Genesis, 37

1. But Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

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

2. This is the story of Joseph. Joseph was seventeen years old. As he was young, he was shepherding the flock with his brothers, with the sons of his father's wives, Bilhah and Zilpah; and Joseph brought his father bad reports about them.

2. This is the history of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought an ill report of them to their father.

3. Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had a decorated tunic made for him.

3. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a long robe with sleeves.

4. But his brothers, seeing how much more his father loved him than all his other sons, came to hate him so much that they could not say a civil word to him.

4. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

5. Now Joseph had a dream, and he repeated it to his brothers, who then hated him more than ever.

5. Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they only hated him the more.

6. 'Listen', he said, 'to the dream I had.

6. He said to them, "Hear this dream which I have dreamed:

7. We were binding sheaves in the field, when my sheaf suddenly rose and stood upright, and then your sheaves gathered round and bowed to my sheaf.'

7. behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold, your sheaves gathered round it, and bowed down to my sheaf."

8. 'So you want to be king over us,' his brothers retorted, 'you want to lord it over us?' And they hated him even more, on account of his dreams and of what he said.

8. His brothers said to him, "Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to have dominion over us?" So they hated him yet more for his dreams and for his words.

9. He had another dream which he recounted to his brothers. 'Look, I have had another dream,' he said. 'There were the sun, the moon and eleven stars, bowing down to me.'

9. Then he dreamed another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream; and behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

10. He told his father and brothers, and his father scolded him. 'A fine dream to have!' he said to him. 'Are all of us then, myself, your mother and your brothers, to come and bow to the ground before you?'

10. But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him, and said to him, "What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?"

11. His brothers held it against him, but his father pondered the matter.

11. And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

12. His brothers went to pasture their father's flock at Shechem.

12. Now his brothers went to pasture their father's flock near Shechem.

13. Then Israel said to Joseph, 'Your brothers are with the flock at Shechem, aren't they? Come, I am going to send you to them.' 'I am ready,' he replied.

13. And Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them." And he said to him, "Here I am."

14. He said to him, 'Go and see how your brothers and the flock are doing, and bring me word.' He sent him from the valley of Hebron, and Joseph arrived at Shechem.

14. So he said to him, "Go now, see if it is well with your brothers, and with the flock; and bring me word again." So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15. A man found him wandering in the countryside and asked him, 'What are you looking for ? '

15. And a man found him wandering in the fields; and the man asked him, "What are you seeking?"

16. 'I am looking for my brothers,' he replied. 'Please tell me where they are pasturing their flock.'

16. "I am seeking my brothers," he said, "tell me, I pray you, where they are pasturing the flock."

17. The man answered, 'They have moved on from here; indeed I heard them say, "Let us go to Dothan." ' So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

17. And the man said, "They have gone away, for I heard them say, `Let us go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan.

18. They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot to kill him.

18. They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him.

19. 'Here comes that dreamer,' they said to one another.

19. They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer.

20. 'Come on, let us kill him now and throw him down one of the storage-wells; we can say that some wild animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams.'

20. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild beast has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams."

21. But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their clutches. 'We must not take his life,' he said.

21. But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life."

22. 'Shed no blood,' said Reuben to them, 'throw him down that well out in the desert, but do not kill him yourselves' -- intending to save him from them and to restore him to his father.

22. And Reuben said to them, "Shed no blood; cast him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him" -- that he might rescue him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.

23. So, when Joseph reached his brothers, they pulled off his tunic, the decorated tunic which he was wearing,

23. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore;

24. and catching hold of him, threw him into the well. The well was empty, with no water in it.

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

25. They then sat down to eat. Looking up, they saw a group of Ishmaelites who were coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum tragacanth, balsam and resin, which they were taking to Egypt.

25. Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ish'maelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.

26. Then Judah said to his brothers, 'What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood?

26. Then Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?

27. Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, then we shall not have laid hands on him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, and our own flesh.' His brothers agreed.

27. Come, let us sell him to the Ish'maelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers heeded him.

28. Now some Midianite merchants were passing, and they pulled Joseph out of the well. They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver, and these men took Joseph to Egypt.

28. Then Mid'ianite traders passed by; and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ish'maelites for twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.

29. When Reuben went back to the well, there was no sign of Joseph. Tearing his clothes,

29. When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he rent his clothes

30. he went back to his brothers. 'The boy has gone,' he said. 'What am I going to do?'

30. and returned to his brothers, and said, "The lad is gone; and I, where shall I go?"

31. They took Joseph's tunic and, slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in the blood.

31. Then they took Joseph's robe, and killed a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood;

32. Then they sent off the decorated tunic and had it taken to their father, with the message, 'This is what we have found. Do you recognise it as your son's tunic or not?'

32. and they sent the long robe with sleeves and brought it to their father, and said, "This we have found; see now whether it is your son's robe or not."

33. He recognised it and cried, 'My son's tunic! A wild animal has devoured him! Joseph has been torn to pieces!'

33. And he recognized it, and said, "It is my son's robe; a wild beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces."

34. Tearing his clothes and putting sackcloth round his waist, Jacob mourned his son for many days.

34. Then Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

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

35. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father wept for him.

36. Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials and commander of the guard.

36. Meanwhile the Mid'ianites had sold him in Egypt to Pot'i-phar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.