Genesis 37

Jacob lived in the land of Canaan. It’s the land where his father had stayed.

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

Here is the story of the family line of Jacob.

Joseph was a young man. He was 17 years old. He was taking care of the flocks with some of his brothers. They were the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father Jacob. Joseph brought their father a bad report about his brothers.

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.

Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons. That’s because Joseph had been born to him when he was old. Israel made him a beautiful robe.

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.

Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. So they hated Joseph. They couldn’t even speak one kind word to him.

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.

Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they 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, “Listen to the dream I had.

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

We were tying up bundles of grain out in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight. Your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it.”

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, “Do you plan to be king over us? Will you really rule over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream. They didn’t like what he had said.

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.

Then Joseph had another dream. He told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said. “I had another dream. This time the sun and moon and 11 stars were bowing down 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 his father as well as his brothers. Then his father rebuked him. He said, “What about this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers really do that? Will we really come and bow down to the ground in front of 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?

His brothers were jealous of him. But his father kept the dreams in mind.

Joseph Is Sold by His Brothers

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

Joseph’s brothers had gone to take care of their father’s flocks near Shechem.

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

Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are taking care of the flocks near Shechem. Come. I’m going to send you to them.”

“All right,” Joseph replied.

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.

So Israel said to him, “Go to your brothers. See how they are doing. Also see how the flocks are doing. Then come back and tell me.” So he sent him away from the Hebron Valley.

Joseph arrived at 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.

A man found him wandering around in the fields. He asked Joseph, “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 replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their flocks?”

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

“They’ve moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’ ”

So Joseph went to look for his brothers. He found them near Dothan.

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.

But they saw him a long way off. Before he reached them, they made plans to kill him.

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

“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another.

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

“Come. Let’s kill him. Let’s throw him into one of these empty wells. Let’s say that a wild animal ate him up. Then we’ll see whether his dreams will come true.”

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.

Reuben heard them talking. He tried to save Joseph from them. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.

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

“Don’t spill any of his blood. Throw him into this empty well here in the desert. But don’t harm him yourselves.” Reuben said that to save Joseph from them. He was hoping he could take him back 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.

When Joseph came to his brothers, he was wearing his beautiful robe. They took it away from him.

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;

And they threw him into the well. The well was empty. There wasn’t any 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. As they did, they saw some Ishmaelite traders coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, lotion and myrrh. They were on their way to take them 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 will we gain if we kill our brother and try to cover up what we’ve done?

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

Come. Let’s sell him to these traders. Let’s not harm him ourselves. After all, he’s our brother. He’s our own flesh and blood.” Judah’s brothers agreed with him.

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.

The traders from Midian came by. Joseph’s brothers pulled him up out of the well. They sold him to the Ishmaelite traders for eight ounces of silver. Then the traders took him to 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.

Later, Reuben came back to the empty well. He saw that Joseph wasn’t there. He was so upset that he tore his clothes.

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

He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Now what should I do?”

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

Then they got Joseph’s beautiful robe. They killed a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.

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

They took the robe back to their father. They said, “We found this. Take a look at it. See if it’s your son’s robe.”

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.

Jacob recognized it. He said, “It’s my son’s robe! A wild animal has eaten him up. Joseph must have been torn to 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.

Jacob tore his clothes. He put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. Then he mourned for his son many days.

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

All Jacob’s other sons and daughters came to comfort him. But they weren’t able to. He said, “I will continue to mourn until I go down into the grave to be with my son.” So Joseph’s father mourned 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.

But the traders from Midian sold Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh’s officials. He was the captain of the palace guard.

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