Genesis 37

Jacob continued to live in the region of Canaan where his father {Isaac} had lived for a while {as a foreigner}.

Here is {more of} the record about Jacob and his family: {One day} {his} seventeen-year-old son Joseph was taking care of the {family’s} flocks {of sheep and goats}. Joseph was helping his brothers {who were} the sons of his father’s {servant} wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he told their father about the bad things they were doing. \*

Now Israel, {that is, Jacob,} loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he was born to him when he was old. So he made a {special} robe for Joseph that had many colors.

When Joseph’s brothers realized that their father loved Joseph more than the rest of them, they hated him so much that they would not talk to him in a friendly manner. \*

{One night} Joseph had a dream, and he told his brothers about it. That made them hate him even more {than before}.

{This is what} he told them, “Please listen to this dream that I had: \*

{In it} I saw us {working} out in a field {cutting and} tying bundles {of grain stalks}. Then suddenly the bundle that I had made stood up straight. Then I saw that the bundles you had made stood around {my bundle} and bowed down to my bundle {to show respect}.”

His brothers responded to him, “Do you really expect to be our king? You will never rule over us!” So they hated him even more {intensely} {than they did before} because of what he had said {to them} about his dreams. \*

Then Joseph had another dream that he {also} told to his brothers. He said, “Listen, I {just} had another dream, and {in it} I saw that the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down {to the ground} before me {to show respect}.”

Later Joseph told {the same dream} to {both} his father and his brothers, but his father scolded him by saying, “That {is} a strange dream that you had! Do you really expect your mother and me and your brothers to bow down before you?”

So Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him, but his father continued to think about what it all could mean. \*

Sometime after that, Joseph’s brothers took their father’s flock{s} {of sheep and goats} to graze {in the fields} near {the city of} Shechem.

Then {one day} Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are tending {our flocks} near {the city of} Shechem. Get ready so that I can send you to them.” Joseph responded, “I am ready {to go}.”

Then Israel told him, “Please go and check on how your brothers and the flock{s} are doing. Then report back to me {what you find out}.” So Israel sent him {on his way} from {their home in} the valley near {the city of} Hebron, and Joseph traveled to {the city of} Shechem. \*

{When he arrived there,} a man saw him searching around in the {nearby} fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”

He replied, “I am looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are tending {their flocks}?”

The man answered, “They were here and then left, but I overheard them say that they were going to {the town of} Dothan.” So Joseph followed his brothers and caught up with them near {the town of} Dothan. \*

But they saw him while he was still some distance away, and before he reached them, they made plans to kill him.

They said to each other {about him}, “Look, here comes that expert dreamer!

Come on, let’s kill him and throw his body into one of the pits {here}. Then we can tell {people} that a vicious animal ate him up, and we will watch if his dreams come true!” \*

But Reuben heard {their plan}, so he {tried to} rescue Joseph from them by urging them, “We should not kill him.”

Then he continued, “You must not take his life. {Instead} put him into this pit {here} in the desert, but you must not harm him.” Reuben was planning to rescue Joseph from them and take him back {home} to their father. \*

When Joseph reached his brothers, they {took hold of him and} ripped off the colorful robe that he was wearing.

Then they grabbed him and put him into the pit. The pit {was} empty and {completely} dry inside. \*

Then {some of} Joseph’s brothers sat down to eat a meal. {While they were eating,} they looked around and noticed {that} a {large} group of Ishmaelite {traders} was traveling {toward them} from {the region of} Gilead. Their camels were loaded with {expensive} spices, healing salve, and incense {that} they were taking down to {the country of} Egypt {to sell there}.

So Judah urged to his brothers, “We will not gain anything by killing our brother and trying to hide it! \*

{Instead,} come on, let’s sell him to those Ishmaelite {traders} {over there} so that we will not be guilty of harming him. After all, he {is} a member of our family, our own brother.” Judah’s brothers agreed {with him}.

So when the Midianite {(that is, Ishmaelite)} traders came by {them}, {some of} Joseph’s brothers pulled Joseph up out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty {pieces of} silver. Then the Ishmaelites took him to {the country of} Egypt. \*

Later Reuben came back to the pit, and he was shocked to see that Joseph was not there! So he tore his clothes {to show distress}.

Then he went to his brothers and exclaimed {to them}, “Joseph is gone! Now I do not know what to do!” \*

So Joseph’s brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph’s robe in the {goat’s} blood.

Then they had someone take the colorful robe back to their father and say {to him} {for them}, “We found this {robe}. Please look at it {to see} whether or not it is your son’s.”

Jacob recognized the robe and exclaimed, “{This is} my son {Joseph}’s robe! Clearly a fierce animal has torn him to bits and eaten him up!” \*

Then Jacob tore his clothes {in grief}, put on mourning clothes, and for many days he mourned that his son had died.

All Jacob’s sons and daughters came {to him} {and tried} to console him, but he did not let them comfort him. Instead he said {to them}, “{No,} I will continue to mourn {for my son} until I {die and} go down to be with him in the afterworld.” So Joseph’s father continued to mourn for him.

Meanwhile, in {the country of} Egypt, the Midianite {traders} sold Joseph to Potiphar, {who was} an officer under Pharaoh {the king of Egypt}; {he was} the captain over the {palace} guards. \*