Genesis 37
37
1And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Kena’an (merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues).
2These [are] the generations of Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of). Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]), [being] seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the boy [was] with the sons of Bilhah (troubled; timid), and with the sons of Zilpah (a tickling; a sprinkle), his father’s wives: and Yosef brought unto his father their evil report.
3Now Isra’el loved Yosef more than all his children, because he [was] the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of [many] colors.
4And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
5And Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) dreamed a dream, and he told [it] his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
6And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
7For, behold, we [were] binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, youri sheaves stood round about, and made obesiance (bowing or kneeling in respect) to my sheaf.
8And his brethren said to him, Shalt youi indeed reign over us? or shall youi indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
9And 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 obesiance (bowing or kneeling in respect) [a bow, curtsy, or other similar gesture] to me.
10And he told [it] to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What [is] this dream that youi have dreamed? Shall I and youri mother and youri brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to youi to the earth?
11And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.
12And his brethren went to feed their father’s flock in Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion].
13And Isra’el (he who holds onto God-The Creator) said unto Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]), Do not youri brethren feed [the flock] in Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion]? come, and I will send youi unto them. And he said to him, Here [am I].
14And he said to him, Go, I pray youi, see whether it be well with youri brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the valley of Hevron, and he came to Sh’khem [back or shoulder, portion].
15And a certain man found him, and, behold, [he was] wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What [do] youi seek?
16And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray youi, where they feed [their flocks].
17And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dotan (two wells, double feast). And Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) went after his brethren, and found them in Dotan (two wells, double feast).
18And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19And they said one to another, ‘Behold, this dreamer comes!’
20Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast has devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
21And Re’uven (behold a son) heard [it], and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.
22And Re’uven 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.
23And it came to pass, when Yosef was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Yosef out of his coat, [his] coat of [many] colors that [was] on him;
24And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit [was] empty, [there was] no water in it.
25And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Yishma’elim [Yishma’elim (Ishmaelites) [God will Hear]] (They Will Hear God [EL]) came from Gil’ad (hill of testimony or mound of witness) with their camels bearing spices and balm (a medicine; rosin from a bush) and myrrh, going to carry [it] down to Mitzrayim [Egypt] (Double Distress or Double Stronghold, Black Land). Egypt.
26And Y’hudah (Let the Powerful One be Praised [Yah]) said unto his brethren, What profit [is it] if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?
27Come, and let us sell him to the Yishma’elim (They Will Hear God [EL]), and let not our hand be upon him; for he [is] our brother [and] our flesh. And his brethren were content.
28Then there passed by Midyanim [Strife] (People of Strife; Place Of Judgment) merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) out of the pit, and sold Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) to the Yishma’elim (They Will Hear God [EL]) for twenty [pieces] of silver: and they brought Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) into Mitzrayim [Egypt] (Double Distress or Double Stronghold, Black Land).
29And Re’uven (behold a son) returned unto the pit; and, behold, Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) [was] not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
30And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child [is] not; and I, to where shall I go?
31And they took Yosef’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;
32And they sent the coat of [many] colors, and they brought [it] to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it [be] youri son’s coat or no.
33And he knew it, and said, [It is] my son’s coat; an evil beast has devoured him; Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) is without doubt rent in pieces.
34And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his waist, and mourned for his son many days.
35And 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. In the following manner his father wept for him.
36And the Midyanim [Strife] (People of Strife; Place Of Judgment) sold him into Mitzrayim unto Potifar (He Whom The Ra Gave, Priest of the Bull), an officer of Pharaoh’s, [and] captain of the guard.
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Genesis 37: NMV
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Genesis 37
37
Joseph is sold by his brothers as a slave
Joseph and his brothers
1Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father Isaac had lived, 2and this is the story of his family.
When Jacob's son Joseph was seventeen years old, he took care of the sheep with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah.#37.2 Bilhah and Zilpah: See 30.1-13. But he was always telling his father all sorts of bad things about his brothers.
3Jacob loved Joseph more than he did any of his other sons, because Joseph was born after Jacob was very old. Jacob had given Joseph a fine coat#37.3 fine coat: Or “a coat of many colours” or “a coat with long sleeves”. 4to show that he was his favourite son, and so Joseph's brothers hated him and would not be friendly to him.
5One day, Joseph told his brothers what he had dreamed, and they hated him even more. 6Joseph said, “Let me tell you about my dream. 7We were out in the field, tying up bundles of wheat. Suddenly my bundle stood up, and your bundles gathered around and bowed down to it.”
8His brothers asked, “Do you really think you are going to be king and rule over us?” Now they hated Joseph more than ever because of what he had said about his dream.
9Joseph later had another dream, and he told his brothers, “Listen to what else I dreamed. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down to me.”
10When he told his father about this dream, his father became angry and said, “What's that supposed to mean? Are your mother and I and your brothers all going to come and bow down in front of you?” 11Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept wondering about the dream.#Ac 7.9.
Joseph is sold and taken to Egypt
12One day when Joseph's brothers had taken the sheep to a pasture near Shechem, 13his father Jacob said to him, “I want you to go to your brothers. They are with the sheep near Shechem.”
“Yes, sir,” Joseph answered.
14His father said, “Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know.” So he sent him from Hebron Valley.
Joseph was near Shechem 15and wandering through the fields, when a man asked, “What are you looking for?”
16Joseph answered, “I'm looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are?”
17“They're not here any more,” the man replied. “I overheard them say they were going to Dothan.”
Joseph left and found his brothers in Dothan. 18But before he got there, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. 19They said to one another, “Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! 20Let's kill him and throw him into a pit and say that some wild animal ate him. Then we'll see what happens to those dreams.”
21Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. “Let's not kill him,” he said. 22“Don't murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a dry well out here in the desert.” Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father.
23When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fine coat#37.23 fine coat: Or “a coat of many colours” or “a coat with long sleeves”. 24and threw him into a dry well.
25As Joseph's brothers sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with all kinds of spices that they were taking to Egypt. 26So Judah said, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and hide his body? 27Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not harm him. After all, he is our brother.” And the others agreed.
28When the Midianite merchants came by, Joseph's brothers took him out of the well, and for twenty pieces of silver they sold him to the Ishmaelites#37.28 Midianite…Ishmaelites: According to 25.1,2,12 both the Midianites and the Ishmaelites were descendants of Abraham, and in Judges 8.22-24 the two names are used of the same people. It is possible that in this passage “Ishmaelite” has the meaning “nomadic traders”, while “Midianite” refers to their ethnic origin. who took him to Egypt.#Ac 7.9.
29When Reuben returned to the well and did not find Joseph there, he tore his clothes in sorrow. 30Then he went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
31Joseph's brothers killed a goat and dipped Joseph's fine coat in its blood. 32After this, they took the coat to their father and said, “We found this! Look at it carefully and see if it belongs to your son.”
33Jacob knew it was Joseph's coat and said, “It's my son's coat! Joseph has been torn to pieces and eaten by some wild animal.”
34Jacob mourned for Joseph a long time, and to show his sorrow he tore his clothes and wore sackcloth.#37.34 sackcloth: A rough dark-coloured cloth made from goat or camel hair and used to make grain sacks. It was worn in times of trouble or sorrow. 35All Jacob's children came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will go to my grave, mourning for my son.” So Jacob kept on grieving.
36Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, who was the king's#37.36 the king's: See the note at 12.15. official in charge of the palace guard.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012