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Genesis 29

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1 Nang magkagayo'y nagpatuloy si Jacob ng kaniyang paglalakbay, at napasa lupain ng mga anak ng silanganan.

2 At siya'y tumingin, at nakakita ng isang balon sa parang, at narito, may tatlong kawan ng mga tupa na nagpapahinga sa tabi roon: sapagka't sa balong yaon pinaiinom ang mga kawan: at ang batong nasa ibabaw ng labi ng balon ay malaki.

3 At doon nagkakatipon ang lahat ng kawan: at kanilang iginugulong ang batong nasa ibabaw ng labi ng balon, at pinaiinom ang mga tupa, at muling inilalagay ang bato sa ibabaw ng labi ng balon, sa dako niyaon.

4 At sinabi sa kanila ni Jacob, Mga kapatid ko, taga saan kayo? At kanilang sinabi, Taga Haran kami.

5 At sinabi niya sa kanila, Nakikilala ba ninyo si Laban na anak ni Nachor? At kanilang sinabi, Nakikilala namin siya.

6 At sinabi niya sa kanila, Siya ba'y mabuti? At, kanilang sinabi, Siya'y mabuti: at, narito, si Raquel na kaniyang anak ay dumarating na dala ang mga tupa.

7 At sinabi niya, Narito, maaga pa, ni hindi oras tipunin ang mga hayop: painumin ninyo ang mga tupa, at inyo silang pasabsabin.

8 At kanilang sinabi, Hindi namin magagawa hanggang sa magkatipon ang lahat ng kawan, at igugulong ang bato mula sa labi ng balon; gayon nga aming pinaiinom ang mga tupa.

9 Samantalang nakikipagusap pa siya sa kanila, ay dumating si Raquel na dala ang mga tupa ng kaniyang ama; sapagka't siya ang nagaalaga ng mga iyon.

10 At nangyari, nang makita ni Jacob si Raquel na anak ni Laban, na kapatid ng kaniyang ina, at ang mga tupa ni Laban na kapatid ng kaniyang ina, na lumapit si Jacob at iginulong ang bato mula sa labi ng balon, at pinainom ang kawan ni Laban, na kapatid ng kaniyang ina.

11 At hinagkan ni Jacob si Raquel; at humiyaw ng malakas at umiyak.

12 At kay Raquel ay sinaysay ni Jacob na siya'y kapatid ni Laban, na kaniyang ama, at anak siya ni Rebeca: at siya'y tumakbo at isinaysay sa kaniyang ama.

13 At nangyari, nang marinig ni Laban ang mga balita tungkol kay Jacob, na anak ng kaniyang kapatid, ay tumakbo siya na kaniyang sinalubong, at kaniyang niyakap at kaniyang hinagkan, at kaniyang dinala sa kaniyang bahay. At isinaysay ni Jacob kay Laban ang lahat ng mga bagay na ito.

14 At sinabi sa kaniya ni Laban, Tunay na ikaw ay aking buto at aking laman. At dumoon sa kaniyang isang buwan.

15 At sinabi ni Laban kay Jacob, Sapagka't ikaw ay aking kapatid ay nararapat ka bang maglingkod sa akin ng walang bayad? sabihin mo sa akin kung ano ang magiging kaupahan mo.

16 At may dalawang anak na babae si Laban: ang pangalan ng panganay ay Lea, at ang pangalan ng bunso ay Raquel.

17 At ang mga mata ni Lea ay mapupungay; datapuwa't si Raquel ay maganda at kahalihalina.

18 At sininta ni Jacob si Raquel; at kaniyang sinabi, Paglilingkuran kitang pitong taon dahil kay Raquel na iyong anak na bunso.

19 At sinabi ni Laban, Magaling ang ibigay ko siya sa iyo, kay sa ibigay ko sa iba: matira ka sa akin.

20 At naglingkod si Jacob dahil kay Raquel, na pitong taon; at sa kaniya'y naging parang ilang araw, dahil sa pagibig na taglay niya sa kaniya.

21 At sinabi ni Jacob kay Laban, Ibigay mo sa akin ang aking asawa, sapagka't naganap na ang aking mga araw upang ako'y sumiping sa kaniya.

22 At pinisan ni Laban ang lahat ng tao roon at siya'y gumawa ng isang piging.

23 At nangyari nang kinagabihan, na kaniyang kinuha si Lea na kaniyang anak at dinala niya kay Jacob, at siya'y sumiping sa kaniya.

24 At sa kaniyang anak na kay Lea ay ibinigay na pinaka alilang babae ang kaniyang alilang si Zilpa.

25 At nangyari, na sa kinaumagahan, narito't si Lea: at kaniyang sinabi kay Laban: Ano itong ginawa mo sa akin? Hindi ba kita pinaglingkuran dahil kay Raquel? Bakit mo nga ako dinaya?

26 At sinabi ni Laban, Hindi ginagawa ang ganyan dito sa aming dako, na ibinibigay ang bunso, bago ang panganay.

27 Tapusin mo ang kaniyang sanglingo, at ibibigay rin naman namin sa iyo ang isa, dahil sa paglilingkod na gagawin mong pitong taon pa, sa akin.

28 At gayon ang ginawa ni Jacob, at tinapos niya ang sanglingo nito, at ibinigay ni Laban sa kaniya si Raquel na kaniyang anak na maging asawa niya.

29 At sa kaniyang anak na kay Raquel ay ibinigay ni Laban na pinaka alilang babae ang kaniyang alilang si Bilha.

30 At sumiping din naman si Jacob kay Raquel, at kaniya namang inibig si Raquel ng higit kay Lea, at naglingkod siya kay Laban na pitong taon pa.

31 At nakita ng Panginoon na si Lea ay kinapopootan niya, at binuksan ang kaniyang bahay-bata; datapuwa't si Raquel ay baog.

32 At naglihi si Lea, at nanganak ng isang lalake, at tinawag niya ang kaniyang pangalan na Ruben; sapagka't kaniyang sinabi, Sapagka't nilingap ng Panginoon ang aking kapighatian; dahil sa ngayo'y mamahalin ako ng aking asawa.

33 At naglihi uli, at nanganak ng isang lalake; at nagsabi, Sapagka't narinig ng Panginoon na ako'y kinapopootan ay ibinigay rin naman sa akin ito: at pinanganlan niyang Simeon.

34 At naglihi uli at nanganak ng isang lalake; at nagsabi, Ngayo'y masasama na sa akin ang aking asawa, sapagka't nagkaanak ako sa kaniya ng tatlong lalake: kaya't pinanganlan niyang Levi.

35 At muling naglihi at nanganak ng isang lalake, at nagsabi, Ngayo'y aking pupurihin ang Panginoon: kaya't pinanganlang Juda; at hindi na nanganak.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3857

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3857. 'And Rachel was barren' means that interior truths were not received. This is clear from the representation of 'Rachel' as the affection for interior truth, dealt with already, and from the meaning of 'barren' as not giving rise to doctrines, nor thus Churches. This statement expresses the opposite of what is said in reference to Leah, that is, that 'Jehovah opened her womb', meaning that the affection represented by her gave rise to the doctrines taught by the Churches. The reason interior truths were not received is that interior truths are such as go above the range of man's belief, that is to say, they do not fall into ideas he has and are not conditioned by the outward appearances or the illusions of the senses by which everyone allows himself to be led. He does not believe interior truths unless in some way they coincide with those appearances or illusions.

[2] For example, it is an interior truth that intervals of time and of space do not exist in the next life, but states instead. Man who is within time and space while he lives in the world forms all his ideas from these, so much so that he cannot have any thought without them, 3404. Consequently unless the states which exist in the next life were described by means of the intervals of time and space which man experiences, that is, by means of the kind of things that are moulded by time and space, he would perceive nothing and so believe nothing, and as a consequence would receive nothing. Doctrine would in that case be barren and no Church would arise from it.

[3] Take another example. Unless celestial and spiritual affections were described by means of such things as constitute worldly and bodily affections man would not perceive anything, for these are the affections he experiences, and it is from them that he is able to have notions about celestial and spiritual affections. Yet the two types of affections are as different from each other, or as far apart, as heaven from earth. Take for example the glory of heaven, that is, of the angels in heaven, 3839. Unless man modelled his idea of the glory of heaven on the idea of the glory which exists in the world he would not grasp it at all and so would not acknowledge it. The same applies to all other interior or heavenly things.

[4] For this reason the Lord has spoken in the Word in accordance with man's own ability to grasp things and with the appearances that go with that grasp of them. The literal sense of the Word is such, yet at the same time is of such a nature that it holds within it the internal sense which contains interior truths. This then explains why it is said in reference to Leah that 'Jehovah opened her womb', and that 'Rachel was barren'; for as has been stated, 'Leah' represents the affection for exterior truth, 'Rachel' the affection for interior truth. But because exterior truths are the first truths which a person learns, the Lord has provided that by means of them he can be introduced into interior truths. This provision is meant by the statement in Genesis 30:22 that God at last remembered Rachel, hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

[5] The truth of all this may be seen from the Churches which existed in ancient times, and from their doctrinal teachings, namely that their teachings were formed from external truths. With the Ancient Church which existed after the Flood their doctrinal teachings were for the most part external representatives and meaningful signs which had internal truths stored within them. For the majority of its members holy worship consisted in those external representatives and signs. If anyone had told them that the essential ingredients of Divine worship were not those representatives and meaningful signs but the spiritual and celestial realities represented and meant by these, they would have rejected them altogether, and so the Church would have ceased to exist. This applied even more to the Jewish Church. If anyone had told them that their religious observances received their holiness from the Divine things that were the Lord's within them they would not have acknowledged them at all.

[6] Such also was mankind when the Lord came into the world. They had grown even more bodily-minded, especially so those who were members of the Church. This is quite evident even from the disciples who, though with the Lord constantly and hearing so many things about His kingdom, were as yet unable to perceive interior truths. They were still unable to have any other concept of the Lord than such as exists with the Jews at the present day about the Messiah whom they are still awaiting. They imagined that He would promote that people to a position of dominion and glory over all nations throughout the world. And after hearing so many things from the Lord about the heavenly kingdom the disciples were still unable to think anything else than that the heavenly kingdom would be like an earthly kingdom, where God the Father would be supreme, after Him the Son, and then themselves the twelve, and so would reign in this order. For the same reasons also James and John asked to sit one on His right and the other on the left, Mark 10:35-37; and the rest of the disciples were angry at these two wishing to be greater than the rest, Mark 10:41; Matthew 20:24. For the same reason also, after teaching them what it was to be greatest in heaven, Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-45, the Lord still spoke in the way that they themselves thought. That is to say, He spoke of them sitting on twelve thrones and judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Luke 22:24, 30; Matthew 19:28.

[7] If they had been told that the word 'disciples' was not used to mean themselves but all people in whom the good of love and faith dwells, 3354, 3488, and also that in the Lord's kingdom there are no thrones, nor positions of government and dominion, as in the world, and that they would not be able to pass judgement on even the smallest aspect of any one person, 2129, 2553, they would have rejected that saying, and each would have left the Lord and gone back to his own employment. The reason why the Lord spoke in the way He did was so that they would receive those things and through them be introduced into internal truths. For within the external truths which the Lord spoke internal truths lay stored away which in course of time are laid bare. And when these are laid bare those external truths are dispelled and serve solely as the objects or the means for thought about internal ones. From these considerations one may recognize what is meant by the fact that Jehovah opened Leah's womb first and she bore sons to Jacob, and that Rachel did so subsequently.

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