The Bible

 

Genesis 28

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1 Povolal pak Izák Jákoba, a požehnal jemu, a přikázal mu, řka: Nepojímej ženy ze dcer Kananejských.

2 Ale vstana, jdi do Pádan Syrské do domu Bathuele, otce matky své, a pojmi sobě odtud manželku ze dcer Lábana ujce svého.

3 A Bůh silný všemohoucí požehnejž tobě, a dejžť zrůst, a rozmnožiž tě, abys byl v zástup mnohého lidu.

4 A dejž tobě požehnání Abrahamovo, tobě i semeni tvému s tebou, abys dědičně obdržel zemi, v níž pohostinu jsi, kterouž dal Bůh Abrahamovi.

5 I odeslal Izák Jákoba, kterýžto šel do Pádan Syrské k Lábanovi synu Bathuele Syrského, bratru Rebeky matky Jákobovy a Ezau.

6 Vida pak Ezau, že požehnání dal Izák Jákobovi, a že ho odeslal do Pádan Syrské, aby sobě odtud vzal manželku, a že, když mu požehnání dával, přikázal mu, řka: Nepojmeš ženy ze dcer Kananejských;

7 A že by uposlechl Jákob otce svého a matky své a odšel do Pádan Syrské;

8 Vida také Ezau, že dcery Kananejské těžké byly v očích Izákovi otci jeho:

9 Tedy odšel Ezau k Izmaelovi, a mimo prvnější ženy své, pojal sobě za ženu Mahalat, dceru Izmaele, syna Abrahamova, sestru Nabajotovu.

10 Vyšed pak Jákob z Bersabé, šel do Cháran.

11 I trefil na jedno místo, na kterémžto zůstal přes noc, (nebo slunce již bylo zapadlo,) a nabrav kamení na místě tom, položil pod hlavu svou, a spal na témž místě.

12 I viděl ve snách, a aj, žebřík stál na zemi, jehožto vrch dosahal nebe; a aj, andělé Boží vstupovali a sstupovali po něm.

13 A aj, Hospodin stál nad ním, a řekl: Já jsem Hospodin, Bůh Abrahama otce tvého, a Bůh Izákův; zemi tu, na kteréž ty spíš, tobě dám a semeni tvému.

14 A bude símě tvé jako prach země; nebo rozmůžeš se k západu, i k východu, na půlnoci, i ku poledni; nad to požehnány budou v tobě všecky čeledi země, a v semeni tvém.

15 A aj, já jsem s tebou, a ostříhati tě budu, kamžkoli půjdeš, a přivedu tě zase do země této; nebo neopustím tebe, až i učiním, což jsem mluvil tobě.

16 Procítiv pak Jákob ze sna svého, řekl: V pravdě Hospodin jest na místě tomto, a já jsem nevěděl.

17 (Nebo zhroziv se, řekl: Jak hrozné jest místo toto! Není jiného,jediné dům Boží, a tu jest brána nebeská.)

18 Vstav pak Jákob ráno, vzal kámen, kterýž byl podložil pod hlavu svou, a postavil jej na znamení pamětné, a polil jej svrchu olejem.

19 Protož nazval jméno místa toho Bethel, ješto prvé to město sloulo Lůza.

20 Zavázal se také Jákob slibem, řka: Jestliže Bůh bude se mnou, a ostříhati mne bude na cestě této, kterouž já jdu; a dá-li mi chléb ku pokrmu a roucho k oděvu,

21 A navrátím-li se v pokoji do domu otce svého, a bude mi Hospodin za Boha:

22 Kámen tento, kterýž jsem postavil na památku, bude domem Božím; a ze všech věcí, kteréž mi dáš, desátky spravedlivě tobě dám.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3702

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3702. 'And behold, Jehovah was standing above it' means the Lord at the highest point. This becomes clear from the fact that the Lord is called Jehovah so many times in the Old Testament Word, see 1736, 3023, 3035, and that in the New Testament Word He is not referred to anywhere as Jehovah but as the Lord instead, 2921. As regards the meaning of 'standing above it' as being at the highest point, this is clear without explanation. The arcanum concealed in the internal sense of these words is that every good and truth come down from the Lord and go up to Him, that is, He is the First and the Last. For the human being has been so created that Divine things that are the Lord's may come down through him even to the lowest things of the natural order, and from the lowest things of the natural order may go up to Him. Thus the human being was created to be the means through which the Divine was linked to the natural world, and the natural world was linked to the Divine, and in this way through the human being as the means linking the two together, the lowest degree of the natural order might receive life from the Divine - which would be a reality if mankind had lived in accordance with Divine order.

[2] The creation of the human being in this particular form is evident from the fact that his body is a world in miniature, because every arcanum that is part of the natural world is also stowed in the body. Each arcanum present in the ever-changing sky is also stowed in the eye; and each one in the air is also stowed in the ear. Anything floating unseen and active in the air is stowed - where it is detected - in the organ of smell, anything unseen that is present in water or any other fluid is stowed in the organ of taste. And actual changes of state likewise occur in the sense of touch throughout the body. Besides these even further arcana are stored away in the body which could be detected by a person within his interior organs if his life accorded with order. From this it is evident that a descent of the Divine through the human being into the lowest degree of the natural order would take place, and from the lowest degree of the natural order an ascent to the Divine, if only the human being with heartfelt faith, that is, with love, acknowledged the Lord as his Final and Primary end.

[3] A state such as this existed with the most ancient people, who were celestial, for whatever they discerned with any of their senses was to them a means to thought about things which are the Lord's, and so about the Lord and His kingdom. This was the source of the delight they gained from worldly and earthly things, see 1409, 2896, 2897, 2995. Furthermore whenever these people contemplated in this fashion the lower and the lowest things of the natural order, such things appeared to them to have life in them; for the life from which these came down existed in those people's internal sight and perception. The objects which they saw with their eyes were so to speak images of that life, and although those images were inanimate they were nevertheless animate to those people. This is the kind of perception that celestial angels have of every thing in the world, as I have often been allowed to perceive, and it is also the source of the kind of perception which young children have, see 2297, 2298. This shows what those people are like through whom Divine things that are the Lord's come right down to the lowest things of the natural order, and from the lowest things of the natural order rise up to Him - people that represent Divine communication and the consequent joining together, meant in the highest sense by 'the angels going up and coming down the stairway set up on the earth, and its top reaching to heaven, with Jehovah standing above it'.

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