Joseph Dreams of Greatness
1 Now Jacob dwelt in the landwhere his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.
2 Thisisthe history of Jacob.
# Joseph,beingseventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the ladwaswith the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought abad report of them to his father.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because hewasthe son of his old age. Also hemade him a tunic ofmanycolors.
4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, theyhated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he tolditto his brothers; and they hated him even more.
6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed:
7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all 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 dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time,the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
10 So he tolditto his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “Whatisthis dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I andyour brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?”
11 Andhis brothers envied him, but his fatherkept the matterinmind.
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12 Then his brothers went to feed their father’s flock in Shechem.
13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feedingtheflockinShechem? Come, I will send you to them.”
So he said to him, “Here I am.”
14 Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley ofHebron, and he went to Shechem.
15 Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”
16 So he said, “I am seeking my brothers.Please tell me where they are feedingtheirflocks.”
17 And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them inDothan.
18 Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them,they conspired against him to kill him.
19 Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!
20 Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”
21 ButReuben heardit,and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.”
22 And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood,butcast him into this pit whichisin the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.
23 So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that theystripped Josephofhis tunic, the tunic ofmanycolors thatwason him.
24 Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pitwasempty;therewasno water in it.
25 And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company ofIshmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices,balm, and myrrh, on their way to carrythemdown to Egypt.
26 So Judah said to his brothers, “What profitisthereif we kill our brother andconceal his blood?
27 Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, andlet not our hand be upon him, for heisour brotherandour flesh.” And his brothers listened.
28 ThenMidianite traders passed by; sothebrotherspulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit,and sold him to the Ishmaelites fortwentyshekelsof silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.
29 Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Josephwasnot in the pit; and hetore his clothes.
30 And he returned to his brothers and said, “The ladisnomore;and I, where shall I go?”
31 So they tookJoseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.
32 Then they sent the tunic ofmanycolors, and they broughtitto their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether itisyour son’s tunic or not?”
33 And he recognized it and said, “Itismy son’s tunic. Awild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.”
34 Then Jacobtore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, andmourned for his son many days.
35 And all his sons and all his daughtersarose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “ForI shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
36 Nowthe Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaohandcaptain of the guard.