The Bible

 

Postanak 27

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1 Ostarje Izak, vid mu se očinji gasio. Zato zovne svoga starijeg sina Ezava i reče mu: "Sine!" On mu odgovori: "Evo me!"

2 A on nastavi: "Vidiš, ostario sam, a ne znam dana svoje smrti.

3 Zato uzmi svoju opremu, svoj tobolac i luk, pa idi u pustaru i ulovi mi divljači.

4 Onda mi pripremi ukusan obrok, kako volim, te mi ga donesi da blagujem, pa da te mognem blagosloviti prije nego umrem."

5 Rebeka je slušala dok je Izak govorio svome sinu Ezavu, i kad je Ezav otišao u pustaru da ulovi divljači svome ocu,

6 Rebeka reče svome sinu Jakovu: "Upravo sam čula kako tvoj otac govori tvome bratu Ezavu:

7 'Donesi mi divljači te mi priredi ukusan obrok da blagujem pa da te pred licem Jahvinim blagoslovim prije nego umrem.'

8 A sad, sine moj, poslušaj me i učini kako ti naredim.

9 Otiđi k stadu i odande mi donesi dva lijepa kozleta, a ja ću od njih prirediti ukusan obrok tvome ocu, kako on voli.

10 Onda ti donesi svome ocu da jede te tebe mogne blagosloviti prije nego umre."

11 Ali Jakov odgovori svojoj majci Rebeki: "E, ali moj je brat Ezav runjav, a ja sam bez dlaka!

12 Možda me se moj otac dotakne te ću u njegovim očima ispasti varalicom i na se svaliti prokletstvo, a ne blagoslov."

13 Ali njegova mu majka odgovori: "Sine moj, tvoje prokletstvo neka padne na mene! Samo ti mene poslušaj, otiđi i donesi!"

14 Ode on, nađe i donese svojoj majci, a njegova majka priredi ukusan obrok, kako je njegov otac volio.

15 Potom Rebeka uzme najljepše odijelo svoga starijeg sina Ezava što je u kući imala, pa u nj odjene svoga mlađeg sina Jakova.

16 U kožu kozleta zamota mu ruke i goli dio vrata.

17 Stavi zatim ukusan obrok i kruh što ga je pripravila na ruke svoga sina Jakova.

18 Ode on k ocu i reče: "Oče!" On odgovori: "Evo me. Koji si ti moj sin?"

19 A Jakov odgovori svome ocu: "Ja sam Ezav, tvoj prvorođenac; učinio sam kako si mi rekao. Sad ustaj, sjedi pa jedi moje lovine, da me onda mogneš blagosloviti."

20 Izak upita svoga sina: "Kako si tako brzo uspio, sine moj?" On odgovori: "Jer mi je Jahve, Bog tvoj, bio milostiv."

21 Potom Izak reče Jakovu: "Primakni se, sine moj, da opipam jesi li ti zbilja moj sin Ezav ili nisi."

22 Jakov se primakne k svome ocu Izaku, koji ga opipa i reče: "Glas je Jakovljev, ali su ruke Ezavove."

23 Nije ga prepoznao jer su mu ruke bile runjave kao i ruke njegova brata Ezava. Kad ga je htio blagosloviti,

24 upita još jednom: "Jesi li ti zaista moj sin Ezav?" Odgovori on: "Jesam."

25 Potom reče Izak: "Stavi preda me da blagujem lovine svoga sina pa da te blagoslovi duša moja." Jakov ga posluži pa je jeo. Zatim mu donese i vina, pa je pio.

26 Poslije toga reče mu njegov otac Izak: "Primakni se, sine moj, i poljubi me!"

27 Kad se primače i poljubi ga, Izak osjeti miris njegove odjeće pa ga blagoslovi: "Gle, miris sina mog nalik je mirisu polja koje Jahve blagoslovi.

28 Neka ti Bog daje rosu s neba i rodnost zemlje: izobilje žita i mladoga vina.

29 Narodi ti služili, plemena ti se klanjala! Braćom svojom gospodari, nek sinci majke tvoje pred tobom padaju! Proklet bio tko tebe proklinje; blagoslovljen tko te blagoslivlje!"

30 Tek što se Jakov udaljio od svoga oca Izaka - pošto je Izak podijelio blagoslov Jakovu - njegov brat Ezav dođe iz lova.

31 I on priredi ukusan obrok i donese ga svome ocu. I reče svome ocu: "Ustani, oče moj, i blaguj od lovine svoga sina da me onda mogneš blagosloviti!"

32 A njegov ga otac Izak zapita: "Tko si ti?" On odgovori: "Ja sam tvoj prvorođenac Ezav!"

33 Izak se silno prepadne: "Pa tko je onda bio onaj što je divljači ulovio i meni već donio? Blagovao sam je prije nego si ti došao; onoga sam blagoslovio i blagoslovljen će ostati."

34 Kad je Ezav čuo riječi svoga oca, kriknu glasno i gorko zaplaka pa reče svome ocu: "I mene blagoslovi, oče!"

35 A on odvrati: "Brat tvoj dođe na prijevaru i odnese tvoj blagoslov."

36 "Zato valjda što mu je ime Jakov, dvaput me već prevario", reče Ezav. "Oduzeo mi prvorodstvo, a sad mi evo oduze i blagoslov." Onda doda: "Zar za me nisi sačuvao nikakva blagoslova?"

37 Izak odgovori Ezavu: "Njega sam već postavio za tvoga gospodara; njemu sam svu njegovu braću predao za sluge; žitom sam ga i vinom opskrbio. A što sad za te mogu učiniti, sine moj?"

38 Ezav odgovori svome ocu: "Zar ti, oče, raspolažeš samo jednim blagoslovom? Blagoslovi i mene, oče moj!" Ezav jecaše na sav glas.

39 Tada otac njegov Izak progovori i reče: "Daleko od plodna tla dom tvoj će biti, daleko od rose s neba.

40 Od mača svoga ćeš živjeti, brata svoga ćeš služiti. Ali jednom, kada se pobuniš, jaram ćeš njegov stresti sa svog vrata."

41 Ezav zamrzi Jakova zbog blagoslova kojim ga je otac njegov blagoslovio pa reče u sebi: "Čim dođu dani žalosti za mojim ocem, ubit ću ja svoga brata Jakova."

42 Kada su Rebeki javili te riječi što ih je izrekao njezin stariji sin Ezav, zovne ona svoga mlađeg sina Jakova te mu reče: "Pazi! Brat ti se Ezav nosi mišlju kako će te ubiti.

43 Ali ti, sine moj, poslušaj mene: odmah bježi mome bratu Labanu u Haran.

44 Ostani kod njega neko vrijeme, dok bijes brata tvoga na te jenja,

45 dok se srdžba brata tvoga odvrati od tebe te on zaboravi što si mu učinio. Ja ću onda po te poslati i odande te dovesti. Zašto da vas obojicu izgubim u jedan dan!"

46 Potom Rebeka reče Izaku: "Moj mi je život dosadio zbog ovih žena Hetitkinja. Ako se i Jakov oženi kojom kao što su ove urođenice, Hetitkinjom, što će mi onda život!"

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4242

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4242. 'And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall you say to my lord Esau' means the first acknowledgement that good occupied the higher position. This becomes clear from the meaning here of 'commanding the messengers to say' as reflection and consequent perception that this is so, dealt with in 3661, 3682, and therefore as acknowledgement; and from the representation of 'Esau' as good, dealt with above in 4234, 4239. The acknowledgement that it occupied the higher position is meant by his calling Esau not his brother but his 'lord' and also by calling himself in the next breath his 'servant', and likewise further on. For while a person is being regenerated truth seemingly occupies first position and good second, but once he has been regenerated good occupies first and truth second, see 1904, 2063, 2189, 2697, 2979, 3286, 3288, 3310 (end), 3325, 3330, 3332, 3336, 3470, 3509, 3539, 3548, 3556, 3563, 3570, 3576, 3579, 3603, 3701. This is also what is meant by the prophetic utterances made by father to son - when Isaac declared to Esau,

By your sword you will live, and you will serve your brother; and it will be, when you have dominion over him, that you will break his yoke from above your neck. Genesis 27:40.

It is the turning round within this state, foretold in these prophetic utterances, that is dealt with here.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3539

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3539. 'And put them on Jacob her younger son' means the affection for truth, that is, the life of good originating in truth. This is clear from the representation of 'Rebekah' as the Divine Truth of the Divine Rational, from the representation of 'Jacob' as the Divine Truth of the Divine Natural, and from the meaning here of 'putting on' as the communication, also the learning, of something, namely truths that clothe good, meant by 'Esau's clothes', 3537, accordingly the affection for natural truth, which affection is at this point the same as the life of good originating in truth. How these matters are to be understood may be known from what has been stated above in 3518. Yet because they are such as are completely unknown at the present day, let some explanation enabling them to be grasped be given. The subject in this chapter [in the highest sense] is the Lord and how He made His Natural Divine, and in the representative sense man's regeneration as regards his natural, see 3490.

[2] In the case of man the situation is as follows: The end in view of regeneration is that a person may be made new as regards his internal man, and so as regards the soul or spirit. But he is unable to be made new or be regenerated as regards that internal man without also being made new as regards the external man. For although a person becomes a spirit after death he nevertheless takes with him into the next life those things that belong to his external man, namely natural affections, also matters of doctrine, as well as factual knowledge; in short he takes with him everything belonging to the exterior or natural memory, see 2475-2483. Indeed these things form the groundwork on which his interiors ultimately rest. The disposition of those exterior things therefore determines what the interior become when these latter enter into the former, for within those exterior things they undergo modification. From this it is evident that a person has to be regenerated or made new not only as regards the internal or rational man but also as regards the external or natural man. Except for this there would not be any correspondence. Regarding the correspondence that exists between the internal man and the spiritual things belonging to the internal man with the external man and the natural things belonging to the external man, see 2987, 2989-2991, 3002, 3493.

[3] The state of man's regeneration is described in the representative sense in this chapter as Esau and Jacob. At this point the nature of the first stage of that state is described, that is to say, when a person is being regenerated or before he has become regenerated. In fact this state is the complete reverse of the state in which a person has become regenerate. Indeed in the former state, that is to say, when a person is being regenerated or before he has become regenerated, things of the understanding, which are those of truth, seemingly take the lead; but once he has become regenerate those of the will, which are those of good, do so. The fact that things of the understanding or of truth seemingly take the lead in the first state was represented by Jacob claiming for himself Esau's birthright - see 3325, 3336 - and then claiming his blessing, the subject under discussion here. And the fact that the state is the complete reverse of the regenerate state is represented by Jacob's impersonating Esau, that is to say, being dressed in Esau's clothes and with the skins of the kids of the she-goats. Indeed in this state rational truth has not yet been so joined to rational good, or what amounts to the same, the understanding has not been so joined to the will, as to flow and act into the natural and set in order the things that are so reversed there.

[4] This also becomes clear from much experience, in particular from this. A person is able to discern in his understanding, and from this the natural is able to know many things that are good and true, but the will is unable as yet to act in accordance with those things. Take for example the truth that love and charity are the essential thing with a human being. He is able to see and confirm this in his understanding, but until he has been regenerated he is unable to acknowledge it in his will. There are also people totally lacking in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbour who can well grasp this truth. The same applies to the truth that love is the very life of man, and that the nature of his life is determined by that of his love; also the truth that all delight and all pleasantness stem from love, as do all gladness and all happiness, where again the nature of the love determines that of the gladness and the happiness. A person is also able to grasp in his understanding, even though the will disagrees with it or even opposes it, the truth that the happiest life originates in love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour because the Divine itself is flowing into that life, and conversely that the unhappiest life originates in self-love and love of the world because hell is flowing into that life.

[5] Consequently the understanding, but not the will, is able to perceive the truth that love to the Lord is the life of heaven, and that mutual love is the soul from that life. In the measure therefore that a person does not think from the life of his [unregenerate] will, and does not reflect on his own life from there, he perceives that truth in his understanding; but in the measure that he does think from the life of his [unregenerate] will he does not perceive it, indeed he refuses to believe it. It may also be perfectly clear to a person in his understanding that it is into humility, if it exists in him, that the Divine is able to enter, because in that state of humility self-love and love of the world, and therefore hellish things which stand in the way, are removed. But as long as his will is not a new will, and his understanding is not united to this, no humility of heart can exist in a person. Indeed, in the measure that a person leads an evil life, that is, in the measure that his will is bent on evil, such humility cannot be there in him, and also the truth spoken of above is unclear to him and he refuses to believe it. Therefore a person may also be able to perceive in his understanding that when humility is present in someone it is not there for the sake of a love of glory in the Lord but for the sake of Divine Love, in which case the Lord is able to enter in with goodness and truth and bring blessing and happiness to that person. But to the extent that the will is consulted, this truth is obscured. And the same is so with very many other circumstances.

[6] This ability of being able to understand what good and truth is even though he does not will it has been conferred on man to enable him to be reformed and regenerated. For this reason this ability exists with evil and good alike; indeed the ability is sometimes keener with the evil. But there is this difference - with the evil no affection for truth exists for the sake of life, that is, for the sake of the good of life which originates in truth, and so they are not capable of being reformed. But with the good there does exist the affection for truth for the sake of life, that is, for the sake of the good of life, and so they are capable of being reformed. The first state in the reformation of the latter however is a state in which truth taught by doctrine seems to them to be primary, and the good of life secondary, since truth is the source of their good actions. But their second state is a state in which the good of life is primary and truth taught by doctrine secondary, since good, that is, the will for good, is the source of their good actions. And when this is the case, because the will is joined to the understanding as in a marriage, the person is regenerate. These two states are the subject in the internal sense in these incidents involving Esau and Jacob.

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