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Genesis 32

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1 men Jakob fortsatte sin ejse. Og Guds Engle mødte ham;

2 og da Jakob så dem, sagde han: "Her er Guds Lejr!" derfor kaldte han Stedet Mahanajim.

3 Derpå sendte Jakob Sendebud i Forvejen til sin Broder Esau i Se'irs LandEdoms Højslette,

4 og han bød dem: "Sig til min Herre Esau: Din Træl Jakob lader dig vide, at jeg har levet som Gæst hos Laban og boet der indtil nu;

5 jeg har samlet mig Okser,Æsler og Småkvæg, Trælle og Trælkvinder; og nu sender jeg Bud til min Herre med Efterretning herom i Håb om at finde Nåde for dine Øjne!"

6 Men Sendebudene kom tilbage til Jakob og meldte: "Vi kom til din Broder Esau, og nu drager han dig i Møde med 400 Mand!"

7 Da blev Jakob såre forfærdet, og i sin Angst delte han sine Folk, Småkvæget, Hornkvæget og Kamelerne i to Lejre,

8 idet han tænkte: "Hvis Esau møder den ene Lejr og slår den, kan dog den anden slippe bort."

9 Derpå bad Jakob: "Min Fader Abrahams og min Fader Isaks Gud, HE E, du, som sagde til mig: Vend tilbage til dit Land og din Hjemstavn, så vil jeg gøre vel imod dig!

10 Jeg er for ringe til al den Miskundhed og Trofasthed, du har udvist mod din Tjener; thi med min Stav gik jeg over Jordan der, og nu er jeg blevet til to Lejre;

11 frels mig fra min Broder Esaus Hånd, thi jeg frygter for, at han skal komme og slå mig, både Moder og Børn!

12 Du har jo selv sagt, at du vil gøre vel imod mig og gøre mit Afkom som Havets Sand, der ikke kan tælles for Mængde!"

13 Og han blev der om Natten. Af hvad han havde, udtog han så en Gave til sin Broder Esau,

14 200 Geder og 20 Bukke, 200 Får og 20 Vædre,

15 34 diegivende Kamelhopper med deres Føl, 40 Køer og 10 Tyre, 20 Aseninder og 10 Æselhingste;

16 han delte dem i flere Hjorde og overlod sine Trælle dem, idet han sagde til dem: "Gå i Forvejen og lad en Plads åben mellem Hjordene!"

17 Og han bød den første: "Når min Broder Esau møder dig og spørger, hvem du tilhører, hvor du skal hen, og hvem din Drift tilhører,

18 skal du svare: Den tilhører din Træl Jakob; det er en Gave. han sender min Herre Esau; selv kommer han bagefter!"

19 Og han bød den anden og den tredje og alle de andre, der fulgte med Hjordene, at sige det samme til Esau, når de traf ham:

20 "Din Træl Jakob kommer selv bagefter!" Thi han tænkte: "Jeg vil søge at forsone ham ved den Gave. der drager foran, og først bagefter vil jeg træde frem for ham; måske han da tager venligt imod mig!"

21 Så drog Gaven i Forvejen, medens han selv blev i Lejren om Natten.

22 Samme Nat tog han sine to Hustruer, sine to Trælkvinder og sine elleve Børn og gik over Jakobs Vadested;

23 han tog dem og bragte dem over Bækken; ligeledes bragte han alt. hvad han ejede, over.

24 Men selv blev Jakob alene tilbage. Da var der en, som brødes, med ham til Morgengry;

25 og da han så, at han ikke kunde få Bugt med ham, gav han ham et Slag på Hofteskålen; og Jakobs Hofteskål gik af Led, da han brødes med ham.

26 Da sagde han: "Slip mig, thi Morgenen gryr!" Men han svarede: "Jeg slipper dig ikke, uden du velsigner mig!"

27 Så spurgte han: "Hvad er dit Navn?" Han svarede: "Jakob!"

28 Men han sagde: "Dit Navn skal ikke mere være Jakob, men Israel; thi du har kæmpet med Gud og Mennesker og sejret!"

29 Da sagde Jakob:"Sig mig dit Navn!" Men han svarede: "Hvorfor spørger du om mit Navn?" Og han velsignede ham der.

30 Og Jakob kaldte Stedet Peniel, idet han sagde: "Jeg har skuet Gud Ansigt til Ansigt og har mit Liv frelst."

31 Og Solen stod op, da han drog forbi Penuel, og da haltede han på Hoften.

32 Derfor undlader Israeliterne endnu den Dag i Dag at spise Hoftenerven, der ligger over Hofteskålen, thi han gav Jakob et Slag på Hofteskålen, på Hoftenerven.

   


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4239

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4239. 'Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau' means the first communication of that truth with celestial good. This is clear from the meaning of 'sending messengers' as communicating, and from the representation of 'Esau' as celestial good within the natural, dealt with in 3300, 3302, 3494, 3504, 3527, 3576, 3599, 3669. The subject at present, as stated above in 4234, is the joining of the Divine truth of the Natural, meant by 'Jacob', to the Divine good there, meant by 'Esau'. Consequently the enlightenment of the Natural by the Divine has been dealt with first, 4235, and now the first communication by the truth there, which is meant by the statement that 'Jacob sent messengers to his brother Esau'. Also, in the Word good and truth are referred to as 'brothers', see 367, 3303.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3494

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3494. 'And he called Esau his elder son' means the affection for natural good, or the good of life. This is clear from the representation of 'Esau' as the Divine Good of the Natural, dealt with in 3300, 3302, 3322. And because the good of the natural is that which manifests itself in affection and life, it is accordingly the affection for natural good, or the good of life, that 'Esau' represents here. The affection for good in the natural and consequently the good of life is that which is called 'the elder son', whereas the affection for truth and consequently the doctrine of truth is that which is called 'the younger son'. The fact that the affection for good and consequently the good of life is the elder son, that is, the firstborn, is quite evident from the consideration that good reigns in anyone's children at first. Indeed they are in a state of innocence, and a state of love towards their parents or nursemaid, and a state of mutual charity towards playmates, so that good is the firstborn with everyone. This good which is fostered in this state within a person when he is a small child remains with him, for whatever is instilled in infancy acquires life to itself; and because it remains it becomes the good of life. Indeed if a person were devoid of such good as he has had with him from earliest childhood he would not be human but would be more savage than any wild animal of the forest. Not that its presence is apparent, for everything that has been instilled in earliest childhood inevitably appears to be something natural, as is quite evident from being able to walk, from all our other bodily movements, and from the right and proper ways to behave among other people; also from being able to talk, and from so many other abilities. From this it may be seen that good is 'the elder son', that is, the firstborn, and truth therefore 'the younger son', or one born later, for truth is not learned until childhood, adolescent, and adult years are reached.

[2] Each of them, good and truth in the natural or external man, is 'a son', that is to say, a son of the rational or internal man, for whatever comes into being in the natural or external man flows in from the rational or internal man, and from there comes into being and is born. That which does not come into being and is not born from there is not living and human, but is like what you might call body and senses without a soul. Hence both good and truth are called 'sons', and indeed sons of the rational. Yet it is not the rational that produces and gives birth to the natural, but an influx by way of the rational into the natural, an influx coming from the Lord. His 'sons' therefore are all the young children who are born, and after that time whenever they become wise. Also, insofar as the latter are at that time 'young children' - that is, insofar as the innocence of a young child, the love of a child for its parent (who is now the Lord), and mutual charity towards playmates (who are now the neighbour) exist in them, they are adopted by the Lord as 'sons'.

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