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创世记第47章

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1 约瑟进去告诉法老:我的父亲和我的弟兄带着羊群牛群,并一切所有的,从迦南来了,如今在歌珊

2 约瑟从他弟兄中挑出五个人来,引他们去见法老

3 法老问约瑟的弟兄:你们以可事为业?他们对法老:你仆人是牧的,连我们的祖宗也是牧的。

4 他们又对法老迦南的饥荒甚大,仆人的羊群没有吃,所以我们到这寄居。现在求你容仆人歌珊

5 法老对约瑟:你父亲和你弟兄到你这里来了

6 埃及都在你面前,只管叫你父亲和你弟兄在国中最好的;他们可以歌珊。你若知道他们中间有甚麽能人,就派他们看管我的牲畜。

7 约瑟领他父亲雅各进到法老面前,雅各就给法老祝福

8 法老雅各:你平生的年日是多少呢?

9 雅各法老:我寄居在世的年日是一三十岁,我平生的年日又少又苦,不及我列祖早在世寄居的年日。

10 雅各又给法老祝福,就从法老面前出去了。

11 约瑟遵着法老的命,把埃及国最好的,就是兰塞境内的父亲和弟兄居住,作为产业。

12 约瑟用粮食奉养他父亲和他弟兄,并他父亲全家的眷属,都是照各家的人奉养他们。

13 饥荒甚大,全都绝了粮,甚至埃及迦南的人因那饥荒的缘故都饿昏了。

14 约瑟收聚了埃及迦南所有的子,就是众人籴粮的子,约瑟就把那法老的宫里。

15 埃及迦南子都花尽了,埃及众人都见约瑟,我们子都用尽了,求你给我们粮食,我们为甚麽在你面前呢?

16 约瑟:若是子用尽了,可以把你们的牲畜我,我就为你们的牲畜你们粮食。

17 於是他们把牲畜赶到约瑟那里,约瑟就拿粮食换了他们的;那一年因换他们一切的牲畜,就用粮食养活他们。

18 那一年过去,第二年他们又见约瑟,:我们不瞒我,我们的子都花尽了,牲畜也都归了我。我们在我眼前,除了我们的身体和田地之外,一无所剩。

19 你何忍见我们地荒呢?求你用粮食买我们我们的地,我们我们的地就要法老效力。又求你我们种子,使我们得以存活,不至亡,地土也不至荒凉。

20 於是,约瑟为法老买了埃及所有的埃及人因被饥荒所迫,各都了自己的田;那就都归了法老

21 至於百姓,约瑟叫他们,从埃及这边直到埃及那边,都各归各城。

22 惟有祭司的地,约瑟没有买,因为祭司有从法老所得的常俸。他们法老的常俸,所以他们不自己的地。

23 约瑟对百姓:我今日为法老买了你们和你们的地,看哪,这里有种子给你们,你们可以种地。

24 後来打粮食的时候,你们要把五分之一纳法老分可以归你们做地里的种子,也做你们和你们家口孩童的食物。

25 他们:你我们的性命。但愿我们在我眼前蒙恩,我们就作法老的仆人

26 於是约瑟为埃及地定下常例,直到今日:法老必得五分之一,惟独祭司的地不归法老

27 以色列人埃及歌珊。他们在那里置了产业,并且生育甚多。

28 雅各住在埃及十七年,雅各平生的年日是一十七岁。

29 以色列的期临近了,他就了他儿子约瑟来,:我若在你眼前蒙恩,请你把放在我大腿,用慈爱和诚实待我,请你不要将我葬在埃及

30 我与我祖我父同睡的时候,你要将我带出埃及,葬在他们所葬的地方。约瑟:我必遵着你的命而行。

31 雅各:你要向我起誓。约瑟就向他起了誓,於是以色列上(或作扶着杖)敬拜神。

   

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Arcana Coelestia#2838

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2838. 'As it is said today' means that which is perpetual. This is clear from the meaning of 'today' in the Word, dealt with below. One frequently reads in the Word the phrase 'even to this day (or today)', as in what has gone before,

He is the father of Moab even to this day, and the father of Ammon even to this day. Genesis 19:37-38; and in what appears later on,

The name of the city is Beersheba even to this day. Genesis 26:33; also,

The children of Israel do not eat the sinew of that which was displaced, which is on the hollow of the thigh, even to this day. Genesis 32:32; as well as,

This is the pillar of Rachel's grave even to [this] day. Genesis 35:20.

Joseph made it a statute even to this day. Genesis 47:26.

In the historical sense 'to this day' and 'today' refer to the time when Moses was alive, but in the internal sense these expressions mean perpetuity and eternity of state. 'Day' means state, see 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, and so therefore does 'today', which is the present time. That which in the world is temporal is in heaven eternal. To give the meaning of that which is eternal, the expression today or else to this day has been added, though to those who are aware only of the historical sense it does not appear to embody anything further. Similar usages of these expressions occur elsewhere in the Word, such as Joshua 4:9; 6:25; 7:26; Judges 1:21, 26; and in other places.

[2] That 'today' means that which is perpetual and eternal may be seen in David,

I will tell of the statute: Jehovah has said to me, You are My Son; today I have begotten You. Psalms 2:7.

Here 'today' plainly stands for that which is eternal. In the same author,

For ever, O Jehovah, Your Word is fixed in the heavens, Your truth to generation after generation. You have established the earth and it stands. As for Your judgements they stand [even] today. Psalms 119:89-91.

Here also 'today' plainly stands for that which is eternal. In Jeremiah,

Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you, and before you came out of the womb I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. I have set you this day (today) over nations and over kingdoms; and I have made you today into a fortified city, and into a pillar of iron, and into walls of bronze. Jeremiah 1:5, 10, 18.

This refers in the sense of the letter to Jeremiah, but in the internal sense the Lord is meant. 'I have set you this day (or today) over nations and over kingdoms, and I have made you today into a fortified city' means from eternity. In regard to the Lord one can only speak of that which is eternal.

[3] In Moses,

You are standing today, all of you, before Jehovah your God, so that you may enter into the covenant of Jehovah your God, and into His oath, which Jehovah your God is making with you today, that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He will be God to you. Not indeed with you alone [do I make it], but with those who stand with us here today before Jehovah our God, and with those who are not with us today. Deuteronomy 29:10, 12-15.

Here in the sense of the letter 'today' means that present time when

Moses addressed the people. Yet it is clear that it nevertheless implies subsequent times and what is perpetual; for making a covenant with anyone, and with those who were there and with those who were not, implies that which is perpetual. Perpetuity itself is what is meant in the internal sense.

[4] That 'daily' and 'today' mean that which is perpetual is clear also from the sacrifice that was offered each day. This sacrifice, because of what is meant by day, daily, and today, was called the continual, or perpetual, sacrifice, Numbers 28:3, 23; Daniel 8:13; 11:31; 12:11. This may be even more plainly evident from the manna which rained from heaven, spoken of in Moses as follows,

Behold, I am causing bread to rain from heaven, and the people shall go out and gather a portion day by day. And they shall not leave any of it until the morning. That which they did leave until the morning bred worms and went rotten, except that gathered on the day before the Sabbath. Exodus 16:4, 19-20, 23.

This happened because 'the manna' meant the Lord's Divine Human, John 6:31-32, 49-50, 58, and because the Lord's Divine Human meant heavenly food, which is nothing other than love and charity, together with the goods and truths of faith. In heaven the Lord imparts this food to angels moment by moment, thus perpetually and eternally, see 2193. This is also what is meant in the Lord's Prayer by the petition, Give us today our daily bread, Matthew 6:11; Luke 11:3, that is, in every moment for evermore.

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