5651.“把我们当奴仆，抢夺我们的驴”表直到凡存在于属世层的任一部分中的东西都变得一文不值，如同无有。这从雅各的十个儿子的代表，以及“奴仆”和“驴”的含义清楚可知：指着自己说这话的雅各的十个儿子是指属世层中的真理（参看5403，5419，5427，5458，5512节）；“奴仆”或“仆人”是指无足轻重的事物（2541节），在此是指一文不值如同无有的东西，如下文所述；“驴”是指属世层中的事物，即记忆知识（5492节），在此是指外层属世层中的记忆知识，因为“雅各的儿子们”所表示的真理在内层属世层中。
至于凡存在于属世层的任一部分中的东西都变得一文不值，如同无有，情况是这样：为叫人能变得属灵，他的属世层必须变得一文不值，如同无有；也就是说，它必须不再有它自己的任何能力；因为属世层拥有自己的任何能力到什么程度，属灵层就缺乏能力到什么程度。自孩提起，属世层就没有获得别的野心，只获得了源于自我和世界的欲望的野心，因而充满违背仁爱的野心。这些邪恶的野心阻止了经由内在人从主而来的良善的流注，因为凡流入之物在属世层里面都被转变为邪恶，而属世层是所流入之物止于其中的最后层面。因此，若非属世层，即形成属世层的邪恶与虚假变得一文不值，如同无有，良善绝无可能经由天堂从主流入。它在那里找不到居所，而是会消散；因为它不可能留在邪恶与虚假中。正因如此，只要属世层不变得一文不值，如同无有，内在就依旧关闭。在教会，这也是从以下教义为人所知的事，即：必须脱去旧人，好披上新人。
重生无非是属世层变得顺服，属灵层掌权，成为它的主人；当属世层变得与属灵层相对应时，它就变得顺服了。当属世层变得相对应时，它就不再进行反作用，而是照所吩咐它的行动，服从属灵层，几乎就像身体行为服从意愿的命令和呼召，或如同言语和面部表情顺应流入它们的思维。由此明显可知，为了人变得属灵，就其意愿能力而言，他的属世层必须变得一文不值，如同无有。
但要知道，必须变得一文不值，如同无有的，是旧的属世层，因为这旧的属世层是由邪恶和虚假形成的。一旦它变得一文不值，如同无有，此人就会被赋予一个新的属世层，该属世层被称为属灵的属世层；被称为属灵是因为这一事实：属灵层就是那通过它行动，并通过它显现的，如同原因通过结果行动和显现。众所周知，原因是结果的全部。因此，就思维活动、意愿和产生结果而言，新的属世层无非是属灵层的代表。当这新的属世层形成时，人就会从主接受良善；当接受良善时，他就被赋予真理；当被赋予真理时，他就在聪明和智慧上得以完善；当在聪明和智慧上得以完善时，他就享有永远的幸福。
Potts(1905-1910) 5651
5651. And take us for servants, and our asses. That this signifies until whatever is in both naturals be as nothing, is evident from the representation of Jacob's ten sons, who say this of themselves, as being truths in the natural (see n. 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512); and from the signification of "servants," as being things of slight importance (n. 2541), here of none at all (of which in what follows); and from the signification of "asses," as being things in the natural which are memory-knowledges (n. 5492), here in the exterior natural, because the truths signified by "Jacob's sons" are in the interior natural. [2] In regard to whatever is in both naturals being as nothing the case is this. In order that a man may become spiritual, his natural must become as nothing, that is, be able to do nothing whatever of itself, because insofar as the natural is able of itself, so far the spiritual is not able; for the natural has imbibed from infancy nothing else than the things of the cupidities of self and of the world, thus those which are contrary to charity. These evils prevent the influx of good through the internal man from the Lord, for whatever flows in is turned in the natural into evil, the natural being the plane in which the influx terminates. And therefore unless the natural (that is, the evil and falsity which have formed it) becomes as nothing, good cannot possibly flow in through heaven from the Lord. It has no abiding place, but is dissipated; for it cannot stay in evil and falsity. It is for this reason that the internal is closed so long as the natural does not become as nothing. This also is known in the church from the doctrine that the old man must be put off in order that the new may be put on. [3] Regeneration is nothing else than that the natural be subjugated, and the spiritual obtain the dominion; and the natural is subjugated when it is reduced to correspondence. When the natural has been reduced to correspondence, it does not react any more, but acts as it is commanded, and obeys the spiritual, almost as the acts of the body obey the behest of the will, and as the speech, together with the expression of the face, conforms to the influx of the thought. From this it is plain that for a man to become spiritual the natural must needs become as nothing whatever in respect to willing. [4] But be it known that it is the old natural that must become as nothing, because this has been formed from evils and falsities; and when it has become as nothing the man is then gifted with a new natural, which is called the spiritual natural-spiritual from the fact that the spiritual is what acts through it, and manifests itself through it, as the cause through the effect. It is known that the cause is everything of the effect. Hence the new natural in its thinking, willing, and producing effect, is nothing else than the representative of the spiritual. When this comes to pass the man receives good from the Lord; and when he receives good he is gifted with truths; and when he is gifted with truths he is perfected in intelligence and wisdom; and when he is perfected in intelligence and wisdom he is blessed with happiness to eternity.
Elliott(1983-1999) 5651
5651. 'And take us as slaves, and our asses' means even to the point where whatever exists in either part of the natural is of no worth. This is clear from the representation of the ten sons of Jacob - who say this about themselves - as the truths in the natural, dealt with in 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512; from the meaning of 'slaves' or 'servants' as things own power and control, which in this case which are of little value, 2541, in this case those that are of no worth, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'asses' as what was present in the natural, namely factual knowledge, dealt with in 5922, in this case facts present in the exterior natural since the truths meant by 'the sons of Jacob' reside in the interior natural.
[2] The implications of this, that whatever exists in either part of the natural is of no worth, are as follows: If a person is to become spiritual his natural must come to be of no worth, that is, it must cease to have any power that is essentially its own; for to the extent that the natural has any power of its own the spiritual lacks it. Since earliest childhood the natural has been acquiring no other ambitions than those that spring from selfish and worldly desires, thus ones that are the opposite of charity. These evil ambitions make it impossible for good to flow in from the Lord by way of the internal man; for whatever flows in is turned within the natural into what is evil, the natural being the final level into which what is inflowing goes. Consequently unless the natural, that is, the evil and falsity that have been giving shape to the natural, comes to be of no worth, no good can possibly flow in from the Lord by way of heaven. It finds no dwelling-place there and is dissipated, for it cannot stay in what is evil and false. For this reason the internal remains closed to the extent that the natural fails to become of no worth. This is something known within the Church from the teaching that one should put off the old man in order that one may put
[3] Regeneration consists in nothing else than the natural being made subservient and the spiritual becoming its lord; and the natural is made subservient when it is made to correspond to the spiritual. Once the natural is made to correspond it is no longer reactionary but acts as it is commanded, answering the beck and call of the spiritual, almost as the actions of the body are answers to the beck and call of the will, or as speech and facial expressions conform to the thought flowing into them. From this it is evident that for a person to become spiritual, his natural must come to be, so far as his power of will is concerned, of no on the new.a
[4] But it should be realized that it is the old natural that must come to be of no worth, since it is shaped by evils and falsities. Once it has been made of no worth the person is endowed with a new natural, called the spiritual, natural. This is called spiritual because the spiritual is what acts by means of it and also makes itself known through it, in the way a cause does through its effect - the cause, as is well known, being the entire reason for the effect. Consequently the new natural, so far as the activities of thought, will, and putting into effect are concerned, is nothing else than the representative of the spiritual. When this new natural comes into being a person receives good from the Lord; when worth whatsoever he receives that good truths are conferred on him; when those truths are conferred on him his intelligence and wisdom are made more perfect; and when his intelligence and wisdom are made more perfect he is blessed with happiness that lasts for ever.
Latin(1748-1756) 5651
5651. `Et ad sumendum nos {1}in' servos, et asinos nostros': quod significet usque ut quicquid in utroque naturali nihili sit, constat ex repraesentatione `decem filiorum Jacobi' qui haec de se loquuntur, quod sint vera in naturali, de qua n. 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512; ex significatione `servorum' quod sint levia,{2} n. (x)2541, hic nihili, de quo sequitur; et ex significatione `asinorum' quod sint illa quae in naturali, quae sunt scientifica, de qua n. 5492, hic in naturali exteriore quia vera quae significantur per `filios Jacobi', sunt{3} in naturali interiore. [2]Cum hoc quod quicquid in utroque naturali nihili {4}sit, ita se habet: ut homo spiritualis fiat, oportet ut naturale ejus nihili fiat, hoc est, ut prorsus nihil ex se possit; quantum enim naturale ex se potest, tantum spirituale non potest; naturale enim ab infantia nihil aliud imbuerat quam quae sunt cupiditatum sui et mundi, ita contraria charitati; haec mala faciunt ut bonum per internum hominem a Domino influere nequeat, nam quicquid influit, in naturali vertitur {5}in malum; est naturale planum in quo terminatur influxus; quapropter nisi naturale, hoc est, malum et falsum quae {6}formaverant naturale, nihili fiat, nequaquam potest bonum {7}per caelum a Domino influere; non habet hospitium sed dissipatur, in malo enim et falso morari non potest; inde est quod tantum claudatur internum quantum naturale non fit nihil; notum hoc quoque est in Ecclesia ex doctrinali quod vetus homo exuendus ut novus induatur; [3]regeneratio non aliud est quam ut naturale subjugetur, et spirituale dominium obtineat; et tunc subjugatur naturale, cum ad correspondentiam redigitur; cumque naturale ad correspondentiam redactum est, tunc non reagit magis sed agit sicut imperatur et sequitur ad nutum spiritualis, vix aliter quam actus corporis sequuntur ad nutum voluntatis, ac loquela cum facie {8}secundum influxum cogitationis; inde patet quod naturale prorsus nihili fieri debeat quoad velle ut homo spiritualis fiat. [4]Sed sciendum quod vetus naturale nihili fiet, hoc enim formatum est a malis et falsis, cumque id nihili factum est, tunc donatur homo novo naturali, quod vocatur naturale spirituale, spirituale {9} ex eo quia spirituale est quod agit per illud, seque manifestat per illud, sicut causa per effectum; notum est quod causa sit omne effectus; inde naturale novum quoad cogitare, {10}velle, et effectum agere, non est nisi quam repraesentativum spiritualis; cum hoc fit, tunc (t)homo recipit bonum a Domino, et cum recipit bonum, donatur is veris, et cum donatur veris, perficitur intelligentia et sapientia, et cum {11}perficitur intelligentia et sapientia, beatur felicitate in aeternum. @1 See p. 243, ftnote n. 4$ @2 i de qua$ @3 i quae$ @4 sint A I$ @5 i tunc$ @6 formaverat$ @7 e caelo$ @8 ad$ @9 i vocatur$ @10 et velle, tum$ @11 his perficitur$