創世記 37
1 雅各住在迦南地，就是他父親寄居的地。
Jacob continued to live in the Canaan region where his father had lived previously.
2 雅各的記略如下。 約瑟十七歲與他哥哥們一同牧羊。他是個童子，與他父親的妾辟拉、悉帕的兒子們常在一處。約瑟將他哥哥們的惡行報給他們的父親。
(This is/I will now tell you) what happened to Jacob’s family. When his son Joseph was 17 years old, he was taking care of the flocks of sheep and goats with some of his older brothers. They were sons of his father’s (concubines/female slaves that he had taken to be his secondary wives). Joseph sometimes told his father about bad things that his brothers were doing.
3 以色列原來愛約瑟過於愛他的眾子，因為約瑟是他年老生的；他給約瑟做了一件彩衣。
Jacob loved Joseph more than he loved any of his other children, because Joseph had been born when Jacob was an old man. Jacob made for Joseph a long pretty robe that had long sleeves.
4 約瑟的哥哥們見父親愛約瑟過於愛他們，就恨約瑟，不與他說和睦的話。
When Joseph’s older brothers realized that their father loved him more than he loved any of them, they hated him. They never spoke kindly to him.
5 約瑟做了一夢，告訴他哥哥們，他們就越發恨他。
One night Joseph had a dream. He told his brothers about the dream.
6 約瑟對他們說：「請聽我所做的夢：
He said to them, “Listen to the dream I had!
7 我們在田裏捆禾稼，我的捆起來站着，你們的捆來圍着我的捆下拜。」
In the dream, we were tying up bundles of wheat in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight, and surprisingly, your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it!”
8 他的哥哥們回答說：「難道你真要作我們的王嗎？難道你真要管轄我們嗎？」他們就因為他的夢和他的話越發恨他。
His brothers said to him, “Do you think that some day you will rule over us? Are you [saying that some day] you are going to be our king?” [RHQ] They hated him even more than before because of what he had told them about his dream.
9 後來他又做了一夢，也告訴他的哥哥們說：「看哪，我又做了一夢，夢見太陽、月亮，與十一個星向我下拜。」
Later he had another dream, and again he told his older brothers about it. He said, “Listen to this! I had another dream. In this dream, the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me!”
10 約瑟將這夢告訴他父親和他哥哥們，他父親就責備他說：「你做的這是甚麼夢！難道我和你母親、你弟兄果然要來俯伏在地，向你下拜嗎？」
He also told his father about it. His father rebuked him, saying “What are you suggesting by that dream [RHQ]? Do you think it means that your mother and I and your older brothers will some day bow down to the ground in front of you?” [RHQ]
11 他哥哥們都嫉妒他，他父親卻把這話存在心裏。
Joseph’s older brothers were furious/angry with him, but his father just kept thinking about what the dream meant.
12 約瑟的哥哥們往示劍去放他們父親的羊。
One day Joseph’s older brothers went to take care of their father’s sheep and goats that were eating grass near Shechem.
13 以色列對約瑟說：「你哥哥們不是在示劍放羊嗎？你來，我要打發你往他們那裏去。」約瑟說：「我在這裏。」
Some time later, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are taking care of the sheep and goats near Shechem [RHQ]. I am going to send you there to see them.” Joseph replied, “Okay.”
14 以色列說：「你去看看你哥哥們平安不平安，群羊平安不平安，就回來報信給我」；於是打發他出希伯崙谷，他就往示劍去了。
Jacob said, “Go and see if they are doing okay, and if the flocks are doing okay. Then come back and give me a report.” So Jacob sent Joseph from [the valley where they were living], the valley where Hebron is located, [to go north] to find his brothers. When Joseph arrived near Shechem [city],
15 有人遇見他在田野走迷了路，就問他說：「你找甚麼？」
while he was wandering around in the fields looking/searching for his brothers, a man saw him and asked him, “Whom are you looking/searching for?”
16 他說：「我找我的哥哥們，求你告訴我，他們在何處放羊。」
Joseph replied, “I am looking for my older brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their sheep and goats?”
17 那人說：「他們已經走了，我聽見他們說要往多坍去。」約瑟就去追趕他哥哥們，遇見他們在多坍。
The man replied, “They are not here any more. I heard one of them saying, ‘Let’s take the sheep and goats and go to Dothan [town].’” So Joseph left there and went north, and found his older brothers near Dothan.
18 他們遠遠地看見他，趁他還沒有走到跟前，大家就同謀要害死他，
But they saw him when he was still far away, and they decided to kill him.
19 彼此說：「你看！那做夢的來了。
They said to each other [things like], “Here comes that dreamer!”
20 來吧！我們將他殺了，丟在一個坑裏，就說有惡獸把他吃了。我們且看他的夢將來怎麼樣。」
and “Hey, let’s kill him, and then throw his body into one of the pits/cisterns. Then we will tell people that a ferocious/wild animal attacked and killed him and ate him. And then we will (find out whether his dreams come true/make sure that his dreams do not come true)!”
21 呂便聽見了，要救他脫離他們的手，說：「我們不可害他的性命」；
Reuben heard what they were saying, so he tried to persuade them not to kill [MTY] Joseph. He said, “No, we should not kill him.
22 又說：「不可流他的血，可以把他丟在這野地的坑裏，不可下手害他。」呂便的意思是要救他脫離他們的手，把他歸還他的父親。
Do not even shed his blood! We can throw him into this pit/cistern in the desert, but we should not harm him [MTY].” He said that, and then left them, planning to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.
23 約瑟到了他哥哥們那裏，他們就剝了他的外衣，就是他穿的那件彩衣，
So when Joseph arrived where his older brothers were, they seized him and ripped off his pretty robe with long sleeves.
24 把他丟在坑裏；那坑是空的，裏頭沒有水。
Then they took him and threw him into the pit/cistern. But the pit/cistern was dry; there was no water in it.
25 他們坐下吃飯，舉目觀看，見有一夥米甸 的以實瑪利人從基列來，用駱駝馱着香料、乳香、沒藥，要帶下埃及去。
After they sat down to eat some food, they looked up and saw a (caravan/group [of traders]), descendants of Ishmael, coming from the Gilead area. Their camels were loaded with bags of spices and nice-smelling resins. They were going down to Egypt to sell those things there.
26 猶大對眾弟兄說：「我們殺我們的兄弟，藏了他的血有甚麼益處呢？
Judah said to his [older and younger] brothers, “If we kill our younger brother and hide his body, (what will we gain?/we will not gain anything!) [RHQ]
27 我們不如將他賣給以實瑪利人，不可下手害他；因為他是我們的兄弟，我們的骨肉。」眾弟兄就聽從了他。
So, instead of harming him, let’s sell him to these men who are descendants of Ishmael. Don’t forget, he is our own younger brother!” So they all agreed to do that.
28 有些米甸的商人從那裏經過，哥哥們就把約瑟從坑裏拉上來，講定二十舍客勒銀子，把約瑟賣給以實瑪利人。他們就把約瑟帶到埃及去了。
When those traders from the Midian area came near, Joseph’s brothers pulled him up out of the pit/cistern. Then they sold him to the men from Midian for 20 pieces of silver. The traders then took Joseph to Egypt.
29 呂便回到坑邊，見約瑟不在坑裏，就撕裂衣服，
When Reuben returned to the pit/cistern, he saw that his younger brother was not there. He was so grieved that he tore his clothes.
30 回到兄弟們那裏，說：「童子沒有了。我往哪裏去才好呢？」
He went back to his [younger] brothers and said, “The boy is not in the pit/cistern! What can I do now?” [RHQ]
31 他們宰了一隻公山羊，把約瑟的那件彩衣染了血，
[Joseph’s brothers did not dare to tell their father what they had done. So, they decided to invent a story about what had happened]. They got Joseph’s robe. Then they killed a goat and dipped the robe in the goat’s blood.
32 打發人送到他們的父親那裏，說：「我們撿了這個；請認一認是你兒子的外衣不是？」
They took that pretty robe back to their father and said, “We found this robe! Look at it. Is it your son’s robe?”
33 他認得，就說：「這是我兒子的外衣。有惡獸把他吃了，約瑟被撕碎了！撕碎了！」
He recognized it, and he said, “Yes, it is my son’s robe! Some ferocious/wild animal must have attacked and killed him! I am sure that the animal has torn Joseph to pieces!”
34 雅各便撕裂衣服，腰間圍上麻布，為他兒子悲哀了多日。
Jacob was so grieved that he tore his clothes. He put on (sackcloth/clothes that people wear when they are mourning for someone who has died). He mourned/cried for his son for many days.
All of his children came to try to comfort him, but he did not pay attention to what they said. He said, “No, I will still be mourning/crying when I die and go to be with my son.” So Joseph’s father continued to cry because of what had happened to his son. (Sheol h7585)
36 米甸人帶約瑟到埃及，把他賣給法老的內臣－護衛長波提乏。
In the meantime, the men/traders from Midian took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, who was one of the king’s officials. He was the captain of the soldiers who protected the king.
