< Genesis 37 >

1 And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father sojourned — in the land of Canaan.
Forsothe Jacob dwellide in the lond of Canaan, in which his fadir was a pilgrym; and these weren the generaciouns of hym.
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, fed the flock with his brethren; and he was doing service with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought to his father an evil report of them.
Joseph whanne he was of sixtene yeer, yit a child, kepte a flok with hise britheren, and was with the sones of Bala and Zelfa, wyues of his fadir; and he accuside his britheren at the fadir of `the worste synne.
3 And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was son of his old age; and he made him a vest of many colours.
Forsothe Israel louyde Joseph ouer alle hise sones, for he hadde gendrid hym in eelde; and he made to Joseph a cote of many colours.
4 And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, and they hated him, and could not greet him with friendliness.
Forsothe hise britheren sien that he was loued of the fader more than alle, and thei hatiden hym, and myyten not speke ony thing pesibli to hym.
5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and told [it] to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.
And it bifelde that he telde to hise britheren a sweuene seyn, which cause was `the seed of more hatrede.
6 And he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream, which I have dreamt:
And Joseph seide to his britheren, Here ye the sweuene which Y seiy,
7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the fields, and lo, my sheaf rose up, and remained standing; and behold, your sheaves came round about and bowed down to my sheaf.
Y gesside that we bounden to gidere handfuls, and that as myn handful roos, and stood, and that youre handfuls stoden aboute and worschipiden myn handful.
8 And his brethren said to him, Wilt thou indeed be a king over us? wilt thou indeed rule over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words.
Hise britheren answerden, Whether thou shalt be oure kyng, ethir we shulen be maad suget to thi lordschip? Therfor this cause of sweuenys and wordis mynystride the nurschyng of enuye, and of hatrede.
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamt another dream, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.
Also Joseph seiy another sweuene, which he telde to the britheren, and seide, Y seiy bi a sweuene that as the sunne, and moone, and enleuen sterris worschipiden me.
10 And he told [it] to his father and to his brethren. And his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream which thou hast dreamt? Shall we indeed come, I and thy mother and thy brethren, to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
And whanne he hadde teld this sweuene to his fadir, and britheren, his fadir blamyde him, and seide, What wole this sweuene to it silf which thou hast seyn? Whether Y and thi modir, and thi britheren, schulen worschipe thee on erthe?
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying.
Therfor hise britheren hadden enuye to hym. Forsothe the fadir bihelde pryuely the thing,
12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock at Shechem.
and whanne his britheren dwelliden in Sichem, aboute flockis of the fadir `to be kept,
13 And Israel said to Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed [the flock] at Shechem? Come, that I may send thee to them. And he said to him, Here am I.
Israel seide to Joseph, Thi britheren kepen scheep in Sichymys; come thou, Y schal sende thee to hem.
14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see after the welfare of thy brethren, and after the welfare of the flock; and bring me word again. And he sent him out of the vale of Hebron; and he came towards Shechem.
And whanne Joseph answerde, Y am redi, Israel seide, Go thou, and se whether alle thingis ben esi anentis thi britheren, and scheep; and telle thou to me what is doon. He was sent fro the valey of Ebron, and cam into Sichem;
15 And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the country; and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
and a man foond hym errynge in the feeld, and `the man axide, what he souyte.
16 And he said, I am seeking my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed [their flocks].
And he answerde, Y seke my britheren, schewe thou to me where thei kepten flockis.
17 And the man said, They have removed from this; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them at Dothan.
And the man seide to hym, Thei yeden awei fro this place; forsothe Y herde hem seiynge, Go we into Dothaym. And Joseph yede aftir his britheren, and foond hem in Dothaym.
18 And when they saw him from afar, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to put him to death.
And whanne thei hadden seyn hym afer, bifor that he neiyede to hem,
19 And they said one to another, Behold, there comes that dreamer!
thei thouyten to sle hym, and spaken to gidere, Lo! the dremere cometh, come ye,
20 And now come and let us kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, An evil beast has devoured him; and we will see what becomes of his dreams.
sle we hym, and sende we into an eld sisterne, and we schulen seie, A wielde beeste ful wickid hath deuourid hym; and thanne it schal appere what hise dremes profiten to hym.
21 And Reuben heard [it], and delivered him out of their hand, and said, Let us not take his life.
Sotheli Ruben herde this, and enforside to delyuere hym fro her hondis,
22 And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood: cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness; but lay no hand upon him — in order that he might deliver him out of their hand, to bring him to his father again.
and seide, Sle we not the lijf of hym, nether schede we out his blood, but caste ye hym into an eeld cisterne, which is in the wildirnesse, and kepe ye youre hondis gilteles. Forsothe he seide this, willynge to delyuere hym fro her hondis, and to yelde to his fadir.
23 And it came to pass when Joseph came to his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his vest, the vest of many colours, which he had on;
Therfor anoon as Joseph cam to hise britheren, thei dispuyliden hym of the coote, doun to the heele, and of many colours, and senten into the eeld cisterne,
24 and they took him and cast him into the pit; now the pit was empty — there was no water in it.
that hadde no water.
25 And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead; and their camels bore tragacanth, and balsam, and ladanum — going to carry [it] down to Egypt.
And thei saten `to ete breed; and thei sien that Ismaelitis weigoers camen fro Galaad, and that her camels baren swete smellynge spiceries, and `rosyn, and stacten, into Egipt.
26 And Judah said to his brethren, What profit is it that we kill our brother and secrete his blood?
Therfor Judas seide to hise britheren, What schal it profite to vs, if we schulen sle oure brother, and schulen hide his blood?
27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites; but let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened [to him].
It is betere that he be seeld to Ismalitis, and oure hondis be not defoulid, for he is oure brother and fleisch. The britheren assentiden to these wordis;
28 And Midianitish men, merchants, passed by; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver-pieces; and they brought Joseph to Egypt.
and whanne marchauntis of Madian passiden forth, thei drowen hym out of the cisterne, and seelden hym to Ismaelitis, for thriytti platis of siluer; whiche ledden hym in to Egipt.
29 And Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit; and he rent his garments,
And Ruben turnede ayen to the cisterne, and foond not the child;
30 and returned to his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, where shall I go?
and he to-rente his closis, and he yede to hise britheren, and seide, The child apperith not, and whidir schal Y go?
31 And they took Joseph's vest, and slaughtered a buck of the goats, and dipped the vest in the blood;
Forsothe thei token his coote, and dippiden in the blood of a kide, which thei hadden slayn; and senten men that baren to the fadir,
32 and they sent the vest of many colours and had it carried to their father, and said, This have we found: discern now whether it is thy son's vest or not.
and seiden, We han founde this coote, se, whether it is the coote of thi sone, ether nai.
33 And he discerned it, and said, [It is] my son's vest! an evil beast has devoured him: Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces!
And whanne the fader hadde knowe it, he seide, It is the coote of my sone, a wielde beeste ful wickid hath ete hym, a beeste hath deuourid Joseph.
34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
And he to-rente his clothis, and he was clothid with an heire, and biweilide his sone in myche tyme.
35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and said, For I will go down to my son into Sheol mourning. Thus his father wept for him. (Sheol h7585)
Sothely whanne hise fre children weren gaderid to gidere, that thei schulden peese the sorewe of the fadir, he nolde take counfort, but seide, Y schal go doun in to helle, and schal biweile my sone. And the while Jacob contynude in wepyng, (Sheol h7585)
36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt, to Potiphar, a chamberlain of Pharaoh, the captain of the life-guard.
Madianytis seelden Joseph into Egipt to Putifar, chast `and onest seruaunt of Farao, maistir of the chyualrie.

< Genesis 37 >