Genesis 37
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan wherein his father sojourned.
Jacob lived in the land of his father’s travels, in the land of Canaan.
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 history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father.
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.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a tunic of many colours.
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.
His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to 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 dreamt a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.
6 And he said to them: Hear my dream which I dreamed.
He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamt:
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.
for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf.”
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.
His brothers asked him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed have dominion over us?” They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words.
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.
He dreamt yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamt yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to 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 told it to his father and to his brothers. His father rebuked him, and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamt? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to the earth before you?”
11 His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself.
His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.
12 And when his brethren abode in Sichem feeding their father’s flocks,
His brothers went to feed their father’s flock in 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 said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” He said to him, “Here I am.”
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:
He said to him, “Go now, see whether it is well with your 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 a man found him there wandering in the field, and asked what he sought.
A certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16 But he answered: I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed the flocks.
He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding 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.
The man said, “They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.
18 And when they saw him afar off, before he came nigh them, they thought to kill him.
They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.
19 And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh.
They said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes.
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 now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will see what will become of his dreams.”
21 And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, and said:
Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s not take his life.”
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.
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 hand, to restore him 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:
When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colours that was on him;
24 And cast him into an old pit, where there was no water.
and they took him, and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty. There was no 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 sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.
26 And Juda said to his brethren: What will it profit us to kill our brother, and conceal his blood?
Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
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.
Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.” His brothers listened to him.
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.
Midianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The merchants brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 And Ruben, returning to the pit, found not the boy:
Reuben returned to the pit, and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
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, and said, “The child is no more; and I, where will I go?”
31 And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed:
They took Joseph’s tunic, and killed a male goat, and dipped the tunic 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.
They took the tunic of many colours, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, and see if it is your son’s tunic 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.
He recognised it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.”
34 And tearing his garments, he put on sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time.
Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
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 all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” His father wept for him. (Sheol h7585)
36 The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers.
The Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.
