Genesis 37
1 Now Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father sojourned.
And Jacob dwells in the land of his father’s sojournings—in the land of Canaan.
2 And these are his generations. Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, when he was still a boy. And he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the wives of his father. And he accused his brothers to their father of a most sinful crime.
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 above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven 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 Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully 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 it also happened that he recounted the vision of a dream to his brothers, for which reason a greater hatred began to be nurtured.
And Joseph dreams a dream, and declares to his brothers, and they add still more to hate him.
6 And he said to them, “Listen to my dream that I saw.
And he says to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
7 I thought we were binding sheaves in the field. And my sheaf seemed to rise up and stand, and your sheaves, standing in a circle, reverenced my sheaf.”
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 His brothers responded: “Would you be our king? Or will we be subject to your dominion?” Therefore, this matter of his dreams and words provided kindling to their envy and hatred.
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 Likewise, he saw another dream, which he explained to his brothers, saying, “I saw by a dream, as if the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were reverencing 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 And when he had related this to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and he said: “What does it mean to you, this dream that you have seen? Should I, and your mother, and your brothers reverence you upon the earth?”
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 Therefore, his brothers were envious of him. Yet truly, his father considered the matter silently.
And his brothers are zealous against him, and his father has watched the matter.
12 And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks,
And his brothers go to feed the flock of their father in Shechem,
13 Israel said to him: “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” And when he answered,
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 “I am ready,” he said to him, “Go, and see if everything is prospering with your brothers and the cattle, and report to me what is happening.” So, having been sent from the valley of Hebron, he arrived at 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 And a man found him wandering in a field, and he asked him what he was seeking.
And a man finds him, and behold, he is wandering in the field, and the man asks him, saying, “What do you seek?”
16 So he responded: “I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks.”
And he says, “I am seeking my brothers, please declare to me where they are feeding.”
17 And the man said to him: “They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he 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 And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided 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 And they said one to another: “Behold, the dreamer approaches.
And they say to one another, “Behold, this man of the dreams comes;
20 Come, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.”
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 But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said:
And Reuben hears, and delivers him out of their hand, and says, “Let us not strike the life”;
22 “Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless.” But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to 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 And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,
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 cast him into an old cistern, which held no water.
and take him and cast him into the pit, and the pit [is] empty, there is no water in it.
25 And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into 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 Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: “What will it profit us, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
And Judah says to his brothers, “What gain when we slay our brother, and have concealed his blood?
27 It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers agreed to his words.
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 And when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into 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 And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find the boy.
And Reuben returns to the pit, and behold, Joseph is not in the pit, and he tears his garments,
30 And rending his garments, he went to his brothers and said, “The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?”
and he returns to his brothers and says, “The boy is not, and I—to where am I going?”
31 Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, which they had killed,
And they take the coat of Joseph, and slaughter a kid of the goats, and dip the coat in the blood,
32 sending those who carried it to their father, and they said: “We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son 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 And when the father acknowledged it, he said: “It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has devoured Joseph.”
And he discerns it and says, “My son’s coat! An evil beast has devoured him; torn—Joseph is torn!”
34 And tearing his garments, he was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for a long time.
And Jacob tears his raiment, and puts sackcloth on his loins, and becomes a mourner for his son many days,
35 Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father’s sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: “I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld.” And while he persevered in weeping, (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 the Midianites in Egypt sold Joseph to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, instructor of the soldiers.
And the Midianites have sold him to Egypt, to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, head of the executioners.
