Genesis 1 After a lapse of two years, Pharaoh had a dream. He saw himself standing by the 过了两年,法郎作了一梦,梦见自己站在尼罗河畔。 2 when up out of the 看见从尼罗河中上来了七只母牛,色美体肥,在芦苇中吃草。 3 Behind them seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile; and standing on the bank of the 随后,从尼罗河中,又上来了七只色丑体瘦的母牛,站在尼罗河岸上靠近那些母牛身旁。 4 the ugly, gaunt cows ate up the seven handsome, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. 这些色丑体瘦的母牛,竟将那七只色美体肥的母牛吞了下去;法郎便惊醒了。 5 He fell asleep again and had another dream. He saw seven ears of grain, fat and healthy, growing on a single stalk. 他又睡下,作了一个梦,梦见在一根麦茎上,生出了七枝又肥又美的麦穗; 6 Behind them sprouted seven ears of grain, thin and blasted by the east wind; 随后,又发出了七枝又细弱,而又为东风吹焦了的麦穗。 7 and the seven thin ears swallowed up the seven fat, healthy ears. Then Pharaoh woke up, to find it was only a dream. 这些细弱的麦穗竟将那七枝又肥又实的麦穗吞了下去。法郎惊醒了,原是一场梦。 8 Next morning his spirit was agitated. So he summoned all the magicians and sages of 到了早晨,他心烦意乱,遂遣人将埃及所有的术士和贤士召来,给他们讲述了自己的梦,却没有人能给法郎解释。 9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke up and said to Pharaoh:"On this occasion I am reminded of my negligence. 那时司酒长向法郎说:"我今天想起了我的过犯。 10 Once, when Pharaoh was angry, he put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the chief steward. 有一次陛下对自己的臣仆发怒,将我和司厨长关在卫队长府内的拘留所内。 11 Later, we both had dreams on the same night, and each of our dreams had its own meaning. 12 There with us was a Hebrew youth, a slave of the chief steward; and when we told him our dreams, he interpreted them for us and explained for each of us the meaning of his dream. 在那里有个希伯来少年人与我们在一起,他是卫队长的仆人;当我们把梦告诉了他,他就给我们加以解释,给每个人的梦都说明了它的意义。 13 And it turned out just as he had told us: I was restored to my post, but the other man was impaled." 果然,都照他给我们所解释的应验了:我恢复了原职,他却被吊死了。" 14 Pharaoh therefore had Joseph summoned, and they hurriedly brought him from the dungeon. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he came into Pharaoh's presence. 法郎于是遣人去召若瑟,人就快把他从地牢里提出来;他剃了头,刮了脸,换了衣服,来到法郎跟前。 15 Pharaoh then said to him:"I had certain dreams that no one can interpret. But I hear it said of you that the moment you are told a dream you can interpret it." 法郎对若瑟说:"我作了一梦,没有人能够解释。我听见人说,你听了梦就能解释。" 16"It is not I," Joseph replied to Pharaoh,"but God who will give Pharaoh the right answer." 若瑟回答法郎说:"这不是我所能的,只有天主能给陛下一个吉祥的解答。" 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph:"In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the 法郎遂向若瑟说:"我梦见我站在尼罗河上, 18 when up from the 看见从河中上来了七只母牛,体肥色美,在芦苇丛中吃草。 19 Behind them came seven other cows, scrawny, most ill-formed and gaunt. Never have I seen such ugly specimens as these in all the 随后,又上来了七只母牛,软弱无力,色丑体瘦,那种丑陋,我在埃及全国从未见过。 20 The gaunt, ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows. 这些又瘦又丑的母牛,竟将先上来的那七只肥母牛吞了下去。 21 But when they had consumed them, no one could tell that they had done so, because they looked as ugly as before. Then I woke up. 它们吞下去之后,竟看不出来它们吞了下去,因为它们丑陋的样子和先前一样,我就惊醒了。 22 In another dream I saw seven ears of grain, fat and healthy, growing on a single stalk. 以后我又梦见在一根麦茎上,生出了七枝粗大美丽的麦穗。 23 Behind them sprouted seven ears of grain, shriveled and thin and blasted by the east wind; 24 and the seven thin ears swallowed up the seven healthy ears. I have spoken to the magicians, but none of them can give me an explanation." 这些细弱的麦穗竟将那七枝美丽的麦穗吞了。我讲给了术士们听,但没有人能给我解说。" 25 Joseph said to Pharaoh:"Both of Pharaoh's dreams have the same meaning. God has thus foretold to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 若瑟遂对法郎说:"陛下的梦只是一个。天主已将所要作的告诉陛下: 26 The seven healthy cows are seven years, and the seven healthy ears are seven years--the same in each dream. 七只美好的母牛表示七年,七枝美好的麦穗也表示七年。这原是一个梦。 27 So also, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, as are the seven thin, wind-blasted ears; they are seven years of famine. 随后上来的那七只又瘦又丑的母牛,和那七枝空虚而又被东风吹焦了的麦穗,都表示七年,表示将有七个荒年。 28 It is just as I told Pharaoh: God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 这即是我对陛下所说:天主已将他要作的显示给陛下了。 29 Seven years of great abundance are now coming throughout the 看埃及全国将有七年大丰收。 30 but these will be followed by seven years of famine, when all the abundance in the 31 no trace of the abundance will be found in the land because of the famine that follows it--so utterly severe will that famine be. 谁也觉不到此地曾有过丰收,因为相继而来的饥荒实在太严重了。 32 That Pharaoh had the same dream twice means that the matter has been reaffirmed by God and that God will soon bring it about. 至于陛下的梦重复了两次,是表示这事已由天主命定,天主就快要实行。 33"Therefore, let Pharaoh seek out a wise and discerning man and put him in charge of the 34 Pharaoh should also take action to appoint overseers, so as to regiment the land during the seven years of abundance. 陛下应设法在地方上派定督办,在七个丰年内,征收埃及国所出产的五分之一; 35 They should husband all the food of the coming good years, collecting the grain under Pharaoh's authority, to be stored in the towns for food. 使他们将未来丰年内的一切食粮,聚敛起来,将五谷都储藏在陛下手下,贮在城内备作食粮,妥为保管。 36 This food will serve as a reserve for the country against the seven years of famine that are to follow in the 这些食粮应作为本地的存粮,以应付那在埃及国要出现的七个荒年,免得全国因饥荒而灭亡。 37 This advice pleased Pharaoh and all his officials. 这番话使法郎和他的群臣十分赞成, 38"Could we find another like him," Pharaoh asked his officials,"a man so endowed with the spirit of God?" 于是法郎对他的臣仆说:"像他这样的人,有天主的神住在他内,我们岂能找着另一个?" 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph:"Since God has made all this known to you, no one can be as wise and discerning as you are. 法郎遂对若瑟说:"天主既使你知道这一切,就再没有像你这样聪敏富有智能的人了。 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people shall dart at your command. Only in respect to the throne shall I outrank you. 41 Herewith," Pharaoh told Joseph,"I place you in charge of the whole 42 1 With that, Pharaoh took off his signet ring and put it on Joseph's finger. He had him dressed in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck. 遂由自己手上取下打印的戒指,戴在若瑟手上,给他穿上细麻长袍,将金链戴在他的颈项上; 43 2 He then had him ride in the chariot of his vizier, and they shouted"Abrek!" before him. Thus was Joseph installed over the whole 又使他坐在自己的第二部御车上,人们在他前面喊说:"跪下!"法郎就这样立他管理全埃及国。 44"I, Pharaoh, proclaim," he told Joseph,"that without your approval no one shall move hand or foot in all the 法郎又对若瑟说:"我是法郎,没有你的同意,全埃及国,任何人不得做任何事。" 45 3 Pharaoh also bestowed the name of Zaphnath-paneah on Joseph, and he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of 法郎给若瑟起名叫匝斐纳特帕乃亚,又将翁城的司祭颇提斐辣的女儿阿斯纳特给他为妻。若瑟便出去巡行埃及全国。 46 Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, king of 若瑟立于埃及王法郎前时,年三十岁。他由法郎面前出去巡行了埃及全国。 47 During the seven years of plenty, when the land produced abundant crops, 七个丰年内,土地出产极其丰富。 48 he husbanded all the food of these years of plenty that the 若瑟聚敛了埃及国七个丰年内所有的粮食,积蓄在城内;每城城郊田间所出的粮食,也都储藏在本城内。 49 Joseph garnered grain in quantities like the sands of the sea, so vast that at last he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure. 这样若瑟聚敛了大量的五谷,多得有如海沙,无法计算,无法胜数。 50 Before the famine years set in, Joseph became the father of two sons, borne to him by Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of 51 4 He named his first-born Manasseh, meaning,"God has made me forget entirely the sufferings I endured at the hands of my family"; 若瑟给长子起名叫默纳协,说:"天主使我忘尽了我的一切困苦和我父的全家。 52 5 and the second he named Ephraim, meaning,"God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction." 给次子起名叫厄弗辣因,说:"天主使我在我受苦的地方有了子息。" 53 When the seven years of abundance enjoyed by the 54 the seven years of famine set in, just as Joseph had predicted. Although there was famine in all the other countries, food was available throughout the 55 When hunger came to be felt throughout the 及至埃及全国闹饥荒时,人民便向法郎呼求粮食;法郎对埃及民众说:"你们到若瑟那里去,照他对你们所说的做。" 56 When the famine had spread throughout the land, Joseph opened all the cities that had grain and rationed it to the Egyptians, since the famine had gripped the 当时饥荒弥漫天下,若瑟便开了国内所有的粮仓,将粮食卖给埃及人,因为埃及的饥荒很严重。 57 In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain, for famine had gripped the whole world. 天下的人都来到埃及,向若瑟购买食粮,因为天下各地都大闹饥荒。 Footnotes(注解) 1 [42] Signet ring: a finger ring in which was set a stamp seal, different from the cylinder seal such as Judah wore; see note on Genesis 38:18. This is an authentic detail. By receiving Pharaoh's signet ring, Joseph was made vizier of 2 [43] Abrek: apparently a cry of homage, though the word's derivation and actual meaning are uncertain. 3 [45] Zaphenath-paneah: a Hebrew transcription of an Egyptian name meaning"the god speaks and he (the new-born child) lives." Asenath: means"belonging to (the Egyptian goddess) Neith." Potiphera: means"he whom Ra (the Egyptian god) gave"; a shorter form of the same name was borne by Joseph's master (Genesis 37:36). Heliopolis: in Hebrew, On, a city seven miles northeast of modern Cairo, site of the chief temple of the sun god; it is mentioned also in Genesis 41:50; 46:20; Ezekiel 30:17. 4 [51] Manasseh: allusion to this name is in the Hebrew expression, nishshani,"he made me forget." 5 [52] Ephraim: related to the Hebrew expression hiphrani,"(God) has made me fruitful." |