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 #2643

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2643. 'Who would have said to Abraham, Sarah will suckle sons?' means that by His own power the Lord implanted the Human within the Divine. This is clear from the representation of 'Abraham' and also of 'Sarah', and from the meaning of 'suckling', and of 'sons'. It has been shown already that 'Abraham' represents Divine Good and 'Sarah' Divine Truth. 'Milk' means that which is spiritual from a celestial origin, that is, truth deriving from good, see 2184, so that 'suckling' means implanting that truth; And 'sons' means truths, here truths that exist in the Rational, as is clear from the meaning of 'sons', 489-491, 533. The reason why in the internal sense the words under consideration mean that the Lord by His own power implanted the Human within the Divine is that Divine Truth is one and the same as the Divine Human, and when in reference to this it is said 'to suckle sons for Abraham' the meaning is that He implanted the Human within the Divine; and as it was the Human He implanted, He did so by His own power. But scarcely any clearer and more intelligible explanation of these matters is possible. To say more would obscure still further what is meant; for these are Divine matters, which can be presented to angels alone by means of celestial and spiritual things. If presented to men in some more exalted manner those matters would fall into the material and bodily ideas which men possess.

[2] What is more, it should be recognized that it is the nature of the Lord's Divine Rational when it was first born that is being described by these words, 'God has made laughter for me; everyone that hears will laugh for me; and she said, Who would have said to Abraham, Sarah will suckle sons?' For this was in keeping with an ancient custom that when an infant was born it was given a name which served to mean the state; and at the same time a description of that state was added, as when Cain was born to Eve and Adam, Genesis 4:1, and when Seth was born to the same, Genesis 4:25; and as when Noah was born to Lamech, Genesis 5:29, Esau and Jacob to Isaac, Genesis 25:25-26, the twelve sons to Jacob, Genesis 29:32-35; 30:6, 8, 11, 13, 18, 20, 24; 35:18, Perez and Zerah to Tamar, Genesis 38:29-30, Manasseh and Ephraim to Joseph, Genesis 41:51-52, and Gershom and Eliezer to Moses, Exodus 2:22; 18:4. What all these represent, and what they mean in the internal sense, was embodied in the descriptions added to the names that were given. The same is the case here with what Isaac represents and means. What this name embodies is evident to some small extent from this brief explanation that has been given, but deeper arcana are nevertheless concealed there since they are Divine matters, which no sentences or phrases can be formed to express.

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