Genesis 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.

Genesis 37

1Meanwhile Jacob had settled down where his father had lived, the land of Canaan.

Joseph and His Brothers

2This is the story of Jacob. The story continues with Joseph, seventeen years old at the time, helping out his brothers in herding the flocks. These were his half brothers actually, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought his father bad reports on them.

3-4Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was the child of his old age. And he made him an elaborately embroidered coat. When his brothers realized that their father loved him more than them, they grew to hate him—they wouldn’t even speak to him.

5-7Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said, “Listen to this dream I had. We were all out in the field gathering bundles of wheat. All of a sudden my bundle stood straight up and your bundles circled around it and bowed down to mine.”

8His brothers said, “So! You’re going to rule us? You’re going to boss us around?” And they hated him more than ever because of his dreams and the way he talked.

9He had another dream and told this one also to his brothers: “I dreamed another dream—the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to me!”

10-11When he told it to his father and brothers, his father reprimanded him: “What’s with all this dreaming? Am I and your mother and your brothers all supposed to bow down to you?” Now his brothers were really jealous; but his father brooded over the whole business.

12-13His brothers had gone off to Shechem where they were pasturing their father’s flocks. Israel said to Joseph, “Your brothers are with flocks in Shechem. Come, I want to send you to them.”

Joseph said, “I’m ready.”

14He said, “Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing and bring me back a report.” He sent him off from the valley of Hebron to Shechem.

15A man met him as he was wandering through the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

16“I’m trying to find my brothers. Do you have any idea where they are grazing their flocks?”

17The man said, “They’ve left here, but I overheard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph took off, tracked his brothers down, and found them in Dothan.

18-20They spotted him off in the distance. By the time he got to them they had cooked up a plot to kill him. The brothers were saying, “Here comes that dreamer. Let’s kill him and throw him into one of these old cisterns; we can say that a vicious animal ate him up. We’ll see what his dreams amount to.”

21-22Reuben heard the brothers talking and intervened to save him, “We’re not going to kill him. No murder. Go ahead and throw him in this cistern out here in the wild, but don’t hurt him.” Reuben planned to go back later and get him out and take him back to his father.

23-24When Joseph reached his brothers, they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing, grabbed him, and threw him into a cistern. The cistern was dry; there wasn’t any water in it.

25-27Then they sat down to eat their supper. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way from Gilead, their camels loaded with spices, ointments, and perfumes to sell in Egypt. Judah said, “Brothers, what are we going to get out of killing our brother and concealing the evidence? Let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, but let’s not kill him—he is, after all, our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

28By that time the Midianite traders were passing by. His brothers pulled Joseph out of the cistern and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites who took Joseph with them down to Egypt.

29-30Later Reuben came back and went to the cistern—no Joseph! He ripped his clothes in despair. Beside himself, he went to his brothers. “The boy’s gone! What am I going to do!”

31-32They took Joseph’s coat, butchered a goat, and dipped the coat in the blood. They took the fancy coat back to their father and said, “We found this. Look it over—do you think this is your son’s coat?”

33He recognized it at once. “My son’s coat—a wild animal has eaten him. Joseph torn limb from limb!”

34-35Jacob tore his clothes in grief, dressed in rough burlap, and mourned his son a long, long time. His sons and daughters tried to comfort him but he refused their comfort. “I’ll go to the grave mourning my son.” Oh, how his father wept for him.

36In Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, manager of his household affairs.

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Genesis 37

Genesis 37