约瑟为法老解梦

41 两年后,法老做了个梦,梦见自己站在尼罗河边, 有七头肥美、健壮的母牛从河里上来,在芦苇丛中吃草。 随后又有七头丑陋、瘦弱的母牛从河里上来,与那七头母牛一同站在河边。 后来,七头丑陋、瘦弱的母牛吃掉了七头肥美、健壮的母牛。这时,法老醒了过来。

之后,他又睡着了,又做了个梦。他梦见一株麦子上长了七个饱满的穗子。 后来这株麦子上面又长了七个干瘪的穗子,它们被东风吹干了。 七个干瘪的穗子吞食了七个饱满的穗子。法老醒过来,原来是一场梦。

早上法老心中不安,就派人召来埃及所有的术士和博学之士,把梦告诉他们,可是没有一个人能为他解梦。

后来,侍酒总管对法老说:“我今天才想起我的罪过。 10 我从前和膳食总管惹王生气,被王囚禁在护卫长府内的牢里。 11 一天晚上,我俩都做了梦。 12 当时有一个希伯来青年跟我们一起被囚在牢里,他是护卫长的仆人。我们把梦告诉他,他就分别为我们解梦。 13 后来,他为我们解的梦都应验了,我恢复了原职,膳食总管被挂在木头上处死了。”

14 于是,法老派人去召约瑟,他们急忙释放约瑟。约瑟剃头刮脸,更换衣服,去见法老。 15 法老对约瑟说:“我做了一个梦,没有人能为我解梦。我听说你能解梦。” 16 约瑟回答说:“我自己不会解梦,但上帝却能给王圆满的解释。”

17 法老对约瑟说:“我梦见自己站在尼罗河边, 18 有七头肥美、健壮的母牛从河里上来,在芦苇丛中吃草。 19 随后又有七头丑陋、瘦弱的母牛从河里上来,我在埃及从来没有见过有这么丑陋的牛。 20 这些丑陋、瘦弱的母牛吃掉先前的七头肥母牛。 21 可是,它们吃了以后却仍然像以前那么丑陋。这时,我就醒了。 22 后来我又梦见一株麦子,上面长了七个饱满的穗子, 23 接着又长出七个干瘪的穗子, 24 这些干瘪的穗子吞了那七个饱满的穗子。我把梦告诉了术士,却没有人能为我解梦。”

25 约瑟对法老说:“王的梦都是同一个意思,上帝已经借着梦把祂将要做的事指示王了。 26 七头肥美的母牛和七个饱满的穗子都代表七年,是同样的意思。 27 七头瘦弱、丑陋的母牛和七个干瘪、被东风吹干的穗子也代表七年,是七年饥荒。 28 正如我刚才说的,上帝已经把祂将要做的事向王显明了。 29 埃及全境很快会有七年大丰收, 30 随后是七年饥荒肆虐全国,之前的丰收将被忘记。 31 饥荒将非常严重,之前的丰收将荡然无存。 32 王的梦出现了两次,表示上帝的心意已定,上帝必很快成就这事。 33 王应该选一个精明的人,派他治理埃及。 34 王也应该在各地委派官员,在七年丰收期内征收全国出产的五分之一, 35 把在丰年收集的粮食储存在各城,归王管理。 36 这些粮食要留到七年饥荒时用,免得这片土地被饥荒毁灭。”

约瑟做埃及宰相

37 法老和他所有的臣仆都赞同约瑟的建议。 38 法老对臣仆说:“我们哪里找像这样有上帝的灵同在的人呢?” 39 法老对约瑟说:“上帝既然把梦的意思指示给你,可见没人有你这样的见识和智慧。 40 我要派你管理我家,我的人民都要遵从你的命令,只有我权力比你大。” 41 法老又说:“我现在派你治理埃及全国。” 42 于是,法老摘下手上用来盖印的戒指,戴在约瑟的手上,给他穿上细麻袍,把金链戴在他颈上, 43 让他坐在自己的第二辆御车上,并有人在御车前高呼:“跪下!”这样,法老派约瑟治理整个埃及。 44 法老对约瑟说:“我是法老,但没有你的命令,埃及的任何人都不得擅自行事。” 45 法老赐给约瑟一个名字叫撒发那忒·巴内亚,又把安城祭司波提非拉的女儿亚西纳赐给他为妻。约瑟巡视了整个埃及。

46 约瑟三十岁开始为法老效劳,他离开法老去巡视埃及各地。 47 七个丰年之内,埃及粮食大丰收, 48 约瑟收集七个丰年出产的所有粮食,储藏进各城,每一座城附近出产的粮食都存放在本城。 49 约瑟积存了大量五谷,多如海沙,不可胜数。

50 荒年到来前,安城祭司波提非拉的女儿亚西纳给约瑟生了两个儿子。 51 约瑟给长子取名叫玛拿西,因为他说:“上帝使我忘记一切的困苦和我父亲家。” 52 约瑟给次子取名叫以法莲,因为他说:“上帝使我在受苦之地昌盛。”

53 七个丰年结束后, 54 七个荒年接踵而至,正如约瑟所言。各地都有饥荒,只有埃及全国有粮食。 55 后来,埃及全国也闹饥荒,百姓就向法老求粮,法老对他们说:“你们去找约瑟吧,要照他的吩咐做。”

56 饥荒蔓延到整个埃及时,约瑟便开仓卖粮给埃及人。那时,埃及的饥荒非常严重。 57 各国的人都到埃及来向约瑟买粮,因为天下到处都是大饥荒。

The King’s Dreams

41 Two years later the king had a dream. He dreamed he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. He saw seven fat and beautiful cows come up out of the river. They stood there, eating the grass. Then seven more cows came up out of the river. But they were thin and ugly. They stood beside the seven beautiful cows on the bank of the Nile. The seven thin and ugly cows ate the seven beautiful fat cows. Then the king woke up. The king slept again and dreamed a second time. In his dream he saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk. After that, seven more heads of grain sprang up. But they were thin and burned by the hot east wind. The thin heads of grain ate the seven full and good heads. Then the king woke up again. And he realized it was only a dream. The next morning the king was troubled about these dreams. So he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. The king told them his dreams. But no one could explain their meaning to him.

Then the chief officer who served wine to the king said to him, “I remember something I promised to do. But I had forgotten about it. 10 There was a time when you were angry with me and the baker. You put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 In prison we each had a dream on the same night. Each dream had a different meaning. 12 A young Hebrew man was in the prison with us. He was a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he explained their meanings to us. He told each man the meaning of his dream. 13 Things happened exactly as he said they would: I was given back my old position, and the baker was hanged.”

14 So the king called for Joseph. The guards quickly brought him out of the prison. He shaved, put on clean clothes and went before the king.

15 The king said to Joseph, “I have had a dream. But no one can explain its meaning to me. I have heard that you can explain a dream when someone tells it to you.”

16 Joseph answered the king, “I am not able to explain the meaning of dreams. God will do this for the king.”

17 Then the king said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile River. 18 I saw seven fat and beautiful cows. They came up out of the river and ate the grass. 19 Then I saw seven more cows come out of the river. They were thin and lean and ugly. They were the worst looking cows I have seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And these thin and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows. 21 But after they had eaten the seven cows, no one could tell they had eaten them. They just looked as thin and ugly as they did in the beginning. Then I woke up.

22 “I had another dream. I saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk. 23 Then seven more heads of grain sprang up after them. But these heads were thin and ugly. They were burned by the hot east wind. 24 Then the thin heads ate the seven good heads. I told this dream to the magicians. But no one could explain its meaning to me.”

Joseph Tells the Dreams’ Meaning

25 Then Joseph said to the king, “Both of these dreams mean the same thing. God is telling you what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows stand for seven years. And the seven good heads of grain stand for seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing. 27 The seven thin and ugly cows stand for seven years. And the seven thin heads of grain burned by the hot east wind stand for seven years of hunger. 28 This will happen as I told you. God is showing the king what he is about to do. 29 You will have seven years of good crops and plenty to eat in all the land of Egypt. 30 But after those seven years, there will come seven years of hunger. All the food that grew in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The time of hunger will eat up the land. 31 People will forget what it was like to have plenty of food. This is because the hunger that follows will be so great. 32 You had two dreams which mean the same thing. This shows that God has firmly decided that this will happen. And he will make it happen soon.

33 “So let the king choose a man who is very wise and understanding. Let the king set him over the land of Egypt. 34 And let the king also appoint officers over the land. They should take one-fifth of all the food that is grown during the seven good years. 35 They should gather all the food that is produced during the good years that are coming. Under the king’s authority they should store the grain in the cities and guard it. 36 That food should be saved for later. It will be used during the seven years of hunger that will come on the land of Egypt. Then the people in Egypt will not die during the seven years of hunger.”

Joseph Is Made Ruler over Egypt

37 This seemed like a very good idea to the king. All his officers agreed. 38 And the king asked them, “Can we find a better man than Joseph to take this job? God’s spirit is truly in him!”

39 So the king said to Joseph, “God has shown you all this. There is no one as wise and understanding as you are. 40 I will put you in charge of my palace. All the people will obey your orders. Only I will be greater than you.”

41 Then the king said to Joseph, “Look! I have put you in charge of all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then the king took off from his own finger his ring with the royal seal on it. And he put it on Joseph’s finger. He gave Joseph fine linen clothes to wear. And he put a gold chain around Joseph’s neck. 43 The king had Joseph ride in the second royal chariot. Men walked ahead of his chariot calling, “Bow down!” By doing these things, the king put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt.

44 The king said to him, “I am the king. And I say that no one in all the land of Egypt may lift a hand or a foot unless you say he may.” 45 The king gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave Joseph a wife named Asenath. She was the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. So Joseph traveled through all the land of Egypt.

46 Joseph was 30 years old when he began serving the king of Egypt. And he left the king’s court and traveled through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven good years, the crops in the land grew well. 48 And Joseph gathered all the food produced in Egypt during those seven years of good crops. He stored the food in the cities. In every city he stored grain that had been grown in the fields around that city. 49 Joseph stored much grain, as much as the sand of the seashore. He stored so much grain that he could not measure it.

50 Joseph’s wife was Asenath daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. Before the years of hunger came, Joseph and Asenath had two sons. 51 Joseph named the first son Manasseh.[a] Joseph said, “God has made me forget all the troubles I have had and all my father’s family.” 52 Joseph named the second son Ephraim.[b] Joseph said, “God has given me children in the land of my troubles.”

53 The seven years of good crops came to an end in the land of Egypt. 54 Then the seven years of hunger began, just as Joseph had said. In all the lands people had nothing to eat. But in Egypt there was food. 55 The time of hunger became terrible in all of Egypt. The people cried to the king for food. He said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. Do whatever he tells you to do.”

56 The hunger was everywhere in that part of the world. And Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the people of Egypt. This was because the time of hunger became terrible in Egypt. 57 And all the people in that part of the world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain. This was because the hunger was terrible everywhere in that part of the world.

Footnotes

  1. 41:51 Manasseh This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “made me forget.”
  2. 41:52 Ephraim This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “given me children.”