3982.“又说，请你定你的工价，我就给你”表它要凭自己给予所渴望的。这是显而易见的，无需解释。到目前为止所提到的事具有诸如无法轻易解释、清楚理解的性质。一个原因是，心智无法瞬间从关于拉班和雅各的历史画面转到内义上所论述的属灵事物那里；因为历史画面总是萦绕心头，充满人的思想观念；然而它必须完全消退，以便非历史的事能以一个系列和联系被理解。目前为止所提到的事无法解释清楚的另一个原因是，人必需对拉班和雅各这两个人所代表的良善种类有一个清晰的概念。必须记住，拉班所代表的良善具有这样的性质：它的用处是有限的，仅用来引入纯正的良善与真理；一旦履行完这有用的服务，它就被丢弃。该良善的性质早已描述过：它就像刚成形的果实的未成熟部分。汁液通过这未成熟部分被引入；一旦未成熟部分达到目的，它就会逝去，果实则通过其它纤维、最后通过输送真正汁液的纤维而成熟。
众所周知，人在童年早期和晚期会学习很多东西，唯一的目的就是为了通过如同工具的它们学到更有用的东西，然后再通过这些学到还要更加有用的东西，直到最后学到与永生相关的东西；当他学到后者时，早先学到的东西就几乎被抹掉了。当某人正从主新生时，他以同样的方式被对良善与真理的各种情感所引领，这些情感并不是对纯正良善与真理的情感，只是有用处，能使人理解纯正的，然后使人能吸收它们。一旦他吸收了它们，先前的情感就会被遗忘并丢弃，因为它们只是充当工具。这也适用于“拉班”所表示的旁系良善之于“雅各”，以及下文所说的每个“羊群”所表示的真理的良善。
这些就是包含在这些话和接下来的那些话里面的奥秘，不过，它们是以历史的形式来传达的，以便连孩子和简单人也能津津有味地阅读圣言，好叫他们在以历史意义为乐时，与他们同在的天使能进入内在意义的圣洁中；因为内在意义适合天使的聪明，而外在意义则适合世人的聪明。世人便是以这种方式与天使相联系，尽管他对此一无所知，只是从这种联系中觉察到一种伴随神圣感的快乐。
Potts(1905-1910) 3982
3982. And he said, Signify to me thy reward, and I will give it. That this signifies that it would of itself give that which was desired, may be seen without explication. What has been said thus far is of such a nature as cannot be unfolded to the understanding in a clear manner, not only because the mind cannot be turned away in a moment from the historicals about Laban and Jacob to the spiritual things that are treated of in the internal sense (for the historical meaning always adheres and fills the idea, and yet must become null in order that what is not historical may be comprehended in a series and connection), but also because it is necessary to have a clear notion of the goods represented by both Laban and Jacob; and it must be remembered that the good represented by Laban is of such a nature as to be useful merely to introduce genuine goods and truths; and that when it has performed this useful service it is left behind. The quality of this good has already been described. It is like what is immature in unripe fruits, by means of which the juice is introduced; and when it has served this purpose it is afterwards absorbed, and the fruit ripens by means of other fibers, and at last by those of the genuine juice. [2] It is known that a man learns many things in infancy and childhood for the sole use that by them as means he may learn those which are more useful; and successively by these such as are still more useful, until at last he learns those of eternal life; and when he learns these, the former are almost blotted out. In like manner when a man is being born anew by the Lord, he is led by various affections of good and truth which are not affections of genuine good and truth, but are of use merely to enable us to apprehend these, and then to enable us to become imbued with them; and when this has been done the previous affections are forgotten and left behind, because they had served merely as means. The case is the same with the collateral good signified by "Laban," in respect to the good of truth signified by "Jacob," as well as by the "flock" of each (concerning which hereafter). [3] These are the arcana contained in these words and in those which follow; but they are delivered in an historical form in order that the Word may be read with delight, even by children and by simple-minded persons, to the end that when they are in holy delight from the historical sense, the angels who are with them may be in the holiness of the internal sense; for this sense is adapted to the intelligence of the angels, while the external sense is adapted to that of men. By this means there is a consociation of man with the angels, of which the man knows nothing at all, but only perceives a kind of delight from it that is attended with a holy feeling.
Elliott(1983-1999) 3982
3982. 'And he said, Indicate your wages to me, and I will give them' means that it would of itself impart that which was desired. This becomes clear without explanation. The things that have been mentioned up to now are not such as can be explained easily and intelligibly. One reason for this is that the mind cannot be turned away instantaneously from the historical details concerning Laban and Jacob to the spiritual matters which are the subject in the internal sense; for the historical picture always lingers and fills one's whole mental view, and yet it must completely fade so to speak, in order that things which are not historical may be comprehended in a connected sequence. Another reason why the things mentioned up to now cannot be explained intelligibly is that one needs to have a clear conception of the types of good which the two of them - Laban and Jacob - represent. And one also needs to know that the good which Laban represents is such that it is of limited use - namely me use it serves to introduce genuine truths and goods; and that once it has performed that use it is discarded. The nature of that good has been discussed already. It is like the unripe part of fruits when they are first formed. Through that which is unripe, juice is introduced, and once the unripe part has served its purpose it passes away and the fruits ripen by means of other fibres, and at length by means of the fibres carrying the real juice.
[2] It is well known that a person learns many things in early and later childhood, the sole purpose being that through them as means he may learn things that are more useful, and then through these, things that are more useful still, until finally he learns those that have to do with eternal life; and that when he learns the latter the earlier things he has learnt are virtually obliterated. In a similar way when somebody is being born anew from the Lord he is led by means of many affections for good and truth which are not affections for genuine good and truth but those which enable him to have a mental grasp of the genuine and after that to be endued with them. Once he has been endued with them the previous things sink into oblivion and are discarded, because they have served solely as means. The same also applies to the parallel good meant by 'Laban' in relation to the good of truth meant by 'Jacob', and also by each one's flock, dealt with below.
[3] These are the arcana contained in these words and those that follow, but they have been conveyed within a historical description so that the Word may be read with pleasure even by children and by the simple - the end in view being that when these persons take delight in the historical sense the angels present with them may enter into the holiness of the internal sense; for the internal sense is suited to the intelligence of angels, while the external sense is suited to that of men. In this way man is in fellowship with angels, though he is not directly conscious of it. All that he perceives from that fellowship is a kind of delight in which holiness is present.
Latin(1748-1756) 3982
3982. `Et dixit, Designa mercedem tuam super me, et dabo illam':quod significet quod ex se daret quod vellet, constare potest absque explicatione. Quae hactenus dicta sunt, talia sunt {1}quae ad intellectum clare explicari nequeunt, tam quia mens ab historicis de Labane et Jacobo non deflecti potest momento ad spiritualia, de quibus in sensu interno {2}agitur, historicum enim semper adhaeret, et implet ideam, quod tamen quasi nullum erit, ut comprehendantur in serie quae non historica sunt, quam quia notio clara habenda erit de bonis illis quae per utrumque, nempe `Labanem et Jacobum' repraesentantur, et quod bonum quod repraesentatur per `Labanem sit tale quod modo bonum utile sit, nempe ad introducendum vera et bona genuina, et cum utilitatem illam praestiterit, dein relinquatur: de illo bono quale sit, prius actum est; se habet sicut immaturum quid in primis fructibus, per quod succus introducitur, quod cum inserviverit, postea marcescit, et fructus maturescunt per alias fibras, et tandem per fibras succi genuini;
notum est quod homo in infantia et pueritia plura discat, ob illum solum usum ut per illa ut per media discat utiliora, et successive per haec adhuc utiliora, usque demum illa quae sunt vitae aeternae, et cum haec discit, quod priora paene obliterentur: similiter ducitur homo cum e novo nascitur a Domino, per affectiones boni et veri plures quae non sunt affectiones boni et veri genuini, sed modo utiles ad capienda illa, dein ad imbuenda illa, quibus cum homo imbutus est, tunc oblivioni dantur priora et relinquuntur, quia solum pro mediis inserviverant: ita quoque se habet cum bono collaterali quod significatur per `Labanem,' respective ad bonum veri quod significatur per `Jacobum,' ut et per gregem utriusque, de quibus in sequentibus. [3] Haec arcana sunt quae continentur in his et in sequentibus, sed historice tradita sunt ut Verbum cum delectatione legatur, etiam a pueris et simplicibus, ob finem ut cum illi in sancto jucundo ex sensu historico sunt, angeli apud illos in sanctitate sensus interni sint, qui, nempe sensus internus, adaequatus est intelligentiae angelicae, {3}cum sensus externus adaequatus intelligentiae humanae, inde consociatio hominis cum angelis, quod homo prorsus nescit, sed modo percipit inde quoddam jucundum, in quo sanctum. @1 ut$ @2 i hic$ @3 sensus enim$