The Bible

 

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 #3813

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3813. As regards “flesh,” in the supreme sense it signifies the own of the Lord’s Divine Human, which is Divine good, and in the relative sense it signifies the own of man’s will made alive by the own of the Divine Human, that is, by His Divine good. This own is what is called the heavenly own, which in itself is the Lord’s alone appropriated to those who are in good, and thence in truth. Such an own have the angels who are in the heavens, and men who as to their interiors or as to the spirit are in the Lord’s kingdom. But in the opposite sense, “flesh” signifies the own of man’s will, which in itself is nothing but evil, and not being vivified by the Lord is called “dead,” and thus the man himself is said to be dead.

[2] That in the supreme sense “flesh” is the own of the Lord’s Divine Human, thus His Divine good, is evident from the Lord’s words in John:

Jesus said, I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eat of this bread he shall live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove one with another, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat ? Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you; he that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day; for My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed; he that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. This is the bread which came down from heaven (John 6:51-56, 58).

That here “flesh” is the own of the Lord’s Divine Human, thus the Divine good, is very evident; and this is what in the Holy Supper is called the “body.” That in the Holy Supper the “body” or “flesh” signifies the Divine good; and the “blood” the Divine truth, may be seen above (n. 1798, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3735); and because “bread and wine” signify the same as “flesh and blood,” namely, “bread,” the Lord’s Divine good, and “wine,” His Divine truth, therefore the latter were enjoined instead of the former. This is the reason why the Lord said, “I am the living bread; the bread which I shall give is My flesh; he that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, abideth in Me, and I in him; this is the bread which came down from heaven.” (That “to eat” signifies to be communicated, to be conjoined, and to be appropriated, see above, n. 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513, 3596)

[3] The same was represented in the Jewish Church by the ordinance that Aaron, his sons, and they who sacrificed, and others who were clean, might eat the flesh of the sacrifices, and that this was holy (Exodus 12:7-9; 29:30-34; Leviticus 7:15-21; 8:31; Deuteronomy 12:27; 16:4). If therefore an unclean person ate of that flesh, he was to be cut off from his people (Leviticus 7:21). (That these sacrifices were called “bread,” may be seen above, n. 2165.) That “flesh” was called the “flesh of holiness” (Jeremiah 11:15; Haggai 2:12), and the “flesh of the offering which was on the tables in the Lord’s kingdom,” see Ezekiel 40:43, where the new temple is described, by which there is evidently signified the worship of the Lord in His kingdom.

[4] That in the relative sense “flesh” signifies the own of man’s will made alive by the Lord’s Divine good, is evident also from the following passages.

In Ezekiel:

I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit in the midst of you; and I will remove the heart of stone out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26); where the “heart of stone out of their flesh” denotes the will and the own not vivified; and the “heart of flesh,” the will and the own vivified. (That the “heart” is a representative of the good of the will, may be seen above, n. 2930, 3313, 3635) In David:

O God Thou art my God; in the morning I seek Thee; my-soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry land; and I am weary without waters (Psalms 63:1).

Again:

My soul longeth for the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh cry out for joy unto the living God (Psalms 84:2).

[5] In Job:

I have known my Redeemer, He liveth, and at the last He shall rise upon the dust; and afterwards these things shall be encompassed with my skin, and from my flesh I shall see God; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold; and not another (Job 19:25-27);

to be “encompassed with skin” denotes with the natural, such as man has with him after death (n. 3539); “from the flesh to see God” denotes the own vivified; therefore he says, “whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.” As it was known to the ancient 1 churches that flesh signified man’s own, and as the book of Job is a book of the Ancient Church (see n. 3540), he therefore spoke concerning these things from what is significative, as concerning many other things, in accordance with the custom of that time; so that those who deduce from this passage that the dead body itself shall be collected from the four winds, and shall rise again, are not acquainted with the internal sense of the Word. They who know the internal sense, know that they shall come into the other life with a body, but a purer one; for in the other life there are purer bodies; for they see each other, converse together, and enjoy every sense as in the present body, but in a more exquisite degree. The body which man carries about here on earth is for uses on earth, and therefore consists of bones and flesh; and the body which the spirit carries about in the other life is designed for uses in that life, and does not consist of bones and flesh, but of things which correspond to them (n. 3726).

[6] That in the opposite sense “flesh” signifies the own of man’s will, which in itself is nothing but evil, is evident from the following passages.

In Isaiah:

They shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm (Isaiah 9:20).

I will feed their oppressors with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with new wine (Isaiah 49:26).

In Jeremiah:

I will feed them with the flesh of their sons, and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat everyone the flesh of his companion (Jeremiah 19:9).

In Zechariah:

Let those who are left eat everyone the flesh of another (Zech. 11:9).

In Moses:

I will chastise you seven 2 times for your sins; and ye shall eat the flesh of your sons; and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat (Leviticus 26:28-29).

The own of man’s will, that is, the nature of man, is thus described, for this is nothing else than evil and the derivative falsity; thus is hatred against truths and goods, which is signified by “eating the flesh of his arm, the flesh of sons and daughters, and the flesh of a companion.”

[7] In John:

I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a great voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together to the supper of the great God, that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all both free and bond, both small and great (Revelation 19:17-18Ezekiel 39:17-20).

That here by the “flesh of kings, of captains, of mighty men, of horses and of those that sit upon them, of all, both free and bond,” are not signified such things as these, must be evident to everyone; thus that by “flesh” are signified other things which have hitherto been unknown. That evils which are from falsities, and evils from which are falsities, both from the own of man’s will, are signified, is manifest from the several expressions.

[8] As in the internal sense the falsity which results from the own of man’s understanding is “blood”; and as the evil which results from the own of his will is “flesh,” therefore the Lord speaks as follows concerning the man who is to be regenerated:

As many as received, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His name; who were born, not of bloods, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12-13).

Hence it is that by “flesh” in general is meant every man (see n. 574, 1050); for whether you say man, or man’s own, it is the same thing.

[9] That by “flesh” in the supreme sense is signified the Lord’s Divine Human is manifest from the passage above quoted, and also from this in John:

The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we held His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14).

From this “flesh” all flesh is vivified, that is to say, every man is vivified from the Lord’s Divine Human by the appropriation of His love, which appropriation is signified by “eating the flesh of the Son of man” (John 6:51-58), and by “eating the bread” in the Holy Supper; for the “bread” is the “body” or “flesh” (Matthew 26:26-27).

Footnotes:

1. The word “ancient” was added to the printed text because antiquis is in the Latin—NewSearch footnote.

2. The Latin is Ego, ecce Ego, “I, behold I.”

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