The Bible

 

創世記 31

Study

   

1 雅各拉班的兒子們有說:雅各把我們父親所有的都奪了去,並藉著我們父親的,得了這一切的榮耀(或作財)。

2 雅各拉班的氣色向他不如從前了。

3 耶和華雅各:你要回你祖、你父之,到你親族那裡去,我必與你同在。

4 雅各就打發人,拉結和利亞到田野羊群那裡來,

5 對他們:我你們父親的氣色向我不如從前了;但我父親向來與我同在。

6 你們也知道,我盡了我的力量服事你們的父親

7 你們的父親欺哄我,次改了我的工價;然而不容他害我。

8 他若:有點的歸你作工價,羊群所生的都有點;他若:有紋的歸你作工價,羊群所生的都有紋。

9 這樣,把你們父親的牲畜奪來賜我了。

10 配合的時候,我夢中舉目一,見跳母的公都是有紋的、有點的、有花斑的。

11 的使者在那夢中呼叫我雅各。我:我在這裡。

12 :你舉目觀,跳母的公都是有紋的、有點的、有花斑的;凡拉班向你所做的,我都見了。

13 我是伯特利的神;你在那裡用油澆過柱子,向我許過願。現今你起來,離開這,回你本去罷!

14 拉結和利亞回答雅各:在我們父親的家裡還有我們可得的分麼?還有我們的產業麼?

15 我們不是被他當作外人麼?因為他我們,吞了我們的價值。

16 我們父親所奪出來的一切財物,那就是我們我們孩子們的。現今凡所吩咐你的,你只管去行罷!

17 雅各起來,使他的兒子妻子都騎上駱駝

18 又帶著他在巴旦亞蘭所得的一切牲畜和財物,往迦南、他父親以撒那裡去了。

19 當時拉班毛去了,拉結偷了父親家中的神像。

20 雅各背著亞蘭人拉班走了,並不告訴他,

21 就帶著所有的逃跑。他起身過大,面向基列山行去。

22 第三日,有人告訴拉班雅各逃跑了。

23 拉班帶領他的眾弟兄去追趕,追了日,在基列山就追上了。

24 夜間,到亞蘭人拉班那裡,在夢中對他:你要小心,不可與雅各歹。

25 拉班追上雅各雅各上支搭帳棚;拉班和他的眾弟兄也在基列山上支搭帳棚。

26 拉班雅各:你做的是甚麼事呢?你背著我走了,又把我的女兒們帶了去,如同用刀擄去的一般。

27 你為甚麼暗暗地逃跑著走,並不告訴我,叫我可以歡樂、唱歌、擊、彈琴的送你回去?

28 又不容我與外孫和女兒親嘴?你所行的真是愚昧!

29 中原有能力害你,只是你父親昨夜對我:你要小心,不可與雅各歹。

30 現在你雖然你父家,不得不去,為甚麼又偷了我的像呢?

31 雅各回答拉班:恐你把你的女兒從我奪去,所以我逃跑。

32 至於你的像,你在誰那裡搜出來,就不容誰存活。當著我們的眾弟兄,你認一認,在我這裡有甚麼東西是你的,就拿去。原來雅各知道拉結偷了那些像。

33 拉班進了雅各、利亞,並兩個使女的帳棚,沒有搜出,就從利亞的帳棚出,進了拉結的帳棚。

34 拉結已經把神像藏在駱駝的馱簍裡,便在上頭。拉班摸遍了那帳棚,並沒有摸著。

35 拉結對他父親:現在我身上不便,不能在你面前起來,求我不要生氣。這樣,拉班搜尋神像,竟沒有搜出來。

36 雅各就發怒斥責拉班:我有甚麼過犯,有甚麼惡,你竟這樣速的追我?

37 你摸遍了我一切的家具,你搜出甚麼來呢?可以放在你我弟兄面前,叫他們在你我中間辨別辨別。

38 我在你家這二十年,你的母綿、母山羊沒有掉過胎。你中的公,我沒有吃過

39 被野獸撕裂的,我沒有帶來給你,是我自己賠上。無論是白日,是黑夜,被去的,你都向我索要。

40 我白日受盡乾熱,黑夜受盡寒霜,不得合眼睡著,我常是這樣。

41 我這二十年在你家裡,為你的兩個女兒服事你十四年,為你的羊群服事你年,你又次改了我的工價。

42 若不是我父親以撒所敬畏的,就是亞伯拉罕的與我同在,你如今必定打發我空手而去。見我的苦情和我的勞碌,就在昨夜責備你。

43 拉班回答雅各:這女兒是我的女兒,這些孩子是我的孩子,這些羊群也是我的羊群;凡在你眼前的都是我的。我的女兒並他們所生的孩子,我今日能向他們做甚麼呢?

44 來罷!你我二人可以立約,作你我中間的證據。

45 雅各就拿一塊石頭立作柱子,

46 又對眾弟兄:你們石頭。他們就拿石頭成一,大家便在旁邊喝。

47 拉班稱那石堆為伊迦爾撒哈杜他,雅各卻稱那石堆為迦累得(都是以石堆為證的意思)。

48 拉班:今日這石堆作你我中間的證據。因此這地方名迦累得,

49 又叫米斯巴,意思我們彼此離別以後,願耶和華在你我中間鑒察。

50 你若苦待我的女兒,又在我的女兒以外另娶妻,雖沒有知道,卻有在你我中間作見證。

51 拉班:你看我在你我中間所立的這石堆和柱子。

52 石堆作證據,這柱子也作證據。我必不過這石堆去害你;你也不可過這石堆和柱子來害我。

53 但願亞伯拉罕的和拿鶴的,就是他們父親,在你我中間判斷雅各就指著他父親以撒所敬畏的起誓,

54 又在上獻祭,請眾弟兄來飯。他們吃了飯,便在上住宿。

55 拉班起來,與他外孫和女兒親嘴,給他們祝福,回往自己的地方去了。

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4211

Study this Passage

  
/ 10837  
  

4211. 'And called his brothers to eat bread' means [an invitation] to make the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own. This is clear from the meaning of 'brothers' as those who were now to be joined together by the covenant, that is, by friendship, and in the internal sense as those who are governed by good and truth (for such people are called 'brothers', see 367, 2360, 3303, 3459, 3803, 3815, 4121, 4191); from the meaning of 'eating' as making one's own, dealt with in 3168, 3513 (end), 3832 (for meals taken together and feasts among the ancients meant making things their own and being joined together by means of love and charity, 3596); and from the meaning of 'bread' as good that stems from love, dealt with in 276, 680, 1798, 3478, 3735, and in the highest sense means the Lord, 2165, 2177, 3478, 3813. Since 'bread' in the highest sense means the Lord it therefore means everything holy which comes from Him, that is, it means everything good and true. And since no other good exists which is good except the good of love and charity, 'bread' therefore means love and charity. Sacrifices in former times had no other meaning, and for that reason were referred to by the single word 'bread', see 2165. And some of the flesh of the sacrifices was eaten so that the heavenly feast - that is, a joining together through good flowing from love and charity - might be represented. The same is meant today by the Holy Supper, for this has replaced sacrifices and feasts of consecrated things. The Holy Supper is in the Church an external practice that has an internal reality within it, and by means of this reality it joins one who is governed by love and charity to heaven, and by means of heaven to the Lord. For in the Holy Supper too 'eating' means making one's own - 'the bread' being celestial love and 'the wine' spiritual love - so much so that while it is being eaten by one in a state of holiness nothing else is perceived in heaven.

[2] The reason why the phrase 'making the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own' is used is that the subject is the good that exists with the gentiles, for it is this good that 'Laban' represents now, 4189. When man is joined to the Lord he is not joined to His Supreme Divine itself but to His Divine Human, for man cannot have any idea at all of the Lord's Supreme Divine, because this lies so far beyond anything he can conceive of that it fades from view altogether and ceases to mean anything to him. But he is able to have an idea of His Divine Human. For everyone is joined through thought and affection to one of whom he can have some idea but not to one of whom he cannot have any idea. If, when a person thinks about the Lord's Human, holiness is present in his ideas he also thinks of the holiness which comes from the Lord and fills heaven, and at the same time he thinks of heaven, since heaven in its entirety corresponds to a complete human being, which correspondence has its origin in the Lord, 684, 1276, 2996, 2998, 3624-3649. This explains why it is not possible to be joined to the Lord's Supreme Divine, only to His Divine Human, and through that Divine Human to His Supreme Divine. Hence the statement in John 1:18 about nobody, except the only begotten Son, ever having seen God, also the statement about there being no way to the Father except through Him; as well as from the statement that He is the Mediator. The truth of all this can be plainly recognized from the fact that all within the Church who declare their belief in a Supreme Being and yet set the Lord at nought are people who have no belief in anything at all, not even in the existence of heaven or of hell, and who worship nature. And if such people are ready to learn from experience it will be clear to them that the wicked, even those who are extremely so, declare a like belief.

[3] But the way in which people think of the Lord's Human varies, one person's ideas being different from another's, and one person's more holy than another's. Those within the Church are able to think that His Human is Divine, and also that He is one with the Father, as He Himself says that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. But those outside the Church are unable to do this, for one thing because they do not know anything about the Lord and for another because their idea of the Divine is gained solely from visible images and tangible idols. Nevertheless the Lord joins Himself to them by means of the good they do from the charity and obedience present within their crude notions of Him. And this is why mention is made here about them making the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own. For when the Lord is joined to man the state of thought and consequent affection in him determines the exact nature of that conjunction. Those who have an entirely holy conception of the Lord and who at the same time have a true knowledge of and affections for what is good and true - as those within the Church are able to have - have been joined to the Lord as to His Divine Rational. Those however who do not have so holy a notion of Him and who do not have so interior a notion and affection, and yet the good of charity exists with them, have been joined to the Lord as regards His Divine Natural. And those whose holiness is cruder still are joined to the Lord as to His Divine Sensory Perception. This last type of joining is what is represented by 'the bronze serpent', in that those who looked at it recovered from serpent-bites, Numbers 21:9. This is the type of joining together which those among the gentiles have who worship idols and yet lead charitable lives in accordance with their own religion. From these considerations one may now see what is meant by making the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own, meant by 'Jacob called his brothers to eat bread'.

  
/ 10837  
  

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