Genesis 37
37
Joseph and his Brothers
1Jacob continued to live in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived, 2and this is the story of Jacob's family.
Joseph, a young man of seventeen, took care of the sheep and goats with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's concubines. He brought bad reports to his father about what his brothers were doing.
3Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he had been born to him when he was old. He made a long robe with full sleeves#37.3; 37.23 robe with full sleeves; or decorated robe. for him. 4When his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than he loved them, they hated their brother so much that they would not speak to him in a friendly manner.
5One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him even more. 6He said, “Listen to the dream I had. 7We were all in the field tying up sheaves of wheat, when my sheaf got up and stood up straight. Yours formed a circle round mine and bowed down to it.”
8“Do you think you are going to be a king and rule over us?” his brothers asked. So they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of what he said about them.
9Then Joseph had another dream and said to his brothers, “I had another dream, in which I saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to me.”
10He also told the dream to his father, and his father scolded him: “What kind of a dream is that? Do you think that your mother, your brothers, and I are going to come and bow down to you?” 11#Acts 7.9Joseph's brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept thinking about the whole matter.
Joseph is Sold and Taken to Egypt
12One day when Joseph's brothers had gone to Shechem to take care of their father's flock, 13Jacob said to Joseph, “I want you to go to Shechem, where your brothers are taking care of the flock.”
Joseph answered, “I am ready.”
14His father said, “Go and see if your brothers are safe and if the flock is all right; then come back and tell me.” So his father sent him on his way from the Valley of Hebron.
Joseph arrived at Shechem 15and was wandering about in the country when a man saw him and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16“I am looking for my brothers, who are taking care of their flock,” he answered. “Can you tell me where they are?”
17The man said, “They have already left. I heard them say that they were going to Dothan.” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
18They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted against him and decided to kill him. 19They said to one another, “Here comes that dreamer. 20Come on now, let's kill him and throw his body into one of the dry wells. We can say that a wild animal killed him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams.”
21Reuben heard them and tried to save Joseph. “Let's not kill him,” he said. 22“Just throw him into this well in the wilderness, but don't hurt him.” He said this, planning to save him from them and send him back to his father. 23When Joseph came up to his brothers, they ripped off his long robe with full sleeves.#37.23; 37.3 robe with full sleeves; or decorated robe. 24Then they took him and threw him into the well, which was dry.
25While they were eating, they suddenly saw a group of Ishmaelites travelling from Gilead to Egypt. Their camels were loaded with spices and resins. 26Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up the murder? 27Let's sell him to these Ishmaelites. Then we won't have to hurt him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed, 28#Acts 7.9and when some Midianite traders came by, the brothers#37.28 the brothers; Hebrew they. pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
29When Reuben came back to the well and found that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes in sorrow. 30He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is not there! What am I going to do?”
31Then they killed a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in its blood. 32They took the robe to their father and said, “We found this. Does it belong to your son?”
33He recognized it and said, “Yes, it is his! Some wild animal has killed him. My son Joseph has been torn to pieces!” 34Jacob tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. He mourned for his son a long time. 35All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “I will go down to the world of the dead still mourning for my son.” So he continued to mourn for his son Joseph.
36Meanwhile, in Egypt, the Midianites had sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of the king's officers, who was the captain of the palace guard.
Currently Selected:
Genesis 37: GNBDC
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
Genesis 37
37
Joseph’s Dreams
1Now Jacob lived in the land where his father was a foreigner, # Ge 17:8; 28:4 in the land of Canaan.
2These are the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers, and the boy was with the sons of Bilhah and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. # Ge 35:25–26 Joseph brought back a bad report # 1Sa 2:22–24 about them to their father.
3Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors. # Ge 37:23, 32 # 37:3 From the Gk, a cloak with long sleeves, a full-length cloak, or an embroidered cloak, showing favoritism. 4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him. # Ge 27:41; 49:23
5Now Joseph dreamed a dream, # Ge 28:12; Da 4:5; 7:1 and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have dreamed. 7Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf rose up and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves stood around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” # Ge 42:6, 9
8His brothers said to him, “Will you really reign over us, or will you really have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.
9Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing to me.”
10But when he told it to his father and his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers really come to bow down ourselves to you to the ground?” # Ge 27:29 11So his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. # Lk 2:19, 51
Joseph Sold into Slavery
12Now his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem. # Ge 33:18 13Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.”
He answered, “Here I am.”
14Israel 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, # Ge 13:18; 35:27 and he came to Shechem.
15A certain man found him wandering in the field. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16And he said, “I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”
17The man said, “They have departed from here. I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” # 2Ki 6:13
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.
18When they saw him some distance away, before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. # Ps 37:12, 32
19They said one to another, “The master of dreams comes! 20Come now, let us kill him and throw him into some pit, and we will say, ‘Some evil beast has devoured him.’ Then we will see what will become of his dreams.”
21But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not kill him.” # Ge 42:22 22Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him,” so that he might rescue him out of their hands and deliver him to his father again.
23When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his coat—his coat of many colors that he had on. # Ge 37:3 24And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty, and there was no water in it. # Jer 38:6
25Then they sat down to eat. And looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, carrying it down to Egypt. # Ge 43:11
26Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? # Ge 4:10 27Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let us not lay our hand on him, # 1Sa 18:17 for he is our brother and our own flesh.” So his brothers agreed. # Ge 42:21
28Then when the Midianite merchants passed by, they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. # 37:28 About 8 ounces, or 230 grams. They took Joseph to Egypt. # Ps 105:17; Ac 7:9
29When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes. # Ge 37:34; Job 1:20 30He returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is not there, # Ge 42:13, 32 and I, where can I go?”
31They took Joseph’s coat and killed a young goat and dipped the coat in the blood. # Ge 37:3, 23 32Then they took the coat of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found. Do you know whether it is your son’s robe or not?”
33He knew it and said, “It is my son’s coat. A wild beast has devoured him. Joseph has without a doubt been torn into pieces.” # Ge 37:20; 44:28
34Jacob tore his clothes # Ge 37:29 and put sackcloth on his waist and mourned for his son many days. # 2Sa 3:31 35All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. # 2Sa 12:17 And he said, “For I will go down into the grave mourning for my son.” # Ge 42:38 So his father wept for him.
36Meanwhile the Midianites # Ge 37:28 sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. # Ge 40:4
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version
Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.