< Genesis 41 >
1 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and look, he was standing by the Nile.
過了兩年,法郎作了一夢,夢見自己站在尼羅河畔。
2 And look, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds.
看見從尼羅河中上來了七隻母牛,色美體肥,在蘆葦中吃草。
3 And look, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, miserable-looking and thin, and stood by the other cows at the edge of the Nile.
隨後,從尼羅河中,又上來了七隻色醜體瘦的母牛,站在尼羅河岸上靠近那些母牛身旁。
4 The miserable-looking and thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
這些色醜體瘦的母牛,竟將那七隻色美體肥的母牛吞了下去;法郎便驚醒了。
5 And he slept and dreamed a second time. And look, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good.
他又睡下,作了一個夢,夢見一根麥莖上,生出了七枝又肥又美的麥穗;
6 Then look, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprouted up after them.
隨後,又發出了七枝又細弱,而又為東風吹焦了的麥穗。
7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up, and look, it was a dream.
這些細弱的麥穗竟將那七枝又肥又實的麥穗吞了下去。法郎驚醒了,原是一場夢。
8 It happened in the morning that his mind was troubled, so he summoned all of Egypt's magicians and wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
到了早晨,他心煩意亂,遂遣人將埃及所有的術士和賢士召來,給他們講述了自己的夢,卻沒有人能給法郎解釋。
9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, "I remember my faults today.
那時司酒長向法郎說:「我今天想起了我的過犯。
10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker.
有一次陛下對自己的臣僕發怒,將我和司廚長關在衛隊長府內的拘留所內。
11 We had a dream on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own meaning.
我和他在同一夜裏,各作了一夢,我們每人的夢都有它的意義。
12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guards, and we told him, and he interpreted our dreams to us, to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.
在那裏有個希伯來少年人與我們在一起,他是衛隊長的僕人;當我們把夢告訴了他,他就給我們加以解釋,給每個人的夢都說明了它的意義。
13 And it happened just the way he interpreted them to us, so it was: I was restored to my office, and he was hanged."
果然都照他給我們所解釋的應驗了:我恢復了原職,他卻被吊死了。」
14 Then Pharaoh summoned Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the pit. And he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh.
法郎於是遣人去召若瑟,人就快把他從地牢裏提出來;他剃了頭,刮了臉,換了衣服,來到法郎跟前。
15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, but there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said about you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
法郎對若瑟說:「我作了一夢,沒有人能夠解釋。我聽見人說,你聽了夢就能解釋。」
16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "Apart from God, the welfare of Pharaoh will receive no answer. "
若瑟回答法郎說:「這不是我所能的,只有天主能給陛下一個吉祥的解答。」
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, look, I stood on the edge of the Nile.
法郎遂向若瑟說:「我夢見我站在尼羅河上,
18 And look, there came up out of the river seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.
看見從河中上來了七隻母牛,體肥色美,在蘆葦叢中吃草。
19 And look, seven other cows came up after them, scrawny and very miserable-looking and thin. I had never seen such bad-looking cows in all the land of Egypt.
隨後,又上來了七隻母牛,軟弱無力,色醜體瘦,那種醜陋,我在埃及全國從未見過。
20 The thin and miserable-looking cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
這些又瘦又醜的母牛,竟將先上來的那七隻肥母牛吞了下去。
21 But when they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as miserable-looking as at the beginning. Then I woke up.
牠們吞下去之後,竟看不出來牠們吞了下去,因為牠們醜陋的樣子和先前一樣,我就驚醒了。
22 And I fell asleep, and I saw in my dream, and look, seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good.
以後我又夢見在一根麥莖上,生出了七枝粗大美麗的麥穗。
23 And look, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprouted up after them.
隨後,又發出了七枝枯萎細弱而又被東風吹焦了的麥穗。
24 And the seven thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. And I told it to the magicians, but no one could tell me its meaning."
這些細弱的麥穗竟將那七枝美麗的麥穗吞了。我講給了術士們聽,但沒有人能給我解說。」
25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one. God has told Pharaoh what he is about to do.
若瑟遂對法郎說:「陛下的夢只是一個。天主已將所要作的告訴陛下:
26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. The dreams are the same.
七隻美好的母牛表示七年,七枝美好的麥穗也表示七年。這原是一個夢。
27 And the seven thin and miserable-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind. They are seven years of famine.
隨後上來的那七隻又瘦又弱的母牛,和那七枝空虛而又被東風吹焦了的麥穗,都表示將有七個荒年。
28 It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
這即是我對陛下所說:天主已將他要作的顯示給陛下了。
29 Look, seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt.
看埃及全國將有七年大豐收。
30 But after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate the land,
繼之而來的是七個荒年,那時人都忘記了埃及國曾有過豐收。當飢荒蹂躪此地時,
31 and the abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that follows it, for it will be very severe.
誰也覺不到此地曾有過豐收,因為相繼而來的飢荒實在太嚴重了。
32 Now the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the matter has been fixed by God, and God will carry it out soon.
至於陛下的夢重複了兩次,是表示這事已由天主命定,天主就快要實行。
33 Now therefore Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man, and give him authority over the land of Egypt.
所以陛下現在應當尋找一個聰明,有智慧的人,派他管理埃及國。
34 Pharaoh should do this, and should appoint overseers over the land, and they should take a fifth of all the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
陛下應設法在地方上派定督辦,在七個豐年內,徵收埃及國所出產的五分之一;
35 They should gather all the food during these good years that are coming and store the grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and they should preserve it.
使他們將未來豐年內的一切食糧,聚斂起來,將五穀都儲藏在陛下手下,貯在城內備作食糧,妥為保管。
36 That food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will come on the land of Egypt, so that the land will survive the famine."
這些食糧應作為本地的存糧,以應付那在埃及國要出現的七個荒年,免得全國因飢荒而滅亡。
37 The proposal was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
這番話使法郎和他的群臣十分贊成,
38 Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?"
於是法郎對他的臣僕說:「像他這樣的人,有天主的神住在他內,我們豈能找著另一個﹖」
39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
法郎遂對若瑟說:「天主既使你知道這一切,就再沒有像你這樣聰敏富有智慧的人了。
40 You will be in charge of my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you."
你要掌管我的朝廷,我的人民都要聽從你的號令;只在寶座上我比你大。」
41 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Look, I have put you in charge over all the land of Egypt."
法郎又對若瑟說:「看,我立你統治全埃及國。」
42 Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain around his neck.
遂由自己手上取下打印的戒指,戴在若瑟手上,給他穿上細麻長袍,將金鏈戴在他的頸項上;
43 And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had, and they called out before him, "Bow the knee. " So he put him in charge over the entire land of Egypt.
又使他坐在自己的第二部御車上,人們在他前面喊說:「跪下! 」法郎就這樣立他管理全埃及國。
44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your permission no one will do anything or go anywhere in all the land of Egypt."
法郎又對若瑟說:「我是法郎,沒有你的同意,全埃及國,任何人不得做任何事。」
45 Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-Paneah. And he gave him Asenath the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as a wife. So Joseph went out through the land of Egypt.
法郎給若瑟起名叫匝斐納特帕乃亞,又將翁城的司祭頗提斐辣的女兒阿斯納特給他為妻。若瑟便出去巡行埃及全國。
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he began to serve Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left the presence of Pharaoh and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
若瑟立於埃及王法郎前時,年三十歲。他由法郎面前出去巡行了埃及全國。
47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large harvests.
七個豐年內,土地出產極其豐富。
48 And he collected all the food during the seven years when there was abundance in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He placed in every city the food from the fields surrounding it.
若瑟聚斂了埃及國七個豐年內所有的糧食,積蓄在城內;每城城郊田間所出的糧食,也都儲藏在本城內。
49 Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, because it could not be measured.
這樣若瑟聚斂了大量的五穀,多得有如海沙,無法計算,無法勝數。
50 To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.
在荒年未來以前,若瑟已有了兩個兒子,是翁城的司祭頗提斐辣的女兒阿斯納特給他生的。
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: "For God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household."
若瑟給長子起名叫默納協,說:「天主使我忘盡了我的一切困苦和我父的全家。
52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."
給次子起名叫厄弗辣因,說:「天主使我在我受苦的地方有了子息。」
53 And the seven years of abundance that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end.
埃及國的七個豐年一過,
54 Then the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food.
七個荒年隨著就來了,恰如若瑟所預言的;各地都發生了飢荒,唯獨全埃及國還有食糧。
55 When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh said to all Egypt, "Go to Joseph. Whatever he says to you, do."
及至埃及全國鬧飢荒時,人民便向法郎呼求糧食;法郎對埃及民眾說:「你們到若瑟那裏去,照他對你們所說的做。」
56 So the famine was over all the surface of the land. Then Joseph opened all the storehouses of grain and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
當時飢荒彌漫天下,若瑟便開了國內所有的糧倉,將糧食賣給埃及人,因為埃及的飢荒很嚴重。
57 And all the countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
天下的人都來到埃及,向若瑟購買食糧,因為天下各地都大鬧飢荒。