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Joseph’s Dreams
So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.
So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived as a foreigner.
Joseph's Dreams
And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father sojourned -- in the land of Canaan.
And Jacob dwelt in the land where his father sojourned -- in the land of Canaan.
This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing.
These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, fed the flock with his brethren; and he was doing service with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought to his father an evil report of them.
And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was son of his old age; and he made him a vest of many colours.
But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.
And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, and they hated him, and could not greet him with friendliness.
One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.
And Joseph dreamed a dream, and told [it] to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more.
“Listen to this dream,” he said.
And he said to them, Hear, I pray you, this dream, which I have dreamt:
“We were out in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine!”
Behold, we were binding sheaves in the fields, and lo, my sheaf rose up, and remained standing; and behold, your sheaves came round about and bowed down to my sheaf.
His brothers responded, “So you think you will be our king, do you? Do you actually think you will reign over us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them.
And his brethren said to him, Wilt thou indeed be a king over us? wilt thou indeed rule over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words.
Soon Joseph had another dream, and again he told his brothers about it. “Listen, I have had another dream,” he said. “The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed low before me!”
And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamt another dream, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.
This time he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him. “What kind of dream is that?” he asked. “Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you?”
And he told [it] to his father and to his brethren. And his father rebuked him, and said to him, What is this dream which thou hast dreamt? Shall we indeed come, I and thy mother and thy brethren, to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?
But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.
And his brethren envied him; but his father kept the saying.
Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem.
Joseph Sold by his Brothers
And his brethren went to feed their father's flock at Shechem.
And his brethren went to feed their father's flock at Shechem.
When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready, and I will send you to them.”
“I’m ready to go,” Joseph replied.
“I’m ready to go,” Joseph replied.
And Israel said to Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed [the flock] at Shechem? Come, that I may send thee to them. And he said to him, Here am I.
“Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along,” Jacob said. “Then come back and bring me a report.” So Jacob sent him on his way, and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron.
And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see after the welfare of thy brethren, and after the welfare of the flock; and bring me word again. And he sent him out of the vale of Hebron; and he came towards Shechem.
When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
And a man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the country; and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?
“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”
And he said, I am seeking my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed [their flocks].
“Yes,” the man told him. “They have moved on from here, but I heard them say, ‘Let’s go on to Dothan.’” So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there.
And the man said, They have removed from this; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them at Dothan.
Joseph Sold into Slavery
When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him.
And when they saw him from afar, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to put him to death.
“Here comes the dreamer!” they said.
And they said one to another, Behold, there comes that dreamer!
“Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns. We can tell our father, ‘A wild animal has eaten him.’ Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!”
And 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 becomes of his dreams.
But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said.
And Reuben heard [it], and delivered him out of their hand, and said, Let us not take his life.
“Why should we shed any blood? Let’s just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he’ll die without our laying a hand on him.” Reuben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.
And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood: cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness; but lay no hand upon him -- in order that he might deliver him out of their hand, to bring him to his father again.
So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing.
And it came to pass when Joseph came to his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his vest, the vest of many colours, which he had on;
Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
and they took him and cast him into the pit; now the pit was empty -- there was no water in it.
Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt.
And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead; and their camels bore tragacanth, and balsam, and ladanum -- going to carry [it] down to Egypt.
And Judah said to his brethren, What profit is it that we kill our brother and secrete his blood?
Instead of hurting him, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite traders. After all, he is our brother — our own flesh and blood!” And his brothers agreed.
Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites; but let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened [to him].
And Midianitish men, merchants, passed by; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver-pieces; and they brought Joseph to Egypt.
Some time later, Reuben returned to get Joseph out of the cistern. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in grief.
And Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit; and he rent his garments,
Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, “The boy is gone! What will I do now?”
and returned to his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, where shall I go?
Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood.
Jacob Mourns Joseph
And they took Joseph's vest, and slaughtered a buck of the goats, and dipped the vest in the blood;
And they took Joseph's vest, and slaughtered a buck of the goats, and dipped the vest in the blood;
They sent the beautiful robe to their father with this message: “Look at what we found. Doesn’t this robe belong to your son?”
and they sent the vest of many colours and had it carried to their father, and said, This have we found: discern now whether it is thy son's vest or not.
Their father recognized it immediately. “Yes,” he said, “it is my son’s robe. A wild animal must have eaten him. Joseph has clearly been torn to pieces!”
And he discerned it, and said, [It is] my son's vest! an evil beast has devoured him: Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces!
Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time.
And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and said, For I will go down to my son into Sheol mourning. Thus his father wept for him.