创世记 37
1 雅各住在迦南地，就是他父亲寄居的地。
Jacob settled down and lived in Canaan as his father had done.
2 雅各的记略如下。 约瑟十七岁与他哥哥们一同牧羊。他是个童子，与他父亲的妾辟拉、悉帕的儿子们常在一处。约瑟将他哥哥们的恶行报给他们的父亲。
This is the story of Jacob and his family. Joseph was seventeen, and helped look after the flock with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph told his father about some of the bad things his brothers were doing.
3 以色列原来爱约瑟过于爱他的众子，因为约瑟是他年老生的；他给约瑟做了一件彩衣。
Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him when he was already old. He made a colorful robe with long sleeves for Joseph.
4 约瑟的哥哥们见父亲爱约瑟过于爱他们，就恨约瑟，不与他说和睦的话。
When his brothers noticed that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and had nothing good to say about him.
5 约瑟做了一梦，告诉他哥哥们，他们就越发恨他。
Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.
6 约瑟对他们说：“请听我所做的梦：
“Listen to this dream I had,” he told them.
7 我们在田里捆禾稼，我的捆起来站着，你们的捆来围着我的捆下拜。”
“We were tying up bundles of grain out in the fields when all of a sudden my bundle stood up, and your bundles came over and bowed down to it.”
8 他的哥哥们回答说：“难道你真要作我们的王吗？难道你真要管辖我们吗？”他们就因为他的梦和他的话越发恨他。
“Do you really think you're going to be our king?” they asked. “Do you honestly believe you're going to rule over us?” They hated him even more because of his dream and how he described it.
9 后来他又做了一梦，也告诉他的哥哥们说：“看哪，我又做了一梦，梦见太阳、月亮，与十一个星向我下拜。”
Then he had another dream told his brothers about it. “Listen, I had another dream,” he explained. “The sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down before me.”
10 约瑟将这梦告诉他父亲和他哥哥们，他父亲就责备他说：“你做的这是什么梦！难道我和你母亲、你弟兄果然要来俯伏在地，向你下拜吗？”
He also told his father as well as his brothers, and his father told him off, saying, “What's this dream that you've had? Are we—I and your mother and brothers—really going to come and bow down to the ground before you?”
11 他哥哥们都嫉妒他，他父亲却把这话存在心里。
Joseph's brothers became jealous of him, but his father puzzled over the meaning of the dream.
12 约瑟的哥哥们往示剑去放他们父亲的羊。
One day Joseph's brothers took their father's flocks to graze near Shechem.
13 以色列对约瑟说：“你哥哥们不是在示剑放羊吗？你来，我要打发你往他们那里去。”约瑟说：“我在这里。”
Israel told Joseph, “Your brothers are looking after the sheep near Shechem. Get ready because I want you to go and see them.” “I'll do it,” Joseph replied.
14 以色列说：“你去看看你哥哥们平安不平安，群羊平安不平安，就回来报信给我”；于是打发他出希伯 谷，他就往示剑去了。
So he told him, “Off you go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing, and come back and let me know.” So he sent him off. Joseph set out from the Hebron Valley,
15 有人遇见他在田野走迷了路，就问他说：“你找什么？”
and arrived in Shechem. A man there found him wandering about in the field, so he asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 他说：“我找我的哥哥们，求你告诉我，他们在何处放羊。”
“I'm looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they're looking after the flock?”
17 那人说：“他们已经走了，我听见他们说要往多坍去。”约瑟就去追赶他哥哥们，遇见他们在多坍。
“They've already left,” the man replied. “I heard them say, ‘Let's go to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers and caught up with them at Dothan.
18 他们远远地看见他，趁他还没有走到跟前，大家就同谋要害死他，
But they saw him coming way off in the distance, and before he got to them, they made plans to kill him.
19 彼此说：“你看！那做梦的来了。
“Look, here comes the Lord of Dreams!” they said to each other.
20 来吧！我们将他杀了，丢在一个坑里，就说有恶兽把他吃了。我们且看他的梦将来怎么样。”
“Come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We'll say that some wild animal has eaten him. Then we'll see what happens to his dreams!”
21 吕便听见了，要救他脱离他们的手，说：“我们不可害他的性命”；
When Reuben heard all this, he tried to save Joseph from them.
22 又说：“不可流他的血，可以把他丢在这野地的坑里，不可下手害他。”吕便的意思是要救他脱离他们的手，把他归还他的父亲。
“Let's not attack and kill him,” he suggested. “Don't murder him, just throw him into this pit here in the desert. You don't need to be guilty of violence.” Reuben said this so that he could come back later and rescue Joseph from them and take him home to his father.
23 约瑟到了他哥哥们那里，他们就剥了他的外衣，就是他穿的那件彩衣，
So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off his robe—the colorful long-sleeved robe he was wearing—
24 把他丢在坑里；那坑是空的，里头没有水。
grabbed him and threw him into a pit. (The pit was empty—it didn't have any water in it.)
25 他们坐下吃饭，举目观看，见有一伙米甸 的以实玛利人从基列来，用骆驼驮着香料、乳香、没药，要带下埃及去。
They were just sitting down to have a meal when they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic spices, balm, and myrrh to take to Egypt.
26 犹大对众弟兄说：“我们杀我们的兄弟，藏了他的血有什么益处呢？
“What's the point of killing our brother?” Judah asked his brothers. “Then we'd have to cover up his death!
27 我们不如将他卖给以实玛利人，不可下手害他；因为他是我们的兄弟，我们的骨肉。”众弟兄就听从了他。
Instead, why don't we sell him to these Ishmaelites? We don't have to kill him. After all he's our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
28 有些米甸的商人从那里经过，哥哥们就把约瑟从坑里拉上来，讲定二十舍客勒银子，把约瑟卖给以实玛利人。他们就把约瑟带到埃及去了。
So when the Ishmaelites (who were traders from Midian) came by, they pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites took him to Egypt.
29 吕便回到坑边，见约瑟不在坑里，就撕裂衣服，
When Reuben came back later and looked into the pit, Joseph was gone. He tore his clothes in grief.
30 回到兄弟们那里，说：“童子没有了。我往哪里去才好呢？”
He returned to his brothers. “The boy's gone!” he moaned. “What am I going to do now?”
31 他们宰了一只公山羊，把约瑟的那件彩衣染了血，
They slaughtered a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in the blood.
32 打发人送到他们的父亲那里，说：“我们捡了这个；请认一认是你儿子的外衣不是？”
Then they sent the colorful robe to their father with the message, “We found this. Please examine it and see if it's your son's robe or not.”
33 他认得，就说：“这是我儿子的外衣。有恶兽把他吃了，约瑟被撕碎了！撕碎了！”
His father recognized it right away and said, “This is my son's robe! Some wild animal must have eaten him. Poor Joseph has been ripped to pieces, no doubt about it!”
34 雅各便撕裂衣服，腰间围上麻布，为他儿子悲哀了多日。
Jacob tore his clothes in grief and dressed in sackcloth. He mourned the death of his son for a long time.
All his sons and daughters tried to console him, but he rejected their attempts. “No,” he said, “I will go down into my grave mourning for my son.” So Joseph's father went on weeping for him. (Sheol h7585)
36 米甸人带约瑟到埃及，把他卖给法老的内臣—护卫长波提乏。
In the meantime the Ishmaelites had arrived in Egypt and had sold Joseph to Potiphar. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh's officers, the captain of the guard.
