Genesis 37

1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had lived as a foreigner, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the family history of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers. He was a boy working with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph carried bad whispers about them to their father. 3 Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because Joseph was the son of his old age. And he made him a special robe. 4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, and they hated him. They could not speak a word of peace to him. 5 Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers. Then they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, "Please listen to this dream I had. 7 We were tying up bundles of grain in the field. Then my bundle rose and stood upright. And your bundles gathered around and bowed down to my bundle." 8 His brothers said to him, "Will you really be king over us? Or will you really rule over us?" And they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of what he said.

9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. He said, "Listen, I had another dream. The sun, the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." 10 He told it to his father and to his brothers, and his father scolded him. He said to him, "What is this dream you have had? Will I and your mother and your brothers really come and bow down to the ground before you?" 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. 12 His brothers went to tend their father's flock at Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, "Are not your brothers tending the flock at Shechem? Go, and I will send you to them." And Joseph said to him, "Here I am." 14 Israel said to him, "Please go and see whether all is well with your brothers and with the flock. Then bring word back to me." And he sent him from the valley of Hebron, and Joseph came to Shechem. 15 A man found Joseph wandering around in the field. The man asked him, "What are you looking for?" 16 Joseph said, "I am looking for my brothers. Please tell me where they are tending the flock."

17 The man said, "They have moved on from here. I heard them say, 'Let's go to Dothan.'" And Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. 18 They saw him from far away. Before he reached them, they made a sly plan against him to kill him. 19 They said to one another, "Look, that dream master over there is coming. 20 Now come, let's kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We will say that a fierce wild animal ate him. Then we will see what becomes of his dreams." 21 When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph from their hands. He said, "We will not take his life." 22 Reuben said to them, "Do not shed blood. Throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him." Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from them and bring him back to his father. 23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the special robe he was wearing. 24 They took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

25 Then they sat down to eat a meal. They looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying gum, balm and resin. They were on their way to take it down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, "What profit is there if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him. For he is our brother, our own flesh." And his brothers listened to him. 28 Some Midianite traders passed by. And they pulled Joseph up out of the pit and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. 29 When Reuben came back to the pit, he saw that Joseph was not in the pit. He tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone! And I, where can I go?" 31 Then they took Joseph's robe. They killed a male goat and dipped the robe in its blood. 32 They sent the special robe, and they brought it to their father. They said, "We found this. Please look and see if you recognize it. Is it your son's robe or not?"

33 He recognized it and said, "It is my son's robe! A fierce wild animal has eaten him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!" 34 Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth around his waist. He mourned for his son for many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters came to comfort him, but he would not let himself be comforted. He said, "For I will go down to my son, still mourning, to Sheol." And his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile, the Medanites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar. He was a eunuch of Pharaoh and the officer over the butchers.