Genesis 37
Jacob's son Joseph, 17 years old, was hated by his brothers due to their father's favoritism towards him. Joseph shared two dreams with his brothers, which they interpreted as a sign that he would rule over them, further fueling their hatred. Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers who were pasturing their flocks at Shechem, but they conspired to kill him when they saw him approaching. However, they decided to sell him to Ishmaelite merchants instead, who took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh. Meanwhile, Jacob was deceived into believing that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast.
1Now Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father sojourned2And these are his generations. Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, when he was still a boy. And he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the wives of his father. And he accused his brothers to their father of a most sinful crime3Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven of many colors4Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully to him5Then it also happened that he recounted the vision of a dream to his brothers, for which reason a greater hatred began to be nurtured6And he said to them, "Listen to my dream that I saw7I thought we were binding sheaves in the field. And my sheaf seemed to rise up and stand, and your sheaves, standing in a circle, reverenced my sheaf.8His brothers responded: "Would you be our king? Or will we be subject to your dominion?" Therefore, this matter of his dreams and words provided kindling to their envy and hatred9Likewise, he saw another dream, which he explained to his brothers, saying, "I saw by a dream, as if the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were reverencing me.10And when he had related this to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and he said: "What does it mean to you, this dream that you have seen? Should I, and your mother, and your brothers reverence you upon the earth?11Therefore, his brothers were envious of him. Yet truly, his father considered the matter silently12And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks13Israel said to him: "Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them." And when he answered14"I am ready," he said to him, "Go, and see if everything is prospering with your brothers and the cattle, and report to me what is happening." So, having been sent from the valley of Hebron, he arrived at Shechem15And a man found him wandering in a field, and he asked him what he was seeking16So he responded: "I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks.17And the man said to him: "They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ " Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan18And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him19And they said one to another: "Behold, the dreamer approaches20Come, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.21But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said22"Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless." But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return him to his father23And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors24and they cast him into an old cistern, which held no water25And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt26Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: "What will it profit us, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood27It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh." His brothers agreed to his words28And when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt29And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find the boy30And rending his garments, he went to his brothers and said, "The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?31Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, which they had killed32sending those who carried it to their father, and they said: "We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son or not.33And when the father acknowledged it, he said: "It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has devoured Joseph.34And tearing his garments, he was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for a long time35Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father’s sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: "I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld." And while he persevered in weeping36the Midianites in Egypt sold Joseph to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, instructor of the soldiers
Share this chapter