創世記 47
1 約瑟進去告訴法老說：「我的父親和我的弟兄帶着羊群牛群，並一切所有的，從迦南地來了，如今在歌珊地。」
Joseph chose five of his [older] brothers to go with him to talk to the king. He introduced his [older] brothers to the king, and then he said, “My father and my [older] brothers [and younger brother] have come from the Canaan region. They have brought all their sheep and goats and cattle and everything else that they own, and they are living now in Goshen region.”
2 約瑟從他弟兄中挑出五個人來，引他們去見法老。
3 法老問約瑟的弟兄說：「你們以何事為業？」他們對法老說：「你僕人是牧羊的，連我們的祖宗也是牧羊的。」
The king asked the brothers, “What work do you do?” They replied, “We are shepherds, just as our ancestors were.”
4 他們又對法老說：「迦南地的饑荒甚大，僕人的羊群沒有草吃，所以我們來到這地寄居。現在求你容僕人住在歌珊地。」
They also said to him, “We have come here to live for a while in this land, because the famine is very severe in Canaan, and our animals have no (pasture/grass to eat) there. So now, please let us live in the Goshen region.”
5 法老對約瑟說：「你父親和你弟兄到你這裏來了，
The king said to Joseph, “I am happy that your father and your [older] brothers [and younger brother] have come to you.
6 埃及地都在你面前，只管叫你父親和你弟兄住在國中最好的地；他們可以住在歌珊地。你若知道他們中間有甚麼能人，就派他們看管我的牲畜。」
They can live wherever you want in the whole country of Egypt. Give your father and your brothers the best part of the land. They can live in Goshen. And if you know that any of them have any special ability to work with livestock, have them be in charge of my own livestock, too.”
7 約瑟領他父親雅各進到法老面前，雅各就給法老祝福。
Then Joseph brought his father Jacob [into the palace] and introduced him to the king. Jacob asked God to bless the king.
8 法老問雅各說：「你平生的年日是多少呢？」
Then the king asked Jacob, “How old are you?”
9 雅各對法老說：「我寄居在世的年日是一百三十歲，我平生的年日又少又苦，不及我列祖在世寄居的年日。」
Jacob replied, “I have been traveling around for 130 years. I have not lived as long as my ancestors, but my life has been full of troubles.”
10 雅各又給法老祝福，就從法老面前出去了。
Then Jacob again [asked God to] bless the king, and left him.
11 約瑟遵着法老的命，把埃及國最好的地，就是蘭塞境內的地，給他父親和弟兄居住，作為產業。
[That is how Joseph enabled his father and older] brothers [and younger brother] to start living in Egypt. As the king had commanded, he gave them property in the best part of the land, in [Goshen, which is now called] Rameses.
12 約瑟用糧食奉養他父親和他弟兄，並他父親全家的眷屬，都是照各家的人口奉養他們。
Joseph also provided food for all his father’s family. The amounts that he gave them were according to how many children each of them had.
13 饑荒甚大，全地都絕了糧，甚至埃及地和迦南地的人因那饑荒的緣故都餓昏了。
There were no crops growing in the whole region, because the famine was very severe. The people of Egypt and Canaan [MTY] became weak because they did not have enough food to eat.
14 約瑟收聚了埃及地和迦南地所有的銀子，就是眾人糴糧的銀子，約瑟就把那銀子帶到法老的宮裏。
Joseph collected all the money that the people in Egypt and Canaan paid for the grain they were buying from him, and he brought the money to the king’s palace.
15 埃及地和迦南地的銀子都花盡了，埃及眾人都來見約瑟，說：「我們的銀子都用盡了，求你給我們糧食，我們為甚麼死在你面前呢？」
When the people of Egypt and Canaan had spent all their money for grain, they all kept coming to Joseph and saying, “Please give us some food! If you do not give us grain, we will die [RHQ]! We have used all our money to buy food, and we have no money left!”
16 約瑟說：「若是銀子用盡了，可以把你們的牲畜給我，我就為你們的牲畜給你們糧食。」
Joseph replied, “Since your money is all gone, bring me your livestock. If you do that, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”
17 於是他們把牲畜趕到約瑟那裏，約瑟就拿糧食換了他們的牛、羊、驢、馬；那一年因換他們一切的牲畜，就用糧食養活他們。
So they brought their livestock to Joseph. He gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle, and their donkeys.
18 那一年過去，第二年他們又來見約瑟，說：「我們不瞞我主，我們的銀子都花盡了，牲畜也都歸了我主。我們在我主眼前，除了我們的身體和田地之外，一無所剩。
The next year they came to him again and said, “We cannot hide this from you: We have no more money, and now our livestock belongs to you. We have only our bodies and our land to give to you. We have nothing else left.
19 你何忍見我們人死地荒呢？求你用糧食買我們和我們的地，我們和我們的地就要給法老效力。又求你給我們種子，使我們得以存活，不致死亡，地土也不致荒涼。」
(If you do not give us some food, we will die!/Do you want to watch us die?) [RHQ] If you do not give us seeds, our fields will become useless [IDM]. Buy us and our land in exchange for food. Then we will be the king’s slaves, and he will own the land. Give us seeds that we can plant and grow food, in order that we will not die, and in order that our land will not become like a desert.”
20 於是，約瑟為法老買了埃及所有的地，埃及人因被饑荒所迫，各都賣了自己的田地；那地就都歸了法老。
So Joseph bought all the farms in Egypt for the king. The people of Egypt each sold their land to him because the famine was very severe, [and they had no other way to get money to buy food]. So all the farms became the king’s farms.
21 至於百姓，約瑟叫他們，從埃及這邊直到埃及那邊，都各歸各城。
As a result, Joseph caused all the people from one border of the country to the other to become the king’s slaves.
22 惟有祭司的地，約瑟沒有買，因為祭司有從法老所得的常俸。他們吃法老所給的常俸，所以他們不賣自己的地。
But he did not buy the priests’ land, because they received food from the king regularly, so the food that the king gave them was enough for them. That is the reason they did not sell their land to him.
23 約瑟對百姓說：「我今日為法老買了你們和你們的地，看哪，這裏有種子給你們，你們可以種地。
Joseph said to the people [who sold themselves and their land to him], “Listen to me! Today I have bought you and your land for the king. So here are seeds for you so that you can plant them in the ground.
24 後來打糧食的時候，你們要把五分之一納給法老，四分可以歸你們做地裏的種子，也做你們和你們家口孩童的食物。」
But when you harvest the crop, you must give one-fifth of the crop to the king. The rest of the crop you can keep, to be seed to plant in the fields, and to be food for you and your children and for everyone else in your household to eat.”
25 他們說：「你救了我們的性命。但願我們在我主眼前蒙恩，我們就作法老的僕人。」
They replied, “You have saved our lives! We want you to be pleased with us. And we will be the king’s slaves.”
26 於是約瑟為埃及地定下常例，直到今日：法老必得五分之一，惟獨祭司的地不歸法老。
So Joseph made a law about all the land in Egypt, stating that one-fifth of the crops that are harvested belongs to the king. That law still exists. Only the land that belonged to the priests did not become the king’s land.
27 以色列人住在埃及的歌珊地。他們在那裏置了產業，並且生育甚多。
Jacob and his family started to live in Egypt, in the Goshen region. They acquired property there. Many children were born to them there. As a result, their population increased greatly.
28 雅各住在埃及地十七年，雅各平生的年日是一百四十七歲。
Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years. Altogether he lived 147 years.
29 以色列的死期臨近了，他就叫了他兒子約瑟來，說：「我若在你眼前蒙恩，請你把手放在我大腿底下，用慈愛和誠實待我，請你不要將我葬在埃及。
When it was almost time for him to die, he summoned his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have pleased you, make a solemn promise that you will be kind to me and faithfully do what I am now asking you: When I die, do not bury me here in Egypt.
30 我與我祖我父同睡的時候，你要將我帶出埃及，葬在他們所葬的地方。」約瑟說：「我必遵着你的命而行。」
Instead, take my body out of Egypt, and bury it in Canaan where my ancestors are buried.” Joseph replied, “I will do that.”
31 雅各說：「你要向我起誓。」約瑟就向他起了誓，於是以色列在床頭上敬拜上帝。
Jacob said, “(Swear/Solemnly promise) to me that you will do it!” So Joseph swore to do it. Then Jacob turned over in bed, bowed his head, and worshiped God.
