The Bible

 

Genesis 25

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1 προσθέμενος δὲ αβρααμ ἔλαβεν γυναῖκα ᾗ ὄνομα χεττουρα

2 ἔτεκεν δὲ αὐτῷ τὸν ζεμραν καὶ τὸν ιεξαν καὶ τὸν μαδαν καὶ τὸν μαδιαμ καὶ τὸν ιεσβοκ καὶ τὸν σωυε

3 ιεξαν δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν σαβα καὶ τὸν θαιμαν καὶ τὸν δαιδαν υἱοὶ δὲ δαιδαν ἐγένοντο ραγουηλ καὶ ναβδεηλ καὶ ασσουριιμ καὶ λατουσιιμ καὶ λοωμιμ

4 υἱοὶ δὲ μαδιαμ γαιφα καὶ αφερ καὶ ενωχ καὶ αβιρα καὶ ελραγα πάντες οὗτοι ἦσαν υἱοὶ χεττουρας

5 ἔδωκεν δὲ αβρααμ πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ ισαακ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ

6 καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν παλλακῶν αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν αβρααμ δόματα καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ ισαακ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔτι ζῶντος αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἀνατολὰς εἰς γῆν ἀνατολῶν

7 ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ἔτη ἡμερῶν ζωῆς αβρααμ ὅσα ἔζησεν ἑκατὸν ἑβδομήκοντα πέντε ἔτη

8 καὶ ἐκλιπὼν ἀπέθανεν αβρααμ ἐν γήρει καλῷ πρεσβύτης καὶ πλήρης ἡμερῶν καὶ προσετέθη πρὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ

9 καὶ ἔθαψαν αὐτὸν ισαακ καὶ ισμαηλ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ σπήλαιον τὸ διπλοῦν εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν εφρων τοῦ σααρ τοῦ χετταίου ὅ ἐστιν ἀπέναντι μαμβρη

10 τὸν ἀγρὸν καὶ τὸ σπήλαιον ὃ ἐκτήσατο αβρααμ παρὰ τῶν υἱῶν χετ ἐκεῖ ἔθαψαν αβρααμ καὶ σαρραν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ

11 ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν αβρααμ εὐλόγησεν ὁ θεὸς ισαακ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ κατῴκησεν ισαακ παρὰ τὸ φρέαρ τῆς ὁράσεως

12 αὗται δὲ αἱ γενέσεις ισμαηλ τοῦ υἱοῦ αβρααμ ὃν ἔτεκεν αγαρ ἡ παιδίσκη σαρρας τῷ αβρααμ

13 καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν υἱῶν ισμαηλ κατ' ὄνομα τῶν γενεῶν αὐτοῦ πρωτότοκος ισμαηλ ναβαιωθ καὶ κηδαρ καὶ ναβδεηλ καὶ μασσαμ

14 καὶ μασμα καὶ ιδουμα καὶ μασση

15 καὶ χοδδαδ καὶ θαιμαν καὶ ιετουρ καὶ ναφες καὶ κεδμα

16 οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ισμαηλ καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐν ταῖς σκηναῖς αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἐπαύλεσιν αὐτῶν δώδεκα ἄρχοντες κατὰ ἔθνη αὐτῶν

17 καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ἔτη τῆς ζωῆς ισμαηλ ἑκατὸν τριάκοντα ἑπτὰ ἔτη καὶ ἐκλιπὼν ἀπέθανεν καὶ προσετέθη πρὸς τὸ γένος αὐτοῦ

18 κατῴκησεν δὲ ἀπὸ ευιλατ ἕως σουρ ἥ ἐστιν κατὰ πρόσωπον αἰγύπτου ἕως ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ἀσσυρίους κατὰ πρόσωπον πάντων τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ κατῴκησεν

19 καὶ αὗται αἱ γενέσεις ισαακ τοῦ υἱοῦ αβρααμ αβρααμ ἐγέννησεν τὸν ισαακ

20 ἦν δὲ ισαακ ἐτῶν τεσσαράκοντα ὅτε ἔλαβεν τὴν ρεβεκκαν θυγατέρα βαθουηλ τοῦ σύρου ἐκ τῆς μεσοποταμίας ἀδελφὴν λαβαν τοῦ σύρου ἑαυτῷ γυναῖκα

21 ἐδεῖτο δὲ ισαακ κυρίου περὶ ρεβεκκας τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ ὅτι στεῖρα ἦν ἐπήκουσεν δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ θεός καὶ ἔλαβεν ἐν γαστρὶ ρεβεκκα ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ

22 ἐσκίρτων δὲ τὰ παιδία ἐν αὐτῇ εἶπεν δέ εἰ οὕτως μοι μέλλει γίνεσθαι ἵνα τί μοι τοῦτο ἐπορεύθη δὲ πυθέσθαι παρὰ κυρίου

23 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος αὐτῇ δύο ἔθνη ἐν τῇ γαστρί σού εἰσιν καὶ δύο λαοὶ ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας σου διασταλήσονται καὶ λαὸς λαοῦ ὑπερέξει καὶ ὁ μείζων δουλεύσει τῷ ἐλάσσονι

24 καὶ ἐπληρώθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ τεκεῖν αὐτήν καὶ τῇδε ἦν δίδυμα ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ αὐτῆς

25 ἐξῆλθεν δὲ ὁ υἱὸς ὁ πρωτότοκος πυρράκης ὅλος ὡσεὶ δορὰ δασύς ἐπωνόμασεν δὲ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ησαυ

26 καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἐξῆλθεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ ἐπειλημμένη τῆς πτέρνης ησαυ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ιακωβ ισαακ δὲ ἦν ἐτῶν ἑξήκοντα ὅτε ἔτεκεν αὐτοὺς ρεβεκκα

27 ηὐξήθησαν δὲ οἱ νεανίσκοι καὶ ἦν ησαυ ἄνθρωπος εἰδὼς κυνηγεῖν ἄγροικος ιακωβ δὲ ἦν ἄνθρωπος ἄπλαστος οἰκῶν οἰκίαν

28 ἠγάπησεν δὲ ισαακ τὸν ησαυ ὅτι ἡ θήρα αὐτοῦ βρῶσις αὐτῷ ρεβεκκα δὲ ἠγάπα τὸν ιακωβ

29 ἥψησεν δὲ ιακωβ ἕψεμα ἦλθεν δὲ ησαυ ἐκ τοῦ πεδίου ἐκλείπων

30 καὶ εἶπεν ησαυ τῷ ιακωβ γεῦσόν με ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑψέματος τοῦ πυρροῦ τούτου ὅτι ἐκλείπω διὰ τοῦτο ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ εδωμ

31 εἶπεν δὲ ιακωβ τῷ ησαυ ἀπόδου μοι σήμερον τὰ πρωτοτόκιά σου ἐμοί

32 εἶπεν δὲ ησαυ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ πορεύομαι τελευτᾶν καὶ ἵνα τί μοι ταῦτα τὰ πρωτοτόκια

33 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ιακωβ ὄμοσόν μοι σήμερον καὶ ὤμοσεν αὐτῷ ἀπέδοτο δὲ ησαυ τὰ πρωτοτόκια τῷ ιακωβ

34 ιακωβ δὲ ἔδωκεν τῷ ησαυ ἄρτον καὶ ἕψεμα φακοῦ καὶ ἔφαγεν καὶ ἔπιεν καὶ ἀναστὰς ὤ|χετο καὶ ἐφαύλισεν ησαυ τὰ πρωτοτόκια

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4289

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4289. 'Let me go, for the dawn is coming up' means that the genuine representative role would depart from the descendants of Jacob before they entered into the representatives connected with the land of Canaan. This becomes clear from the train of thought in the internal historical sense in which the descendants of Jacob are the subject. Their state in regard to things of the Church is also described in the Word as evening, night, and morning or dawn - dawn being used to describe the time when they entered the land of Canaan and as a consequence into that which was a representative of the Church in that land. The implications of this are as follows: A representative of the Church could not be established among them until they had been completely vastated, that is, until no knowledge of internal things existed with them. For if knowledge of internal things had existed with them it would have been possible for them to have an affection for them, in which case they would have profaned them. For the ability to profane holy things, that is, internal truths and goods, exists with those who know and acknowledge them, more so with those who have an affection for them, but not with those who do not acknowledge them. But see what has been stated and shown already about profanation:

People who know and acknowledge holy things are able to profane them, but not those who do not know and acknowledge them, 593, 1008, 1010, 1059, 3398, 3898.

People inside the Church are capable of profaning holy things, but not those outside, 2051.

Therefore all who are unable to remain steadfast in goodness and truth are kept as far as possible from an acknowledgement of and faith in them, 3398, 3402; and they are kept in ignorance to prevent their profanation of them, 301-303.

What danger comes from profaning holy things, 571, 582.

Worship becomes external to prevent what is internal being profaned, 1327, 1328.

Therefore internal truths were not disclosed to the Jews, 3398.

[2] The Lord therefore made provision so that anything genuinely representative of the Church, that is, any internal representation of it, would have departed from the descendants of Jacob before they entered into the representatives connected with the land of Canaan. It so departed that they did not know anything at all about the Lord. They knew, it is true, that the Messiah was to come into the world, but they supposed that the reason for His coming would be to promote them to glory and pre-eminence over all nations in the whole world, but not that He would save their souls for ever. Neither indeed did they know anything whatever about the heavenly kingdom, nor anything about the life after death, nor even anything about charity and faith. To reduce them to such ignorance they were kept for several centuries in Egypt, and when summoned from there did not even know the actual name Jehovah, Exodus 3:12-14. What is more, they had lost all the worship of the representative Church, so much so that a month after the Ten Commandments had been publicly declared in their presence from mount Sinai they reverted to Egyptian worship, which was that of the golden calf, Exodus 32.

[3] And this being the nature of the nation which had been brought out of Egypt they all died in the wilderness. For nothing more was required of them than to keep ordinances and commands in the outward form these took, because to keep these in their outward form was to play the part of a representative of the Church. Those who had grown up in Egypt however could not be fitted for that part, but their children could, though with difficulty, at first by means of miracles and after that by terrors and captivities, as is evident from the Books of Joshua and Judges. From this it becomes clear that the entire genuine or internal representative of the Church had departed from them before they entered the land of Canaan where the full form of an external representative of the Church was begun among them; for the land of Canaan was the actual land where the representatives of the Church could be introduced. For all the places and all the boundaries had, since ancient times, been representative in that land, see 3686.

  
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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?"