Genesis 37
1 Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan.
Now Jacob was living in the land where his father had made a place for himself, in the land of Canaan.
2 This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them.
These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, a boy seventeen years old, was looking after the flock, together with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph gave their father a bad account of them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors.
Now the love which Israel had for Joseph was greater than his love for all his other children, because he got him when he was an old man: and he had a long coat made for him.
4 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
And because his brothers saw that Joseph was dearer to his father than all the others, they were full of hate for him, and would not say a kind word to him.
5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
Now Joseph had a dream, and he gave his brothers an account of it, which made their hate greater than ever.
6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:
And he said to them, Let me give you the story of my dream.
7 We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.”
We were in the field, getting the grain stems together, and my grain kept upright, and yours came round and went down on the earth before mine.
8 “Do you intend to reign over us?” his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and his statements.
And his brothers said to him, Are you to be our king? will you have authority over us? And because of his dream and his words, their hate for him became greater than ever.
9 Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
Then he had another dream, and gave his brothers an account of it, saying, I have had another dream: the sun and the moon and eleven stars gave honour to me.
10 He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”
And he gave word of it to his father and his brothers; but his father protesting said, What sort of a dream is this? am I and your mother and your brothers to go down on our faces to the earth before you?
11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.
And his brothers were full of envy; but his father kept his words in mind.
12 Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.
Now his brothers went to keep watch over their father's flock in Shechem.
13 Israel said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending you to them.” “I am ready,” Joseph replied.
And Israel said to Joseph, Are not your brothers with the flock in Shechem? come, I will send you to them. And he said to him, Here am I.
14 Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem,
And he said to him, Go now, and see if your brothers are well and how the flock is; then come back and give me word. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”
And a man saw him wandering in the country, and said to him, What are you looking for?
16 “I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”
And he said, I am looking for my brothers; please give me word of where they are keeping their flock.
17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
And the man said, They have gone away from here, for they said in my hearing, Let us go to Dothan. So Joseph went after them and came up with them at Dothan.
18 Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.
But they saw him when he was a long way off, and before he came near them they made a secret design against him to put him to death;
19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another.
Saying to one another, See, here comes this dreamer.
20 “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”
Let us now put him to death and put his body into one of these holes, and we will say, An evil beast has put him to death: then we will see what becomes of his dreams.
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.
But Reuben, hearing these words, got him out of their hands, saying, Let us not take his life.
22 “Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.
Do not put him to a violent death, but let him be placed in one of the holes; this he said to keep him safe from their hands, with the purpose of taking him back to his father again.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing—
So when Joseph came to his brothers, they took off his long coat which he had on;
24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.
And they took him and put him in the hole: now the hole had no water in it.
25 And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.
Then seating themselves, they took their meal: and looking up, they saw a travelling band of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead on their way to Egypt, with spices and perfumes on their camels.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there in putting our brother to death and covering up his blood?
27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed.
Let us give him to these Ishmaelites for a price, and let us not put violent hands on him, for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers gave ear to him.
28 So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
And some traders from Midian went by; so pulling Joseph up out of the hole, they gave him to the Ishmaelites for twenty bits of silver, and they took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
Now when Reuben came back to the hole, Joseph was not there; and giving signs of grief,
30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
He went back to his brothers, and said, The child is gone; what am I to do?
31 Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.
Then they took Joseph's coat, and put on it some of the blood from a young goat which they had put to death,
32 They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.”
And they took the coat to their father, and said, We came across this; is it your son's coat or not?
33 His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
And he saw that it was, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast has put him to death; without doubt Joseph has come to a cruel end.
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
Then Jacob, giving signs of grief, put on haircloth, and went on weeping for his son day after day.
35 All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him. (Sheol h7585)
And all his sons and all his daughters came to give him comfort, but he would not be comforted, saying with weeping, I will go down to the underworld to my son. So great was his father's sorrow for him. (Sheol h7585)
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
And in Egypt the men of Midian gave him for a price to Potiphar, a captain of high position in Pharaoh's house.
