The Bible

 

創世記 29

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1 雅各起行,到了東方人之

2 見田間有一,有臥在旁;因為人飲羊群都是用那裡的上的石頭的。

3 常有羊群在那裡聚集,牧人把石頭轉離,隨後又把石頭放在的原處。

4 雅各對牧人弟兄們,你們是那裡來的?他們:我們是哈蘭來的。

5 他問他們:拿鶴的孫子拉班,你們認識麼?他們:我們認識。

6 雅各:他平安麼?他們:平安。看哪,他女兒拉結領著來了

7 雅各:日頭還,不是羊群聚集的時候,你們不如飲,再去放一放。

8 他們:我們不能,必等羊群聚齊,人把石頭轉離才可飲

9 雅各正和他們說話的時候,拉結領著他父親來了,因為那些是他牧放的。

10 雅各見母舅拉班的女兒拉結和母舅拉班的羊群,就上前把石頭轉離,飲他母舅拉班的羊群

11 雅各與拉結親嘴,就放聲而哭。

12 雅各告訴拉結,自己是他父親的外甥,是利百加的兒子,拉結就跑去告訴他父親

13 拉班見外甥雅各的信息,就跑去迎接,抱著他,與他親嘴,領他到自己的家。雅各將一切的情由告訴拉班

14 拉班對他:你實在是我的。雅各就和他同一個月

15 拉班雅各:你雖是我的骨肉(原文作弟兄),豈可白白地服事我?請告訴我,你要甚麼為工價?

16 拉班有兩個女兒,大的名叫利亞,小的名叫拉結。

17 利亞的眼睛沒有神氣,拉結卻生得美貌俊秀。

18 雅各拉結,就:我願為你小女兒拉結服事你年。

19 拉班:我把他你,勝似,你與我同罷!

20 雅各就為拉結服事了年;他因為深愛拉結,就看這年如同幾

21 雅各拉班:日期已經滿了,求你把我的妻子給我,我好與他同房。

22 拉班就擺設筵席,請齊了那地方的眾人。

23 晚上,拉班將女兒利亞送給雅各,雅各就與他同房。

24 拉班又將婢女悉帕女兒利亞作使女。

25 到了早晨,雅各一看是利亞,就對拉班:你向我做的是甚麼事呢?我服事你,不是為拉結麼?你為甚麼欺哄我呢?

26 拉班:大女兒還沒有人,先把小女兒人,在我們這地方沒有這規矩。

27 你為這個滿了日,我就把那個也你,你再為他服事我年。

28 雅各就如此行。滿了利亞的七日,拉班便將女兒拉結雅各為妻。

29 拉班又將婢女辟拉女兒拉結作使女。

30 雅各也與拉結同房,並且拉結勝似利亞,於是又服事了拉班年。

31 耶和華見利亞失寵(原文作被恨;下同),就使他生育,拉結卻不生育。

32 利亞懷孕生子,就給他起名流便(就是有兒子的意思),因而耶和華見我的苦情,如今我的丈夫我。

33 他又懷孕生子,就耶和華因為見我失寵,所以又賜我這個兒子,於是他起名西緬(就是見的意思)。

34 他又懷孕生子,起名利未(就是聯合的意思),:我給丈夫生了兒子,他必與我聯合。

35 他又懷孕生子,:這回我要讚美耶和華,因此給他起名猶大(就是讚美的意思)。這才停了生育。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3843

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3843. 'To give the younger before the firstborn' means, that the affection for interior truth should precede the affection for external truth. This is clear from the representation of Rachel, to whom 'the younger' refers here, as the affection for interior truth, dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819, and from the representation of Leah, to whom 'the firstborn' refers here, as the affection for external truth, dealt with in 3793, 3819. From this it is evident that 'giving the younger before the firstborn' means [that the state is not such] that the affection for interior truth should precede the affection for external truth. A brief explanation of these matters has been given above in 3834, and is further evident from the following: Anyone who does not know the state of man may believe that the joining together is effected not only with external truths but also with internal once he is acquainted with both kinds of truths, that is, once he has them in his memory. But no joining together is effected until he lives according to them; for the life reveals whether the joining together has been effected.

[2] The same applies to everything implanted in someone since childhood. It does not become his own until he acts according to it, and does so from affection. For when he acts from affection that which has been implanted in him passes into his will. Then it is no longer put into practice by him simply because he knows that he should or because he has been taught to do it, but because some delight unknown to himself and so to speak his own disposition or nature lead him to do so. For everyone acquires such a disposition or nature from frequent practice or habit, and that practice or habit from the things he has learned. This does not come about until the things he has absorbed through his being taught them have been passed through from the external man to the interior; for when they exist in the interior man he no longer acts from the sensory memory but from his acquired disposition, till at length they flow into action spontaneously. For in this case they have been inscribed on the person's interior memory, and the things that proceed from this give the appearance of being innate. This may be recognized from the languages a person has learned in childhood, also from the ability to reason, and from conscience too. From these considerations it is evident that the truths of doctrine, even those that are interior, are not joined to a person until they are matters of life. But further information on these points will in the Lord's Divine mercy appear elsewhere.

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