The Bible

 

Génesis 28

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1 ENTONCES Isaac llamó á Jacob, y bendíjolo, y mandóle diciendo: No tomes mujer de las hijas de Canaán.

2 Levántate, ve á Padan-aram, á casa de Bethuel, padre de tu madre, y toma allí mujer de las hijas de Labán, hermano de tu madre.

3 Y el Dios omnipotente te bendiga y te haga fructificar, y te multiplique, hasta venir á ser congregación de pueblos;

4 Y te dé la bendición de Abraham, y á tu simiente contigo, para que heredes la tierra de tus peregrinaciones, que Dios dió á Abraham.

5 Así envió Isaac á Jacob, el cual fué á Padan-aram, á Labán, hijo de Bethuel Arameo, hermano de Rebeca, madre de Jacob y de Esaú.

6 Y vió Esaú cómo Isaac había bendecido á Jacob, y le había enviado á Padan-aram, para tomar para sí mujer de allí; y que cuando le bendijo, le había mandado, diciendo: No tomarás mujer de las hijas de Canaán;

7 Y que Jacob había obedecido á su padre y á su madre, y se había ido á Padan-aram.

8 Vió asimismo Esaú que las hijas de Canaán parecían mal á Isaac su padre;

9 Y fuése Esaú á Ismael, y tomó para sí por mujer á Mahaleth, hija de Ismael, hijo de Abraham, hermana de Nabaioth, además de sus otras mujeres.

10 Y salió Jacob de Beer-seba, y fué á Harán;

11 Y encontró con un lugar, y durmió allí porque ya el sol se había puesto: y tomó de las piedras de aquel paraje y puso á su cabecera, y acostóse en aquel lugar.

12 Y soñó, y he aquí una escala que estaba apoyada en tierra, y su cabeza tocaba en el cielo: y he aquí ángeles de Dios que subían y descendían por ella.

13 Y he aquí, Jehová estaba en lo alto de ella, el cual dijo: Yo soy Jehová, el Dios de Abraham tu padre, y el Dios de Isaac: la tierra en que estás acostado te la daré á ti y á tu simiente.

14 Y será tu simiente como el polvo de la tierra, y te extenderás al occidente, y al oriente, y al aquilón, y al mediodía; y todas las familias de la tierra serán benditas en ti y en tu simiente.

15 Y he aquí, yo soy contigo, y te guardaré por donde quiera que fueres, y te volveré á esta tierra; porque no te dejaré hasta tanto que haya hecho lo que te he dicho.

16 Y despertó Jacob de su sueño dijo: Ciertamente Jehové está en este lugar, y yo no lo sabía.

17 Y tuvo miedo, y dijo: ­Cuán terrible es este lugar! No es otra cosa que casa de Dios, y puerta del cielo.

18 Y levantóse Jacob de mañana, y tomó la piedra que había puesto de cabecera, y alzóla por título, y derramó aceite encima de ella.

19 Y llamó el nombre de aquel lugar Beth-el, bien que Luz era el nombre de la ciudad primero.

20 E hizo Jacob voto, diciendo: Si fuere Dios conmigo, y me guardare en este viaje que voy, y me diere pan para comer y vestido para vestir,

21 Y si tornare en paz á casa de mi padre, Jehová será mi Dios,

22 Y esta piedra que he puesto por título, será casa de Dios: y de todo lo que me dieres, el diezmo lo he de apartar para ti.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1420

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1420. 'You will be a blessing' means that every single thing comes from the Lord. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'a blessing'. Blessing has reference to every form of good - in the external sense to bodily, worldly, and natural forms, in the internal sense to spiritual and celestial forms. 'Being a blessing' means the Source of every form of good and the Giver of this, an attribution that cannot possibly be made to Abram. From this it is also clear that 'Abram' represents the Lord, who alone is a Blessing. So also with the attributions made to Abraham further on, such as,

Abraham will surely become a great and numerous nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Genesis 18:18.

Concerning Isaac,

In your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed. Genesis 26:4.

And concerning Jacob,

In you all the families of the earth will be blessed, and in your seed. Genesis 28:14.

That nations are not able to be blessed, nor were they blessed, in Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and in their seed, but that they were blessed in the Lord, may become clear to anyone. This is clearly stated in David,

His name will be for ever, before the sun His son's name; and all nations will be blessed in Him Psalms 72:17.

This refers to the Lord. In the same author,

You set Him to be blessings for ever. Psalms 21:6.

This also refers to the Lord. In Jeremiah,

In Him the nations will be blessed, and in Him will they glory. Jeremiah 4:2.

From these places it is now clear that 'a blessing' means the Lord, and when He is called a Blessing that it means that from Him come all celestial and spiritual things which alone are goods. And because they alone are goods they alone are truths as well. To the extent therefore that celestial and spiritual forms of good are present in natural, worldly, and bodily forms, the latter are good and are blessed.

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 13

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1 Abram went up out of Egypt: he, his wife, all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South.

2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

3 He went on his journeys from the South even to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai,

4 to the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first. There Abram called on the name of Yahweh.

5 Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.

6 The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together: for their substance was great, so that they could not live together.

7 There was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite lived in the land at that time.

8 Abram said to Lot, "Please, let there be no strife between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are relatives.

9 Isn't the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the right. Or if you go to the right hand, then I will go to the left."

10 Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the garden of Yahweh, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar.

11 So Lot chose the Plain of the Jordan for himself. Lot traveled east, and they separated themselves the one from the other.

12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom.

13 Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh.

14 Yahweh said to Abram, after Lot was separated from him, "Now, lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward,

15 for all the land which you see, I will give to you, and to your offspring forever.

16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then your seed may also be numbered.

17 Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its breadth; for I will give it to you."

18 Abram moved his tent, and came and lived by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to Yahweh.