The Bible

 

创世记 31

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1 雅各拉班的儿子们有说:雅各把我们父亲所有的都夺了去,并藉着我们父亲的,得了这一切的荣耀(或作财)。

2 雅各拉班的气色向他不如从前了。

3 耶和华雅各:你要回你祖、你父之,到你亲族那里去,我必与你同在。

4 雅各就打发人,拉结和利亚到田野羊群那里来,

5 对他们:我你们父亲的气色向我不如从前了;但我父亲向来与我同在。

6 你们也知道,我尽了我的力量服事你们的父亲

7 你们的父亲欺哄我,次改了我的工价;然而不容他害我。

8 他若:有点的归你作工价,羊群所生的都有点;他若:有纹的归你作工价,羊群所生的都有纹。

9 这样,把你们父亲的牲畜夺来赐我了。

10 配合的时候,我梦中举目一,见跳母的公都是有纹的、有点的、有花斑的。

11 的使者在那梦中呼叫我雅各。我:我在这里。

12 :你举目观,跳母的公都是有纹的、有点的、有花斑的;凡拉班向你所做的,我都见了。

13 我是伯特利的神;你在那里用油浇过柱子,向我许过愿。现今你起来,离开这,回你本去罢!

14 拉结和利亚回答雅各:在我们父亲的家里还有我们可得的分麽?还有我们的产业麽?

15 我们不是被他当作外人麽?因为他我们,吞了我们的价值。

16 我们父亲所夺出来的一切财物,那就是我们我们孩子们的。现今凡所吩咐你的,你只管去行罢!

17 雅各起来,使他的儿子妻子都骑上骆驼

18 又带着他在巴旦亚兰所得的一切牲畜和财物,往迦南、他父亲以撒那里去了。

19 当时拉班毛去了,拉结偷了父亲家中的神像。

20 雅各背着亚兰人拉班走了,并不告诉他,

21 就带着所有的逃跑。他起身过大,面向基列山行去。

22 第三日,有人告诉拉班雅各逃跑了。

23 拉班带领他的众弟兄去追赶,追了日,在基列山就追上了。

24 夜间,到亚兰人拉班那里,在梦中对他:你要小心,不可与雅各歹。

25 拉班追上雅各雅各上支搭帐棚;拉班和他的众弟兄也在基列山上支搭帐棚。

26 拉班雅各:你做的是甚麽事呢?你背着我走了,又把我的女儿们带了去,如同用刀掳去的一般。

27 你为甚麽暗暗地逃跑着走,并不告诉我,叫我可以欢乐、唱歌、击、弹琴的送你回去?

28 又不容我与外孙和女儿亲嘴?你所行的真是愚昧!

29 中原有能力害你,只是你父亲昨夜对我:你要小心,不可与雅各歹。

30 现在你虽然你父家,不得不去,为甚麽又偷了我的像呢?

31 雅各回答拉班:恐你把你的女儿从我夺去,所以我逃跑。

32 至於你的像,你在谁那里搜出来,就不容谁存活。当着我们的众弟兄,你认一认,在我这里有甚麽东西是你的,就拿去。原来雅各知道拉结偷了那些像。

33 拉班进了雅各、利亚,并两个使女的帐棚,没有搜出,就从利亚的帐棚出,进了拉结的帐棚。

34 拉结已经把神像藏在骆驼的驮篓里,便在上头。拉班摸遍了那帐棚,并没有摸着。

35 拉结对他父亲:现在我身上不便,不能在你面前起来,求我不要生气。这样,拉班搜寻神像,竟没有搜出来。

36 雅各就发怒斥责拉班:我有甚麽过犯,有甚麽恶,你竟这样速的追我?

37 你摸遍了我一切的家具,你搜出甚麽来呢?可以放在你我弟兄面前,叫他们在你我中间辨别辨别。

38 我在你家这二十年,你的母绵、母山羊没有掉过胎。你中的公,我没有吃过

39 被野兽撕裂的,我没有带来给你,是我自己赔上。无论是白日,是黑夜,被去的,你都向我索要。

40 我白日受尽乾热,黑夜受尽寒霜,不得合眼睡着,我常是这样。

41 我这二十年在你家里,为你的两个女儿服事你十四年,为你的羊群服事你年,你又次改了我的工价。

42 若不是我父亲以撒所敬畏的,就是亚伯拉罕的与我同在,你如今必定打发我空手而去。见我的苦情和我的劳碌,就在昨夜责备你。

43 拉班回答雅各:这女儿是我的女儿,这些孩子是我的孩子,这些羊群也是我的羊群;凡在你眼前的都是我的。我的女儿并他们所生的孩子,我今日能向他们做甚麽呢?

44 来罢!你我二人可以立约,作你我中间的证据。

45 雅各就拿一块石头立作柱子,

46 又对众弟兄:你们石头。他们就拿石头成一,大家便在旁边喝。

47 拉班称那石堆为伊迦尔撒哈杜他,雅各却称那石堆为迦累得(都是以石堆为证的意思)。

48 拉班:今日这石堆作你我中间的证据。因此这地方名迦累得,

49 又叫米斯巴,意思我们彼此离别以後,愿耶和华在你我中间鉴察。

50 你若苦待我的女儿,又在我的女儿以外另娶妻,虽没有知道,却有在你我中间作见证。

51 拉班:你看我在你我中间所立的这石堆和柱子。

52 石堆作证据,这柱子也作证据。我必不过这石堆去害你;你也不可过这石堆和柱子来害我。

53 但愿亚伯拉罕的和拿鹤的,就是他们父亲,在你我中间判断雅各就指着他父亲以撒所敬畏的起誓,

54 又在上献祭,请众弟兄来饭。他们吃了饭,便在上住宿。

55 拉班起来,与他外孙和女儿亲嘴,给他们祝福,回往自己的地方去了。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4061

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4061. Genesis 31

1. And he 1 heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob has taken all that belonged to our father, and from what belonged to our father he has gained all this wealth.

2. And Jacob saw Laban's face, and behold, he was not at all friendly towards him as before. 2

3. And Jehovah said to Jacob, Return to the land of your fathers, and to [the place of] your nativity, and I will be with you.

4. And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock.

5. And he said to them, I see your father's face, that it is not at all friendly towards me as before; 3 and the God of my father has been with me.

6. And you yourselves know that with all my strength I have served your father.

7. And your father has deceived me, and has changed my wages in ten ways, and God has not allowed him to do evil to me.

8. If he said thus: The speckled will be your wages, then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: The variegated will be your wages, then all the flocks bore variegated.

9. And God has taken away your father's cattle and given them to me.

10. And it happened, when the flock came on heat, that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the he-goats mounting the flock were variegated, speckled, and mottled.

11. And the angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob. And I said, Behold, here I am.

12. And he said, Lift up now your eyes, and see all the he-goats mounting the flock, variegated, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen everything that Laban is doing to you.

13. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now rise up, go out of this land, and return to the land of your nativity.

14. And Rachel answered, and Leah, and they said to him, Is there still any portion and inheritance for us in our father's house?

15. Are we not considered strangers by him, for he has sold us, and also completely consumed our money? 4

16. For all the riches which God has snatched from our father belong to us and to our sons; and now do everything that God has told you.

17. And Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his womenfolk on camels.

18. And he brought away all his cattle and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle 5 he had purchased, which he had gathered in Paddan Aram, to come to Isaac his father, to the land of Canaan.

19. And Laban had gone to shear his flock, and Rachel stole the teraphim which belonged to her father.

20. And Jacob stole the heart 6 of Laban the Aramean by not giving him any indication that he was fleeing.

21. And he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and crossed the river; and he set his face towards mount Gilead.

22. And it was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled.

23. And he took his brothers with him and pursued him for seven days; 5 and he caught up with him on mount Gilead.

24. And God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night, and said to him, Take care not to speak to Jacob either good or evil.

25. And Laban overtook Jacob, and Jacob pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban pitched with his brothers in mount Gilead.

26. And Laban said to Jacob, What have you done, that you have stolen my heart, 6 and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword?

27. Why was it that you concealed your flight, and stole from me, and gave me no indication; for I might have sent you away with gladness and with songs, and with drums and with harps?

28. And you have not allowed me to kiss my sons and my daughters; now you have acted foolishly in what you have done.

29. Let my hand be for God to do you evil! And the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, Beware of speaking to Jacob either good or evil.

30. And now you have surely gone because you longed greatly for your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?

31. And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid; for I said, Perhaps you will take your daughters from me by force.

32. Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live in the presence of our brothers. Examine for yourself what is with me, and take them to yourself. And Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

33. And Laban came into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of both servant-girls, and did not find them. And he went out of Leah's tent and came into Rachel's tent.

34. And Rachel had taken the teraphim and put them in the camel's straw, and sat on them. And Laban felt around all the tent and did not find them.

35. And she said to her father, Let there not be any anger in my Lord's eyes, for I cannot rise up before you, for the way of women is upon me. And he searched and did not find the teraphim.

36. And Jacob was incensed and wrangled with Laban; and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my transgression, what is my sin, that you have hotly pursued after me?

37. Because you have felt around all my vessels, what have you found belonging to all the vessels of your house? Put it here in front of my brothers and your brothers, and let them decide between the two of us.

38. These twenty years I have been with you; your sheep and your she-goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock.

39. That which was torn [by beasts] I did not bring to you; I myself bore the loss of it; from my hand you required it - that stolen by day and that stolen by night.

40. This is how I was: By day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night; and my sleep was banished from my eyes.

41. These twenty years I have served you in your house - fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock; and you have changed my wages in ten ways.

42. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Dread of Isaac, had been with me, you would now have sent me away empty-handed. My affliction and the tiredness of my hands 8 God has seen, and has given judgement last night.

43. And Laban answered and said to Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, and the sons are my sons, and the flock is my flock, and all that you see is mine. And for my daughters, what am I to do for them today, or for their sons whom they have borne?

44. And now come, let us make a covenant, I and you, and let it be a witness between me and you.

45. And Jacob took a stone and erected it as a pillar.

46. And Jacob said to his brothers, Gather stones; and they took stones and made a heap; and they ate there upon the heap.

47. And Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha; and Jacob called it Galeed.

48. And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and you today; therefore he called its name Galeed -

49. And Mizpah, for he said, Let Jehovah watch between me and you, for we are going to be hidden from each other. 9

50. If you afflict my daughters, and if you take wives (femina) besides my daughters, after we have parted from each other 10 - see, God is witness between me and you.

51. And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold the pillar which I have erected between me and you.

52. This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass beyond this heap to you, and that you will not pass beyond this heap and this pillar to me, to do harm.

53. May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor judge 11 between us, the God of their father. And Jacob swore by the Dread of his father Isaac.

54. And Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his brothers to eat bread; and they ate bread and stayed the night in the mountain.

55. And in the morning Laban rose up early, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them; and Laban went and resumed to his place.

CONTENTS

The subject now in the internal sense is the separation of the good and truth which are represented by Jacob and his wives from the good meant by Laban, in order that they might be joined to the Divine coming from a direct Divine stock. The subject is also the state of the two so far as separation is concerned.

Footnotes:

1. i.e. Jacob

2. literally, not at all with him as yesterday three days ago (an ancient way of describing the day before yesterday)

3. literally, not at all towards me as yesterday three days ago

4. or silver

5. literally, acquisition

6. i.e. he deceived or outwitted Laban

8. literally, palms

9. literally, a man from his companion

10. literally, no man being with us

11. The verb rendered may judge here is plural.

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