The Bible

 

Бытие 33

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1 И возвелъ Іаковъ очи свои, и видитъ, и вотъ идетъ Исавъ, и съ нимъ четыреста человјкъ. Тогда онъ раздјлилъ дјтей - Ліи, Рахили и двумъ служанкамъ;

2 и поставилъ служанокъ и дјтей ихъ впереди, Лію и дјтей ея за нпми, а Рахиль и Іосифа позади.

3 А самъ пошелъ передъ ними, и поклонился до земли семь разъ, подходя къ брату своему.

4 Исавъ побјжалъ ему на встрјчу, обнялъ его, бросился ему на шею, и цјловалъ его, и плакали.

5 И возведши очи свои, увидјдъ женъ и дјтей, и спросидъ: кто это у тебя? Іаковъ отвјчалъ: дјти, которыхъ Богъ даровалъ рабу твоему.

6 И подошли служанки, сами и дјти ихъ, и поклонились.

7 Потомъ подошла Лія, и дјти ея, и поклонились. Наконецъ подошли Іосифъ и Рахиль и поклонились.

8 Еще спросилъ: что значитъ у тебя все это ополченіе, съ которымъ я встрјтился? онъ отвјчалъ: дабы обрјсти благодать въ очахъ господина моего.

9 Исавъ сказалъ: у меня много, братецъ; пусть твое - у тебя.

10 Но Іаковъ сказалъ: нјтъ, сдјлай милость; если я обрјлъ благоволеніе въ очахъ твоихъ, прими даръ мой отъ руки моей; ибо я увидјлъ лице твое, какъ бы кто увидјлъ лице Божіе, и ты принялъ меня милостиво.

11 Прими благословеніе мое, которое представлено тебј; потому что Богъ даровалъ мнј, и есть у меня все. И принудилъ его, и онъ взялъ.

12 Исавъ сказалъ: поднимемся в пойдемъ; и я пойду предъ тобою.

13 Онъ отвјчалъ ему: господинъ мой знаетъ, что дјти мои молоды, а мелкій и крупный скотъ дойный; если погнать его одинъ день, то помретъ весь скотъ.

14 Пусть господинъ мой пойдетъ впереди раба своего, а я пойду тихимъ шагомъ своимъ, какъ пойдетъ скотъ, который передо мною, и какъ пойдутъ дјти; и приду къ господину моему въ Сеиръ.

15 Исавъ сказалъ: такъ я оставлю съ тобою нјсколько изъ людей, которые при мнј. Онъ отвјчалъ: на что это? только бы мнј обрјсти благоволеніе въ очахъ господина моего!

16 И возвратился Исавъ въ тотъ же день путемъ своимъ въ Сеиръ.

17 А Іаковъ пошелъ въ Сюкоѕъ, и построилъ себј домъ, и для скота своего сдјлалъ дворы. Отъ сего дано имя мјсту: Сюкоѕъ.

18 Іаковъ, пришедши изъ Падан-Арама, въ мирј пришелъ въ городъ Сихемъ, который въ землј Ханаанской, и расположился противъ города.

19 И купилъ часть поля, на которомъ онъ раскинулъ шатеръ свой, у сыновъ Эммора, отца Сихемова, за сто монетъ.

20 И поставилъ тамъ жертвенникъ; и назвалъ его: Богъ крјпкій, Богъ Израилевъ.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #4347

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4347. 'And bowed to the ground seven times' means the submission of all things. This is clear from the meaning of 'bowing to the ground' as the feeling of humility, dealt with in 2153, and so as submission. The highest degree of submission is meant by 'seven times' and the submission of all things by the fact that Jacob bowed down; for 'Jacob' represents the universal existence of all things, as stated immediately above in 4346.

[2] As regards the expression of humility and submission, few know why these are necessary in the presence of the Divine when a person is engaged in worship. Nor consequently do they know what is accomplished by these actions. Those who have no knowledge of interior things cannot do other than believe that, like any human being bent on glory, the Divine desires people's expression of humility and their submission to Him, and that therefore the Divine desires glory from them and is affected by the glory which people ascribe to Him. But the truth of the matter is altogether different from this. The Divine is not moved by any desire for glory. Indeed what glory does the Divine have which comes from man? He desires humility and submission not for His own sake but for man's. For when humility is present in a person he turns away from the evil and falsity present in him, 2327, 2423, 3994, and in so doing removes them. Once these have been removed the Divine is able to flow in with good and truth. Anyone can recognize this within himself. One who is haughty is ruled by self-love and not only sets himself up above others but also does not care a thing about what is Divine; as a consequence he turns back the influx of good and therefore prevents it from being joined to truths. This is the real reason why a person should express humility in the presence of the Divine.

[3] From this it is evident that good cannot be joined to truths, and so a person cannot be regenerated, unless he humbles himself and is submissive. Humility and submission are attributed to truths because truths flow in by way of the external man whereas good does so by way of the internal. The things which flow in by way of the external man hold within them misconceptions and consequently falsities together with affections for them. Not so the things which flow in by way of the internal man since it is the Divine which flows in by way of this internal man and goes to meet truths so that they may be joined together. From this one may now see the implications of 'the submission of all things', which is the meaning of 'Jacob bowed to the ground seven times until he came right up to his brother'.

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