Christian Standard Bible

King James Bible

1Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.

1And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

2These are the family records of Jacob. At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended sheep with his brothers. The young man was working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought a bad report about them to their father.

2These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

3Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age, and he made a robe of many colors for him.

3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

4When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not bring themselves to speak peaceably to him.

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.

5Then Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.

5And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

6He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had:

6And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:

7There we were, binding sheaves of grain in the field. Suddenly my sheaf stood up, and your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf."

7For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.

8"Are you really going to reign over us?" his brothers asked him. "Are you really going to rule us?" So they hated him even more because of his dream and what he had said.

8And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

9Then he had another dream and told it to his brothers. "Look," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun, moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me."

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 obeisance to me.

10He told his father and brothers, and his father rebuked him. "What kind of dream is this that you have had?" he said. "Am I and your mother and your brothers really going to come and bow down to the ground before you?"

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 thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

11And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.

12His brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem.

12And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.

13Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are pasturing the flocks at Shechem. Get ready. I'm sending you to them." "I'm ready," Joseph replied.

13And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.

14Then Israel said to him, "Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are doing, and bring word back to me." So he sent him from the Hebron Valley, and he went to Shechem.

14And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15A man found him there, wandering in the field, and asked him, "What are you looking for?"

15And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?

16"I'm looking for my brothers," Joseph said. "Can you tell me where they are pasturing their flocks?"

16And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.

17"They've moved on from here," the man said. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph set out after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

17And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.

18They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him.

18And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.

19They said to one another, "Oh, look, here comes that dream expert!

19And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.

20So now, come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we'll see what becomes of his dreams!"

20Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

21When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them. He said, "Let's not take his life."

21And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.

22Reuben also said to them, "Don't shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don't lay a hand on him"--intending to rescue him from them and return him to his father.

22And Reuben 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.

23When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off Joseph's robe, the robe of many colors that he had on.

23And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;

24Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, without water.

24And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

25They sat down to eat a meal, and when they looked up, there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt.

25And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

26Judah said to his brothers, "What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

26And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?

27Come on, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh," and his brothers agreed.

27Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.

28When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt.

28Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.

29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.

29And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.

30He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone! What am I going to do?"

30And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?

31So they took Joseph's robe, slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the robe in its blood.

31And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;

32They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it. Is it your son's robe or not?"

32And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.

33His father recognized it. "It is my son's robe," he said. "A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces!"

33And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

34And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

35All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said. "I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." And his father wept for him.

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. Thus his father wept for him.

36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guards.

36And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.