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Genesis 31

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1 ἤκουσεν δὲ ιακωβ τὰ ῥήματα τῶν υἱῶν λαβαν λεγόντων εἴληφεν ιακωβ πάντα τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ἐκ τῶν τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν πεποίηκεν πᾶσαν τὴν δόξαν ταύτην

2 καὶ εἶδεν ιακωβ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ λαβαν καὶ ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἦν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὡς ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ἡμέραν

3 εἶπεν δὲ κύριος πρὸς ιακωβ ἀποστρέφου εἰς τὴν γῆν τοῦ πατρός σου καὶ εἰς τὴν γενεάν σου καὶ ἔσομαι μετὰ σοῦ

4 ἀποστείλας δὲ ιακωβ ἐκάλεσεν ραχηλ καὶ λειαν εἰς τὸ πεδίον οὗ τὰ ποίμνια

5 καὶ εἶπεν αὐταῖς ὁρῶ ἐγὼ τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν πρὸς ἐμοῦ ὡς ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ἡμέραν ὁ δὲ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός μου ἦν μετ' ἐμοῦ

6 καὶ αὐταὶ δὲ οἴδατε ὅτι ἐν πάσῃ τῇ ἰσχύι μου δεδούλευκα τῷ πατρὶ ὑμῶν

7 ὁ δὲ πατὴρ ὑμῶν παρεκρούσατό με καὶ ἤλλαξεν τὸν μισθόν μου τῶν δέκα ἀμνῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς κακοποιῆσαί με

8 ἐὰν οὕτως εἴπῃ τὰ ποικίλα ἔσται σου μισθός καὶ τέξεται πάντα τὰ πρόβατα ποικίλα ἐὰν δὲ εἴπῃ τὰ λευκὰ ἔσται σου μισθός καὶ τέξεται πάντα τὰ πρόβατα λευκά

9 καὶ ἀφείλατο ὁ θεὸς πάντα τὰ κτήνη τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ἔδωκέν μοι αὐτά

10 καὶ ἐγένετο ἡνίκα ἐνεκίσσων τὰ πρόβατα καὶ εἶδον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτὰ ἐν τῷ ὕπνῳ καὶ ἰδοὺ οἱ τράγοι καὶ οἱ κριοὶ ἀναβαίνοντες ἦσαν ἐπὶ τὰ πρόβατα καὶ τὰς αἶγας διάλευκοι καὶ ποικίλοι καὶ σποδοειδεῖς ῥαντοί

11 καὶ εἶπέν μοι ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ θεοῦ καθ' ὕπνον ιακωβ ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα τί ἐστιν

12 καὶ εἶπεν ἀνάβλεψον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου καὶ ἰδὲ τοὺς τράγους καὶ τοὺς κριοὺς ἀναβαίνοντας ἐπὶ τὰ πρόβατα καὶ τὰς αἶγας διαλεύκους καὶ ποικίλους καὶ σποδοειδεῖς ῥαντούς ἑώρακα γὰρ ὅσα σοι λαβαν ποιεῖ

13 ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεὸς ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τόπῳ θεοῦ οὗ ἤλειψάς μοι ἐκεῖ στήλην καὶ ηὔξω μοι ἐκεῖ εὐχήν νῦν οὖν ἀνάστηθι καὶ ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς ταύτης καὶ ἄπελθε εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς γενέσεώς σου καὶ ἔσομαι μετὰ σοῦ

14 καὶ ἀποκριθεῖσα ραχηλ καὶ λεια εἶπαν αὐτῷ μὴ ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἔτι μερὶς ἢ κληρονομία ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν

15 οὐχ ὡς αἱ ἀλλότριαι λελογίσμεθα αὐτῷ πέπρακεν γὰρ ἡμᾶς καὶ κατέφαγεν καταβρώσει τὸ ἀργύριον ἡμῶν

16 πάντα τὸν πλοῦτον καὶ τὴν δόξαν ἣν ἀφείλατο ὁ θεὸς τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν ἡμῖν ἔσται καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις ἡμῶν νῦν οὖν ὅσα εἴρηκέν σοι ὁ θεός ποίει

17 ἀναστὰς δὲ ιακωβ ἔλαβεν τὰς γυναῖκας αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ παιδία αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὰς καμήλους

18 καὶ ἀπήγαγεν πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀποσκευὴν αὐτοῦ ἣν περιεποιήσατο ἐν τῇ μεσοποταμίᾳ καὶ πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ ἀπελθεῖν πρὸς ισαακ τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ εἰς γῆν χανααν

19 λαβαν δὲ ὤ|χετο κεῖραι τὰ πρόβατα αὐτοῦ ἔκλεψεν δὲ ραχηλ τὰ εἴδωλα τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῆς

20 ἔκρυψεν δὲ ιακωβ λαβαν τὸν σύρον τοῦ μὴ ἀναγγεῖλαι αὐτῷ ὅτι ἀποδιδράσκει

21 καὶ ἀπέδρα αὐτὸς καὶ πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ καὶ διέβη τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ ὥρμησεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος γαλααδ

22 ἀνηγγέλη δὲ λαβαν τῷ σύρῳ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ὅτι ἀπέδρα ιακωβ

23 καὶ παραλαβὼν πάντας τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐδίωξεν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ὁδὸν ἡμερῶν ἑπτὰ καὶ κατέλαβεν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ γαλααδ

24 ἦλθεν δὲ ὁ θεὸς πρὸς λαβαν τὸν σύρον καθ' ὕπνον τὴν νύκτα καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ φύλαξαι σεαυτόν μήποτε λαλήσῃς μετὰ ιακωβ πονηρά

25 καὶ κατέλαβεν λαβαν τὸν ιακωβ ιακωβ δὲ ἔπηξεν τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ὄρει λαβαν δὲ ἔστησεν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ ὄρει γαλααδ

26 εἶπεν δὲ λαβαν τῷ ιακωβ τί ἐποίησας ἵνα τί κρυφῇ ἀπέδρας καὶ ἐκλοποφόρησάς με καὶ ἀπήγαγες τὰς θυγατέρας μου ὡς αἰχμαλώτιδας μαχαίρᾳ

27 καὶ εἰ ἀνήγγειλάς μοι ἐξαπέστειλα ἄν σε μετ' εὐφροσύνης καὶ μετὰ μουσικῶν τυμπάνων καὶ κιθάρας

28 οὐκ ἠξιώθην καταφιλῆσαι τὰ παιδία μου καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας μου νῦν δὲ ἀφρόνως ἔπραξας

29 καὶ νῦν ἰσχύει ἡ χείρ μου κακοποιῆσαί σε ὁ δὲ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός σου ἐχθὲς εἶπεν πρός με λέγων φύλαξαι σεαυτόν μήποτε λαλήσῃς μετὰ ιακωβ πονηρά

30 νῦν οὖν πεπόρευσαι ἐπιθυμίᾳ γὰρ ἐπεθύμησας ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός σου ἵνα τί ἔκλεψας τοὺς θεούς μου

31 ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ιακωβ εἶπεν τῷ λαβαν εἶπα γάρ μήποτε ἀφέλῃς τὰς θυγατέρας σου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐμά

32 ἐπίγνωθι τί ἐστιν τῶν σῶν παρ' ἐμοί καὶ λαβέ καὶ οὐκ ἐπέγνω παρ' αὐτῷ οὐθέν καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ιακωβ παρ' ᾧ ἐὰν εὕρῃς τοὺς θεούς σου οὐ ζήσεται ἐναντίον τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν οὐκ ᾔδει δὲ ιακωβ ὅτι ραχηλ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἔκλεψεν αὐτούς

33 εἰσελθὼν δὲ λαβαν ἠρεύνησεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον λειας καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου λειας ἠρεύνησεν τὸν οἶκον ιακωβ καὶ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῶν δύο παιδισκῶν καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν εἰσῆλθεν δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον ραχηλ

34 ραχηλ δὲ ἔλαβεν τὰ εἴδωλα καὶ ἐνέβαλεν αὐτὰ εἰς τὰ σάγματα τῆς καμήλου καὶ ἐπεκάθισεν αὐτοῖς

35 καὶ εἶπεν τῷ πατρὶ αὐτῆς μὴ βαρέως φέρε κύριε οὐ δύναμαι ἀναστῆναι ἐνώπιόν σου ὅτι τὸ κατ' ἐθισμὸν τῶν γυναικῶν μοί ἐστιν ἠρεύνησεν δὲ λαβαν ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν τὰ εἴδωλα

36 ὠργίσθη δὲ ιακωβ καὶ ἐμαχέσατο τῷ λαβαν ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ιακωβ εἶπεν τῷ λαβαν τί τὸ ἀδίκημά μου καὶ τί τὸ ἁμάρτημά μου ὅτι κατεδίωξας ὀπίσω μου

37 καὶ ὅτι ἠρεύνησας πάντα τὰ σκεύη μου τί εὗρες ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν σκευῶν τοῦ οἴκου σου θὲς ὧδε ἐναντίον τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου καὶ ἐλεγξάτωσαν ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν δύο ἡμῶν

38 ταῦτά μοι εἴκοσι ἔτη ἐγώ εἰμι μετὰ σοῦ τὰ πρόβατά σου καὶ αἱ αἶγές σου οὐκ ἠτεκνώθησαν κριοὺς τῶν προβάτων σου οὐ κατέφαγον

39 θηριάλωτον οὐκ ἀνενήνοχά σοι ἐγὼ ἀπετίννυον παρ' ἐμαυτοῦ κλέμματα ἡμέρας καὶ κλέμματα νυκτός

40 ἐγινόμην τῆς ἡμέρας συγκαιόμενος τῷ καύματι καὶ παγετῷ τῆς νυκτός καὶ ἀφίστατο ὁ ὕπνος ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου

41 ταῦτά μοι εἴκοσι ἔτη ἐγώ εἰμι ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ σου ἐδούλευσά σοι δέκα τέσσαρα ἔτη ἀντὶ τῶν δύο θυγατέρων σου καὶ ἓξ ἔτη ἐν τοῖς προβάτοις σου καὶ παρελογίσω τὸν μισθόν μου δέκα ἀμνάσιν

42 εἰ μὴ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός μου αβρααμ καὶ ὁ φόβος ισαακ ἦν μοι νῦν ἂν κενόν με ἐξαπέστειλας τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου καὶ τὸν κόπον τῶν χειρῶν μου εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἤλεγξέν σε ἐχθές

43 ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ λαβαν εἶπεν τῷ ιακωβ αἱ θυγατέρες θυγατέρες μου καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ υἱοί μου καὶ τὰ κτήνη κτήνη μου καὶ πάντα ὅσα σὺ ὁρᾷς ἐμά ἐστιν καὶ τῶν θυγατέρων μου τί ποιήσω ταύταις σήμερον ἢ τοῖς τέκνοις αὐτῶν οἷς ἔτεκον

44 νῦν οὖν δεῦρο διαθώμεθα διαθήκην ἐγὼ καὶ σύ καὶ ἔσται εἰς μαρτύριον ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ ἰδοὺ οὐθεὶς μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐστιν ἰδὲ ὁ θεὸς μάρτυς ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ

45 λαβὼν δὲ ιακωβ λίθον ἔστησεν αὐτὸν στήλην

46 εἶπεν δὲ ιακωβ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ συλλέγετε λίθους καὶ συνέλεξαν λίθους καὶ ἐποίησαν βουνόν καὶ ἔφαγον καὶ ἔπιον ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τοῦ βουνοῦ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ λαβαν ὁ βουνὸς οὗτος μαρτυρεῖ ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ σήμερον

47 καὶ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν λαβαν βουνὸς τῆς μαρτυρίας ιακωβ δὲ ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν βουνὸς μάρτυς

48 εἶπεν δὲ λαβαν τῷ ιακωβ ἰδοὺ ὁ βουνὸς οὗτος καὶ ἡ στήλη αὕτη ἣν ἔστησα ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ μαρτυρεῖ ὁ βουνὸς οὗτος καὶ μαρτυρεῖ ἡ στήλη αὕτη διὰ τοῦτο ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ βουνὸς μαρτυρεῖ

49 καὶ ἡ ὅρασις ἣν εἶπεν ἐπίδοι ὁ θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ ὅτι ἀποστησόμεθα ἕτερος ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου

50 εἰ ταπεινώσεις τὰς θυγατέρας μου εἰ λήμψῃ γυναῖκας ἐπὶ ταῖς θυγατράσιν μου ὅρα οὐθεὶς μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐστιν

52 ἐάν τε γὰρ ἐγὼ μὴ διαβῶ πρὸς σὲ μηδὲ σὺ διαβῇς πρός με τὸν βουνὸν τοῦτον καὶ τὴν στήλην ταύτην ἐπὶ κακίᾳ

53 ὁ θεὸς αβρααμ καὶ ὁ θεὸς ναχωρ κρινεῖ ἀνὰ μέσον ἡμῶν καὶ ὤμοσεν ιακωβ κατὰ τοῦ φόβου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ισαακ

54 καὶ ἔθυσεν ιακωβ θυσίαν ἐν τῷ ὄρει καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔφαγον καὶ ἔπιον καὶ ἐκοιμήθησαν ἐν τῷ ὄρει

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4211

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4211. 'And called his brothers to eat bread' means [an invitation] to make the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own. This is clear from the meaning of 'brothers' as those who were now to be joined together by the covenant, that is, by friendship, and in the internal sense as those who are governed by good and truth (for such people are called 'brothers', see 367, 2360, 3303, 3459, 3803, 3815, 4121, 4191); from the meaning of 'eating' as making one's own, dealt with in 3168, 3513 (end), 3832 (for meals taken together and feasts among the ancients meant making things their own and being joined together by means of love and charity, 3596); and from the meaning of 'bread' as good that stems from love, dealt with in 276, 680, 1798, 3478, 3735, and in the highest sense means the Lord, 2165, 2177, 3478, 3813. Since 'bread' in the highest sense means the Lord it therefore means everything holy which comes from Him, that is, it means everything good and true. And since no other good exists which is good except the good of love and charity, 'bread' therefore means love and charity. Sacrifices in former times had no other meaning, and for that reason were referred to by the single word 'bread', see 2165. And some of the flesh of the sacrifices was eaten so that the heavenly feast - that is, a joining together through good flowing from love and charity - might be represented. The same is meant today by the Holy Supper, for this has replaced sacrifices and feasts of consecrated things. The Holy Supper is in the Church an external practice that has an internal reality within it, and by means of this reality it joins one who is governed by love and charity to heaven, and by means of heaven to the Lord. For in the Holy Supper too 'eating' means making one's own - 'the bread' being celestial love and 'the wine' spiritual love - so much so that while it is being eaten by one in a state of holiness nothing else is perceived in heaven.

[2] The reason why the phrase 'making the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own' is used is that the subject is the good that exists with the gentiles, for it is this good that 'Laban' represents now, 4189. When man is joined to the Lord he is not joined to His Supreme Divine itself but to His Divine Human, for man cannot have any idea at all of the Lord's Supreme Divine, because this lies so far beyond anything he can conceive of that it fades from view altogether and ceases to mean anything to him. But he is able to have an idea of His Divine Human. For everyone is joined through thought and affection to one of whom he can have some idea but not to one of whom he cannot have any idea. If, when a person thinks about the Lord's Human, holiness is present in his ideas he also thinks of the holiness which comes from the Lord and fills heaven, and at the same time he thinks of heaven, since heaven in its entirety corresponds to a complete human being, which correspondence has its origin in the Lord, 684, 1276, 2996, 2998, 3624-3649. This explains why it is not possible to be joined to the Lord's Supreme Divine, only to His Divine Human, and through that Divine Human to His Supreme Divine. Hence the statement in John 1:18 about nobody, except the only begotten Son, ever having seen God, also the statement about there being no way to the Father except through Him; as well as from the statement that He is the Mediator. The truth of all this can be plainly recognized from the fact that all within the Church who declare their belief in a Supreme Being and yet set the Lord at nought are people who have no belief in anything at all, not even in the existence of heaven or of hell, and who worship nature. And if such people are ready to learn from experience it will be clear to them that the wicked, even those who are extremely so, declare a like belief.

[3] But the way in which people think of the Lord's Human varies, one person's ideas being different from another's, and one person's more holy than another's. Those within the Church are able to think that His Human is Divine, and also that He is one with the Father, as He Himself says that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father. But those outside the Church are unable to do this, for one thing because they do not know anything about the Lord and for another because their idea of the Divine is gained solely from visible images and tangible idols. Nevertheless the Lord joins Himself to them by means of the good they do from the charity and obedience present within their crude notions of Him. And this is why mention is made here about them making the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own. For when the Lord is joined to man the state of thought and consequent affection in him determines the exact nature of that conjunction. Those who have an entirely holy conception of the Lord and who at the same time have a true knowledge of and affections for what is good and true - as those within the Church are able to have - have been joined to the Lord as to His Divine Rational. Those however who do not have so holy a notion of Him and who do not have so interior a notion and affection, and yet the good of charity exists with them, have been joined to the Lord as regards His Divine Natural. And those whose holiness is cruder still are joined to the Lord as to His Divine Sensory Perception. This last type of joining is what is represented by 'the bronze serpent', in that those who looked at it recovered from serpent-bites, Numbers 21:9. This is the type of joining together which those among the gentiles have who worship idols and yet lead charitable lives in accordance with their own religion. From these considerations one may now see what is meant by making the good from the Lord's Divine Natural their own, meant by 'Jacob called his brothers to eat bread'.

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

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