創世記 41
1 過了兩年，法老做夢，夢見自己站在河邊，
Two complete years later, the king of Egypt had a dream. In the dream, he was standing alongside the Nile [River].
2 有七隻母牛從河裏上來，又美好又肥壯，在蘆荻中吃草。
Suddenly seven healthy fat cows come up out of the river. They started eating the grass that was on the riverbank.
3 隨後又有七隻母牛從河裏上來，又醜陋又乾瘦，與那七隻母牛一同站在河邊。
Soon seven other cows, unhealthy-looking and thin, came up behind them from the Nile [River]. They stood alongside the fat cows that were on the riverbank.
4 這又醜陋又乾瘦的七隻母牛吃盡了那又美好又肥壯的七隻母牛。法老就醒了。
Then the unhealthy thin cows ate the seven healthy fat cows. And then the king woke up.
5 他又睡着，第二回做夢，夢見一棵麥子長了七個穗子，又肥大又佳美，
The king went to sleep again, and he had another dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain that were full of kernels of grain and ripe, and all growing on one stalk.
6 隨後又長了七個穗子，又細弱又被東風吹焦了。
After that, the king saw that seven other heads of grain sprouted on that (OR, on another) stalk. They were thin and had been dried up by the hot east wind.
7 這細弱的穗子吞了那七個又肥大又飽滿的穗子。法老醒了，不料是個夢。
Then the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven ripe full heads. Then the king woke up. He realized that he had been dreaming.
8 到了早晨，法老心裏不安，就差人召了埃及所有的術士和博士來；法老就把所做的夢告訴他們，卻沒有人能給法老圓解。
But the next morning he was worried about the meaning of the dream. So he summoned all the magicians and wise men who lived in Egypt. He told them what he had dreamed, but none of them could tell him the meaning of the two dreams.
9 那時酒政對法老說：「我今日想起我的罪來。
Then the chief drink-server said to the king, “Now I remember something that I should have told you! I made a mistake by forgetting to tell it to you.
10 從前法老惱怒臣僕，把我和膳長下在護衛長府內的監裏。
One time you were angry with two of us. So you put me and the chief baker in the prison in the house of the captain of the palace guards.
11 我們二人同夜各做一夢，各夢都有講解。
While we were there, one night each of us had a dream, and the dreams had different meanings.
12 在那裏同着我們有一個希伯來的少年人，是護衛長的僕人，我們告訴他，他就把我們的夢圓解，是按着各人的夢圓解的。
There was a young Hebrew man there with us. He was a servant of the captain of the palace guards. We told him what we had dreamed, and he told us what our dreams meant. He told each of us the meaning of our dreams.
13 後來正如他給我們圓解的成就了：我官復原職，膳長被掛起來了。」
And what happened was exactly the same as the meanings that he told us: You said I could have my previous job again, but the other man was killed by being hanged. [The Hebrew man’s name was Joseph].”
14 法老遂即差人去召約瑟，他們便急忙帶他出監，他就剃頭，刮臉，換衣裳，進到法老面前。
When the king heard that, he told some servants to bring Joseph to him, and they quickly brought Joseph out of the prison. Joseph shaved and put on better clothes, and then he went and stood in front of the king.
15 法老對約瑟說：「我做了一夢，沒有人能解；我聽見人說，你聽了夢就能解。」
The king said to Joseph, “I had two dreams, and no one can tell me what they mean. But someone told me that when you hear someone tell about a dream he has had, you can tell that person what the dream means.”
16 約瑟回答法老說：「這不在乎我，上帝必將平安的話回答法老。」
But Joseph replied to the king, “No, I cannot do that. It is God who knows the meaning of dreams, but he will enable me to tell you their meaning, and they will mean something good.”
17 法老對約瑟說：「我夢見我站在河邊，
The king said to Joseph, “In my first dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile [River].
18 有七隻母牛從河裏上來，又肥壯又美好，在蘆荻中吃草。
Suddenly seven healthy fat cows came up out of the river, and they started eating the grass that was on the riverbank.
19 隨後又有七隻母牛上來，又軟弱又醜陋又乾瘦，在埃及遍地，我沒有見過這樣不好的。
Soon seven other cows, ugly and thin ones, came up behind them from the river. I never saw such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt!
20 這又乾瘦又醜陋的母牛吃盡了那以先的七隻肥母牛，
The thin ugly cows ate the seven fat cows that came up first.
21 吃了以後卻看不出是吃了，那醜陋的樣子仍舊和先前一樣。我就醒了。
But afterwards, no one would have known that the thin cows ate them, because they were just as ugly as they were before. Then I woke up.
22 我又夢見一棵麥子，長了七個穗子，又飽滿又佳美，
Then I had another dream. I saw seven heads of grain. They were full of kernels of grain and ripe, and they were all growing on one stalk.
23 隨後又長了七個穗子，枯槁細弱，被東風吹焦了。
Then [to my surprise] I saw seven other heads of grain that sprouted. They were thin and had been dried up by the hot east wind.
24 這些細弱的穗子吞了那七個佳美的穗子。我將這夢告訴了術士，卻沒有人能給我解說。」
The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven good heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but none of them could explain to me what they meant.”
25 約瑟對法老說：「法老的夢乃是一個。上帝已將所要做的事指示法老了。
Then Joseph said to the king, “Both your dreams have the same meaning. God is revealing to you in your dreams what he is about to do.
26 七隻好母牛是七年，七個好穗子也是七年；這夢乃是一個。
The seven healthy cows represent seven years. The seven good heads of grain also represent seven years. The two dreams both have the same meaning.
27 那隨後上來的七隻又乾瘦又醜陋的母牛是七年，那七個虛空、被東風吹焦的穗子也是七年，都是七個荒年。
The seven thin ugly cows that came up behind them and the seven worthless heads of grain that were dried up by the hot east wind each represent seven years (of famine/when food will be very scarce).
28 這就是我對法老所說，上帝已將所要做的事顯明給法老了。
It will happen just as I have told you, because God has revealed to you what he is about to do.
29 埃及遍地必來七個大豐年，
There will be seven years in which there will be plenty of food throughout the land of Egypt,
30 隨後又要來七個荒年，甚至在埃及地都忘了先前的豐收，全地必被饑荒所滅。
but after that there will be seven years (of famine/when food will be very scarce). Then people will forget all the years when there was plenty of food, because the famine that will come afterward will ruin the country.
31 因那以後的饑荒甚大，便不覺得先前的豐收了。
The people will forget how plentiful food was previously, because the famine will be very terrible.
32 至於法老兩回做夢，是因上帝命定這事，而且必速速成就。
The reason God gave to you two dreams is that he [wants you to know] that this will happen, and he will cause it to happen very soon.
33 所以，法老當揀選一個有聰明有智慧的人，派他治理埃及地。
“Now I suggest that you should choose a man who is wise and can make good decisions. I suggest that you appoint him to direct the affairs of the whole country.
34 法老當這樣行，又派官員管理這地。當七個豐年的時候，征收埃及地的五分之一，
You should also appoint supervisors over the country, in order that they can arrange to collect one-fifth of all the grain that is harvested during the seven years when food is plentiful.
35 叫他們把將來豐年一切的糧食聚斂起來，積蓄五穀，收存在各城裏做食物，歸於法老的手下。
They should collect this amount of grain during those seven years that are coming, when there will be plenty of food. You should supervise them as they store it in the cities.
36 所積蓄的糧食可以防備埃及地將來的七個荒年，免得這地被饑荒所滅。」
This grain should be stored so that it can be eaten during the seven years when there will be a famine here in Egypt, so that the people in this country will not die from hunger.”
37 法老和他一切臣僕都以這事為妙。
The king and his officials thought that this would be a good plan.
38 法老對臣僕說：「像這樣的人，有上帝的靈在他裏頭，我們豈能找得着呢？」
So the king said to them, “(Can we find any other man like Joseph, a man to whom God has given his Spirit?/It is not likely that we will find another man like this man, one to whom God has given his Spirit!)” [RHQ]
39 法老對約瑟說：「上帝既將這事都指示你，可見沒有人像你這樣有聰明有智慧。
Then the king said to Joseph, “Because God has revealed all this to you, it seems to me that there is no one who is as wise as you and who can decide wisely about things.
40 你可以掌管我的家；我的民都必聽從你的話。惟獨在寶座上我比你大。」
So I will put you in charge of everything in my palace. All the people here in Egypt must obey what you command. Only because I am king [MTY] will I have more authority than you.”
41 法老又對約瑟說：「我派你治理埃及全地。」
Then the king said to Joseph, “I am now putting you in charge of the whole country of Egypt.”
42 法老就摘下手上打印的戒指，戴在約瑟的手上，給他穿上細麻衣，把金鍊戴在他的頸項上，
The king took from his finger the ring that had his seal on it, and he put it on Joseph’s finger. He put robes made of fine linen on him, and he put a gold chain around his neck.
43 又叫約瑟坐他的副車，喝道的在前呼叫說：「跪下。」這樣，法老派他治理埃及全地。
Then he arranged for Joseph to ride around in the chariot [that showed that he was] the second-most important man in the country. When Joseph rode in the chariot, men shouted to the people who were on the road in front of him, “Get off the road!” So the king put Joseph in charge of everything in the country.
44 法老對約瑟說：「我是法老，在埃及全地，若沒有你的命令，不許人擅自辦事。」
The king said to Joseph, “I am the king, but no one in the whole land of Egypt will do anything [IDM] if you do not permit them to do it.”
45 法老賜名給約瑟，叫撒發那忒‧巴內亞，又將安城的祭司波提非拉的女兒亞西納給他為妻。約瑟就出去巡行埃及地。
The king gave Joseph a new name, Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave him Asenath to be his wife. She was the daughter of Potiphera, who was a priest in a temple in On [city]. Then Joseph became known (OR, traveled) through all the land of Egypt.
46 約瑟見埃及王法老的時候年三十歲。他從法老面前出去，遍行埃及全地。
Joseph was 30 years old when he started to work for the king of Egypt. To do his work, he left the king’s palace and traveled throughout Egypt.
47 七個豐年之內，地的出產極豐極盛，
During the next seven years, the land produced abundant crops, so there was plenty of food.
48 約瑟聚斂埃及地七個豐年一切的糧食，把糧食積存在各城裏；各城周圍田地的糧食都積存在本城裏。
As Joseph supervised them, his helpers collected one-fifth of all the grain that was produced during those years, and stored it in the cities. In each city, he had his helpers store up the grain that was grown in the fields that surrounded that city.
49 約瑟積蓄五穀甚多，如同海邊的沙，無法計算，因為穀不可勝數。
Joseph had them store up a huge amount of grain. It looked as plentiful as the sand on the seashore. There was so much grain that after a while they stopped keeping records of how much grain was stored, because there was more grain than they could measure.
50 荒年未到以前，安城的祭司波提非拉的女兒亞西納給約瑟生了兩個兒子。
Before the seven years of famine started, Joseph’s wife Asenath gave birth to two sons.
51 約瑟給長子起名叫瑪拿西，因為他說：「上帝使我忘了一切的困苦和我父的全家。」
Joseph named the first one Manasseh, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘forget]’, because, he said, “God has caused me to forget all my troubles and all my father’s family.”
52 他給次子起名叫以法蓮，因為他說：「上帝使我在受苦的地方昌盛。」
He named his second son Ephraim, [which means ‘to have children]’, because, he said, “God has given me children here in this land where I have suffered.”
53 埃及地的七個豐年一完，
Finally the seven years in which there was plenty of food ended.
54 七個荒年就來了。正如約瑟所說的，各地都有饑荒；惟獨埃及全地有糧食。
Then the seven years of famine started, just as Joseph had predicted. There was also a famine in all the other nearby lands, but although the crops did not grow, there was food everywhere in Egypt, because of the grain they had stored up in the cities.
55 及至埃及全地有了饑荒，眾民向法老哀求糧食，法老對他們說：「你們往約瑟那裏去，凡他所說的，你們都要做。」
When all the people of [MTY] Egypt had eaten all of their own food and were still hungry, they begged the king for food. So the king told all the people of Egypt, “Go to Joseph, and do what he tells you to do.”
56 當時饑荒遍滿天下，約瑟開了各處的倉，糶糧給埃及人；在埃及地饑荒甚大。
When the famine was very bad throughout the whole country, Joseph ordered his helpers to open the storehouses. Then they sold the grain in the storehouses to the people of Egypt, because the famine was very severe all over Egypt.
57 各地的人都往埃及去，到約瑟那裏糴糧，因為天下的饑荒甚大。
And people from many [HYP] nearby countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was very severe everywhere [HYP].
