Genesis 37
1 Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan.
Jacob settled down and lived in Canaan as his father had done.
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.
This is the story of Jacob and his family. Joseph was seventeen, and helped look after the flock with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph told his father about some of the bad things his brothers were doing.
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.
Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him when he was already old. He made a colorful robe with long sleeves for Joseph.
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.
When his brothers noticed that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and had nothing good to say about him.
5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.
6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:
“Listen to this dream I had,” he told them.
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 tying up bundles of grain out in the fields when all of a sudden my bundle stood up, and your bundles came over and bowed down to it.”
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.
“Do you really think you're going to be our king?” they asked. “Do you honestly believe you're going to rule over us?” They hated him even more because of his dream and how he described it.
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 told his brothers about it. “Listen, I had another dream,” he explained. “The sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down before 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?”
He also told his father as well as his brothers, and his father told him off, saying, “What's this dream that you've had? Are we—I and your mother and brothers—really going to come and bow down to the ground before you?”
11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.
Joseph's brothers became jealous of him, but his father puzzled over the meaning of the dream.
12 Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.
One day Joseph's brothers took their father's flocks to graze near 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.
Israel told Joseph, “Your brothers are looking after the sheep near Shechem. Get ready because I want you to go and see them.” “I'll do it,” Joseph replied.
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,
So he told him, “Off you go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing, and come back and let me know.” So he sent him off. Joseph set out from the Hebron Valley,
15 a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”
and arrived in Shechem. A man there found him wandering about in the field, so he asked 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?”
“I'm looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they're looking after the 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.
“They've already left,” the man replied. “I heard them say, ‘Let's go to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers and caught 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 coming way off in the distance, and before he got to them, they made plans to kill him.
19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another.
“Look, here comes the Lord of Dreams!” they said to each other.
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!”
“Come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We'll say that some wild animal has eaten him. Then we'll see what happens to his dreams!”
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.
When Reuben heard all this, he tried to save Joseph from them.
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.
“Let's not attack and kill him,” he suggested. “Don't murder him, just throw him into this pit here in the desert. You don't need to be guilty of violence.” Reuben said this so that he could come back later and rescue Joseph from them and take him home to his father.
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 arrived, his brothers ripped off his robe—the colorful long-sleeved robe he was wearing—
24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.
grabbed him and threw him into a pit. (The pit was empty—it didn't have any 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.
They were just sitting down to have a meal when they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic spices, balm, and myrrh to take to Egypt.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
“What's the point of killing our brother?” Judah asked his brothers. “Then we'd have to cover up his death!
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.
Instead, why don't we sell him to these Ishmaelites? We don't have to kill him. After all he's our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.
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.
So when the Ishmaelites (who were traders from Midian) came by, they pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to them for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites took him to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
When Reuben came back later and looked into the pit, Joseph was gone. He tore his clothes in grief.
30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
He returned to his brothers. “The boy's gone!” he moaned. “What am I going to do now?”
31 Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.
They slaughtered a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in the blood.
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.”
Then they sent the colorful robe to their father with the message, “We found this. Please examine it and see if it's your son's robe 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!”
His father recognized it right away and said, “This is my son's robe! Some wild animal must have eaten him. Poor Joseph has been ripped to pieces, no doubt about it!”
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
Jacob tore his clothes in grief and dressed in sackcloth. He mourned the death of his son for a long time.
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)
All his sons and daughters tried to console him, but he rejected their attempts. “No,” he said, “I will go down into my grave mourning for my son.” So Joseph's father went on weeping for him. (Sheol h7585)
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
In the meantime the Ishmaelites had arrived in Egypt and had sold Joseph to Potiphar. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh's officers, the captain of the guard.
