< Genesis 37 >

1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had 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, tended the flock with his brothers; he was an assistant to the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report about them to their father.
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 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he had been born to him in his old age. And he made a long ornamented robe for him.
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 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn't speak a kind word to him.
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 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.
And it bifelde that he telde to hise britheren a sweuene seyn, which cause was `the seed of more hatrede.
6 He said to them, "Please listen to this dream I had:
And Joseph seide to his britheren, Here ye the sweuene which Y seiy,
7 And look, we were binding sheaves in the field, and look, my sheaf arose and also stood upright. And look, your sheaves gathered around it 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 Then his brothers said to him, "Will you indeed reign over us? Or will you indeed rule over us?" So they hated him all the more for his dreams and for what he said.
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 had another dream, and told it to his father and to his brothers, and said, "Look, I had yet another dream, and look, 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 When he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, "What is this dream that you had? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come and bow down to the ground in front of you?"
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 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept thinking about the matter.
Therfor hise britheren hadden enuye to hym. Forsothe the fadir bihelde pryuely the thing,
12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.
and whanne his britheren dwelliden in Sichem, aboute flockis of the fadir `to be kept,
13 And Israel said to Joseph, "Aren't your brothers pasturing the flock near Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them." And he said to him, "I am ready."
Israel seide to Joseph, Thi britheren kepen scheep in Sichymys; come thou, Y schal sende thee to hem.
14 So he said to him, "Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers and well with the flock, and report back to me." So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to 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 look, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, "What are you looking for?"
and a man foond hym errynge in the feeld, and `the man axide, what he souyte.
16 He said, "I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock."
And he answerde, Y seke my britheren, schewe thou to me where thei kepten flockis.
17 The man said, "They have left here, for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in 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 Now they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they plotted against him to kill him.
And whanne thei hadden seyn hym afer, bifor that he neiyede to hem,
19 And they said to one another, "Look, this dreamer is coming.
thei thouyten to sle hym, and spaken to gidere, Lo! the dremere cometh, come ye,
20 Come now, and let's kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns, and we will say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we will see what will become 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 But Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hands, and said, "Let's not take his life."
Sotheli Ruben herde this, and enforside to delyuere hym fro her hondis,
22 Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him"—that he might deliver him out of their hands, to restore him to his father.
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 It happened, when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his robe, the long ornamented robe that he was wearing.
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 threw him into the cistern. (Now the pit was empty. There was no water in it.)
that hadde no water.
25 Then they sat down to eat a meal. And they looked up, and look, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh on their way to carry them 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 Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal 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's sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our flesh." And his brothers agreed.
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 So the Midianites merchants passed by, and they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the cistern, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. 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 cistern and saw that Joseph wasn't in the cistern; and he tore his clothes.
And Ruben turnede ayen to the cisterne, and foond not the child;
30 He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone. Now, what am I to do?"
and he to-rente his closis, and he yede to hise britheren, and seide, The child apperith not, and whidir schal Y go?
31 They took Joseph's robe and killed a male goat and dipped the robe 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 long ornamented robe and they brought it to their father, and said, "We found this. Please examine it to see whether it is your son's robe or not."
and seiden, We han founde this coote, se, whether it is the coote of thi sone, ether nai.
33 And he recognized it, and said, "It is my son's robe. A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to 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 Then Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth around his waist, 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 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "Indeed, I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning." And 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 Now the Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.
Madianytis seelden Joseph into Egipt to Putifar, chast `and onest seruaunt of Farao, maistir of the chyualrie.

< Genesis 37 >