1 J acob lived in the land of his father’s travels, 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 his is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. Joseph brought an evil report of 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 children, because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors.

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 they hated him, and couldn’t speak peaceably to him.

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 J oseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the 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 hear this dream which I have dreamed:

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 behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came 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 H is brothers said to him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Or will you indeed have dominion over us?” They hated him all the 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 H e dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brothers, and said, “Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream: and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed 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 told it to his father and to 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 indeed come to bow ourselves down to you to the earth?”

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 envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.

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

12 H is brothers went to feed 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, “Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” He said to him, “Here I am.”

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 H e said to him, “Go now, see whether it is well with your brothers, and well with the flock; and bring me word again.” So he sent him out of 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 certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. 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. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock.”

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

17 T he man said, “They have left here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.

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 T hey saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him.

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, “Behold, this dreamer comes.

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

20 C ome now therefore, and let’s kill him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, ‘An evil animal has devoured him.’ We will 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 R euben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and said, “Let’s 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 said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hand, 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 W hen Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors 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. The pit was empty. There was no water in it.

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

25 T hey sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to carry it 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 if we kill our brother and conceal 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’s sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not let our hand be on him; for he is our brother, our flesh.” 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 M idianites who were merchants passed by, and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. 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 R euben returned to the pit; and saw that Joseph wasn’t in the pit; and he tore his clothes.

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 child is no more; and I, where will I go?”

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

31 T hey took Joseph’s coat, and killed a male goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.

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

32 T hey took the coat of many colors, and they brought it to their father, and said, “We have found this. Examine it, now, whether it is your son’s coat 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 H e recognized it, and said, “It is my son’s coat. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces.”

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

34 J acob tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

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

35 A ll his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “For I will go down to Sheol to my son mourning.” 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 T he Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard.

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