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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#6073

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6073. 'What are your works?' means regarding duties and services. This is clear from the meaning of 'works' as forms of good, dealt with in 6048, thus useful services and duties, for these are forms of good. Every good that is called a good of charity consists in nothing other than useful service, and useful services are nothing other than works done for one's neighbour, country, Church, and the Lord's kingdom. Regarded essentially charity does not actually become charity until it passes into action and becomes a work; for loving someone but not doing anything good for him when the possibility exists is not really loving him. Doing good for him when the possibility exists, and doing it with all one's heart, is loving him; for then the actual deed or work contains all that constitutes charity towards him. For works embrace every aspect of charity and faith present with a person and are called forms of spiritual good, made such through the exercise of charity, that is, through useful services.

[2] Because the angels in heaven are governed by good received from the Lord, they have no greater desire than to perform useful services. These are the very delights of their life, and in the measure that they perform useful services they enjoy blessing and happiness, 453, 696, 997, 3645.

This is also the Lord's teaching in Matthew,

The Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father together with His angels, and at that time He will repay everyone according to his works. Matthew 16:17.

'Works' is not used here to mean works such as they are in outward appearance but such as they appear inwardly - that is to say, what kind of charity they hold within them. Angels do not look on works in any other way.

[3] Furthermore, since works are a combination of every aspect of charity and faith present with a person, and since life causes charity to be charity and faith to be faith, and so to be good, John was loved more than the other disciples by the Lord and leaned on His breast at the Last Supper, John 21:20. For that disciple represented the good deeds or works of charity, see the Prefaces to Genesis 18, 22. For the same reason the Lord said to him Follow Me; He did not say it to Peter, 1 who represented faith, see those same Prefaces, and this led faith, which is Peter, to be indignant and say,

Lord, but what about this man? Jesus said to Him, If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You, follow Me. John 21:19, 11-23.

This was also a prediction that faith would come to despise works, even though the Lord associates Himself with them, as may also be seen quite clearly from the Lord's words addressed to the sheep and the goats at Matthew 25, where nothing else than works are listed in Verses Matthew 25:34-46. The fact that faith would disown the Lord is evident from the representation by Peter in his denial of Him three times, [Matthew 26:34.] His denial 'at night' means the final period of the Church when no charity would exist any longer, 6000; his denial 'three times' means that at that point the final period would be complete, 1825, 2788, 4495, 5159; and 'before the cock crowed' means before a new phase of the Church had arrived, for twilight and morning which follow night mean the first phase of a Church, 2405, 5962.

脚注:

1. The words "Follow Me" at John 21:22 were clearly addressed to Peter. What Swedenborg intended to say is not clear to the translator.

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