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Genezo 34

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1 Dina, la filino de Lea, kiun sxi naskis al Jakob, eliris, por vidi la filinojn de la lando.

2 Kaj vidis sxin SXehxem, filo de HXamor la HXivido, princo de la lando, kaj li prenis sxin kaj kusxis kun sxi kaj faris al sxi perfortajxon.

3 Kaj algluigxis lia animo al Dina, la filino de Jakob, kaj li ekamis la junulinon kaj parolis al la koro de la junulino.

4 Kaj SXehxem diris al sia patro HXamor jene: Prenu por mi cxi tiun knabinon kiel edzinon.

5 Jakob auxdis, ke li senhonorigis lian filinon Dina; sed liaj filoj estis kun liaj brutoj sur la kampo, tial Jakob silentis gxis ilia veno.

6 Kaj HXamor, la patro de SXehxem, eliris al Jakob, por paroli kun li.

7 Sed la filoj de Jakob venis de la kampo. Kiam ili auxdis, la viroj cxagrenigxis kaj forte kolerigxis, ke li faris malnoblajxon en Izrael, kusxinte kun la filino de Jakob, kio ne devis esti farata.

8 HXamor ekparolis al ili, dirante: SXehxem, mia filo, deziregas per sia animo vian filinon; donu sxin al li kiel edzinon.

9 Kaj boparencigxu kun ni: viajn filinojn donu al ni, kaj niajn filinojn prenu al vi.

10 Kaj logxu kun ni, kaj la lando estos antaux vi; logxu kaj faru negocojn kaj akiru posedajxojn en gxi.

11 Kaj SXehxem diris al sxia patro kaj al sxiaj fratoj: Estu favoraj al mi; kaj kion vi diros al mi, mi donos.

12 Postulu de mi tre grandan doton kaj donacojn, kaj mi donos, kion vi diros al mi; nur donu al mi la junulinon kiel edzinon.

13 Kaj la filoj de Jakob respondis al SXehxem kaj al lia patro HXamor ruze, kaj parolis tiel pro tio, ke li senhonorigis ilian fratinon Dina;

14 kaj ili diris al ili: Ni ne povas fari tion kaj doni nian fratinon al viro, kiu ne estas cirkumcidita; cxar tio estus por Ni hontindajxo.

15 Nur tiam ni donos al vi nian konsenton, se vi estos kiel ni kaj cirkumcidos cxe vi cxiun virseksulon.

16 Tiam ni donos niajn filinojn al vi kaj viajn filinojn ni prenos al ni, kaj ni logxos kun vi, kaj ni estos unu popolo.

17 Sed se vi ne konsentos lasi cirkumcidi vin, tiam ni prenos nian filinon kaj foriros.

18 Ilia parolo placxis al HXamor, kaj al SXehxem, la filo de HXamor.

19 Kaj la junulo ne prokrastis fari la aferon, cxar li deziris la filinon de Jakob; kaj li estis la plej honorata inter cxiuj domanoj de sia patro.

20 Kaj HXamor kaj lia filo SXehxem venis al la pordego de sia urbo, kaj ekparolis al la logxantoj de sia urbo, dirante:

21 Tiuj homoj estas pacaj kun ni; tial ili logxu en la lando kaj faru en gxi negocojn; la lando estas ja grandspaca por ili. Iliajn filinojn ni prenu al ni kiel edzinojn, kaj niajn filinojn ni donu al ili.

22 Sed nur en tia okazo tiuj homoj konsentas logxi kun ni kaj esti unu popolo, se ni cirkumcidos cxe ni cxiun virseksulon, kiel ili estas cirkumciditaj.

23 Ilia akiritajxo kaj havajxo kaj cxiuj iliaj brutoj farigxos ja niaj, se ni nur donos al ili nian konsenton kaj ili logxos kun ni.

24 Kaj obeis al HXamor kaj al lia filo SXehxem cxiuj elirantaj el la pordego de lia urbo; kaj cirkumcidigxis cxiuj virseksuloj, cxiuj elirantaj el la pordego de lia urbo.

25 En la tria tago, kiam ili estis malsanaj, du filoj de Jakob, Simeon kaj Levi, fratoj de Dina, prenis cxiu sian glavon kaj venis sentime en la urbon kaj mortigis cxiujn virseksulojn.

26 Kaj HXamoron kaj lian filon SXehxem ili mortigis per glavo, kaj prenis Dinan el la domo de SXehxem kaj eliris.

27 La filoj de Jakob venis al la mortigitoj, kaj prirabis la urbon pro tio, ke ili senhonorigis ilian fratinon.

28 Iliajn sxafojn kaj iliajn bovojn kaj iliajn azenojn, kaj cxion, kio estis en la urbo, kaj tion, kio estis sur la kampo, ili prenis.

29 Kaj ilian tutan ricxon kaj cxiujn iliajn infanojn kaj iliajn edzinojn ili malliberigis, kaj rabis cxion, kio estis en la domoj.

30 Tiam Jakob diris al Simeon kaj al Levi: Vi afliktis min kaj faris min malaminda por la logxantoj de la lando, por la Kanaanidoj kaj Perizidoj. Mi havas ja malmulte da homoj; kiam ili kolektigxos kontraux mi kaj venkobatos min, tiam estos ekstermita mi kaj mia domo.

31 Sed ili diris: CXu estas permesite agi kun nia fratino kiel kun publikulino?

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4448

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4448. 'Shechem my son' means the truth derived from that good. This is clear from the representation of 'Shechem' as interior truth, dealt with in 4430, and so truth derived from the good meant by Hamor, 4447. Actually all the truth of the Church is derived from its good; such truth never arises from any other source. This truth which Shechem represents is called interior truth, being in essence nothing other than the good of charity. Indeed the Most Ancient Church, being celestial, was governed by the good of love to the Lord and as a consequence they had a perception of all truth; for the members of that Church were almost as angels. They also had communication with angels, that being the source of their perception. They never therefore reasoned about any truth of faith, but simply said 'Yes, that is the truth' because they had a perception of it from heaven. They did not even wish to make mention of faith, but of charity instead, see 202, 337, 2715, 2718, 3246. For this reason it is the good of charity that is meant at this point by interior truth. As regards the remnants of that Church existing with Hamor the Hivite and his son Shechem, see immediately above in 4447.

[2] With the Ancient Church, which was spiritual, it was different. This Church was not governed like the Most Ancient Church by love to the Lord but by charity towards the neighbour. Nor was it able to arrive at charity except through the truth of faith, of which, unlike the Most Ancient people, they did not have any perception and therefore began to make investigations into whether the truth was the truth. Regarding the difference between celestial people who had perception and spiritual ones who do not, see 2088, 2669, 2708, 2715, 3235, 3240, 3246, 3887.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2718

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2718. 'A wife from the land of Egypt' means the affection for knowledge, which the member of the spiritual Church possesses. This is clear from the meaning of 'a wife' as affection or good, dealt with in 915, 2517, and from the meaning of 'Egypt' as knowledge, dealt with in 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462. In this verse the member of the spiritual Church is described so far as the nature of his good, that is, the essence of his life, is concerned - that the good residing with him is obscure, but that it is brightened with light from the Lord's Divine Human. From that brightening of it the affection for truth arises in the rational part of his mind, and the affection for knowledge in the natural part. The reason the affection for good such as resides within the celestial man cannot arise in the spiritual man, but instead the affection for truth, is that the good residing with him is implanted in the understanding part of his mind, and is obscure compared with the celestial man's good, as shown in 2715. From this good no other type of affection can be generated and derived within his rational than the affection for truth, and through this affection for truth the affection for knowledge within the natural. No other truth is meant in this case than that which the person believes to be the truth, even though it may not in itself be the truth. Nor is knowledge used to mean such knowledge as the learned possess but all factual knowledge with which a person can be taught from what he experiences or hears in everyday life, from doctrine, and from the Word. It is the affection for such truth and knowledge that exists within the member of the spiritual Church.

[2] So that it may be known what is meant by the affection for truth existing with someone and what by the affection for good, let a brief statement be made regarding them. Those with the affection for truth think about, question, and discuss whether a thing is true, whether it is so. And when they are convinced it is true, or is so, they think about, question, and discuss what it is. Thus they remain rooted on the doorstep and cannot be admitted into wisdom until they no longer have any doubts. Those however with whom the affection for good exists know and perceive that the thing is so from the good itself governing them. Thus they do not remain on the doorstep but are in a room inside, having been admitted into wisdom.

[3] Take as an example the consideration that it is a celestial gift to think and to act from an affection for good, or from good. Those with whom the affection for truth exists discuss whether this is so, whether such a gift can exist, and what it may be. And so long as they are turning over doubts about it they are unable to be admitted. But those with the affection for good do not discuss or turn doubts over but assert that the thing is true and are for that reason admitted. For those with whom the affection for good exists, that is, those who are celestial, start off where those with the affection for truth, that is, those who are spiritual, come to a halt, so that the furthest point reached by the latter is the starting point for the former. That being so, those who are celestial are given to know, recognize, and perceive that affections for good are countless - as numerous as the communities in heaven - and that they are all joined together by the Lord into a heavenly form so as to constitute one human being so to speak. They are also given to define by perception the genus and species to which each affection belongs.

[4] Or take this example: All delight, blessedness, and happiness belong wholly to love, but the nature of the love determines that of the delight, blessedness, and happiness. The spiritual man fixes his mind on the question whether this is true and whether delight, blessedness, and happiness may not spring from some other source, such as from mixing with others, talking to others, meditation, or learning, and also whether they reside in possessions, position, reputation, and the glory resulting from these. As long as he is asking such questions he does not confirm himself in the truth that none of these accomplishes anything, only the affection born of love which is present within them and making them what they are. The celestial man however does not remain rooted in such preliminary questionings but immediately asserts that the thing is true. Consequently he is interested in the end in view and the realization of this, that is, he is governed by the very affections born of love which are countless, and in each one of which there are things beyond description, involving variations of delight, blessedness, and happiness that have no end.

[5] Take as a further example the consideration that the neighbour is to be loved for the good that resides with him. Those with whom the affection for truth exists think, question, and discuss whether this is true, that is, whether it is so. They ask what the neighbour is, what good is; but they go no further than this, and therefore they shut the door to wisdom against themselves. Those however with the affection for good assert that the thing is so and do not consequently shut the door against themselves but enter in and so come to know, recognize, and perceive from good who is pre-eminently the neighbour, also in what degree he is the neighbour, and that everyone in differing ways is the neighbour. Thus they perceive things beyond description, over and above what is known to those with the affection solely for truth.

[6] Take as yet another example the truth that a person who loves the neighbour for the good within him loves the Lord. Those with the affection for truth question whether this is so. And if they are told that anyone who loves the neighbour for the good within him loves the good, and that - since all good comes from the Lord and the Lord is present in good - when anyone loves good he also loves the Lord from whom that good comes and in which He is present, they then question whether that too is so. They also ask what loving good is, as well as what good is, and whether the Lord is present more so in good than in truth. As long as they remain rooted in such questionings they cannot get even a distant view of wisdom. But those with the affection for good know from perception that the thing is so and immediately behold the whole field of wisdom leading right on to the Lord.

[7] From these examples it may become clear why in comparison with those who have the affection for good, that is, with those who are celestial, obscurity exists with those who have the affection for truth, that is, with those who are spiritual Nevertheless the latter are able to pass from obscurity into light, provided that they are willing to adopt the affirmative attitude that all good belongs to love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour; also that love and charity constitute spiritual conjunction, and that these are the source of all blessedness and happiness, thus that heavenly life consists in the good belonging to love received from the Lord, but not in the truth of faith separated from it.

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