Genesis 37

So Jacob (Israel) lived in the land ^[a]where his father [Isaac] had been a stranger (sojourner, resident alien), in the land of Canaan.

And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

These are the generations of Jacob.

Joseph, when he was seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers [Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher]; the boy was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s [^[b]secondary] wives; and Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.

These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a [distinctive] ^[c]multicolored tunic.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

His brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than all of his brothers; so they hated him and could not [find it within themselves to] speak to him on friendly terms.

And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Now Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they ^[d]hated him even more.

And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

He said to them, “Please listen to [the details of] this dream which I have dreamed;

And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

we [brothers] were binding sheaves [of grain stalks] in the field, and lo, my sheaf [suddenly] got up and stood upright and remained standing; and behold, your sheaves stood all around my sheaf and bowed down [in respect].”

For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

His brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Are you really going to rule and govern us as your subjects?” So they hated him even more for [telling them about] his dreams and for his [arrogant] words.

And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

But Joseph dreamed still another dream, and told it to his brothers [as well]. He said, “See here, I have again dreamed a dream, and lo, [this time I saw] eleven stars and the sun and the moon bowed down [in respect] to me!”

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.

He told it to his father as well as to his brothers; but his father rebuked him and said to him [in disbelief], “What is [the meaning of] this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow down to the ground [in respect] before you?”

And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

Joseph’s brothers were envious and jealous of him, but his father kept the words [of Joseph] in mind [wondering about their meaning].

And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem.

And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

Israel (Jacob) said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing [the flock] at Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said, “Here I am [ready to obey you].”

And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.

Then Jacob said to him, “Please go and see whether everything is all right with your brothers and all right with the flock; then bring word [back] to me.” So he sent him from the Hebron Valley, and he went to Shechem.

And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

Now a certain man found Joseph, and saw that he was wandering around and had lost his way in the field; so the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”

And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

He said, “I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are pasturing our flocks.”

And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

Then the man said, “[They were here, but] they have moved on from this place. I heard them say, ‘Let us go to ^[e]Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

The Plot against Joseph

And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

And when they saw him from a distance, even before he came close to them, they plotted to kill him.

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

They said to one another, “Look, here comes this ^[f]dreamer.

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.

Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the ^[g]pits (cisterns, underground water storage); then we will say [to our father], ‘A wild animal killed and devoured him’; and we shall see what will become of his dreams!”

Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

Now Reuben [the eldest] heard this and rescued him from their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.”

And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

Reuben said to them, “Do not shed his blood, but [instead] throw him [alive] into the pit that is here in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him [to kill him]”—[he said this so] that he could rescue him from them and return him [safely] to his father.

And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.

Now when Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped him of his tunic, the [distinctive] ^[h]multicolored tunic which he was wearing;

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

then they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty; there was no water in it.

And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

Then they sat down to eat their meal. When they looked up, they saw a caravan of ^[i]Ishmaelites coming from Gilead [east of the Jordan], with their camels bearing ladanum resin [for perfume] and balm and ^[j]myrrh, going on their way to carry the cargo down to Egypt.

And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood (murder)?

And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

Come, let us [instead] sell him to these Ishmaelites [and ^[k]Midianites] and not lay our hands on him, because he is our brother and our flesh.” So his brothers listened to him and agreed.

Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

Then as the ^[l]Midianite [and Ishmaelite] traders were passing by, the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And so they took Joseph [as a captive] into Egypt.

Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

Now Reuben [unaware of what had happened] returned to the pit, and [to his great alarm found that] Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his clothes [in deep sorrow].

And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

He rejoined his brothers and said, “The boy is not there; as for me, where shall I go [to hide from my father]?”

And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

Then they took Joseph’s tunic, slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood;

And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

and they brought the multicolored tunic to their father, saying, “We have found this; please examine it and decide whether or not it is your son’s tunic.”

And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild animal has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces!”

And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

So Jacob tore his clothes [in grief], put ^[m]on sackcloth and mourned many days for his son.

And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

Then all his sons and daughters attempted to console him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “I will go down to Sheol (the place of the dead) in mourning for my son.” And his father wept for him.

And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.

Meanwhile, in Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph [as a slave] to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the [royal] guard.

And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.