The Bible

 

Ézéchiel 39

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1 Toi donc, fils d'homme, prophétise contre Gog, et dis : ainsi a dit le Seigneur l'Eternel : voici, j'en veux à toi, Gog, Prince des chefs de Mésec et de Tubal.

2 Et je te ferai retourner en arrière, n'en laissant que de six l'un, après t'avoir fait monter du fond de l'Aquilon, et t'avoir fait venir sur les montagnes d'Israël.

3 Car je romprai ton arc dans ta main gauche, et je ferai tomber tes flèches de ta main droite.

4 Tu tomberas sur les montagnes d'Israël, toi et toutes tes troupes, et les peuples qui seront avec toi; je t'ai livré aux oiseaux de proie entre tous les oiseaux, et aux bêtes des champs, pour en être dévoré.

5 Tu tomberas sur le dessus des champs, parce que j'ai parlé, dit le Seigneur l'Eternel.

6 Et je mettrai le feu en Magog, et parmi ceux qui demeurent en assurance dans les Iles; et ils sauront que je suis l'Eternel.

7 Et je ferai connaître le Nom de ma Sainteté au milieu de mon peuple d'Israël; et je ne profanerai plus le Nom de ma Sainteté; les nations sauront que je suis l'Eternel, le Saint en Israël.

8 Voici cela est arrivé, et a été fait, dit le Seigneur l'Eternel; c'est ici la journée dont j'ai parlé.

9 Et les habitants des villes d'Israël sortiront, et allumeront le feu, et brûleront les armes, les boucliers, les écus, les arcs, les flèches, les bâtons qu'on lance de la main, et les javelots, et ils y tiendront le feu allumé sept ans durant.

10 Et on n'apportera point de bois des champs, et on n'en coupera point des forêts, parce qu'ils feront du feu de ces armes, lorsqu'ils butineront ceux qui les avaient butinés, et qu'ils pilleront ceux qui les avaient pillés, dit le Seigneur l'Eternel.

11 Et il arrivera en ce jour-là que je donnerai à Gog dans ces quartiers-là un lieu pour sépulcre en Israël, savoir la vallée des passants, qui est au devant de la mer, et d'étonnement elle réduira les passants au silence; on enterrera là Gog, et toute la multitude de son peuple, et on l'appellera, la vallée d'Hammon-Gog.

12 Et ceux de la maison d'Israël les enterreront pendant l'espace de sept mois pour purifier le pays.

13 Tout le peuple, dis-je, du pays les enterrera, et cela leur sera un nom, [savoir] le jour auquel j'aurai été glorifié, dit le Seigneur l'Eternel.

14 Et ils mettront à part des gens qui ne feront autre chose que parcourir le pays, lesquels avec les passants enterreront ceux qui seront demeurés de reste sur le dessus de la terre, pour la purifier, [et] ils en chercheront jusques au bout de sept mois.

15 Et ces passants-là iront par le pays, et celui qui verra l'os d'un homme, dressera auprès de lui un signal; jusqu'à ce que les enterreurs l'aient enterré dans la vallée d'Hammon-Gog.

16 Et aussi le nom de la ville sera Hamona, et on nettoiera le pays.

17 Toi donc, fils d'homme, ainsi a dit le Seigneur l'Eternel : dis aux oiseaux de toutes espèces, et à toutes les bêtes des champs : assemblez-vous et venez; amassez-vous de toutes parts vers mon sacrifice que je fais pour vous, [qui] est un grand sacrifice sur les montagnes d'Israël, vous mangerez de la chair, et vous boirez du sang.

18 Vous mangerez la chair des [hommes] forts, et vous boirez le sang des principaux de la terre, le sang des moutons, des agneaux, des boucs; et des veaux, tous grasses bêtes de Basan.

19 Vous mangerez de la graisse jusques à en être rassasiés, et vous boirez au sang jusqu'à en être ivres, [de la graisse, dis-je, et du sang] de mon sacrifice, que j'aurai sacrifié pour vous.

20 Et vous serez rassasiés à ma table, de chevaux, et de bêtes d'attelage, d'hommes forts, et de tous hommes de guerre, dit le Seigneur l'Eternel.

21 Et je mettrai ma gloire entre les nations, et toutes les nations verront mon jugement que j'aurai exercé, et comment j'aurai mis ma main sur eux.

22 Et la maison d'Israël connaîtra dès ce jour-là, et dans la suite, que je suis l'Eternel leur Dieu.

23 Et les nations sauront que la maison d'Israël avait été transportée en captivité à cause de son iniquité, parce qu'ils avaient péché contre moi, et que je leur avais caché ma face, et les avais livrés entre les mains de leurs ennemis, tellement qu'ils étaient tous tombés par l'épée.

24 Je leur avais fait selon leur souillure, et selon leur crime, et je leur avais caché ma face.

25 C'est pourquoi ainsi a dit le Seigneur l'Eternel : maintenant je ramènerai la captivité de Jacob, et j'aurai pitié de toute la maison d'Israël, et je serai jaloux du Nom de ma Sainteté.

26 Après qu'ils auront porté leur ignominie, et tout leur crime, par lequel ils avaient péché contre moi, quand ils demeuraient en sûreté dans leur terre, et sans qu'il y eût personne qui les épouvantât.

27 Parce que je les ramènerai d'entre les peuples, que je les rassemblerai des pays de leurs ennemis, et que je serai sanctifié en eux, en la présence de plusieurs nations.

28 Et ils sauront que je suis l'Eternel leur Dieu, lorsqu'après les avoir transportés entre les nations, je les aurai rassemblés en leur terre, et que je n'en aurai laissé demeurer là aucun de reste.

29 Et je ne leur cacherai plus ma face, depuis que j'aurai répandu mon Esprit sur la maison d'Israël, dit le Seigneur l'Eternel.

   

Commentary

 

Jacob or Israel (the man)

  

Jacob is told twice that his name will now be Israel. The first time is when he wrestles with an angel on his journey to meet Esau, and the angel tells him that his name will be changed. After he is reconciled with Esau, they go their separate ways. Jacob moves to Shechem and then on to Bethel, where he builds an altar to the Lord. The Lord appears to him there, renews the covenant He first made with Abraham and again tells him that his name will be Israel (Genesis 35). The story goes on to tell of Benjamin's birth and Rachel's death in bearing him, and then of Jacob's return to Isaac and Isaac's death and burial. But at that point the main thread of the story leaves Israel and turns to Joseph, and Israel is hardly mentioned until after Joseph has risen to power in Egypt, has revealed himself to his brothers and tells them to bring all of their father's household down to Egypt. There, before Israel dies, he blesses Joseph's sons, plus all his own sons. After his death he is returned to the land of Canaan for burial in Abraham's tomb. In the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob represents truth, and Esau good. Jacob's stay in Padan-Aram, and the wealth he acquired there, represent learning the truths of scripture, just as we learn when we read the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount. The change of name from Jacob to Israel represents the realization that what we learn should not simply be knowledge, but should be the rules of our life, to be followed by action. This action is the good that Esau has represented in the story up to that time, but after the reconciliation between Jacob and Esau, Jacob as Israel now represents the truth and the good, together. It is interesting that even after his name change Jacob is rarely called Israel. Sometimes he is called one and sometimes the other, and sometimes he is called both Jacob and Israel in the same verse (Genesis 46:2, 5, & 8 also Psalm 14:7). This is because Jacob represents the external person and Israel the internal person, and even after the internal person comes into being, we spend much of our lives living on the external level.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 4274, 4292, 4570, 5595, 6225, 6256, Genesis 2:5, 46:8)

The Bible

 

Genesis 43

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1 The famine was severe in the land.

2 It happened, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little more food."

3 Judah spoke to him, saying, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'

4 If you'll send our brother with us, we'll go down and buy you food,

5 but if you'll not send him, we'll not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'"

6 Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly, telling the man that you had another brother?"

7 They said, "The man asked directly concerning ourselves, and concerning our relatives, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' We just answered his questions. Is there any way we could know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down?'"

8 Judah said to Israel, his father, "Send the boy with me, and we'll get up and go, so that we may live, and not die, both we, and you, and also our little ones.

9 I'll be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I don't bring him to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever,

10 for if we hadn't delayed, surely we would have returned a second time by now."

11 Their father, Israel, said to them, "If it must be so, then do this. Take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;

12 and take double money in your hand, and take back the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight.

13 Take your brother also, get up, and return to the man.

14 May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."

15 The men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and got up, went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Bring the men into the house, and butcher an animal, and prepare; for the men will dine with me at noon."

17 The man did as Joseph commanded, and the man brought the men to Joseph's house.

18 The men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they said, "Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time, we're brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, attack us, and seize us as slaves, along with our donkeys."

19 They came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house,

20 and said, "Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food.

21 When we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks, and behold, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. We have brought it back in our hand.

22 We have brought down other money in our hand to buy food. We don't know who put our money in our sacks."

23 He said, "Peace be to you. Don't be afraid. Your God, and the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money." He brought Simeon out to them.

24 The man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet. He gave their donkeys fodder.

25 They prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

26 When Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves down to him to the earth.

27 He asked them of their welfare, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive?"

28 They said, "Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive." They bowed the head, and did homage.

29 He lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?" He said, "God be gracious to you, my son."

30 Joseph hurried, for his heart yearned over his brother; and he sought a place to weep. He entered into his room, and wept there.

31 He washed his face, and came out. He controlled himself, and said, "Serve the meal."

32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians, that ate with him, by themselves, because the Egyptians don't eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

33 They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men marveled one with another.

34 He sent portions to them from before him, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. They drank, and were merry with him.