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synty 29

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1 Ja Jaakob lähti matkaan ja tuli Idän miesten maalle.

2 Ja katso, hän huomasi kedolla kaivon, ja katso, sen ääressä makasi kolme lammaslaumaa, sillä siitä kaivosta oli tapana juottaa laumoja. Ja kaivon suulla oli suuri kivi.

3 Sentähden annettiin kaikkien laumojen kokoontua sinne ja sitten vieritettiin kivi kaivon suulta ja juotettiin lampaat, jonka jälkeen kivi taas pantiin paikoilleen kaivon suulle.

4 Ja Jaakob sanoi heille: "Veljeni, mistä te olette?" He vastasivat: "Harranista olemme".

5 Hän kysyi heiltä: "Tunnetteko Laabanin, Naahorin pojan?" He vastasivat: "Tunnemme".

6 Ja hän kysyi heiltä: "Voiko hän hyvin?" He vastasivat: "Hyvin hän voi; ja katso, Raakel, hänen tyttärensä, tulee tuolla lammasten kanssa".

7 Hän sanoi: "Vielä on täysi päivä ja liian aikaista koota lauma; juottakaa lampaat ja viekää ne takaisin laitumelle".

8 He vastasivat: "Emme voi, ennenkuin kaikki laumat ovat koolla ja kivi on vieritetty kaivon suulta; sitten juotamme lampaat".

9 Hänen vielä puhuessaan heidän kanssaan tuli Raakel isänsä lammasten kanssa, sillä hänen oli tapana olla paimenessa.

10 Kun Jaakob näki Raakelin, enonsa Laabanin tyttären, ja enonsa Laabanin lampaat, astui hän esiin ja vieritti kiven kaivon suulta ja juotti enonsa Laabanin lampaat.

11 Ja Jaakob suuteli Raakelia ja korotti äänensä ja itki.

12 Niin Jaakob ilmoitti Raakelille, että hän oli hänen isänsä sukulainen ja Rebekan poika; ja Raakel riensi pois ja ilmoitti sen isällensä.

13 Kun Laaban kuuli kerrottavan Jaakobista, sisarensa pojasta, riensi hän häntä vastaan, syleili ja suuteli häntä ja toi hänet kotiinsa; ja hän kertoi Laabanille kaikki, mitä oli tapahtunut.

14 Ja Laaban sanoi hänelle: "Niin, sinä olet minun luutani ja lihaani". Ja hän asui hänen luonaan kuukauden päivät.

15 Ja Laaban sanoi Jaakobille: "Olet tosin sukulaiseni, mutta palvelisitko silti minua palkatta? Sano minulle, mikä on palkkasi oleva."

16 Mutta Laabanilla oli kaksi tytärtä; vanhemman nimi oli Leea, nuoremman nimi oli Raakel.

17 Ja Leealla oli sameat silmät, mutta Raakelilla oli kaunis vartalo ja kauniit kasvot.

18 Ja Jaakob rakasti Raakelia; niin hän sanoi: "Minä palvelen sinua seitsemän vuotta saadakseni Raakelin, nuoremman tyttäresi".

19 Laaban vastasi: "Parempi on, että annan hänet sinulle, kuin että antaisin hänet jollekin toiselle; jää luokseni".

20 Jaakob palveli siis seitsemän vuotta saadakseen Raakelin, ja ne tuntuivat hänestä muutamilta päiviltä; niin hän rakasti häntä.

21 Senjälkeen Jaakob sanoi Laabanille: "Anna minulle vaimoni, sillä aikani on nyt kulunut umpeen, mennäkseni hänen tykönsä".

22 Silloin Laaban kutsui kokoon kaikki sen paikkakunnan asukkaat ja laittoi pidot;

23 mutta illalla hän otti tyttärensä Leean ja vei hänet hänen luokseen; ja hän yhtyi häneen.

24 Ja Laaban antoi orjattarensa Silpan tyttärellensä Leealle orjattareksi.

25 Aamulla hän näki, että se oli Leea. Ja hän sanoi Laabanille: "Mitä oletkaan minulle tehnyt? Olenhan palvellut sinua saadakseni Raakelin! Miksi petit minut?"

26 Laaban vastasi: "Ei ole meidän maassamme tapana antaa nuorempaa ennen vanhempaa.

27 Vietä nyt vain tämä hääviikko loppuun, niin annetaan sinulle toinenkin, kunhan olet palveluksessani vielä toiset seitsemän vuotta."

28 Ja Jaakob suostui siihen, ja kun hän oli viettänyt sen viikon loppuun, antoi Laaban myöskin tyttärensä Raakelin hänelle vaimoksi.

29 Ja Laaban antoi orjattarensa Bilhan tyttärellensä Raakelille orjattareksi.

30 Ja hän yhtyi myös Raakeliin, ja Raakel oli hänelle rakkaampi kuin Leea; ja hän palveli Laabanin luona vielä toiset seitsemän vuotta.

31 Ja kun Herra näki, että Leeaa hyljittiin, avasi hän hänen kohtunsa; mutta Raakel oli hedelmätön.

32 Niin Leea tuli raskaaksi ja synnytti pojan ja antoi hänelle nimen Ruuben, sanoen: "Herra on nähnyt minun kurjuuteni; nyt on mieheni rakastava minua".

33 Ja hän tuli jälleen raskaaksi ja synnytti pojan ja sanoi: "Herra on kuullut, että minua hyljitään, ja on antanut minulle myös tämän". Niin hän antoi hänelle nimen Simeon.

34 Ja hän tuli jälleen raskaaksi ja synnytti pojan ja sanoi: "Nyt kai mieheni vihdoinkin kiintyy minuun, sillä olenhan synnyttänyt hänelle kolme poikaa". Sentähden hän antoi hänelle nimen Leevi.

35 Ja hän tuli vieläkin raskaaksi ja synnytti pojan ja sanoi: "Nyt minä kiitän Herraa". Sentähden hän antoi hänelle nimen Juuda. Sitten hän lakkasi synnyttämästä.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3778

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3778. 'And he said to them, Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?' means, Did they possess good from that stock? This is clear from the representation of 'Laban' as a parallel good springing from a common stock, dealt with in 3612, 3665, and from the representation of 'Nahor' as that common stock from which the good meant by 'Laban' springs - 'knowing' meaning, in the internal sense, from that source, as is evident from the train of thought. Let a brief statement be made about the representation of a parallel good by means of Nahor, Bethuel, and Laban. Terah who was the father of three sons - Abram, Nahor, and Haran, Genesis 11:27 - represents the common stock from which the Churches sprang. Terah himself was in fact an idolater, but representatives have no regard to the person, only to the actual subject represented by him, see 1361. And since the Jewish representative Church had its beginnings in Abraham and was re-established among his descendants from Jacob, Terah and his three sons take on the representation of Churches. Abram takes on the representation of the genuine Church as it exists among those who possess the Word, while Nahor his brother takes on that of the Church as it exists among gentiles who do not possess the Word. The Lord's Church is spread throughout the whole world, existing also among gentiles who lead charitable lives, as is evident from what has been shown in various places regarding the gentiles.

[2] This then is why Nahor, his son Bethuel, and Bethuel's son Laban represent a parallel good that springs from a common stock, that is, the good which exists with people who belong to the Lord's Church among the gentiles. This good differs from good coming in a direct line from the common stock, in that those gentiles do not have genuine truths which are joined to their good. Instead they have for the most part external appearances which are called illusions of the senses, for they do not possess the Word from which they may receive light. Actually good is in essence a single entity, but it acquires a specific character from the truths implanted in it and in this way is made various. The truths that are seen by gentiles as truths are in general the idea that they should worship some God from whom they seek their own good and to whom they attribute it - though they do not know so long as they live in this world that that God is the Lord; also the idea that they should adore their God under images which they hold sacred; besides many other ideas. But these ideas do not make it any less possible for them to be saved than for Christians, provided that they lead lives in which love to their God and love towards the neighbour are present. For by leading such lives they have the ability to receive interior truths in the next life, see 932, 1032, 1059, 2049, 2051, 2284, 2589-2604, 2861, 2863, 3263. This shows what is meant by a parallel good that springs from a common stock. For Nahor represents those outside the Church who by virtue of good are bound together as brethren, see 2863, 2864, 2868; Bethuel represents good as it exists with those who make up a first group of gentiles, 2865, 3665; and Laban represents the affection for external or bodily good, strictly speaking a parallel good springing from a common stock, 3612, 3665.

[3] This good is such that first of all it serves a person as a means for acquiring spiritual good, for it is external and bodily and derives from external appearances which in themselves are illusions of the senses. In childhood a person acknowledges nothing other than these as truth and good, and although taught what internal good and truth are he still has no more than a bodily concept of it. This being his concept at first, this kind of good and truth is the initial means by which interior truths and goods are brought in. This is the arcanum which Jacob and Laban represent here.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2861

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2861. That 'so it was, after these events' means the things that had been accomplished in regard to those within the Church is clear from the meaning of 'words' as real things. In the original language real things are called 'words', so that 'after these events' means the things that had been accomplished. The subject in what has gone before, from verse 13 to the present verse, has been the salvation of those who are spiritual by the Lord's Divine Human, and indeed of those who are endowed with good within the Church. These are ones who are able to be truly spiritual because they possess the Word and so the truths of faith. It is by means of the truths of doctrine joined to goodness of life that a person becomes spiritual. Everything spiritual originates in these when joined together. But gentiles outside the Church, because they do not possess the Word nor thus the truths of faith as long as they are in the world, even though the good of charity exists with them, are not truly spiritual until they have been taught the truths of faith. And because most gentiles in the world are not able to be taught, those who have led charitable and obedient lives one with another are, in the Lord's providence and mercy, taught in the next life. At that time they accept the truths of faith without difficulty and become spiritual. For such is the state and condition of gentiles in the next life, see 2589-2604.

[2] Since those within the Church who are saved by the Lord's Divine Human have been the subject in what has gone before, the subject in what follows from here to the end of the chapter is therefore those outside the Church who are saved. These are meant by the sons who were born to Nahor, Abraham's brother, by Milkah his wife and by Reumah his concubine. This also follows in the sequence of thought. Anyone who is unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word would imagine that these words merely presented the family-tree of the house of Terah, given on account of Rebekah, who became the wife of Isaac, and also on account of Bethuel, whose two granddaughters, Leah and Rachel, became the wives of Jacob. But in fact, as has often been stated and shown, all names in the Word mean real things, 1224, 1264, 1876, 1888. And unless they meant real things the Word would not be Divine but worldly. From this it may also become clear that the words which follow have regard in the train of thought to the Lord's spiritual Church, but that Church as it exists among gentiles. It was traced back through Nahor, Abraham's brother, so as to mean those who exist in a brotherly relationship by virtue of good, as shown below in 2863.

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