Genesis 37
1 Jacob settled down and lived in Canaan as his father had done.
And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojourning, in the land of Canaan.
2 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.
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and Joseph brought the evil report of them to their father.
3 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.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made for him a coat of many colors.
4 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.
And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers. And they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.
And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him yet the more.
6 “Listen to this dream I had,” he told them.
And he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed.
7 “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.”
For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright. And, behold, your sheaves came round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
8 “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.
And his brothers said to him, Shall thou indeed reign over us? Or shall thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
9 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.”
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers. And said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream again. And, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me.
10 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?”
And he told it to his father, and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream that thou have dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
11 Joseph's brothers became jealous of him, but his father puzzled over the meaning of the dream.
And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
12 One day Joseph's brothers took their father's flocks to graze near Shechem.
And his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.
13 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.
And Israel said to Joseph, Are not thy brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send thee to them. And he said to him, Here I am.
14 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,
And he said to him, Go now, see whether it is well with thy brothers, and well with the flock, and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 and arrived in Shechem. A man there found him wandering about in the field, so he asked him, “What are you looking for?”
And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, What do thou seek?
16 “I'm looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they're looking after the flock?”
And he said, I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding.
17 “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.
And the man said, They are departed from here, for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.
18 But they saw him coming way off in the distance, and before he got to them, they made plans to kill him.
And they saw him afar off. And before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.
19 “Look, here comes the Lord of Dreams!” they said to each other.
And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer comes.
20 “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!”
Come now therefore, 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 shall see what will become of his dreams.
21 When Reuben heard all this, he tried to save Joseph from them.
And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, Let us not take his life.
22 “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.
And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood. Cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him, that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.
23 So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off his robe—the colorful long-sleeved robe he was wearing—
And it came to pass, when Joseph came to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him,
24 grabbed him and threw him into a pit. (The pit was empty—it didn't have any water in it.)
and they took him, and cast him into the pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
25 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.
And they sat down to eat bread. And they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26 “What's the point of killing our brother?” Judah asked his brothers. “Then we'd have to cover up his death!
And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27 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.
Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brothers hearkened to him.
28 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.
And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen, and they drew and lifted Joseph up out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 When Reuben came back later and looked into the pit, Joseph was gone. He tore his clothes in grief.
And Reuben returned to the pit, and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit. And he tore his clothes,
30 He returned to his brothers. “The boy's gone!” he moaned. “What am I going to do now?”
and he returned to his brothers, and said, The child is not, and I, where shall I go?
31 They slaughtered a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in the blood.
And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.
32 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.”
And they sent the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, We have found this. Know now whether it is thy son's coat or not.
33 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!”
And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat. An evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.
34 Jacob tore his clothes in grief and dressed in sackcloth. He mourned the death of his son for a long time.
And Jacob tore his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
35 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)
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning. And his father wept for him. (Sheol h7585)
36 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.
And the Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard.
