1.Mose 37 | New International Reader’s Version

Joseph has two dreams

1 Jacob lived in the land of Canaan. It’s the land where his father had stayed. 2 Here is the story of the family line of Jacob. Joseph was a young man. He was 17 years old. He was taking care of the flocks with some of his brothers. They were the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, the wives of his father Jacob. Joseph brought their father a bad report about his brothers. 3 Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons. That’s because Joseph had been born to him when he was old. Israel made him a beautiful robe. 4 Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. So they hated Joseph. They couldn’t even speak one kind word to him. 5 Joseph had a dream. When he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, ‘Listen to the dream I had. 7 We were tying up bundles of corn out in the field. Suddenly my bundle stood up straight. Your bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it.’ 8 His brothers said to him, ‘Do you plan to be king over us? Will you really rule over us?’ So they hated him even more because of his dream. They didn’t like what he had said. 9 Then Joseph had another dream. He told it to his brothers. ‘Listen’, he said. ‘I had another dream. This time the sun and moon and 11 stars were bowing down to me.’ 10 He told his father as well as his brothers. Then his father rebuked him. He said, ‘What about this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers really do that? Will we really come and bow down to the ground in front of you?’ 11 His brothers were jealous of him. But his father kept the dreams in mind.

Joseph is sold by his brothers

12 Joseph’s brothers had gone to take care of their father’s flocks near Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, ‘As you know, your brothers are taking care of the flocks near Shechem. Come. I’m going to send you to them.’ ‘All right’, Joseph replied. 14 So Israel said to him, ‘Go to your brothers. See how they are doing. Also see how the flocks are doing. Then come back and tell me.’ So he sent him away from the Hebron Valley. Joseph arrived at Shechem. 15 A man found him wandering around in the fields. He asked Joseph, ‘What are you looking for?’ 16 He replied, ‘I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are taking care of their flocks?’ 17 ‘They’ve moved on from here,’ the man answered. ‘I heard them say, “Let’s go to Dothan.” ’ So Joseph went to look for his brothers. He found them near Dothan. 18 But they saw him a long way off. Before he reached them, they made plans to kill him. 19 ‘Here comes that dreamer!’ they said to one another. 20 ‘Come. Let’s kill him. Let’s throw him into one of these empty wells. Let’s say that a wild animal ate him up. Then we’ll see whether his dreams will come true.’ 21 Reuben heard them talking. He tried to save Joseph from them. ‘Let’s not take his life,’ he said. 22 ‘Don’t spill any of his blood. Throw him into this empty well here in the desert. But don’t harm him yourselves.’ Reuben said that to save Joseph from them. He was hoping he could take him back to his father. 23 When Joseph came to his brothers, he was wearing his beautiful robe. They took it away from him. 24 And they threw him into the well. The well was empty. There wasn’t any water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat their meal. As they did, they saw some Ishmaelite traders coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, lotion and myrrh. They were on their way to take them down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, ‘What will we gain if we kill our brother and try to cover up what we’ve done? 27 Come. Let’s sell him to these traders. Let’s not harm him ourselves. After all, he’s our brother. He’s our own flesh and blood.’ Judah’s brothers agreed with him. 28 The traders from Midian came by. Joseph’s brothers pulled him up out of the well. They sold him to the Ishmaelite traders for 240 grams of silver. Then the traders took him to Egypt. 29 Later, Reuben came back to the empty well. He saw that Joseph wasn’t there. He was so upset that he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, ‘The boy isn’t there! Now what should I do?’ 31 Then they got Joseph’s beautiful robe. They killed a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They took the robe back to their father. They said, ‘We found this. Take a look at it. See if it’s your son’s robe.’ 33 Jacob recognised it. He said, ‘It’s my son’s robe! A wild animal has eaten him up. Joseph must have been torn to pieces.’ 34 Jacob tore his clothes. He put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. Then he mourned for his son many days. 35 All Jacob’s other sons and daughters came to comfort him. But they weren’t able to. He said, ‘I will continue to mourn until I go down into the grave to be with my son.’ So Joseph’s father mourned for him. 36 But the traders from Midian sold Joseph to Potiphar in Egypt. Potiphar was one of Pharaoh’s officials. He was the captain of the palace guard.

English Standard Version

Joseph’s Dreams

1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.* 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. 5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then 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 down to me.” 10 But when he 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? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Joseph Sold by His Brothers

12 Now his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock near Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock at Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 14 So he said to him, “Go now, see if it is well with your brothers and with the flock, and bring me word.” So he sent him from the Valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 15 And a man found him wandering in the fields. And the man asked him, “What are you seeking?” 16 “I am seeking my brothers,” he said. “Tell me, please, where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 And the man said, “They have gone away, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. 18 They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. 20 Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits.* Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” 21 But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” 22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. 23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. 24 And they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels* of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt. 29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” 31 Then they took Joseph’s robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son’s robe or not.” 33 And he identified it and said, “It is my son’s robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard.

1.Mose 37 | New International Reader’s Version English Standard Version

Joseph has two dreams

Joseph is sold by his brothers

Joseph’s Dreams

Joseph Sold by His Brothers