Genesis 37

1. And Jacob lived in the land of the sojournings of his father, in the land of Canaan.

2. This is the account of the family of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, came tending the flock with his brothers. And he was a youth with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought to his father an evil report of them.

3. And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a tunic included pointed sleeves reaching down to the palms of the hands. reaching to the soles of his feet.

4. And when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

5. And Joseph dreamed a dream and told it to his brothers. And they hated him still more.

6. And he said to them, “I pray you, hear this dream which I have dreamed,

7. For behold, we were binding sheaves in the middle of the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and also stood upright. And behold, your sheaves stood around and bowed down to my sheaf.”

8. And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have the rule over us?” And they hated him still more for his dreams and for his words.

9. And he dreamed still another dream, and told it to his brothers. And he said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. And behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”

10. And he told it to his father and to his brothers. And 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 earth before you?”

11. And his brothers were jealous of him. But his father was mindful of the saying.

12. And his brothers went to feed his father’s flock in Shechem.

13. And Israel said to Joseph, “Do not your brothers feed the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “Here I am.”

14. And he said to him, “Please go see whether it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks. And bring me word again.” And he sent him out of the valley of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.

15. And a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you looking for?”

16. And he said, “I am seeking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”

17. And the man said, “They are gone from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” And Joseph went after his brothers, and found them in Dothan.

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

19. And they said to one another, “Behold, this dreamer comes.

20. Therefore come now, and let us kill him, and throw him into some pit, and we will say some evil beast has devoured him. And we shall see what will become of his dreams.”

21. And Reuben heard, and he delivered him out of their hands and said, “Let us not kill him.”

22. And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him”—in order to rescue him out of their hands, and deliver him to his father again.

23. And it came to pass when Joseph had come to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, included pointed sleeves reaching down to the palms of the hands. the tunic reaching to the soles of his feet that was on him.

24. And they took him and threw him into a pit. And the pit was empty with no water in it.

25. And they sat down to eat bread. And they lifted up their eyes and looked. And behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, to take them down to Egypt.

26. And Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we should kill our brother and hide his blood?

27. 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 hearkened.

28. Then Midianite traders passed by, and they drew up Joseph and took him out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.

29. And Reuben returned to the pit. And behold, Joseph was not in the pit! And he tore his clothes.

30. And he returned to his brothers and said, “The boy, he is not there. And I, where shall I go?”

31. And they took Joseph’s tunic and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.

32. And they took the tunic included pointed sleeves reaching down to the palms of the hands. reaching to the soles of the feet, and they brought it to their father. And they said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son’s coat or not?”

33. And he knew it, and said, “It is my son’s tunic. An evil beast has eaten him. Joseph is without a doubt torn in pieces.”

34. And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.

35. And all his sons and all his daughters, rose up to comfort him. But he refused to be comforted. And he said, “For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning.” And his father wept for him.

36. And the Midianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh, the chief of the executioners.