Genesis 37
1 Jacob settled down and lived in Canaan as his father had done.
Now Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father sojourned.
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.
And these are his generations. Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, when he was still a boy. And he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the wives of his father. And he accused his brothers to their father of a most sinful crime.
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 above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven 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.
Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully to him.
5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more.
Then it also happened that he recounted the vision of a dream to his brothers, for which reason a greater hatred began to be nurtured.
6 “Listen to this dream I had,” he told them.
And he said to them, “Listen to my dream that I saw.
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.”
I thought we were binding sheaves in the field. And my sheaf seemed to rise up and stand, and your sheaves, standing in a circle, reverenced 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.
His brothers responded: “Would you be our king? Or will we be subject to your dominion?” Therefore, this matter of his dreams and words provided kindling to their envy and hatred.
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.”
Likewise, he saw another dream, which he explained to his brothers, saying, “I saw by a dream, as if the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were reverencing 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 when he had related this to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and he said: “What does it mean to you, this dream that you have seen? Should I, and your mother, and your brothers reverence you upon the earth?”
11 Joseph's brothers became jealous of him, but his father puzzled over the meaning of the dream.
Therefore, his brothers were envious of him. Yet truly, his father considered the matter silently.
12 One day Joseph's brothers took their father's flocks to graze near Shechem.
And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks,
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.
Israel said to him: “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” And when he answered,
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,
“I am ready,” he said to him, “Go, and see if everything is prospering with your brothers and the cattle, and report to me what is happening.” So, having been sent from the valley of Hebron, he arrived at 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 man found him wandering in a field, and he asked him what he was seeking.
16 “I'm looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they're looking after the flock?”
So he responded: “I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks.”
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 to him: “They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at 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, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him.
19 “Look, here comes the Lord of Dreams!” they said to each other.
And they said one to another: “Behold, the dreamer approaches.
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, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.”
21 When Reuben heard all this, he tried to save Joseph from them.
But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said:
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.
“Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless.” But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return him to his father.
23 So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off his robe—the colorful long-sleeved robe he was wearing—
And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,
24 grabbed him and threw him into a pit. (The pit was empty—it didn't have any water in it.)
and they cast him into an old cistern, which held no water.
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 sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt.
26 “What's the point of killing our brother?” Judah asked his brothers. “Then we'd have to cover up his death!
Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: “What will it profit us, 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.
It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers agreed to his words.
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 when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt.
29 When Reuben came back later and looked into the pit, Joseph was gone. He tore his clothes in grief.
And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find the boy.
30 He returned to his brothers. “The boy's gone!” he moaned. “What am I going to do now?”
And rending his garments, he went to his brothers and said, “The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?”
31 They slaughtered a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in the blood.
Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, which they had killed,
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.”
sending those who carried it to their father, and they said: “We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son 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 when the father acknowledged it, he said: “It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has devoured Joseph.”
34 Jacob tore his clothes in grief and dressed in sackcloth. He mourned the death of his son for a long time.
And tearing his garments, he was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for a long time.
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)
Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father’s sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: “I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld.” And while he persevered in weeping, (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.
the Midianites in Egypt sold Joseph to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, instructor of the soldiers.
