Genesis 37

Modern

Literal

Joseph’s Dreams

¹Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan.

¹And Jacob dwelt in the land of the sojournings of his father, in the land of Canaan.

²This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

²These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph, a son of seven and ten years, was shepherding the flock with his brothers, and the boy was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, wives of his father. And Joseph brought an evil report of them to his father.

³Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons, because Joseph had been born to him in his old age; so he made him a robe of many colors.^a

³And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a long sleeved tunic.

⁴When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

⁴And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him and were not able speak to him peaceably.

⁵Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.

⁵And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers. And they continued hating him. Even more

⁶He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had:

⁶and he said to them, “Hear, please, this dream that I have dreamed,

⁷We were binding sheaves of grain in the field, and suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to mine.”

⁷and behold, we were binding sheaves in the midst of the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed themselves to my sheaf.”

⁸“Do you intend to reign over us?” his brothers asked. “Will you actually rule us?” So they hated him even more because of his dream and his statements.

⁸And his brothers said to him, “Will you surely reign … over us? Or Will you surely rule … over us?” And they continued hating him even more for his dreams and for his words.

⁹Then Joseph had another dream and told it to his brothers. “Look,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

⁹And he dreamed yet another dream, and he told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream, and behold, the sun and the moon and one and ten stars were bowing themselves to me.”

¹⁰He told his father and brothers, but his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream that you have had? Will your mother and brothers and I actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”

¹⁰And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will we surely come—I and your mother and your brothers—to bow down before you to the earth?”

¹¹And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept in mind what he had said.

¹¹And his brothers envied him, and his father kept the matter in mind.

Joseph Sold into Egypt

¹²Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.

¹²And his brothers went to shepherd the flock of their father in Shechem.

¹³Israel said to him, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flocks at Shechem? Get ready; I am sending you to them.”

“I am ready,” Joseph replied.

¹³And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers shepherding in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Behold, it is I.”

¹⁴Then Israel told him, “Go now and see how your brothers and the flocks are faring, and bring word back to me.”

So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. And when Joseph arrived in Shechem,

¹⁴And he said to him, “Go, please, and see the welfare of your brothers, and the welfare of the flock, and bring back to me word.” And he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.

¹⁵a man found him wandering in the field and asked, “What are you looking for?”

¹⁵And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”

¹⁶“I am looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Can you please tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?”

¹⁶And he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are shepherding.”

¹⁷“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

¹⁷And the man said, “They have journeyed from this place. For I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” And Joseph went after his brothers and he found them in Dothan.

¹⁸Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him.

¹⁸And they saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.

¹⁹“Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another.

¹⁹And they said each man to his brother, “Behold, this master of dreams is coming!

²⁰“Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”

²⁰And now come and let us kill him and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say an evil beast has devoured him. And we will see what will become of his dreams.”

²¹When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. “Let us not take his life,” he said.

²¹And Reuben heard, and he delivered him out of their hand and said, “Let us not take his life.”

²²“Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.

²²Reuben said to them, “Do not shed blood; cast him into this pit, which is in the wilderness. And do not stretch out a hand against him,”—that he might deliver him out of their hand to return him to his father.

²³So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the robe of many colors he was wearing—

²³And it came to pass when Joseph came to his brothers that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the long sleeved tunic that was on him,

²⁴and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, with no water in it.

²⁴and they took him and cast him into the pit. And the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

²⁵And as they sat down to eat a meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying spices, balm, and myrrh on their way down to Egypt.

²⁵And they sat down to eat bread. And they lifted their eyes and they saw, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, and their camels were bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to bring them down to Egypt.

²⁶Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

²⁶And Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

²⁷Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him; for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And they agreed.

²⁷Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let our hand not be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh.” And his brothers listened.

²⁸So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver^a to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.

²⁸And men passed by, Midianite traders; and they pulled up and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and they sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they brought Joseph to Egypt.

²⁹When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes,

²⁹And Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit. And he tore his clothes,

³⁰returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”

³⁰and he returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not! And I, where am I going?”

Jacob Mourns Joseph

³¹Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.

³¹And they took the tunic of Joseph and they slaughtered a kid of the goats and they dipped the tunic in the blood.

³²They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe or not.”

³²And they sent the long sleeved tunic, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Please recognize, is it the tunic of your son or not.”

³³His father recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”

³³And he recognized it and said, “My son's tunic! An evil beast has devoured him! Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”

³⁴Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

³⁴And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his waist, and he mourned for his son many days.

³⁵All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No, ” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

³⁵And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, and he refused to be comforted. And he said, “For I shall go down to my son mourning, to Sheol.” And his father wept for him.

³⁶Meanwhile, the Midianites^a sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

³⁶And the Midianites sold him into Egypt, to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guards.