Genesis, 37

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

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

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 all his children, because he [was] the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of [many] colours.

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. 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.

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

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

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

6. And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, 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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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?

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

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

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

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

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. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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 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.

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

23. 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;

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: and 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. 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.

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

26. And Judah said unto his brethren, 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, 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.

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 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.

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

29. And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit; and 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 he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child [is] not; and I, whither shall I go?

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

31. And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat 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 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.

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

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

34. And Jacob rent his clothes, 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. 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.

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

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