Génesis 37
1 Y habitó Jacob en la tierra donde peregrinó su padre, en la tierra de Canaán.
Jacob continued to live in the Canaan region where his father had lived previously.
2 Estas fueron las generaciones de Jacob. José, siendo de edad de diecisiete años apacentaba las ovejas con sus hermanos; y el joven estaba con los hijos de Bilha, y con los hijos de Zilpa, mujeres de su padre; e informaba José a su padre la mala fama de ellos.
(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 Y amaba Israel a José más que a todos sus hijos, porque le había tenido en su vejez; y le hizo una ropa de diversos colores.
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 Y viendo sus hermanos que su padre lo amaba más que a todos sus hermanos, le aborrecían, y no le podían hablar pacíficamente.
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 Y soñó José un sueño y lo contó a sus hermanos; y ellos vinieron a aborrecerle más todavía.
One night Joseph had a dream. He told his brothers about the dream.
6 Y él les dijo: Oíd ahora este sueño que he soñado:
He said to them, “Listen to the dream I had!
7 He aquí que atábamos manojos en medio del campo, y he aquí que mi manojo se levantaba, y estaba derecho, y que vuestros manojos estaban alrededor, y se inclinaban al mío.
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 Le respondieron sus hermanos: ¿Has de reinar tú sobre nosotros, o te has de enseñorear sobre nosotros? Y le aborrecieron aún más a causa de sus sueños y de sus palabras.
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 Y soñó aún otro sueño, y lo contó a sus hermanos, diciendo: He aquí que he soñado otro sueño, y he aquí que el sol y la luna y once estrellas se inclinaban a mí.
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 Y lo contó a su padre y a sus hermanos; y su padre le reprendió, y le dijo: ¿Qué sueño es éste que soñaste? ¿Hemos de venir yo y tu madre, y tus hermanos, a inclinarnos a ti a tierra?
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 Y sus hermanos le tenían envidia, mas su padre miraba el asunto.
Joseph’s older brothers were furious/angry with him, but his father just kept thinking about what the dream meant.
12 Y fueron sus hermanos a apacentar las ovejas de su padre en Siquem.
One day Joseph’s older brothers went to take care of their father’s sheep and goats that were eating grass near Shechem.
13 Y dijo Israel a José: Tus hermanos apacientan las ovejas en Siquem; ven, y te enviaré a ellos. Y él respondió: Heme aquí.
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 Y él le dijo: Ve la paz de tus hermanos y la paz de las ovejas, y tráeme la respuesta. Y lo envió del valle de Hebrón, y llegó a Siquem.
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 Y lo halló un hombre, andando él perdido por el campo, y le preguntó aquel hombre, diciendo: ¿Qué buscas?
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 Y él respondió: Busco a mis hermanos; te ruego que me muestres dónde pastan.
Joseph replied, “I am looking for my older brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their sheep and goats?”
17 Y aquel hombre respondió: Ya se han ido de aquí; yo les oí decir: Vamos a Dotán. Entonces José fue tras de sus hermanos, y los halló en Dotán.
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 Cuando ellos lo vieron de lejos, antes que llegara cerca de ellos, pensaron contra él para matarle.
But they saw him when he was still far away, and they decided to kill him.
19 Y dijeron el uno al otro: He aquí viene el soñador;
They said to each other [things like], “Here comes that dreamer!”
20 ahora pues, venid, y matémoslo y echémosle en una cisterna, y diremos: Alguna mala bestia le devoró; y veremos qué serán sus sueños.
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 Cuando Rubén oyó esto, lo libró de sus manos y dijo: No lo matemos.
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 Y les dijo Rubén: No derraméis sangre; echadlo en esta cisterna que está en el desierto, y no pongáis mano en él; por librarlo así de sus manos, para hacerlo volver a su padre.
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 Y sucedió que, cuando llegó José a sus hermanos, ellos hicieron desnudar a José su ropa, la ropa de colores que tenía sobre sí;
So when Joseph arrived where his older brothers were, they seized him and ripped off his pretty robe with long sleeves.
24 y le tomaron, y le echaron en la cisterna; mas la cisterna estaba vacía, no había en ella agua.
Then they took him and threw him into the pit/cistern. But the pit/cistern was dry; there was no water in it.
25 Y se sentaron a comer pan; y alzando los ojos miraron, y he aquí una compañía de ismaelitas que venía de Galaad, y sus camellos traían aromas y bálsamo y mirra, e iban a llevarlo a Egipto.
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 Entonces Judá dijo a sus hermanos: ¿Qué provecho el que matemos a nuestro hermano y encubramos su muerte?
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 Venid, y vendámosle a los ismaelitas, y no sea nuestra mano sobre él; que nuestro hermano es nuestra carne. Y sus hermanos acordaron con él.
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 Y cuando pasaban los madianitas mercaderes, sacaron ellos a José de la cisterna, y le trajeron arriba, y le vendieron a los ismaelitas por veinte piezas de plata. Y llevaron a José a Egipto.
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 Y Rubén volvió a la cisterna, y no halló a José dentro, y rasgó sus vestidos.
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 Y tornó a sus hermanos y dijo: El joven no parece; y yo, ¿adónde iré yo?
He went back to his [younger] brothers and said, “The boy is not in the pit/cistern! What can I do now?” [RHQ]
31 Entonces tomaron ellos la ropa de José, y degollaron un cabrito de las cabras, y tiñieron la ropa con la sangre;
[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 y enviaron la ropa de colores y la trajeron a su padre, y dijeron: Esta hemos hallado, reconoce ahora si es o no la ropa de tu hijo.
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 Y él la conoció, y dijo: La ropa de mi hijo es; alguna mala bestia le devoró; José ha sido despedazado.
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 Entonces Jacob rasgó sus vestidos, y puso saco sobre sus lomos, y se enlutó por su hijo muchos días.
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 Y se levantaron todos sus hijos y todas sus hijas para consolarlo; mas él no quiso tomar consolación, y dijo: Porque yo tengo de descender a mi hijo enlutado hasta la sepultura. Y lo lloró su padre. (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 Y los madianitas lo vendieron en Egipto a Potifar, oficial del Faraón, capitán de los de la guardia.
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.
