08-01
Joseph, the Favorite Son [08-01]
Many years later, when Jacob was an old man, he sent his favorite son, Joseph, to check on his brothers who were taking care of the herds.
许多年以后，雅各成了一个老人家。有一天，他叫了最爱的儿子约瑟去看看在外放牧的哥哥们。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- sent – This word means that Jacob told Joseph to go and Joseph went.
- favorite son - This could be translated as, "the son he loved more than any of his other children."
- check on - This means that Joseph is to go and see if everything is all right with his brothers. Some languages might say something like, "to see his brothers' well-being."
- brothers - These were Joseph's older brothers.
- taking care of the herds – Since this was several days' journey away, it may be necessary to say, "who were far away taking care of."
08-02
Joseph Was Sold as a Slave [08-02]
Joseph’s brothers hated him because their father loved him most and because Joseph had dreamed that he would be their ruler. When Joseph came to his brothers, they kidnapped him and sold him to some slave traders.
约瑟的哥哥们非常恨约瑟，因为他们的父亲最疼爱他，又因为约瑟曾做梦说自己会成为他哥哥们的统治者。找到哥哥们后，他们绑架了约瑟，并把他卖给一个奴隶贩子。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- came to his brothers – Another way this could be translated is, "reached the place where his brothers were."
- kidnapped - They took him against his will. It was not right for them to do this.
- slave traders - These were people who made a business of buying people from one owner and selling them as slaves to another owner.
08-03
The Brothers' Lie [08-03]
Before Joseph’s brothers returned home, they tore Joseph’s robe and dipped it in goat's blood. Then they showed the robe to their father so he would think that a wild animal had killed Joseph. Jacob was very sad.
在回家前，兄弟们扯下了约瑟的彩衣并沾上血。他们把沾了血的彩衣给父亲雅各看，谎称是野兽杀了约瑟。雅各非常悲伤。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- goat's blood - The brothers wanted Jacob to think that the blood on the clothes was Joseph's blood.
08-04
Joseph in Egypt [08-04]
The slave traders took Joseph to Egypt. Egypt was a large, powerful country located along the Nile River. The slave traders sold Joseph as a slave to a wealthy government official. Joseph served his master well, and God blessed Joseph.
奴隶贩子把约瑟带去了埃及。埃及是尼罗河边上一个非常强大的国家。约瑟被当成奴隶卖给了一个富有的政府官员。约瑟很好地服事他的主人，神也赐福给他。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- government official - This was a person who was part of the Egyptian government. Another way to say this would be, "a leader in Egypt's government."
08-05
Joseph in Prison [08-05]
His master’s wife tried to sleep with Joseph, but Joseph refused to sin against God in this way. She became angry and falsely accused Joseph so that he was arrested and sent to prison. Even in prison, Joseph remained faithful to God, and God blessed him.
他主人的妻子看上了约瑟，想要和他睡觉。但是约瑟拒绝了，因为这样做是犯罪的，是违背神的。主人的妻子非常的生气，就把约瑟绑起来，投进了监狱。即使在监狱里，约瑟也忠心侍奉神，神赐福给他。
Important Terms: ###=
Translation Notes:
- tried to sleep with Joseph – Another way to say this would be, "tried to seduce Joseph to have sex with her." To "sleep with" is a way of expressing this in order not to be crude or offensive.
- sin against God - It is against God's law for people to have sex if they are not married to each other. Joseph did not want to sin by disobeying God's law.
- remained faithful to God - Another way to say this would be, "continued to obey God."
08-06
Pharaoh's Dream [08-06]
After two years, Joseph was still in prison, even though he was innocent. One night, the Pharaoh, which is what the Egyptians called their kings, had two dreams that disturbed him greatly. None of his advisors could tell him the meaning of the dreams.
几年之后，尽管是清白的，约瑟仍然在监狱里。埃及的国王，也就是法老，一直被两个梦困扰。他的大臣们没有一个可以告诉他这两个梦的意思。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- disturbed him greatly – This means that the king felt very afraid and confused (because of what he had seen in the dreams).
- his advisors - These were men with special powers and knowledge who could sometimes tell what dreams meant. Some translations refer to them as, "wise men."
- meaning of the dreams - People in Egypt believed that dreams were messages from the gods telling them about what would happen in the future. God used Pharaoh's dreams to tell him what would happen.
08-07
Joseph Interpreted the Dream [08-07]
God had given Joseph the ability to interpret dreams, so Pharaoh had Joseph brought to him from the prison. Joseph interpreted the dreams for him and said, “God is going to send seven years of plentiful harvests, followed by seven years of famine.”
神给了约瑟解释梦的能力，所以法老让人把约瑟从监狱里带到他面前。约瑟解释了这两个梦的意思，说“神将会给埃及7个丰收年，然后再有7个饥荒年。”
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- interpret dreams - To "interpret" is to tell what something means. So Joseph was able to tell people what their dreams meant.
- had Joseph brought to him - Another way to say this would be, "ordered his servants to bring Joseph to him."
- God is going to send - God will cause the crops to grow well for seven years, and after that He will cause them to produce very little food so that the people and animals will not have enough to eat.
- famine - The gardens and fields would produce so little food that people and animals would not have enough to eat.
08-08
Joseph Ruled Egypt [08-08]
Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph that he appointed him to be the second most powerful man in all of Egypt!
法老非常惊讶（因为约瑟解释了他的梦），于是就封他做埃及的宰相。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- impressed with - Pharaoh was amazed by Joseph's wisdom and felt respect for him; he trusted Joseph to make wise decisions that would benefit the people. It may be clearer to say, "impressed with Joseph's wisdom."
- second most powerful man - Pharaoh made Joseph a very powerful and important ruler over all of Egypt. Only Pharaoh was more powerful and important than Joseph.
08-09
Joseph Stored Up Food [08-09]
Joseph told the people to store up large amounts of food during the seven years of good harvests. Then Joseph sold the food to the people when the seven years of famine came so they would have enough to eat.
在七个丰年里，约瑟叫人民储存了大量的食物。然后在七个荒年里，约瑟把这些食物卖给埃及国内及国外的人民，好让大家都有食物吃。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- store up large amounts of food - They took food from the abundant harvests to the cities and stored it there. The food then belonged to Pharaoh.
- famine - See how you translated this in [[:zh:obs:notes:frames:08-07|[08-07]]].
08-10
The Famine [08-10]
The famine was severe not only in Egypt, but also in Canaan where Jacob and his family lived.
饥荒不止在埃及地横行，也遍及了约瑟的家人所居之地迦南地。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- Egypt, but also Canaan – For some languages it may be clearer or more natural to say, "the country of Egypt, but also the land of Canaan."
- The famine was severe - The famine was very bad. There was very little food and many people outside of Egypt were starving.
08-11
The Brothers Bought Food [08-11]
So Jacob sent his older sons to Egypt to buy food. The brothers did not recognize Joseph when they stood before him to buy food. But Joseph recognized them.
雅各派他的儿子们去埃及地买食物。当约瑟的兄弟们在他面前买食物时，竟没有认出约瑟。约瑟却认出了他们。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- his older sons - These were Joseph's older brothers who had sold him into slavery.
- did not recognize Joseph - They did not know that the man was Joseph, because now Joseph was much older than when they last saw him, and he was dressed as an Egyptian ruler.
08-12
Joseph Met His Brothers [08-12]
After testing his brothers to see if they had changed, Joseph said to them, “I am your brother, Joseph! Do not be afraid. You tried to do evil when you sold me as a slave, but God used the evil for good! Come and live in Egypt so I can provide for you and your families.”
在试探出他们已经变好之后，约瑟告诉他们“我是你们的兄弟，约瑟！不要害怕。你们曾经做了很坏的事，把我当做奴隶卖掉了，但是神使坏事变成好事！来埃及吧，让我好养活大家。”
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- testing his brothers - Joseph placed his older brothers in a difficult situation to see if they would protect their youngest brother, or treat him as badly as they had treated Joseph. When they protected their youngest brother, Joseph knew they had changed.
- if they had changed - Another way to say this would be, "if they were different than they used to be." Years ago Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery. Joseph wanted to find out if they would now do what was right.
- do not be afraid - Another way to say this would be, "You do not need to fear any punishment from me." Joseph's brothers were afraid because they had greatly wronged Joseph and now as a great ruler he had the power to punish them. Joseph could refuse to sell them food, or even put them in prison or kill them.
- evil for good - Joseph's brothers did an evil thing when they sold Joseph as a slave and he was taken to Egypt. But God allowed this so that Joseph could save thousands of people from starving during the famine, including his own family. This was a very good thing.
08-13
Joseph Was Alive [08-13]
When Joseph's brothers returned home and told their father, Jacob, that Joseph was still alive, he was very happy.
弟兄们回家后告诉了老雅各，约瑟仍然活着，他非常开心。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
(There are no notes for this frame.)
08-14
Jacob Went to Egypt [08-14]
Even though Jacob was an old man, he moved to Egypt with all of his family, and they all lived there. Before Jacob died, he blessed each of his sons.
尽管雅各已经很老了，他还是和他的家人一起搬去了埃及并住在了那里。雅各临死前，祝福了每个儿子。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- Even though Jacob was an old man, he moved to Egypt - Egypt was a great distance away from Canaan, and it would have been difficult for an elderly man to walk or ride a cart that far.
- Before Jacob died - Jacob died in Egypt. He did not get to return to Canaan, the land God had promised to give to him and his descendants.
08-15
The Twelve Sons [08-15]
The covenant promises that God gave to Abraham were passed on to Isaac, then to Jacob, and then to Jacob’s twelve sons and their families. The descendants of the twelve sons became the twelve tribes of Israel.
神给亚伯拉罕的应许传给了以撒，又传给了雅各，再到他的十二个儿子和他们的家庭。这十二个儿子的后代就成为了以色列的十二个支派。
Important Terms:
Translation Notes:
- covenant promises - Long ago God made an agreement with Abraham and promised him that he would give him many descendants; they would possess the land of Canaan and become a great nation. God also promised that all peoples would be blessed through Abraham's line. See also [[:zh:obs:notes:frames:07-10|[07-10]]].
- passed on to - Another way to say this would be, "passed down to" or, "given to" or, "applied to." God's promise to Abraham was also for Abraham's children, grandchildren and all the rest of his descendants. See also [[:zh:obs:notes:frames:06-04|[06-04]]].
- twelve tribes of Israel - God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that their descendants would become a great nation. God later changed Jacob's name to Israel. The descendants of Jacob's 12 sons became 12 great tribes. These 12 tribes made up the ancient nation called Israel, which was named by Jacob's new name.
- A Bible story from - These references may be slightly different in some Bible translations.