Genesis 37

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.	1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren; and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.	2 This is his family history. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flocks with his brothers; he was an assistant to the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought his father bad reports about them.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.	3 Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic.
4 And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.	4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.
5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.	5 Once Joseph had a dream, which he told to his brothers:
6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:	6 "Listen to this dream I had.
7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.	7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field, when suddenly my sheaf rose to an upright position, and your sheaves formed a ring around my sheaf and bowed down to it."
8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.	8 "Are you really going to make yourself king over us?" his brothers asked him. "Or impose your rule on us?" So they hated him all the more because of his talk about his dreams.
9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.	9 Then he had another dream, and this one, too, he told to his brothers. "I had another dream," he said; "this time, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."
10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?	10 When he also told it to his father, his father reproved him. "What is the meaning of this dream of yours?" he asked. "Can it be that I and your mother and your brothers are to come and bow to the ground before you?"
11 And his brethren envied him; but his father observed the saying.	11 So his brothers were wrought up against him but his father pondered the matter.
12 And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.	12 One day, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,
13 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.	13 Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will send you to them." "I am ready," Joseph answered.
14 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.	14 "Go then," he replied; "see if all is well with your brothers and the flocks, and bring back word." So he sent him off from the valley of Hebron. When Joseph reached Shechem,
15 And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?	15 a man met him as he was wandering about in the fields. "What are you looking for?" the man asked him.
16 And he said, I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.	16 "I am looking for my brothers," he answered. "Could you please tell me where they are tending the flocks?"
17 And the man said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan.	17 The man told him, "They have moved on from here; in fact, I heard them say, 'Let us go on to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.
18 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.	18 They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
19 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.	19 They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!
20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.	20 Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes of his dreams."
21 And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him.	21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying: "We must not take his life.
22 And Reuben said unto them, Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him; that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again.	22 Instead of shedding blood," he continued, "just throw him into that cistern there in the desert; but don't kill him outright." His purpose was to rescue him from their hands and restore him to his father.
23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours that was on him;	23 So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
24 And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.	24 then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry.
25 And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.	25 They then sat down to their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and resin to be taken down to Egypt.
26 And Judah said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?	26 Judah said to his brothers: "What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?
27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content.	27 Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites, instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed.
28 Then there passed by Midianites merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites for twenty pieces of silver: and they brought Joseph into Egypt.	28 They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. Some Midianite traders passed by, and they pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and took him to Egypt.
29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.	29 When Reuben went back to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not in it, he tore his clothes,
30 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?	30 and returning to his brothers, he exclaimed: "The boy is gone! And I--where can I turn?"
31 And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood;	31 They took Joseph's tunic, and after slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in its blood.
32 And they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said, This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no.	32 Then they sent someone to bring the long tunic to their father, with the message: "We found this. See whether it is your son's tunic or not."
33 And he knew it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.	33 He recognized it and exclaimed: "My son's tunic! A wild beast has devoured him! Joseph has been torn to pieces!"
34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.	34 Then Jacob rent his clothes, put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned 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. Thus his father wept for him.	35 Though his sons and daughters tried to console him, he refused all consolation, saying, "No, I will go down mourning to my son in the nether world." Thus did his father lament him.
36 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.	36 The Midianites, meanwhile, sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward.