Genesis 37
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New International VersionNew American Standard Bible 1995
1Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.1Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.
2This is the account of Jacob's family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.2These 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.
3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him.3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.
4When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.4His 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.
5Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.5Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.
6He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had:6He said to them, "Please listen to this dream which I have had;
7We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it."7for 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."
8His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.8Then 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.
9Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."9Now 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."
10When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?"10He 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?"
11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.11His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.
12Now his brothers had gone to graze their father's flocks near Shechem,12Then his brothers went to pasture their father's flock in Shechem.
13and Israel said to Joseph, "As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them." "Very well," he replied.13Israel 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."
14So he said to him, "Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me." Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem,14Then 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.
15a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, "What are you looking for?"15A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, "What are you looking for?"
16He replied, "I'm looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?"16He said, "I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock."
17"They have moved on from here," the man answered. "I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.17Then 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.
18But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.18When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.
19"Here comes that dreamer!" they said to each other.19They said to one another, "Here comes this dreamer!
20"Come now, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams."20"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!"
21When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. "Let's not take his life," he said.21But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, "Let us not take his life."
22"Don't shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don't lay a hand on him." Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.22Reuben 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.
23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe--the ornate robe he was wearing--23So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him;
24and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.24and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.
25As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.25Then 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.
26Judah said to his brothers, "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?26Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?
27Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed.27"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.
28So when the Midianite merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.28Then 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.
29When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.29Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.
30He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?"30He returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?"
31Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.31So they took Joseph's tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood;
32They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe."32and 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."
33He recognized it and said, "It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces."33Then he examined it and said, "It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!"
34Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.34So Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.
35All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. "No," he said, "I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave." So his father wept for him.35Then 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.
36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard.36Meanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh's officer, the captain of the bodyguard.
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Genesis 36
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