The Story of Joseph

约瑟的故事

约瑟出生在美索不达米亚的哈兰镇，他的父母是雅各和拉结。 六岁时，他与家人离开哈兰，前往迦南地，最终定居在希伯伦。

雅各对其在晚年时才出生的约瑟表现出额外的感情，给他制作了一件特制的彩色衣服。 这引起了他的兄弟们的嫉妒，尤其是雅各的另一个妻子利亚的儿子们。 当约瑟向他们重复他的两个梦想时，这些不良情绪加剧了，其中他被描绘成统治他的兄弟。 第一次，兄弟们在地里收麦子，兄弟们的麦捆向约瑟的麦捆鞠躬。 在第二个中，约瑟夫想象太阳、月亮和十一颗星星（象征他的父母和兄弟）向他鞠躬。 不用说，哥哥们觉得这种自吹自擂是不好玩的。

很快，当约瑟十七岁时，紧张情绪达到了顶点。

有一天，父亲雅各吩咐约瑟去示剑看望他的兄弟们，他们正在那里放羊。 他不知道这是他最后一次见到他亲爱的儿子，直到他们在漫长的二十二年后重逢。

约瑟的兄弟们抓住机会，把毫无戒心的约瑟扔进了坑里。 不久之后，他们发现一支阿拉伯商队经过现场，兄弟们便将约瑟卖给了商人。 他最终被带到埃及，在那里被卖给了法老王的一位大臣波提乏。

有一段时间，年轻约瑟的情况开始好转。 上帝的恩典使他得到了主人的青睐，并被任命为波提乏家园的负责人。 然而，这不会持续很长时间。

波提乏的妻子被他英俊的外表所吸引，渴望与他亲近。 令她震惊的是，约瑟不断拒绝。 一天，除了他们两个，没有人在家时，女主人抓住约瑟的外衣，要求与他同寝。 约瑟当机立断，耍掉外衣就逃跑了。 这种自制力为他赢得了“义人约瑟”的称号。

但波提乏的妻子却恶人先告状，告诉她的丈夫是约瑟试图引诱她。 愤怒的主人的反应是把他一直信赖的助手关进了监狱。

上帝赐给约瑟的恩典也跟随着他进了监狱，监狱长很快任命他为自己的得力助手。 随着时间的流逝，他的独特品质在另一个方面表现出来：当国王的皇家酒政和面包师被监禁时，约瑟成功地解释了他们所做的梦，正确地预测了酒政将被释放，而面包师将被绞死。

两年后，法老王自己做了两个梦想，他的顾问都无法解释。 酒政想起了那个希伯来青年在狱中的日子，建议召唤约瑟。 当时 30 岁的约瑟将法老的梦解释为上帝对法老王的预言，预示先有七年的大丰收，然后紧跟着是七年的大饥荒，并建议法老在头七年储备粮食。 约瑟的智慧给法老留下深刻印象，法老任命他为一国的宰相，仅次于国王本人，并责成他为国家的饥荒做好准备。

与此同时，附近的迦南地区也感受到了大饥荒的影响。 听说埃及有粮食，约瑟的兄弟们就前往那里向埃及宰相购买珍贵的食物，却没有意识到这位埃及宰相竟然是他们的亲兄弟。

约瑟决定利用这个机会观察他的兄弟们是否真的后悔卖了他。 所以他说：“你们是来刺探我们国家粮食状况的间谍。”

“不，我们不是，”他们说。 “我们是诚实的人。 我们都是兄弟。 我们原先是十二兄弟。但是一个兄弟已经不在了，最小的一个和我们的父亲一起在家。”

约瑟假装不相信他们。 他把名叫西缅的弟兄关在监里，让其他人带饭回家。 但他告诉他们：“当你回来的时候，你必须带上你最小的弟弟。”

当他们回到迦南的家时，兄弟们将所发生的一切都告诉了他们的父亲雅各。 雅各非常难过。 “约瑟不在了，”他喊道，“现在西缅也不在了。 我不会让你带走我最小的儿子便雅悯。”但是当他们的粮食开始用完时，雅各不得不让他们带便雅悯去埃及，这样他们才能得到一些的粮食。

约瑟看到哥哥们来了，很高兴见到弟弟便雅悯。 当然，没有人知道这个重要的人就是约瑟。

约瑟让他的仆人把他们所有的袋子都装满了粮食。 但不让他们知道，他还把自己的特制银杯塞进了便雅悯的粮食口袋里。 当他们都离开并在路上走了一段距离后，约瑟派他的仆人追赶他们。 当他们追上他们时，仆人说：“你为什么偷了我们主人的银杯？”

“我们没有偷他的杯子，”兄弟们都说。 “如果你和我们中的任何一个人一起找到了杯子，就可以将那个人处死。”

仆人就翻遍了所有的粮食袋子，在便雅悯的袋子里找到了杯子。 仆人们说：“你们其余的人可以走了，但便雅悯必须和我们一起去。”

兄弟们吓坏了，于是都决定和便雅悯一起回约瑟家。 约瑟告诉他的兄弟们：“你们都可以回家了，但便雅悯必须留在这里做我的奴隶。”

其中一位名叫犹大的哥哥，就开口说：“如果我没有与便雅悯一同回家，我父亲会死的，因为他非常爱他。 所以请把我留在这里做你的奴隶，但让便雅悯回家吧。”

约瑟现在终于可以看出他的兄弟们已经改变了。 他们后悔很久以前对待他的方式。 在看到他们对便雅悯的忠诚后，约瑟终于向惊讶的兄弟们透露了自己的身份。 在发现约瑟的身份后，他的兄弟们确信他会利用他的皇权对他们的恶行进行报复。 然而，约瑟所表达的情绪却截然相反：“但现在不要难过，也不要为你把我卖到这里而烦恼，因为上帝在你之前派我来是为了保全生命……你没有把我送到这里，是上帝把我送来了。”

约瑟认识到，他所经历的所有艰辛都是上帝所安排的，以确保他和他的家人在埃及和周边国家的生存。 牢记了这一点，就使他能够原谅他的兄弟，并以恩报冤。


思考问题：

Joseph was born in the Mesopotamian town of Haran, to his parents Jacob and Rachel. At the age of six, he left Haran along with his family and journeyed to the land of Canaan, eventually settling in Hebron.

Jacob displayed extra affection to Joseph, who was born to his father’s old age, presenting him with a specially-crafted garment. This prompted feelings of jealousy within his brothers, especially the sons of Jacob’s other wife, Leah. These ill feelings exacerbated when Joseph repeated two of his dreams to them, in which he was portrayed as ruling over his brethren. In the first, the brothers were gathering wheat in the field, and the brothers’ bundles bowed to Joseph’s bundle. In the second, Joseph envisioned the sun, the moon, and eleven stars (symbolizing his parents and brothers) bowing to him. Needless to say, the older brothers found this kind of boasting to be less than amusing.

Soon enough, when Joseph was seventeen, the tension came to a head.

One day, Jacob instructed Joseph to visit his brothers in Shechem, where they were tending their sheep. Little did he know that this would be the last time he would see his dear son, until their reunion a long twenty-two years later.

Seizing their chance, the brothers threw the unsuspecting Joseph into a pit. A short while later they spotted an Arab caravan passing the scene, and the brothers sold Joseph to the traders. He was eventually brought to Egypt, where he was sold to Potiphar, one of King Pharaoh’s ministers.

For a while, things started to look up for young Joseph. Divine success enabled him to find favor in his master’s eyes, and he was appointed head of Potiphar’s estate. However, this would not last for long.

Attracted by his handsome looks, Potiphar’s wife desired to be intimate with him. To her consternation, Joseph continuously refused. One day, when no one was home other than the two of them, the mistress grasped Joseph’s garment, demanding that he consent. Thinking quickly, Joseph slid out of his cloak and ran outside. This self-control earned him the appellation, “Joseph the righteous.”

But Potiphar’s wife turned the tables on Joseph, telling her husband that it was Joseph who had tried to seduce her. The angry master reacted by placing his trustworthy assistant in prison.

Joseph’s charisma followed him to prison as well, and the warden soon appointed him as his right-hand man. In time, his unique qualities expressed themselves in an additional area: when the king’s royal cupbearer and baker were imprisoned, Joseph successfully interpreted their dreams, correctly predicting that the cupbearer would be released and the baker, hanged.

Two years later, King Pharaoh himself envisioned two dreams, which none of his advisors were able to explain. Remembering the Hebrew youth from his prison days, the cupbearer suggested that Joseph be summoned. Joseph, then thirty, interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams as being a Divine prediction for seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of famine, and advised Pharaoh to prepare by storing grain during the first seven years. Impressed by Joseph’s wisdom, Pharaoh appointed him as his viceroy, second only to the king himself, and tasked him with readying the nation for the years of famine.

Meanwhile, the effects of the famine were felt in nearby Canaan. Hearing that there was grain in Egypt, Joseph’s brothers journeyed there to buy precious food from the viceroy, not realizing that he was their very own brother.

Joseph decided to utilize this opportunity to observe whether his brothers truly regretted having sold him. So he said: ‘You are spies. You have come to find where our country is weak.’

‘No, we are not,’ they said. ‘We are honest men. We are all brothers. We were 12. But one brother is no more, and the youngest is home with our father.’

Joseph pretended not to believe them. He kept the brother named Simeon in prison, and let the others take food and go home. But he told them: ‘When you come back, you must bring your youngest brother with you.’

When they return home to Canaan, the brothers told their father Jacob everything that happened. Jacob was very sad. ‘Joseph is no more,’ he cried, ‘and now Simeon is no more. I will not let you take my youngest son Benjamin.’ But when their food began to run out, Jacob had to let them take Benjamin to Egypt so they could get more food.

When Joseph sees his brothers coming, he was very happy to see his younger brother Benjamin. Of course, none of them knew that this important man is Joseph. 

Joseph had his servants fill up all their bags with food. But without letting them know, he also had his special silver cup put into Benjamin’s bag. After they all left and had gone a little distance on the road, Joseph sends his servants after them. When they caught up with them, the servants said: ‘Why have you stolen our master’s silver cup?’

‘We have not stolen his cup,’ the brothers all said. ‘If you find the cup with any one of us, let that person be killed.’

So the servants searched through all the bags, and they found the cup in Benjamin’s bag. The servants said: ‘The rest of you can go, but Benjamin must come with us.’ 

The brothers were horrified, so they all decided to return with Benjamin to Joseph’s house. Joseph told his brothers: ‘You can all go home, but Benjamin must stay here as my slave.’

One of the older brothers, Judah, now spoke up, and said: ‘If I go back home without the boy, my father will die because he loves him very much. So please, keep me here as your slave, but let the boy go home.’

Joseph could now finally see that his brothers had changed. They had regretted how they treated him long ago. On seeing their devotion toward Benjamin, Joseph finally revealed his identity to his astonished siblings. Upon discovering Joseph’s identity, his brothers were sure he would utilize his imperial powers to exact revenge against them for their evil conduct. However, the sentiments expressed by Joseph were quite the opposite: “But now do not be sad, and let it not trouble you that you sold me here, for it was to preserve life that God sent me before you... You did not send me here, but God.”

Joseph recognized that all the travails he had undergone were ordained by God to ensure he and his family’s survival in Egypt and the surrounding countries. Keeping this in mind enabled him to forgive his brothers and repay animosity with benevolence.


Discussion Questions: