Genesis 37
1 habitavit autem Iacob in terra Chanaan in qua peregrinatus est pater suus
Jacob continued to live in the Canaan region where his father had lived previously.
2 et hae sunt generationes eius Ioseph cum sedecim esset annorum pascebat gregem cum fratribus suis adhuc puer et erat cum filiis Balae et Zelphae uxorum patris sui accusavitque fratres suos apud patrem crimine pessimo
(This is/I will now tell you) what happened to Jacob’s family. When his son Joseph was 17 years old, he was taking care of the flocks of sheep and goats with some of his older brothers. They were sons of his father’s (concubines/female slaves that he had taken to be his secondary wives). Joseph sometimes told his father about bad things that his brothers were doing.
3 Israhel autem diligebat Ioseph super omnes filios suos eo quod in senectute genuisset eum fecitque ei tunicam polymitam
Jacob loved Joseph more than he loved any of his other children, because Joseph had been born when Jacob was an old man. Jacob made for Joseph a long pretty robe that had long sleeves.
4 videntes autem fratres eius quod a patre plus cunctis filiis amaretur oderant eum nec poterant ei quicquam pacificum loqui
When Joseph’s older brothers realized that their father loved him more than he loved any of them, they hated him. They never spoke kindly to him.
5 accidit quoque ut visum somnium referret fratribus quae causa maioris odii seminarium fuit
One night Joseph had a dream. He told his brothers about the dream.
6 dixitque ad eos audite somnium meum quod vidi
He said to them, “Listen to the dream I had!
7 putabam ligare nos manipulos in agro et quasi consurgere manipulum meum et stare vestrosque manipulos circumstantes adorare manipulum meum
In the dream, we were tying up bundles of wheat in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight, and surprisingly, your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it!”
8 responderunt fratres eius numquid rex noster eris aut subiciemur dicioni tuae haec ergo causa somniorum atque sermonum invidiae et odii fomitem ministravit
His brothers said to him, “Do you think that some day you will rule over us? Are you [saying that some day] you are going to be our king?” [RHQ] They hated him even more than before because of what he had told them about his dream.
9 aliud quoque vidit somnium quod narrans fratribus ait vidi per somnium quasi solem et lunam et stellas undecim adorare me
Later he had another dream, and again he told his older brothers about it. He said, “Listen to this! I had another dream. In this dream, the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me!”
10 quod cum patri suo et fratribus rettulisset increpavit eum pater et dixit quid sibi vult hoc somnium quod vidisti num ego et mater tua et fratres adorabimus te super terram
He also told his father about it. His father rebuked him, saying “What are you suggesting by that dream [RHQ]? Do you think it means that your mother and I and your older brothers will some day bow down to the ground in front of you?” [RHQ]
11 invidebant igitur ei fratres sui pater vero rem tacitus considerabat
Joseph’s older brothers were furious/angry with him, but his father just kept thinking about what the dream meant.
12 cumque fratres illius in pascendis gregibus patris morarentur in Sychem
One day Joseph’s older brothers went to take care of their father’s sheep and goats that were eating grass near Shechem.
13 dixit ad eum Israhel fratres tui pascunt oves in Sycimis veni mittam te ad eos quo respondente
Some time later, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are taking care of the sheep and goats near Shechem [RHQ]. I am going to send you there to see them.” Joseph replied, “Okay.”
14 praesto sum ait vade et vide si cuncta prospera sint erga fratres tuos et pecora et renuntia mihi quid agatur missus de valle Hebron venit in Sychem
Jacob said, “Go and see if they are doing okay, and if the flocks are doing okay. Then come back and give me a report.” So Jacob sent Joseph from [the valley where they were living], the valley where Hebron is located, [to go north] to find his brothers. When Joseph arrived near Shechem [city],
15 invenitque eum vir errantem in agro et interrogavit quid quaereret
while he was wandering around in the fields looking/searching for his brothers, a man saw him and asked him, “Whom are you looking/searching for?”
16 at ille respondit fratres meos quaero indica mihi ubi pascant greges
Joseph replied, “I am looking for my older brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their sheep and goats?”
17 dixitque ei vir recesserunt de loco isto audivi autem eos dicentes eamus in Dothain perrexit ergo Ioseph post fratres suos et invenit eos in Dothain
The man replied, “They are not here any more. I heard one of them saying, ‘Let’s take the sheep and goats and go to Dothan [town].’” So Joseph left there and went north, and found his older brothers near Dothan.
18 qui cum vidissent eum procul antequam accederet ad eos cogitaverunt illum occidere
But they saw him when he was still far away, and they decided to kill him.
19 et mutuo loquebantur ecce somniator venit
They said to each other [things like], “Here comes that dreamer!”
20 venite occidamus eum et mittamus in cisternam veterem dicemusque fera pessima devoravit eum et tunc apparebit quid illi prosint somnia sua
and “Hey, let’s kill him, and then throw his body into one of the pits/cisterns. Then we will tell people that a ferocious/wild animal attacked and killed him and ate him. And then we will (find out whether his dreams come true/make sure that his dreams do not come true)!”
21 audiens hoc Ruben nitebatur liberare eum de manibus eorum et dicebat
Reuben heard what they were saying, so he tried to persuade them not to kill [MTY] Joseph. He said, “No, we should not kill him.
22 non interficiamus animam eius nec effundatis sanguinem sed proicite eum in cisternam hanc quae est in solitudine manusque vestras servate innoxias hoc autem dicebat volens eripere eum de manibus eorum et reddere patri suo
Do not even shed his blood! We can throw him into this pit/cistern in the desert, but we should not harm him [MTY].” He said that, and then left them, planning to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.
23 confestim igitur ut pervenit ad fratres nudaverunt eum tunica talari et polymita
So when Joseph arrived where his older brothers were, they seized him and ripped off his pretty robe with long sleeves.
24 miseruntque in cisternam quae non habebat aquam
Then they took him and threw him into the pit/cistern. But the pit/cistern was dry; there was no water in it.
25 et sedentes ut comederent panem viderunt viatores Ismahelitas venire de Galaad et camelos eorum portare aromata et resinam et stacten in Aegyptum
After they sat down to eat some food, they looked up and saw a (caravan/group [of traders]), descendants of Ishmael, coming from the Gilead area. Their camels were loaded with bags of spices and nice-smelling resins. They were going down to Egypt to sell those things there.
26 dixit ergo Iudas fratribus suis quid nobis prodest si occiderimus fratrem nostrum et celaverimus sanguinem ipsius
Judah said to his [older and younger] brothers, “If we kill our younger brother and hide his body, (what will we gain?/we will not gain anything!) [RHQ]
27 melius est ut vendatur Ismahelitis et manus nostrae non polluantur frater enim et caro nostra est adquieverunt fratres sermonibus eius
So, instead of harming him, let’s sell him to these men who are descendants of Ishmael. Don’t forget, he is our own younger brother!” So they all agreed to do that.
28 et praetereuntibus Madianitis negotiatoribus extrahentes eum de cisterna vendiderunt Ismahelitis viginti argenteis qui duxerunt eum in Aegyptum
When those traders from the Midian area came near, Joseph’s brothers pulled him up out of the pit/cistern. Then they sold him to the men from Midian for 20 pieces of silver. The traders then took Joseph to Egypt.
29 reversusque Ruben ad cisternam non invenit puerum
When Reuben returned to the pit/cistern, he saw that his younger brother was not there. He was so grieved that he tore his clothes.
30 et scissis vestibus pergens ad fratres ait puer non conparet et ego quo ibo
He went back to his [younger] brothers and said, “The boy is not in the pit/cistern! What can I do now?” [RHQ]
31 tulerunt autem tunicam eius et in sanguinem hedi quem occiderant tinxerunt
[Joseph’s brothers did not dare to tell their father what they had done. So, they decided to invent a story about what had happened]. They got Joseph’s robe. Then they killed a goat and dipped the robe in the goat’s blood.
32 mittentes qui ferrent ad patrem et dicerent hanc invenimus vide utrum tunica filii tui sit an non
They took that pretty robe back to their father and said, “We found this robe! Look at it. Is it your son’s robe?”
33 quam cum agnovisset pater ait tunica filii mei est fera pessima comedit eum bestia devoravit Ioseph
He recognized it, and he said, “Yes, it is my son’s robe! Some ferocious/wild animal must have attacked and killed him! I am sure that the animal has torn Joseph to pieces!”
34 scissisque vestibus indutus est cilicio lugens filium multo tempore
Jacob was so grieved that he tore his clothes. He put on (sackcloth/clothes that people wear when they are mourning for someone who has died). He mourned/cried for his son for many days.
35 congregatis autem cunctis liberis eius ut lenirent dolorem patris noluit consolationem recipere et ait descendam ad filium meum lugens in infernum et illo perseverante in fletu (Sheol h7585)
All of his children came to try to comfort him, but he did not pay attention to what they said. He said, “No, I will still be mourning/crying when I die and go to be with my son.” So Joseph’s father continued to cry because of what had happened to his son. (Sheol h7585)
36 Madianei vendiderunt Ioseph in Aegypto Putiphar eunucho Pharaonis magistro militiae
In the meantime, the men/traders from Midian took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, who was one of the king’s officials. He was the captain of the soldiers who protected the king.
