The Bible

 

Genesis 32

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1 Jakob toog ook zijns weegs; en de engelen Gods ontmoetten hem.

2 En Jakob zeide, met dat hij hen zag: Dit is een heirleger Gods! en hij noemde den naam derzelver plaats Mahanaim.

3 En Jakob zond boden uit voor zijn aangezicht tot Ezau, zijn broeder, naar het land Seir, de landstreek van Edom.

4 En hij gebood hun, zeggende: Zo zult gij zeggen tot mijn heer, tot Ezau: Zo zegt Jakob, uw knecht: Ik heb als vreemdeling gewoond bij Laban, en heb er tot nu toe vertoefd;

5 En ik heb ossen en ezelen, schapen en knechten en maagden; en ik heb gezonden om mijn heer aan te zeggen, opdat ik genade vinde in uw ogen.

6 En de boden kwamen weder tot Jakob, zeggende: Wij zijn gekomen tot uw broeder, tot Ezau; en ook trekt hij u tegemoet, en vierhonderd mannen met hem.

7 Toen vreesde Jakob zeer, en hem was bange; en hij verdeelde het volk, dat met hem was, en de schapen, en de runderen, en de kemels, in twee heiren;

8 Want hij zeide: Indien Ezau op het ene heir komt, en slaat het, zo zal het overgeblevene heir ontkomen.

9 Voorts zeide Jakob: O, God mijns vaders Abrahams, en God mijns vaders Izaks, o HEERE! Die tot mij gezegd hebt: Keer weder tot uw land, en tot uw maagschap, en Ik zal wel bij u doen!

10 Ik ben geringer dan al deze weldadigheden, en dan al deze trouw, die Gij aan Uw knecht gedaan hebt; want ik ben met mijn staf over deze Jordaan gegaan, en nu ben ik tot twee heiren geworden!

11 Ruk mij toch uit mijns broeders hand, uit Ezau's hand; want ik vreze hem, dat hij niet misschien kome, en mij sla, de moeder met de zonen!

12 Gij hebt immers gezegd: Ik zal gewisselijk bij u weldoen, en Ik zal uw zaad stellen als het zand der zee, dat vanwege de menigte niet geteld kan worden!

13 En hij vernachtte aldaar dienzelfden nacht; en hij nam van hetgeen, dat hem in zijn hand kwam, een geschenk voor Ezau zijn broeder;

14 Tweehonderd geiten en twintig bokken, tweehonderd ooien en twintig rammen;

15 Dertig zogende kemelinnen met haar veulens, veertig koeien en tien varren, twintig ezelinnen en tien jonge ezels.

16 En hij gaf die in de hand zijner knechten, elke kudde bijzonder; en hij zeide tot zijn knechten: Gaat gijlieden door, voor mijn aangezicht, en stelt ruimte tussen kudde en tussen kudde.

17 En hij gebood de eerste, zeggende: Wanneer Ezau, mijn broeder, u ontmoeten zal, en u vragen, zeggende: Wiens zijt gij? en waarheen gaat gij? en wiens zijn deze voor uw aangezicht?

18 Zo zult gij zeggen: Dat is een geschenk van uw knecht Jakob, gezonden tot mijn heer, tot Ezau, en zie, hij zelf is ook achter ons!

19 En hij gebood ook den tweede, ook den derde, ook allen, die de kudden nagingen, zeggende: Naar ditzelfde woord zult gij spreken tot Ezau, als gij hem vinden zult.

20 En gij zult ook zeggen: Zie, uw knecht Jakob is achter ons! Want hij zeide: Ik zal zijn aangezicht verzoenen met dit geschenk, dat voor mijn aangezicht gaat, en daarna zal ik zijn aangezicht zien; misschien zal hij mijn aangezicht aannemen.

21 Alzo ging dat geschenk heen voor zijn aangezicht; doch hijzelf vernachtte dienzelfden nacht in het leger.

22 En hij stond op in dienzelfden nacht, en hij nam zijn twee vrouwen, en zijn twee dienstmaagden, en zijn elf kinderen, en hij toog over het veer van de Jabbok.

23 En hij nam ze, en deed hen over die beek trekken; en hij deed overtrekken hetgeen hij had.

24 Doch Jakob bleef alleen over; en een man worstelde met hem, totdat de dageraad opging.

25 En toen Hij zag, dat Hij hem niet overmocht, roerde Hij het gewricht zijner heup aan, zodat het gewricht van Jakobs heup verwrongen werd, als Hij met hem worstelde.

26 En Hij zeide: Laat Mij gaan, want de dageraad is opgegaan. Maar hij zeide: Ik zal U niet laten gaan, tenzij dat Gij mij zegent.

27 En Hij zeide tot hem: Hoe is uw naam? En hij zeide: Jakob.

28 Toen zeide Hij: Uw naam zal voortaan niet Jakob heten, maar Israel; want gij hebt u vorstelijk gedragen met God en met de mensen, en hebt overmocht.

29 En Jakob vraagde, en zeide: Geef toch Uw naam te kennen. En Hij zeide: Waarom is het, dat gij naar Mijn naam vraagt? En Hij zegende hem aldaar.

30 En Jakob noemde den naam dier plaats Pniel: Want, zeide hij, ik heb God gezien van aangezicht tot aangezicht, en mijn ziel is gered geweest.

31 En de zon rees hem op, als hij door Pniel gegaan was; en hij was hinkende aan zijn heup.

32 Daarom eten de kinderen Israels de verrukte zenuw niet, die op het gewricht der heup is, tot op dezen dag, omdat Hij het gewricht van Jakobs heup aangeroerd had, aan de verrukte zenuw.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4237

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4237. 'And he called the name of that place Mahanaim' means the nature of that state. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling the name' as the essential nature, dealt with in 144, 145, 1754, 1896, 2009, 3421, and from the meaning of 'place' as state, dealt with in 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387. In the original language Mahanaim means the two camps, and 'the two camps' means both heavens, or both kingdoms of the Lord - the celestial and the spiritual - and in the highest sense the Lord's Divine celestial and Divine spiritual. From this it is evident that the nature of the Lord's state when His Natural was being enlightened by spiritual and celestial good is the meaning of 'Mahanaim'. But this - that is to say, the nature of that state - cannot be described because the Divine states which the Lord experienced when He made the Human within Him Divine do not fall within the mental grasp of any man, or indeed of any angel. They can be seen only by means of appearances when enlightened by the light of heaven received from the Lord, and by means of the states which a person experiences when being regenerated since the regeneration of man is an image of the glorification of the Lord, 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490.

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 27

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1 It happened, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said to him, "My son?" He said to him, "Here I am."

2 He said, "See now, I am old. I don't know the day of my death.

3 Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison.

4 Make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat, and that my soul may bless you before I die."

5 Rebekah heard when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

6 Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, "Behold, I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying,

7 'Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before Yahweh before my death.'

8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command you.

9 Go now to the flock, and get me from there two good young goats. I will make them savory food for your father, such as he loves.

10 You shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death."

11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man.

12 What if my father touches me? I will seem to him as a deceiver, and I would bring a curse on myself, and not a blessing."

13 His mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son. Only obey my voice, and go get them for me."

14 He went, and got them, and brought them to his mother. His mother made savory food, such as his father loved.

15 Rebekah took the good clothes of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son.

16 She put the skins of the young goats on his hands, and on the smooth of his neck.

17 She gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

18 He came to his father, and said, "My father?" He said, "Here I am. Who are you, my son?"

19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done what you asked me to do. Please arise, sit and eat of my venison, that your soul may bless me."

20 Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" He said, "Because Yahweh your God gave me success."

21 Isaac said to Jacob, "Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not."

22 Jacob went near to Isaac his father. He felt him, and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau."

23 He didn't recognize him, because his hands were hairy, like his brother, Esau's hands. So he blessed him.

24 He said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am."

25 He said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless you." He brought it near to him, and he ate. He brought him wine, and he drank.

26 His father Isaac said to him, "Come near now, and kiss me, my son."

27 He came near, and kissed him. He smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him, and said, "Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which Yahweh has blessed.

28 God give you of the dew of the sky, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and new wine.

29 Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers. Let your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you. Blessed be everyone who blesses you."

30 It happened, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting.

31 He also made savory food, and brought it to his father. He said to his father, "Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that your soul may bless me."

32 Isaac his father said to him, "Who are you?" He said, "I am your son, your firstborn, Esau."

33 Isaac trembled violently, and said, "Who, then, is he who has taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before you came, and have blessed him? Yes, he will be blessed."

34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, my father."

35 He said, "Your brother came with deceit, and has taken away your blessing."

36 He said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright. See, now he has taken away my blessing." He said, "Haven't you reserved a blessing for me?"

37 Isaac answered Esau, "Behold, I have made him your lord, and all his brothers have I given to him for servants. With grain and new wine have I sustained him. What then will I do for you, my son?"

38 Esau said to his father, "Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, my father." Esau lifted up his voice, and wept.

39 Isaac his father answered him, "Behold, of the fatness of the earth will be your dwelling, and of the dew of the sky from above.

40 By your sword will you live, and you will serve your brother. It will happen, when you will break loose, that you shall shake his yoke from off your neck."

41 Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him. Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand. Then I will kill my brother Jacob."

42 The words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. She sent and called Jacob, her younger son, and said to him, "Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you.

43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban, my brother, in Haran.

44 Stay with him a few days, until your brother's fury turns away;

45 until your brother's anger turn away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send, and get you from there. Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"

46 Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these, of the daughters of the land, what good will my life do me?"