The Bible

 

Genesis 35

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1 At sinabi ng Dios kay Jacob, Tumindig ka, umahon ka sa Bethel, at tumahan ka roon; at gumawa ka roon ng isang dambana sa Dios na napakita sa iyo nang ikaw ay tumatakas mula sa harap ng iyong kapatid na si Esau.

2 Nang magkagayo'y sinabi ni Jacob sa kaniyang sangbahayan, at sa lahat niyang kasama. Ihiwalay ninyo ang mga dios ng iba na nangasa inyo, at magpakalinis kayo, at magbago kayo ng inyong mga suot:

3 At tayo'y magsitindig at magsisampa tayo sa Bethel; at gagawa ako roon ng dambana sa Dios na sumagot sa akin sa araw ng aking kahapisan, at sumaakin sa daan na aking nilakaran.

4 At kanilang ibinigay kay Jacob ang lahat ng ibang pinaka dios na nasa kamay nila, at ang mga hikaw na nasa kanilang mga tainga; at itinago ni Jacob sa ilalim ng punong encina na malapit sa Sichem.

5 At sila'y naglakbay; at ang isang malaking sindak mula sa Dios ay sumabayan na nasa mga palibot nila, at hindi nila hinabol ang mga anak ni Jacob.

6 Sa gayo'y naparoon si Jacob sa Luz, na nasa lupain ng Canaan (na siyang Bethel), siya at ang buong bayang kasama niya.

7 At siya'y nagtayo roon ng isang dambana at tinawag niya ang dakong yaon na El-beth-el; sapagka't ang Dios ay napakita sa kaniya roon, nang siya'y tumatakas sa harap ng kaniyang kapatid.

8 At namatay si Debora na yaya ni Rebeca, at nalibing sa paanan ng Bethel, sa ilalim ng encina, na ang pangalan ay tinawag na Allon-bacuth.

9 At ang Dios ay napakita uli kay Jacob, nang siya'y manggaling sa Padan-aram, at siya'y pinagpala.

10 At sinabi sa kaniya ng Dios, Ang pangalan mo'y Jacob; ang pangalan mo'y hindi na tatawagin pang Jacob kundi Israel ang itatawag sa iyo: at tinawag ang kaniyang pangalan na Israel.

11 At sinabi sa kaniya ng Dios, Ako ang Dios na Makapangyarihan sa lahat; ikaw ay lumago at dumami ka; isang bansa at isang kapisanan ng mga bansa ang magmumula sa iyo, at mga hari ay lalabas sa iyong balakang;

12 At ang lupaing ibinigay ko kay Abraham at kay Isaac, ay ibibigay ko sa iyo, at sa iyong lahi pagkamatay mo ay ibibigay ko ang lupain.

13 At ang Dios ay napailanglang mula sa tabi niya sa dakong pinakipagusapan sa kaniya.

14 At si Jacob ay nagtayo ng isang batong pinakaalaala sa dakong pinakipagusapan sa kaniya ng Dios, haliging bato: at binuhusan niya ng isang inuming handog at binuhusan niya ng langis.

15 At tinawag ni Jacob na Bethel ang dakong pinakipagusapan sa kaniya ng Dios.

16 At sila'y naglakbay mula sa Bethel; at may kalayuan pa upang dumating sa Ephrata: at nagdamdam si Raquel, at siya'y naghihirap sa panganganak.

17 At nangyari, nang siya'y naghihirap sa panganganak, na sinabi sa kaniya ng hilot, Huwag kang matakot, sapagka't magkakaroon ka ng isa pang anak na lalake.

18 At nangyari, nang nalalagot ang kaniyang hininga (sapagka't namatay siya), ay kaniyang pinanganlang Benoni: datapuwa't pinanganlan ng kaniyang ama na Benjamin.

19 At namatay si Raquel at inilibing sa daang patungo sa Ephrata (na siyang Bethlehem).

20 At nagtayo si Jacob ng isang batong pinakaalaala sa ibabaw ng kaniyang libingan: na siyang batong pinakaalaala ng libingan ni Raquel hanggang ngayon.

21 At naglakbay si Israel at iniladlad ang kaniyang tolda sa dako pa roon ng moog ng Eder.

22 At nangyari, samantalang tumatahan si Israel sa lupaing yaon, na si Ruben ay yumaon at sumiping kay Bilha, na babae ng kaniyang ama; at ito'y nabalitaan ni Israel. Labing dalawa nga ang anak na lalake ni Jacob.

23 Ang mga anak ni Lea, ay: si Ruben, na panganay ni Jacob, at si Simeon, at si Levi, at si Juda at si Issachar, at si Zabulon.

24 Ang mga anak ni Raquel, ay: si Jose at si Benjamin:

25 At ang mga anak ni Bilha, na alila ni Raquel, ay: si Dan at si Nephtali:

26 At ang mga anak ni Zilpa na alilang babae ni Lea, ay: si Gad at si Aser: ito ang mga anak ni Jacob na ipinanganak sa kaniya sa Padan-aram.

27 At naparoon si Jacob kay Isaac na kaniyang ama, sa Mamre, sa Kiriat-arba (na siyang Hebron), na doon tumahan si Abraham at si Isaac.

28 At ang mga naging araw ni Isaac ay isang daan at walong pung taon.

29 At nalagot ang hininga ni Isaac at namatay, at siya'y nalakip sa kaniyang bayan, matanda at puspos ng mga araw: at inilibing siya ng kaniyang mga anak na si Esau at si Jacob.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #1298

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1298. 'They had brick for stone' means that they had falsity in place of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'brick' as falsity, dealt with just above, and also from the meaning of 'stone' in the broad sense as truth, dealt with already in 643. The reason 'stones' meant truth was that the most ancient people used to mark out boundaries by means of stones and raise up stones to testify that something was so, that is, was the truth. This is clear from the stone which Jacob set up as a pillar, Genesis 28:22; 35:14; from the pillar of stones placed between Laban and Jacob, Genesis 31:46-47, 52; and from the altar which the children of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh erected beside the Jordan as an altar of witness, Joshua 22:10, 28, 34. Consequently 'stones' in the Word means truths, so much so that not only the stones of the altar but also the precious stones in the shoulder-pieces of Aaron's ephod and in the breastplate of judgement meant the holy truths of love.

[2] Regarding the altar, when sacrificial worship on altars was introduced, an altar in that case meant representative worship of the Lord in general. 'The stones' themselves however meant the holy truths belonging to that worship. This was why it was commanded that the altar had to be built of whole and not of hewn stones, and why it was forbidden to use any iron tool on them, Deuteronomy 27:5-7; Joshua 8:31. The reason was that hewn stones, and those on which an iron tool had been used, meant artificialities and thus fabrications in worship. That is to say, they meant things that derive from the proprium, or from the inventions of man's own thought and heart, which was to profane worship, as is clearly stated in Exodus 20:25. For the same reason no tool of iron was used on the stones of the Temple, 1 Kings 6:7.

[3] That the precious stones set in the shoulder-pieces of Aaron's ephod and in the breastplate of judgement in a similar way meant holy truths has been shown already in 114. This is clear also in Isaiah,

Behold, I will set your stones in carbuncle and lay your foundations in sapphires; and I will make your suns (windows) of ruby, and your gates into precious stones, and all your border into pleasant stones And all your sons will be taught by Jehovah, and great will be the peace of your sons. Isaiah 54:11-13

The stones mentioned here stand for holy truths, and this is why it is said that 'all your sons will be taught by Jehovah'. It is also the reason why it is said in John that the foundations of the wall of the city, holy Jerusalem, were adorned with every kind of precious stone, which are each mentioned by name, Revelation 21:19-20. 'The holy Jerusalem' stands for the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth, the foundations of which kingdom are holy truths. Holy truths were similarly meant by the tables of stone on which the commandments of the Law, or Ten Commandments, were written. This was why they were made of stone or had a stone base, concerning which see Exodus 24:12; 31:18; 34:1; Deuteronomy 5:22; 10:1; for the commandments themselves are nothing else than truths of faith.

[4] Now because stones in ancient times meant truths, and because later on when worship on pillars, on altars, and in the Temple began, pillars, altars, and the Temple meant holy truths, the Lord also is therefore called 'a Stone': In Moses,

The Mighty One of Jacob - from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel. Genesis 49:24.

In Isaiah,

The Lord Jehovih said, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a Stone, a tested Corner-Stone, precious, of sure foundation. Isaiah 28:16.

In David,

The Stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner Psalms 118:22.

The same is meant in Daniel 2:34-35, 45, by the stone cut out of the rock which smashed Nebuchadnezzar's statue to pieces.

[5] That 'stones' means truths is clear in Isaiah,

By this the iniquity of Jacob will be expiated, and this will be the full fruit to remove his sin, when He makes all the stones of the altar like chalk-stones scattered about. Isaiah 27:9.

'The stones of the altar' stands for truths in worship that have been dissipated. In the same prophet,

Make level the way of the people; level out, level out the highway; gather out the stones. Isaiah 62:10.

'The way' and 'the stones' stand for truths. In Jeremiah,

I am against you, O destroying mountain. I will roll you down from the rocks and I will make you into a mountain of burning. And they will not take from you a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations. Jeremiah 51:25-26.

This refers to Babel. 'A mountain of burning' is self-love. 'Taking no stone from it' means that there is no truth from this source.

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