< Genesis 37 >
1 Now Jacob was living in the land where his father had made a place for himself, in the land of Canaan.
So Jacob dwelt in the land of the sojournings of his father, —in the land of Canaan.
2 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.
These, are the generations of Jacob—Joseph, when seventeen years old, was shepherding with his brethren among the flocks, and, he, being a youth, was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah wives of his father, —so then Joseph brought in the talk about them—something bad, unto their father.
3 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.
Now, Israel, loved Joseph more than any of his sons, because he was to him, the son of his old age, and he had made him, a long tunic.
4 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.
So his brethren saw that their father loved him, more than any of his brethren, and they hated him, and could not bid him prosper,
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he gave his brothers an account of it, which made their hate greater than ever.
And Joseph dreamed a dream, and told it to his brethren, and they went on yet more to hate him.
6 And he said to them, Let me give you the story of my dream.
And he said unto them, Hear ye I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
7 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.
Lo! then, we, were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, when lo my sheaf rose up, yea and took its stand, —and lo! round about came your sheaves, and bowed themselves down to my sheaf.
8 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.
And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou, reign, over us, shalt thou, have dominion over us? So they went on yet more to hate him, because of his dreams and because of his words.
9 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.
Then dreamed he, yet another, dream, and related it to his brethren, and said: —Lo! I have dreamed a dream, yet again, Lo! then, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars, were bowing themselves down to me.
10 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?
So he related it unto his father, and unto his brethren, —and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream which thou hast dreamed? Shall we, indeed come in, I, and thy mother and thy brethren, to bow ourselves down to thee to the earth?
11 And his brothers were full of envy; but his father kept his words in mind.
Then were his brethren jealous of him, but his father, marked the word.
12 Now his brothers went to keep watch over their father's flock in Shechem.
Now his brethren went their way, —to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
13 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.
So Israel said unto Joseph Are not, thy brethren, feeding the flock in Shechem? Come on! and let me send thee unto them. And he said to him Behold me!
14 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.
So he said to him—Go, I pray thee, look after the welfare of thy brethren, and the welfare of the flock, and bring me back word. And he sent him from the vale of Hebron, and he came in towards Shechem.
15 And a man saw him wandering in the country, and said to him, What are you looking for?
And a man found him, and lo! he was wandering about in the field, so the man asked him saying—What seekest thou?
16 And he said, I am looking for my brothers; please give me word of where they are keeping their flock.
And he said, My brethren, am, I, seeking, —do tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding their flock.
17 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.
And the man said, They have broken up from hence, for I heard them saying Let us go our way towards Dothan. So Joseph went after his brethren, and found them, in Dothan.
18 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;
And they saw him afar off, —and, ere yet he drew near unto them, they conspired against him, to put him to death.
19 Saying to one another, See, here comes this dreamer.
And they said each man unto his brother, Lo! that master of dreams yonder, coming in!
20 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.
Now, therefore, come! let us slay him and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say A cruel beast, hath devoured him, —And let us see what will become of his dreams.
21 But Reuben, hearing these words, got him out of their hands, saying, Let us not take his life.
And Reuben heard it, and rescued him out of their hand, and said Let us not smite him, so as to take his life!
22 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.
And Reuben said unto them Do not shed blood! Cast him into this pit, which is in the wilderness, but put not forth, a hand, against him! that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him unto his father.
23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they took off his long coat which he had on;
So it came to pass, when Joseph had come in unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph of his tunic, the long tunic which was upon him,
24 And they took him and put him in the hole: now the hole had no water in it.
and took him, and cast him into the pit, but the pit, was empty, there was in it no water.
25 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.
And when they had sat down to eat bread, they lifted up their eyes and looked, and lo! a caravan of Ishmaelites, coming in from Gilead, —and, their camels, were bearing tragacanth gum, and balsam and cistus-gum, they were going their way, to take them down to Egypt.
26 And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is there in putting our brother to death and covering up his blood?
So Judah said unto his brethren, —What profit that we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
27 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.
Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites; but let not, our own hand, be upon him, for our own brother, our own flesh, is he And his brethren hearkened.
28 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.
And there passed by certain Midianites travelling merchants, so they drew forth and uplifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites, for twenty pieces of silver, —and they brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 Now when Reuben came back to the hole, Joseph was not there; and giving signs of grief,
And Reuben returned unto the pit, and lo Joseph was not in the pit, so he rent his clothes;
30 He went back to his brothers, and said, The child is gone; what am I to do?
and returned unto his brethren, and said, —The, lad, is not! And, I, oh where can I, go?
31 Then they took Joseph's coat, and put on it some of the blood from a young goat which they had put to death,
And they took Joseph’s tunic, —and slaughtered a buck of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood;
32 And they took the coat to their father, and said, We came across this; is it your son's coat or not?
and sent the long tunic and brought it in unto their father, and said This, have we found! Examine, we pray thee, whether it is the tunic of thy son, or not!
33 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.
So he examined it, and said—The tunic of my son! A cruel beast hath devoured him, —torn in pieces—torn in pieces, is Joseph!
34 Then Jacob, giving signs of grief, put on haircloth, and went on weeping for his son day after day.
And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, —and mourned over his son many days.
35 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 )
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to console him but he refused to be consoled, and said—Surely I will go down unto my son mourning to hades! And his father wept for him. (Sheol )
36 And in Egypt the men of Midian gave him for a price to Potiphar, a captain of high position in Pharaoh's house.
Now, the Midianites, sold him into Egypt, —to Potiphar courtier of Pharaoh, chief of the royal executioners.