The Bible

 

创世记 32

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1 雅各仍旧行的使者遇见他。

2 雅各见他们就:这是的军兵,於是给那地方起名玛哈念(就是二军兵的意思)。

3 雅各打发人先往西珥去,就是以东,见他哥哥以扫

4 吩咐他们:你们对我以扫:你的仆人雅各这样:我在拉班那里寄居,直到如今。

5 我有牛、羊群、仆婢,现在打发人来报告我,为要在你眼前蒙恩。

6 所打发的回到雅各那里,:我们到了你哥哥以扫那里,他带着,正迎着你

7 雅各就甚惧,而且愁烦,便把那与他同在的人口和羊群牛群骆驼分做两队,

8 以扫击杀这队,剩下的那队还可以逃避。

9 雅各耶和华─我祖亚伯拉罕的,我父亲以撒的阿,你曾对我:回你本本族去,我要厚待你。

10 你向仆人所施的一切慈爱和诚实,我一点也不配得;我先前只拿着我的杖过这约但河,如今我却成了两队了。

11 求你我脱离我哥哥以扫;因为我怕他杀我,连妻子带儿女一同杀了。

12 你曾:我必定厚待你,使你的後裔如同边的沙,多得不可胜

13 当夜,雅各在那里住宿,就从他所有的物中拿礼物要送给他哥哥以扫

14 山羊只,公山羊二十只,母绵只,公绵二十只,

15 奶崽子的骆驼三十只─各带着崽子,母四十只,公只,母二十匹,匹;

16 每样各分一群,交在仆人下,就对仆人:你们要在我前头过去,使群群相离,有空间的地方;

17 又吩咐尽先走的:我哥哥以扫遇见你的时候,问你:你是那家的人?要往那里去?你前头?这些是谁的?

18 你就:是你仆人雅各的,是送给我以扫礼物;他自己也在我们边?。

19 又吩咐第二、第三,和一切赶群畜的人:你们遇见以扫的时候也要这样对他

20 并且你们要:你仆人雅各我们边。因雅各心里:我藉着在我前头去的礼物解他的恨,然再见他的面,或者他容纳我。

21 於是礼物先过去了;那夜,雅各在队中住宿。

22 他夜间起来,带着两个妻子,两个使女,并十一个儿子,过了雅博渡口,

23 先打发他们过,又打发所有的都过去,

24 雅各。有一个来和他摔跤,直到黎明。

25 那人见自己胜不过他,就将他的大腿窝摸了一把,雅各大腿窝正在摔跤的时候就扭了。

26 那人:天黎明了,容我去罢!雅各:你不给我祝福,我就不容你去。

27 那人:你名叫甚麽?他:我名叫雅各

28 那人:你的名不要再叫雅各,要叫以色列;因为你与与人较力,都得了胜。

29 雅各问他:请将你的名告诉我。那人:何必问我的名?於是在那里给雅各祝福

30 雅各便给那地方起名毗努伊勒(就是之面的意思),意思:我面对面见了,我的性命仍得保全。

31 日头刚出来的时候,雅各经过毗努伊勒,他的大腿就瘸了。

32 故此,以色列人大腿窝的,直到今日,因为那人摸了雅各大腿窝的

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4279

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4279. The explanations given so far to these two verses present what they contain in the highest sense and in the internal sense. But in the lower sense they have a different meaning. There the essential nature of Jacob and his future descendants is the subject. Because the Word originates in the Lord and comes down from Him by way of heaven to man its nature is therefore such that it is Divine in every detail. And as it has come down from the Lord so it goes up, that is, is raised up to Him, returning by way of the heavens. It is well known that there are three heavens, and that the inmost is termed the third heaven, that the middle one is called the second heaven, while the lowest is referred to as the first heaven. Consequently since it goes up by the same path as it comes down the Word as it exists in the Lord is Divine, celestial as it exists in the third heaven since that heaven is the celestial heaven, spiritual as it exists in the second heaven since that heaven is the spiritual heaven, but celestial-natural and spiritual-natural as it exists in the first heaven, which is also given the names celestial-natural and spiritual-natural. As it exists in the Church with man however, the Word in the sense of the letter is natural, that is, worldly and earthly.

[2] From this one may see the nature of the Word and what happens to it when a person reads it with a holy mind, that is, one in whom good and truth are present. For when he reads it, it is seen by him as something existing in this world or as a historical document, but which nevertheless is inwardly holy. But in the first heaven it is seen as something celestial-natural and spiritual-natural, which however is inwardly Divine. In the second heaven it is spiritual, and in the third celestial; and in the Lord it is Divine. The sense in the Word varies according to whatever heaven it may be. The highest sense of the Word, whose subject is the Lord, exists for the inmost or third heaven; the internal sense, whose subject is the Lord's kingdom, exists for the middle or second heaven; the lower sense, in which the internal sense is narrowed down to the nation referred to there, exists for the lower or first heaven. But the lowest or literal sense exists for man while he is still living in the world. Yet man's nature is such that the more interior sense, and also the internal and highest sense, can be communicated to him. For man has communication with the three heavens; indeed he is created on the pattern of the three heavens, so much so that when love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour constitute his life he is heaven in miniature. Consequently such a person has the Lord's kingdom within him, as the Lord Himself teaches in Luke,

Behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21.

[3] These things have been stated so that people may know that the Word contains not only a highest sense and an internal sense but also a lower sense, and that in this sense, that is to say, in the lower, the internal sense is narrowed down to the nation referred to there; and when this is done that sense is plain to see from the train of thought. At present it is self-evident that the man's wrestling with Jacob and the disjointing and displacing of his thigh also has reference to Jacob and his descendants. That being so, let these same words be explained according to that sense. In what follows below this sense will be termed the INTERNAL HISTORICAL SENSE. It will be called this for the added reason that it is quite usual for this sense to be represented from time to time in the first heaven as something animate and taking visible form, as also I have been allowed to see several times. See the explanation given already in the latter part of 4272.

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