Genesis 37
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan wherein his father sojourned.
Jacob settled down and lived in Canaan as his father had done.
2 And these are his generations: Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, being but a boy: and he was with the sons of Bala and of Zelpha his father’s wives: and he accused his brethren to his father of a most wicked crime.
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 above all his sons, because he had him in his old age: and he made him a coat of divers colours.
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 And his brethren seeing that he was loved by his father, more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably 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 Now it fell out also that he told his brethren a dream, that he had dreamed: which occasioned them to hate him the more.
Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.
6 And he said to them: Hear my dream which I dreamed.
“Listen to this dream I had,” he told them.
7 I thought we were binding sheaves in the field: and my sheaf arose as it were, and stood, and your sheaves standing about, bowed down before my sheaf.
“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 His brethren answered: Shalt thou be our king? or shall we be subject to thy dominion? Therefore this matter of his dreams and words ministered nourishment to their envy and hatred.
“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 He dreamed also another dream, which he told his brethren, saying: I saw in a dream, as it were the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars worshipping 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 And when he had told this to his father and brethren, his father rebuked him, and said: What meaneth this dream that thou hast dreamed? shall I and thy mother, and thy brethren worship thee upon the earth?
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 His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself.
Joseph's brothers became jealous of him, but his father puzzled over the meaning of the dream.
12 And when his brethren abode in Sichem feeding their father’s flocks,
One day Joseph's brothers took their father's flocks to graze near Shechem.
13 Israel said to him: Thy brethren feed the sheep in Sichem: come, I will send thee to them. And when he answered:
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 I am ready: he said to him: Go, and see if all things be well with thy brethren, and the cattle: and bring me word again what is doing. So being sent from the vale of Hebron, he came to Sichem:
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 And a man found him there wandering in the field, and asked what he sought.
and arrived in Shechem. A man there found him wandering about in the field, so he asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 But he answered: I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed the flocks.
“I'm looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they're looking after the flock?”
17 And the man said to him: They are departed from this place: for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothain. And Joseph went forward after his brethren, and found them in Dothain.
“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 And when they saw him afar off, before he came nigh them, they thought 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 And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh.
“Look, here comes the Lord of Dreams!” they said to each other.
20 Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit: and we will say: Some evil beast hath devoured him: and then it shall appear what his dreams avail him:
“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 And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, and said:
When Reuben heard all this, he tried to save Joseph from them.
22 Do not take away his life, nor shed his blood: but cast him into this pit, that is in the wilderness, and keep your hands harmless: now he said this, being desirous to deliver him out of their hands and to restore 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 And as soon as he came to his brethren, they forthwith stript him of his outside coat, that was of divers colours:
So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off his robe—the colorful long-sleeved robe he was wearing—
24 And cast him into an old pit, where there was no water.
grabbed him and threw him into a pit. (The pit was empty—it didn't have any water in it.)
25 And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ismaelites on their way coming from Galaad, with their camels, carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh 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 And Juda said to his brethren: What will it profit us to kill our brother, and conceal his blood?
“What's the point of killing our brother?” Judah asked his brothers. “Then we'd have to cover up his death!
27 It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites, and that our hands be not defiled: for he is our brother and our flesh. His brethren agreed to his words.
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 And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver: and they led him into 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 And Ruben, returning to the pit, found not the boy:
When Reuben came back later and looked into the pit, Joseph was gone. He tore his clothes in grief.
30 And rending his garments he went to his brethren, and said: The boy doth not appear and whither shall I go?
He returned to his brothers. “The boy's gone!” he moaned. “What am I going to do now?”
31 And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed:
They slaughtered a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in the blood.
32 Sending some to carry it to their father, and to say: This we have found: see whether it be thy son’s coat, 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 And the father acknowledging it, said: It is my son’s coat, an evil wild beast hath eaten him, a beast hath devoured Joseph.
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 And tearing his garments, he put on sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time.
Jacob tore his clothes in grief and dressed in sackcloth. He mourned the death of his son for a long time.
35 And all his children being gathered together to comfort their father in his sorrow, he would not receive comfort, but said: I will go down to my son into hell, mourning. And whilst he continued weeping, (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 The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers.
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.
