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Joseph’s Dream

37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had lived as a stranger, in the land of Canaan. This is the story of the children of Jacob and of their children.

When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was caring for the flock with his brothers. The boy was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph told his father about how bad they were. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because Joseph was born when he was an old man. And Israel made him a long coat of many colors. His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers. So they hated Joseph and could not speak a kind word to him.

Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Listen to the dream that I have had. We were gathering grain in the field. My bundle of grain stood up. Your bundles of grain gathered around it and bowed down to my bundle.” Then his brothers said to him, “Are you going to be our king? Are you going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for what he said.

Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. He said, “I have had another dream. The sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 He told it to his father and to his brothers. His father spoke sharp words to him, saying, “What is this dream you have had? Will I and your mother and brothers come to bow ourselves down to the ground in front of you?” 11 Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him. But his father thought about what he said.

Joseph Is Sold and Taken to Egypt

12 Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And Joseph said to him, “I will go.” 14 Then Israel said, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock. Then come and tell me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 A man found him walking through a field, and asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 Joseph said, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me where they are feeding the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have moved from here. For I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers and found them at Dothan.

18 When they saw him far away, before he came near them, they made plans to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer! 20 Now come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the deep holes. Then we will say that a wild animal ate him. And we will see what becomes of his dreams!”

21 But Reuben heard this and saved him from their hands, saying, “Let us not kill him.” 22 Reuben then said, “Do not put him to death. Throw him into this hole here in the desert. But do not lay a hand on him.” He wanted to be able to save Joseph and return him to his father.

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they tore off his coat, the coat of many colors that he was wearing. 24 And they took him and threw him into the hole. The hole was empty and had no water in it.

25 Then they sat down to eat. When they looked up, they saw a group of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. They were taking spices and perfumes on their camels to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What do we get by killing our brother and covering his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him. For he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Some Midianite traders were passing by. So the brothers pulled Joseph up out of the hole. And they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver, and they took Joseph to Egypt.

29 Then Reuben returned to the hole. When he saw that Joseph was not in the hole, he tore his clothes. 30 He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there! What can I do?” 31 So they took Joseph’s coat, killed a male goat, and put the blood on the coat. 32 They sent the coat of many colors to their father. And they said, “We found this. Is it your son’s coat or not?”

33 Jacob looked at it and said, “It is my son’s coat! A wild animal has eaten him! For sure Joseph has been torn to pieces!” 34 So Jacob tore his clothes and dressed in clothes made from hair. He had sorrow for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him. But he would not be comforted. He said, “I will go down to the grave in sorrow for my son.” And his father cried for him.

36 The Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, the head of the soldiers of Pharaoh’s house.

Joseph’s Dreams

37 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed,(A) the land of Canaan.(B)

This is the account(C) of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph,(D) a young man of seventeen,(E) was tending the flocks(F) with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah(G) and the sons of Zilpah,(H) his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report(I) about them.

Now Israel(J) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,(K) because he had been born to him in his old age;(L) and he made an ornate[a] robe(M) for him.(N) When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him(O) and could not speak a kind word to him.

Joseph had a dream,(P) and when he told it to his brothers,(Q) they hated him all the more.(R) He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves(S) of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”(T)

His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?”(U) And they hated him all the more(V) because of his dream and what he had said.

Then he had another dream,(W) and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars(X) were bowing down to me.”(Y)

10 When he told his father as well as his brothers,(Z) his father rebuked(AA) him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”(AB) 11 His brothers were jealous of him,(AC) but his father kept the matter in mind.(AD)

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,(AE) 13 and Israel(AF) said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.(AG) Come, I am going to send you to them.”

“Very well,” he replied.

14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers(AH) and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.(AI)

When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.(AJ)’”

So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.(AK)

19 “Here comes that dreamer!(AL)” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns(AM) and say that a ferocious animal(AN) devoured him.(AO) Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”(AP)

21 When Reuben(AQ) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.(AR) 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern(AS) here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.(AT)

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe(AU) he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern.(AV) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites(AW) coming from Gilead.(AX) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm(AY) and myrrh,(AZ) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.(BA)

26 Judah(BB) said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?(BC) 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,(BD) our own flesh and blood.(BE)” His brothers agreed.

28 So when the Midianite(BF) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern(BG) and sold(BH) him for twenty shekels[b] of silver(BI) to the Ishmaelites,(BJ) who took him to Egypt.(BK)

29 When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.(BL) 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”(BM)

31 Then they got Joseph’s robe,(BN) slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.(BO) 32 They took the ornate robe(BP) back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”

33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal(BQ) has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”(BR)

34 Then Jacob tore his clothes,(BS) put on sackcloth(BT) and mourned for his son many days.(BU) 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him,(BV) but he refused to be comforted.(BW) “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my son(BX) in the grave.(BY)” So his father wept for him.

36 Meanwhile, the Midianites[c](BZ) sold Joseph(CA) in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.(CB)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 37:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain; also in verses 23 and 32.
  2. Genesis 37:28 That is, about 8 ounces or about 230 grams
  3. Genesis 37:36 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac (see also verse 28); Masoretic Text Medanites