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Genesis 30

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1 Da akel så, at hun ikke fødte Jakob noget Barn, blev hun skinsyg på sin Søster og sagde til Jakob: "Skaf mig Børn, ellers dør jeg!"

2 Men Jakob blev vred på akel og sagde: "Er jeg i Guds Sted? Det er jo ham, der har nægtet dig Livsfrugt!"

3 sagde hun: "Der er min Trælkvinde Bilha; gå ind til hende, så hun kan føde på mine Knæ og jeg få Sønner ved hende!"

4 Og hun gav ham sin Trælkvinde Bilha til Hustru, og Jakob gik ind til hende.

5 Så blev Bilha frugtsommelig og fødte Jakob en Søn,

6 og akel sagde: "Gud har hjulpet mig til min et, han har hørt min øst og givet mig en Søn." Derfor gav hun ham Navnet Dan.

7 Siden blev akels Trælkvinde Bilha frugtsommelig igen og fødte Jakob en anden Søn;

8 og akel sagde: "Gudskampe har jeg kæmpet med min Søster og sejret." Derfor gav hun ham Navnet Naftali.

9 Men da Lea så, at hun ikke fik flere Børn, tog hun sin Trælkvinde Zilpa og gav Jakob hende til Hustru;

10 og da Leas Trælkvinde Zilpa fødte Jakob en Søn,

11 sagde Lea: "Hvilken Lykke!" Derfor gav hun ham Navnet Gad.

12 Siden fødte Leas Trælkvinde Zilpa Jakob en anden Søn;

13 og Lea sagde: "Held mig! Kvinderne vil prise mit Held!" Derfor gav hun ham Navnet Aser.

14 Men da uben engang i Hvedehøstens Tid gik på Marken, fandt han nogle Kærlighedsæbler og bragte dem til sin Moder Lea. Da sagde akel til Lea: "Giv mig nogle af din Søns Kærlighedsæbler!"

15 Lea svarede: "Er det ikke nok, at du har taget min Mand fra mig? Vil du nu også tage min Søns Kærlighedsæbler?" Men akel sagde: "Til Gengæld for din Søns Kærlighedsæbler må han ligge hos dig i Nat!"

16 Da så Jakob kom fra Marken om Aftenen, gik Lea ham i Møde og sagde: "kom ind til mig i Nat, thi jeg har købt dig for min Søns Kærlighedsæbler!" Og han lå hos hende den Nat.

17 Så bønhørte Gud Lea, og hun blev frugtsommelig og fødte Jakob en femte Søn;

18 og Lea sagde: "Gud har lønnet mig, fordi jeg gav min Mand min Trælkvinde." Derfor gav hun ham Navnet Issakar.

19 Siden blev Lea frugtsommelig igen og fødte Jakob en sjette Søn;

20 og Lea sagde: "Gud har givet mig en god Gave, nu vil min Mand blive hos mig, fordi jeg har født ham seks Sønner." Derfor gav hun ham Navnet Zebulon.

21 Siden fødte hun en Datter, som hun gav Navnet Dina.

22 Så kom Gud akel i Hu, og Gud bønhørte hende og åbnede hendes Moderliv,

23 så hun blev frugtsommelig og fødte en Søn; og hun sagde: "Gud har borttaget min Skændsel."

24 Derfor gav hun ham Navnet Josef; thi hun sagde: "HE EN give mig endnu en Søn!"

25 Da akel havde født Josef. sagde Jakob til Laban: "Lad mig fare, at jeg kan drage til min Hjemstavn og mit Land;

26 giv mig mine Hustruer og mine Børn som jeg har tjent dig for, og lad mig drage bort; du ved jo selv, hvorledes jeg har tjent dig!"

27 Men Laban svarede: "Måtte jeg have fundet Nåde for dine Øjne! Jeg har udfundet, at HE EN bar velsignet mig for din Skyld."

28 Og han sagde: "Bestem, hvad du vil have i Løn af mig, så vil jeg give dig den!"

29 sagde Jakob: "Du ved jo selv, hvorledes jeg har tjent dig, og hvad din Ejendom er blevet til under mine Hænder;

30 thi før jeg kom, ejede du kun lidet, men nu har du Overflod; HE EN har velsignet dig, hvor som helst jeg satte min Fod. Men når kan jeg komme til at gøre noget for mit eget Hus?"

31 Laban svarede: "Hvad skal jeg da give dig?" Da sagde Jakob: "Du skal ikke give mig noget; men hvis du går ind på, hvad jeg nu foreslår dig, vedbliver jeg at være Hyrde for dine Hjorde og vogte dem.

32 Jeg vil i Dag gå hele din Hjord igennem og udskille alle spættede og blakkede Dyr alle de sorte Får og de blakkede eller spættede Geder skal være min Løn;

33 i Morgen den Dag skal min etfærdighed vidne for mig: Når du kommer og syner den Hjord, der skal være min Løn, da er alle de" Geder, som ikke er spættede eller blakkede, og de Får, som ikke er sorte, stjålet af mig."

34 Laban svarede: "Vel, lad det blive, som du siger!"

35 Så udskilte han samme Dag de stribede og blakkede Bukke og de spættede og blakkede Geder, alle dem der havde hvide Pletter, og alle de sorte Får og overgav dem til sine Sønner,

36 og han lod der være tre Dagsrejser mellem dem og Jakob; og Jakob vogtede esten af Labans Hjord.

37 Men Jakob tog friske Grene af Hvidpopler, Mandeltræer og Plataner og afskrællede Barken således, at der kom hvide Striber på Grenene;

38 og de afskrællede Grene stillede han op i Trugene foran Dyrene, i Vandrenderne, hvor Dyrene kom hen og drak; og de parrede sig, når de kom for at drikke;

39 Dyrene parrede sig foran Grenene og fødte så stribet, spættet og blakket Afkom.

40 Og Lammene udskilte Jakob. Og han lod Dyrene vende Hovedet mod de stribede og alle de sorte dyr i Labans Hjord. På den Måde fik han sine egne Hjorde, som han ikke bragte sammen med Labans.

41 Og hver Gang de kraftige Dyr parrede sig, stillede Jakob Grenene op foran dem i Vandrenderne, for at de skulde parre sig foran Grenene;

42 men når det var de svage Dyr, stillede han dem ikke op; således kom de svage til at tilhøre Laban, de kraftige Jakob.

43 På den Måde blev Manden overmåde rig og fik Småkvæg i Mængde, Trælkvinder og Trælle, Kameler og Æsler.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

Aus Swedenborgs Werken

 

Arcana Coelestia #3857

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3857. 'And Rachel was barren' means that interior truths were not received. This is clear from the representation of 'Rachel' as the affection for interior truth, dealt with already, and from the meaning of 'barren' as not giving rise to doctrines, nor thus Churches. This statement expresses the opposite of what is said in reference to Leah, that is, that 'Jehovah opened her womb', meaning that the affection represented by her gave rise to the doctrines taught by the Churches. The reason interior truths were not received is that interior truths are such as go above the range of man's belief, that is to say, they do not fall into ideas he has and are not conditioned by the outward appearances or the illusions of the senses by which everyone allows himself to be led. He does not believe interior truths unless in some way they coincide with those appearances or illusions.

[2] For example, it is an interior truth that intervals of time and of space do not exist in the next life, but states instead. Man who is within time and space while he lives in the world forms all his ideas from these, so much so that he cannot have any thought without them, 3404. Consequently unless the states which exist in the next life were described by means of the intervals of time and space which man experiences, that is, by means of the kind of things that are moulded by time and space, he would perceive nothing and so believe nothing, and as a consequence would receive nothing. Doctrine would in that case be barren and no Church would arise from it.

[3] Take another example. Unless celestial and spiritual affections were described by means of such things as constitute worldly and bodily affections man would not perceive anything, for these are the affections he experiences, and it is from them that he is able to have notions about celestial and spiritual affections. Yet the two types of affections are as different from each other, or as far apart, as heaven from earth. Take for example the glory of heaven, that is, of the angels in heaven, 3839. Unless man modelled his idea of the glory of heaven on the idea of the glory which exists in the world he would not grasp it at all and so would not acknowledge it. The same applies to all other interior or heavenly things.

[4] For this reason the Lord has spoken in the Word in accordance with man's own ability to grasp things and with the appearances that go with that grasp of them. The literal sense of the Word is such, yet at the same time is of such a nature that it holds within it the internal sense which contains interior truths. This then explains why it is said in reference to Leah that 'Jehovah opened her womb', and that 'Rachel was barren'; for as has been stated, 'Leah' represents the affection for exterior truth, 'Rachel' the affection for interior truth. But because exterior truths are the first truths which a person learns, the Lord has provided that by means of them he can be introduced into interior truths. This provision is meant by the statement in Genesis 30:22 that God at last remembered Rachel, hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

[5] The truth of all this may be seen from the Churches which existed in ancient times, and from their doctrinal teachings, namely that their teachings were formed from external truths. With the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood their doctrinal teachings were for the most part external representatives and meaningful signs which had internal truths stored within them. For the majority of its members holy worship consisted in those external representatives and signs. If anyone had told them that the essential ingredients of Divine worship were not those representatives and meaningful signs but the spiritual and celestial realities represented and meant by these, they would have rejected them altogether, and so the Church would have ceased to exist. This applied even more to the Jewish Church. If anyone had told them that their religious observances received their holiness from the Divine things that were the Lord's within them they would not have acknowledged them at all.

[6] Such also was mankind when the Lord came into the world. They had grown even more bodily-minded, especially so those who were members of the Church. This is quite evident even from the disciples who, though with the Lord constantly and hearing so many things about His kingdom, were as yet unable to perceive interior truths. They were still unable to have any other concept of the Lord than such as exists with the Jews at the present day about the Messiah whom they are still awaiting. They imagined that He would promote that people to a position of dominion and glory over all nations throughout the world. And after hearing so many things from the Lord about the heavenly kingdom the disciples were still unable to think anything else than that the heavenly kingdom would be like an earthly kingdom, where God the Father would be supreme, after Him the Son, and then themselves the twelve, and so would reign in this order. For the same reasons also James and John asked to sit one on His right and the other on the left, Mark 10:35-37; and the rest of the disciples were angry at these two wishing to be greater than the rest, Mark 10:41; Matthew 20:24. For the same reason also, after teaching them what it was to be greatest in heaven, Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-45, the Lord still spoke in the way that they themselves thought. That is to say, He spoke of them sitting on twelve thrones and judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Luke 22:24, 30; Matthew 19:28.

[7] If they had been told that the word 'disciples' was not used to mean themselves but all people in whom the good of love and faith dwells, 3354, 3488, and also that in the Lord's kingdom there are no thrones, nor positions of government and dominion, as in the world, and that they would not be able to pass judgement on even the smallest aspect of any one person, 2129, 2553, they would have rejected that saying, and each would have left the Lord and gone back to his own employment. The reason why the Lord spoke in the way He did was so that they would receive those things and through them be introduced into internal truths. For within the external truths which the Lord spoke internal truths lay stored away which in course of time are laid bare. And when these are laid bare those external truths are dispelled and serve solely as the objects or the means for thought about internal ones. From these considerations one may recognize what is meant by the fact that Jehovah opened Leah's womb first and she bore sons to Jacob, and that Rachel did so subsequently.

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