Arcana Coelestia #5528
5528. Verses 35-38 And so it was, as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, each man's bundle of silver was in his sack; and they saw their bundles of silver, they and their father, and they were afraid. And Jacob their father said to them, You have bereaved me [of my children]; Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and you take Benjamin. All these things will be upon me. And Reuben said to his father - he said, Make my two sons die if I do not bring him back to you; give him into my hand, and I will bring him back to you. And he said, My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he, he alone, is left. And should harm happen to him on the road on which you go, you will cause my grey hair to go down in sorrow to the grave.
'And so it was, as they were emptying their sacks' means the use performed by truths in the natural. 'That behold, each man's bundle of silver' means truths in ordered groups freely given. 'Was in his sack' means in each one's receptacle. 'And they saw their bundles of silver means a discernment that this was so. 'They and their father' means by the truths and the good of truth in the natural. 'And they were afraid' means a holy influence. 'And Jacob their father said to them' means a perception that came to them from the good of truth. 'You have bereaved me [of my children]' means that thus no Church existed any longer. 'Joseph is not' means that the internal does not exist: 'And Simeon is not' means that faith in the will does not exist either. 'And you take Benjamin' means if the intermediary also is taken away. 'All these things will be upon me' means that, when this is so, that which constitutes the Church will have been destroyed. 'And Reuben said to his father' means matters of faith present in the understanding were discerned by the good of truth. 'He said, Make my two sons die' means that neither of the two kinds of faith will survive. 'If I do not bring him back to you' means if no joining of the intermediary takes place. 'Give him into my hand' means insofar as it was in its power. 'And I will bring him to you' means that it will be restored. 'And he said, My son shall not go down with you' means that it will not move down towards inferior things. 'For his brother is dead' means because the internal is not present. 'And he, he alone, is left' means that this one now exists in place of the internal. 'And should harm happen to him on the road on which you go' means that, when in the company of truths alone in the natural that have been separated from the internal, it will perish. 'You will cause my grey hair to go down' means that this will accordingly be the final phase of the Church. 'In sorrow to the grave' means without hope of a restoration to life.
Nehemiah 5
1
And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
2
For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.
3
Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.
4
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
5
Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought to bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.
6
And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7
Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said to them, Ye exact interest, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
8
And I said to them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, who were sold to the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold to us? Then they held their peace, and found nothing to answer.
9
Also I said, That is not good which ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
10
I likewise, my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.
11
Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive-yards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.
12
Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.
13
Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.
14
Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
15
But the former governors, that had been before me were chargeable to the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants bore rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
16
Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither to the work.
17
Moreover, there were at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, besides those that came to us from among the heathen that were about us.
18
Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days an abundance of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I required not the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.
19
Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
