Genesis 37
1 Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan.
And Jacob dwells in the land of his father’s sojournings—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 son of seventeen years, has been enjoying himself with his brothers among the flock (and he [is] a youth), with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and Joseph brings in an account of their evil to their father.
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.
And Israel has loved Joseph more than any of his sons, for he [is] a son of his old age, and has made for him a long coat;
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 his brothers see that their father has loved him more than any of his brothers, and they hate him, and have not been able to speak [to] him peaceably.
5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
And Joseph dreams a dream, and declares to his brothers, and they add still more to hate him.
6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:
And he says to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
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.”
that, behold, we are binding bundles in the midst of the field, and behold, my bundle has arisen, and has also stood up, and behold, your bundles are all around, and they bow themselves to my bundle.”
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 say to him, “Do you certainly reign over us? Do you certainly rule over us?” And they add still more to hate him, for his dreams, and for his words.
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.”
And he dreams yet another dream, and recounts it to his brothers, and says, “Behold, I have dreamed a dream again, and behold, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars, are bowing themselves 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 recounts to his father, and to his brothers; and his father pushes against him, and says to him, “What [is] this dream which you have dreamed? Do we certainly come, I, and your mother, and your brothers—to bow ourselves to you, to the earth?”
11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.
And his brothers are zealous against him, and his father has watched the matter.
12 Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.
And his brothers go to feed the flock of their father 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 says to Joseph, “Are your brothers not feeding in Shechem? Come, and I send you to them”; and he says to him, “Here I [am]”;
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 says to him, “Now go see the peace of your brothers, and the peace of the flock, and bring me back word”; and he sends him from the Valley of Hebron, and he comes to Shechem.
15 a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”
And a man finds him, and behold, he is wandering in the field, and the man asks him, saying, “What do you seek?”
16 “I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”
And he says, “I am seeking my brothers, please declare to me where they are feeding.”
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 says, “They have journeyed from this, for I have heard some saying, Let us go to Dothan,” and Joseph goes after his brothers, and finds them in Dothan.
18 Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.
And they see him from afar, even before he draws near to them, and they conspire against him to put him to death.
19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another.
And they say to one another, “Behold, this man of the dreams comes;
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!”
and now, come, and we slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and have said, An evil beast has devoured him; and we see what his dreams are.”
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.
And Reuben hears, and delivers him out of their hand, and says, “Let us not strike the 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.
and Reuben says to them, “Shed no blood; cast him into this pit which [is] in the wilderness, and do not put forth a hand on him,” in order to deliver him out of their hand, to bring him back 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—
And it comes to pass, when Joseph has come to his brothers, that they strip Joseph of his coat, the long coat which [is] on him,
24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.
and take him and cast him into the pit, and the pit [is] empty, there is 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.
And they sit down to eat bread, and they lift up their eyes, and look, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, and their camels carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh, going to take [them] down to Egypt.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
And Judah says to his brothers, “What gain when we slay our brother, and have concealed 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.
Come, and we sell him to the Ishmaelites, and our hands are not on him, for he [is] our brother—our flesh”; and his brothers listen.
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 Midianite merchantmen pass by and they draw out and bring up Joseph out of the pit, and sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they bring Joseph into Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,
And Reuben returns to the pit, and behold, Joseph is not in the pit, and he tears his garments,
30 returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
and he returns to his brothers and says, “The boy is not, and I—to where am I going?”
31 Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.
And they take the coat of Joseph, and slaughter a kid of the goats, and dip the coat 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.”
and send the long coat, and they bring [it] to their father, and say, “We have found this; please discern whether it [is] 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 discerns it and says, “My son’s coat! An evil beast has devoured him; torn—Joseph is torn!”
34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
And Jacob tears his raiment, and puts sackcloth on his loins, and becomes a mourner for his son many days,
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 rise to comfort him, and he refuses to comfort himself, and says, “For I go down to my son mourning, to Sheol,” and his father weeps for him. (Sheol h7585)
36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
And the Midianites have sold him to Egypt, to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, head of the executioners.
