37:1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
37:2 This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him.
37:4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
37:5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
37:6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:
37:7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”
37:8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.
37:9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
37:10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”
37:11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
37:12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,
37:13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.” “Very well,” he replied.
37:14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem,
37:15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
37:16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
37:17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.
37:18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
37:19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other.
37:20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”
37:21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.
37:22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the desert, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.
37:23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe–the richly ornamented robe he was wearing–
37:24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
37:25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
37:26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
37:27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
37:28 So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
37:29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.
37:30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”
37:31 Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.
37:32 They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
37:33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”
37:34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.
37:35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “in mourning will I go down to the grave to my son.” So his father wept for him.
37:36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.
37:1 And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.
37:2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, when he was seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father s wives. And Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.
37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was the son of his old age, and he had made him a coat of many colors.
37:4 And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
37:5 Then Joseph had a dream; and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
37:6 And he said to them, Listen to this dream which I have had:
37:7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field, when suddenly my sheaf rose up and remained standing; and then your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.
37:8 And his brothers said to him, Will you indeed reign over us and actually be a ruler among us? So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
37:9 And he had still another dream and told it to his brothers and said, Now I have had another dream: There were the sun and the moon and eleven stars, bowing down to me.
37:10 And he told it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the ground to you?
37:11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in his heart.
37:12 Then his brothers went to shepherd their father s flock in Shechem.
37:13 And Israel said to Joseph, Your brothers are now shepherding the flock in Shechem. Come, and I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here I am.
37:14 And he said to him, Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flock, and bring word back to me. So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
37:15 And a man found him; and there he was, wandering in the field, and the man asked him, saying, What are you seeking?
37:16 And he said, I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are shepherding the flock.
37:17 And the man said, They have moved on from here; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
37:18 And when they saw him from a distance and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to put him to death.
37:19 And they said one to another, Here comes this master of dreams.
37:20 Now then, come and let us slay him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, A wild beast has devoured him; then we will see what will become of his dreams.
37:21 But when Reuben heard it, he tried to deliver him out of their hand and said, Let us not take his life.
37:22 And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood; throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him ? that he might deliver him out of their hand to restore him to his father.
37:23 And when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him;
37:24 And they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
37:25 Then they sat down to eat food; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and there was a caravan of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
37:26 Then Judah said to his brothers, What gain is there if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?
37:27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let our hand not be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers listened to him.
37:28 So when some Midianite traders passed by, they pulled Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these brought Joseph into Egypt.
37:29 And when Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes.
37:30 And he returned to his brothers and said, The boy is not there; so as for me, what shall I do?
37:31 Then they took Joseph s coat and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the coat in the blood.
37:32 And they sent the coat of many colors and had it brought to their father and said, We found this; please examine it, and see whether it is your son s coat or not.
37:33 And he recognized it and said, It is my son s coat. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.
37:34 And Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth upon his loins and mourned for his son many days.
37:35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted and said, Surely I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
37:36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.