1 N ow Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.

So Jacob dwelt in the land in which his father had been a stranger and sojourner, in the land of Canaan.

2 T hese 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.

This is the history of the descendants of Jacob and this is Jacob’s line. Joseph, when he was seventeen years old, was shepherding the flock with his brothers; the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought to his father a bad report of them.

3 N ow Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a long tunic with sleeves.

4 H is 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.

But when his brothers saw that their father loved more than all of his brothers, they hated him and could not say, Peace to him or speak peaceably to him.

5 T hen Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.

Now Joseph had a dream and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him still more.

6 H e said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had;

And he said to them, Listen now and hear, I pray you, this dream that I have dreamed:

7 f or 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.”

We were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright, and behold, your sheaves stood round about my sheaf and bowed down!

8 T hen 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.

His brothers said to him, Shall you indeed reign over us? Or are you going to have us as your subjects and dominate us? And they hated him all the more for his dreams and for what he said.

9 N ow 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.”

But Joseph dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brothers. He said, See here, I have dreamed again, and behold, eleven stars the sun and the moon bowed down and did reverence to me!

10 H e 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?”

And he told it to his father his brethren. But his father rebuked him and said to him, What is the meaning of this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow down ourselves to the earth and do homage to you?

11 H is brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Joseph’s brothers envied him and were jealous of him, but his father observed the saying and pondered over it.

12 T hen his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem.

Joseph’s brothers went to shepherd and feed their father’s flock near Shechem.

13 I srael 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.”

Israel said to Joseph, Do not your brothers shepherd my flock at Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them. And he said, Here I am.

14 T hen 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.

And said to him, Go, I pray you, see whether everything is all right with your brothers and with the flock; then come back and bring me word. So he sent him out of the Hebron Valley, and he came to Shechem.

15 A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “ What are you looking for?”

And a certain man found him, and behold, he had lost his way and was wandering in the open country. The man asked him, What are you trying to find?

16 H e said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.”

And he said, I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, I pray you, where they are pasturing our flocks.

17 T hen 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. The Plot against Joseph

But the man said, they have gone. I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.

18 W hen they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.

And when they saw him far off, even before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him.

19 T hey said to one another, “ Here comes this dreamer!

And they said one to another, See, here comes this dreamer and master of dreams.

20 N ow 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!”

So come on now, let us kill him and throw his body into some pit; then we will say, Some wild and ferocious animal has devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams!

21 B ut Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.”

Now Reuben heard it and he delivered him out of their hands by saying, Let us not kill him.

22 R euben 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.

And Reuben said to them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit or well that is out here in the wilderness and lay no hand on him. He was trying to get Joseph out of their hands in order to rescue him and deliver him again to his father.

23 S o it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him;

When Joseph had come to his brothers, they stripped him of his long garment which he was wearing;

24 a nd they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.

Then they took him and cast him into the pit which was empty; there was no water in it.

25 T hen 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.

Then they sat down to eat their lunch. When they looked up, behold, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm (balsam), and myrrh or ladanum, going on their way to carry them down to Egypt.

26 J udah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood?

And Judah said to his brothers, What do we gain if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?

27 C ome 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.

Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brothers consented.

28 T hen 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.

Then as the Midianite merchants were passing by, the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the well. And they sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph into Egypt.

29 N ow Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.

Then Reuben returned to the pit; and behold, Joseph was not in the pit, and he rent his clothes.

30 H e returned to his brothers and said, “ The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?”

He rejoined his brothers and said, The boy is not there! And I, where shall I go ?

31 S o they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood;

Then they took Joseph’s long garment, killed a young goat, and dipped the garment in the blood;

32 a nd 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.”

And they sent the garment to their father, saying, We have found this! Examine and decide whether it is your son’s tunic or not.

33 T hen he examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!”

He said, My son’s long garment! An evil beast has devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.

34 S o Jacob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.

And Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned many days for his son.

35 T hen 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.

And all his sons and daughters attempted to console him, but he refused to be comforted and said, I will go down to Sheol (the place of the dead) to my son mourning. And his father wept for him.

36 M eanwhile, the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.

And the Midianites sold in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain and chief executioner of the guard.