The Bible

 

創世記 28

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1 以撒雅各來,給他祝福,並囑咐他:你不要娶迦南的女子為妻。

2 你起身往巴旦亞蘭去,到你外祖彼土利家裡,在你母舅拉班的女兒中娶一女為妻。

3 全能的神賜福給你,使你生養眾多,成為多族,

4 將應許亞伯拉罕的福賜你和你的後裔,使你承受你所寄居的為業,就是亞伯拉罕的

5 以撒打發雅各走了,他就往巴旦亞蘭去,到亞蘭人彼土利的兒子拉班那裡。拉班雅各以掃的母舅。

6 以掃以撒已經給雅各祝福,而且打發他往巴旦亞蘭去,在那裡娶妻,並見祝福的時候囑咐他說:不要娶迦南的女子為妻,

7 又見雅各從父母的話往巴旦亞蘭去了,

8 以掃就曉得他父親以撒不中迦南的女子,

9 便往以實瑪利那裡去,在他二妻之外又娶了瑪哈拉為妻。他是亞伯拉罕兒子以實瑪利的女兒,尼拜約的妹子。

10 雅各出了別是巴,向哈蘭走去;

11 到了一個地方,因為太陽落了,就在那裡住宿,便拾起那地方的一塊石頭枕在頭,在那裡躺臥睡了,

12 夢見一個梯子立在上,梯子的頂著,有的使者在梯子上,上去來。

13 耶和華站在梯子以上(或作站在他旁邊),:我是耶和華─你祖亞伯拉罕的,也是以撒的;我要將你現在所躺臥之你和你的後裔。

14 你的後裔必像上的塵沙那樣多,必向東西開展;上萬族必因你和你的後裔得福。

15 我也與你同在。你無論往那裡去,我必保佑你,領你歸回這地,總不離棄你,直到我成全了向你所應許的。

16 雅各睡醒了,耶和華真在這裡,我竟不知道

17 就懼:這地方何等可畏!這不是別的,乃是的殿,也是

18 雅各起來,把所枕的石頭立作柱子,澆在上面。

19 他就給那地方起名伯特利(就是神殿的意思);但那地方起先名路斯。

20 雅各許願若與我同在,在我所行的上保佑我,又我食物衣服穿,

21 使我平平安安地回到我父親的家,我就必以耶和華為我的

22 我所立為柱子的石頭也必作的殿,凡你所賜我的,我必將十分之一獻你。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3728

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3728. And poured oil upon the head of it. That this signifies holy good, is evident from the signification of “oil,” as being the celestial of love, or good (see n. 886, 3009); and from the signification of the “head,” as being that which is higher, or what is the same, that which is interior. That good is higher, or interior, and truth lower, or exterior, has been shown above in many places. From this it is evident what was signified by the ancient rite of pouring oil on the head of a pillar, namely, that truth should not be without good, but from good, thus that good should have the dominion as the head over the body; for truth without good is not truth, but is a sound void of life, and such that it is dissipated of itself. In the other life also it is dissipated with those who have excelled others in knowing truth or the doctrinal things of faith, and even the doctrinal things of love if they have not lived in good, and thus if they have not retained truth from good.

[2] Hence the church is not a church from truth separate from good, consequently not from faith separate from charity; but from truth which is from good, or from faith which is from charity. The like is signified also by what the Lord said to Jacob:

I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst a pillar, where thou vowedst a vow unto Me (Genesis 31:13);

and by what is said again:

Jacob set up a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink-offering thereon, and poured oil thereon (Genesis 35:14);

by “pouring out a drink-offering on a pillar” is signified the Divine good of faith; and by “pouring oil” upon it, the Divine good of love. Everyone can see that to pour oil upon a stone, without the signification of something celestial and spiritual, would be ridiculous and idolatrous.

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 28

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1 Isaac called Jacob, blessed him, and commanded him, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

2 Arise, go to Paddan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father. Take a wife from there from the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.

3 May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,

4 and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you, and to your seed with you, that you may inherit the land where you travel, which God gave to Abraham."

5 Isaac sent Jacob away. He went to Paddan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, Rebekah's brother, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan Aram, to take him a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a command, saying, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan,"

7 and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan Aram.

8 Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan didn't please Isaac, his father.

9 Esau went to Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

10 Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

11 He came to a certain place, and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. He took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12 He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

13 Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your seed.

14 Your seed will be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. In you and in your seed will all the families of the earth be blessed.

15 Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you."

16 Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely Yahweh is in this place, and I didn't know it."

17 He was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! This is none other than God's house, and this is the gate of heaven."

18 Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on its top.

19 He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

20 Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to put on,

21 so that I come again to my father's house in peace, and Yahweh will be my God,

22 then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, will be God's house. Of all that you will give me I will surely give the tenth to you."