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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.
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.
This is the history of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.
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.
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.
One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.
Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.
“Listen to this dream,” he said.
So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
“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!”
There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all 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.
And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion 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!”
Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the 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?”
So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”
But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.
And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Soon after this, Joseph’s brothers went to pasture their father’s flocks at Shechem.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
Then his brothers went to feed 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.
And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.”
So he said to him, “Here I am.”
So he said to him, “Here I am.”
“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, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.
When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. “What are you looking for?” he asked.
Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
“I’m looking for my brothers,” Joseph replied. “Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep?”
So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding 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 departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in 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.
Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.
“Here comes the dreamer!” they said.
“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!”
Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall 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 it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.”
“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, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him” — that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.
So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing.
So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors 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.
Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And 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 a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt.
So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal 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 let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened.
Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took 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.
Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes.
Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, “The boy is gone! What will I do now?”
And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?”
Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in its blood.
So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, 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?”
Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know 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!”
And he recognized it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.”
Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time.
Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.