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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 Dream
Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.
Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had 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 records of the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.
Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.
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.
His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.
One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.
Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
“Listen to this dream,” he said.
He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had;
“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!”
for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around 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.
Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even 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!”
Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing 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?”
He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?”
But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.
His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem.
Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in 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.
Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “I will go.”
“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.
Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”
He said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.”
“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.
Then the man said, “They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers 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.
The Plot against Joseph
When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.
“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!”
“Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!”
But when Reuben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph’s rescue. “Let’s not kill him,” he said.
But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands 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.
Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him” — that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father.
So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing.
So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him;
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 threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any 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.
Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up 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 and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him.
Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into 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.
Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.
Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, “The boy is gone! What will I do now?”
He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?”
Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood.
So they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic 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 varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic 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!”
Then he examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”
Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time.
So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.