifying the Word, therefore we read of Ephraim,

I will give you away, Ephraim. I will hand you over, Israel, like Admah, and I will make you like Zeboiim. (Hosea 11:8)

Because the prophet Hosea from the first chapter to the last is about a genuine understanding of the Word becoming falsified and the church being destroyed by that, and because "whoring" there means falsifying the truth, therefore the prophet Hosea was commanded to represent the condition of the church by marrying a whore and having sons by her (Hosea 1); and later by marrying an adulterous woman (Hosea 3).

I have quoted these passages to make known, and to support the concept, that the quality of the church is the quality of its understanding of the Word. If its understanding is based on genuine truths from the Word, the church is excellent and highly valuable. If its understanding is based on falsified truths from the Word, the church is ruined and in fact becomes something foul.

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