The Bible

 

1 Mosebok 33

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1 Och Jakob lyfte upp sina ögon och fick se Esau komma med fyra hundra man. Då fördelade han sina barn på Lea och Rakel och de båda tjänstekvinnorna.

2 Och han lät tjänstekvinnorna med deras barn gå främst, Lea med hennes barn därnäst, och Rakel med Josef sist.

3 Och själv gick han framför dem och bugade sig sju gånger ned till jorden, till dess han kom fram till sin broder.

4 Men Esau skyndade emot honom och tog honom i famn och föll honom om halsen och kysste honom; och de gräto.

5 Och när han lyfte upp sina ögon och fick se kvinnorna och barnen, sade han: »Vilka äro dessa som du har med dig?» Han svarade: »Det är barnen som Gud har beskärt din tjänare

6 Och tjänstekvinnorna gingo fram med sina barn och bugade sig.

7 Därefter gick ock Lea fram med sina barn, och de bugade sig. Slutligen gingo Josef och Rakel fram och bugade sig.

8 Sedan frågade han: »Vad ville du med hela den skara som jag mötte?» Han svarade: »Jag ville finna nåd för min herres ögon

9 Men Esau sade: »Jag har nog; behåll du vad du har, min broder

10 Jakob svarade: »Ack nej; om jag har funnit nåd för dina ögon, så tag emot skänkerna av mig, eftersom jag har fått se ditt ansikte, likasom såge jag ett gudaväsens ansikte, då du nu så gunstigt har tagit emot mig.

11 Tag hälsningsskänkerna som jag har skickat emot dig; ty Gud har varit mig nådig, och jag har allt fullt upp.» Och han bad honom så enträget, att han tog emot dem.

12 Och Esau sade: »Låt oss bryta upp och draga vidare; jag vill gå framför dig.»

13 Men han svarade honom: »Min herre ser själv att barnen äro späda, och att jag har med mig får och kor som giva di; driver man dessa för starkt en enda dag, så dör hela hjorden.

14 Må därför min herre draga åstad före sin tjänare, så vill jag komma efter i sakta mak, i den mån boskapen, som drives framför mig, och barnen orka följa med, till dess jag kommer till min herre i Seir

15 Då sade Esau: »Så vill jag åtminstone lämna kvar hos dig en del av mitt folk.» Men han svarade: »Varför så? Må jag allenast finna nåd för min herres ögon

16 Så vände Esau om, samma dag, och tog vägen till Seir.

17 Men Jakob bröt upp och drog till Suckot och byggde sig där ett hus. Och åt sin boskap gjorde han lövhyddor ; därav fick platsen namnet Suckot.

18 Och Jakob kom på sin färd ifrån Paddan-Aram välbehållen till Sikems stad i Kanaans land och slog upp sitt läger utanför staden.

19 Och det jordstycke där han hade slagit upp sitt tält köpte han av Hamors, Sikems faders, barn för hundra kesitor.

20 Och han reste där ett altare och kallade det El-Elohe-Israel .

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1441

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1441. That these things are signified by “Shechem,” is also evident from the fact that Shechem is as it were the first station in the land of Canaan, in journeying from Syria, or from Haran; and as the celestial things of love are signified by “the land of Canaan,” it is evident that their first appearing is signified by Shechem. When Jacob returned from Haran into the land of Canaan, he in like manner came to Shechem, as is evident from the following passage:

Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore he called the name of the place Succoth. And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and encamped before the city. And he erected there an altar (Genesis 33:17-20); where also by “Shechem” is signified the first of light.

In David:

God hath spoken in His holiness I will exult, I will divide Shechem, and will mete out the valley of Succoth; Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine, and Ephraim is the strength of Mine head; Judah is My lawgiver; Moab is My wash-pot; upon Edom will I cast My shoe; over Philistia will I sound in triumph (Psalms 60:6-8; 108:7-9); where the signification of “Shechem” is similar. That names signify nothing else than actual things [res], and that so also does “Shechem,” may be plainly seen from these prophetic sayings of David; for otherwise they would be little but an accumulation of names. That Shechem was made a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7), and also a city of the priests (Joshua 21:21), and that a covenant was made there (Joshua 24:1, 25), involve also what is similar.

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

The Bible

 

Genesis 12

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1 Now Yahweh said to Abram, "Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you.

2 I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. All of the families of the earth will be blessed in you."

4 So Abram went, as Yahweh had spoken to him. Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed out of Haran.

5 Abram took Sarai his wife, Lot his brother's son, all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls whom they had gotten in Haran, and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan. Into the land of Canaan they came.

6 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanite was then in the land.

7 Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your seed." He built an altar there to Yahweh, who appeared to him.

8 He left from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh and called on the name of Yahweh.

9 Abram traveled, going on still toward the South.

10 There was a famine in the land. Abram went down into Egypt to live as a foreigner there, for the famine was severe in the land.

11 It happened, when he had come near to enter Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at.

12 It will happen, when the Egyptians will see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife.' They will kill me, but they will save you alive.

13 Please say that you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that my soul may live because of you."

14 It happened that when Abram had come into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful.

15 The princes of Pharaoh saw her, and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.

16 He dealt well with Abram for her sake. He had sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.

17 Yahweh plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.

18 Pharaoh called Abram and said, "What is this that you have done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she was your wife?

19 Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now therefore, see your wife, take her, and go your way."

20 Pharaoh commanded men concerning him, and they brought him on the way with his wife and all that he had.