Genesis 37

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.	1 And Jacob dwelt in the land of Chanaan wherein his father sojourned.
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.	2 And these are his generations: Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was feeding the dock with his brethren, being but a boy: and he was with the sons of and of Zelpha his father's wives : and he accused his brethren to his father of a most wicked crime.
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.	3 Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age: and he made him a coat of divers colours.
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.	4 And his brethren seeing that he was loved by his father, more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.
5 Once Joseph had a dream, which he told to his brothers:	5 Now it fell out also that he told his brethren a dream, that he had dreamed: which occasioned them to hate him the more.
6 "Listen to this dream I had.	6 And he said to them: Hear my dream which I dreamed.
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."	7 I thought we were binding sheaves in the field: and my sheaf arose as it were, end stood, and your sheaves standing about, bowed down before my sheaf.
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.	8 His brethren answered : Shalt thou be our king? or shall we be subject to thy dominion? Therefore this matter of his dreams and words ministered nourishment to their envy and hatred.
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."	9 He dreamed also another dream, which he told his brethren, saying: I saw in a dream, as it were the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars worshipping me.
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?"	10 And when he had told this to his father and brethren, his father rebuked him, and said: What meaneth this dream that thou hast dreamed? shall I and thy mother, and thy brethren worship thee upon the earth?
11 So his brothers were wrought up against him but his father pondered the matter.	11 His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself.
12 One day, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,	12 And when his brethren abode in Sichem feeding their father's docks,
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.	13 Israel said to him : Thy brethren feed the sheep in Sichem: come, I will send thee to them. And when he answered:
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,	14 I am ready: he said to him: Go, and see if all things be well with thy brethren, and the cattle: and bring me word again what is doing. So being sent from the vale of Hebron, he came to Sichem:
15 a man met him as he was wandering about in the fields. "What are you looking for?" the man asked him.	15 And a man found him there wandering in the field, and asked what he sought.
16 "I am looking for my brothers," he answered. "Could you please tell me where they are tending the flocks?"	16 But he answered: I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed the docks.
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.	17 And the man said to him: They are departed from this place: for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothain. And Joseph went forward after his brethren, and found them in Dothain.
18 They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.	18 And when they saw him afar off, before he came nigh them, they thought to kill him.
19 They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!	19 And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh.
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."	20 Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit : and we will say : Some evil beast hath devoured him: and then it shall appear what his dreams avail him :
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying: "We must not take his life.	21 And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, end said:
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.	22 Do not take away his life, nor shed his blood: but cast him into this pit, that is in the wilderness, and keep your hands harmless: now he said this, being desirous to deliver him out of their hands and to restore him to his father.
23 So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;	23 And as soon as he came to his brethren, they forthwith stript him of his outside coat, that was of divers colours:
24 then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry.	24 And cast him into an old pit, where there was no water.
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.	25 And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ismaelites on their way coming from Calaad, with their camels, carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh to Egypt.
26 Judah said to his brothers: "What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?	26 And Juda said to his brethren: What will it profit us to kill our brother, and conceal his blood?
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.	27 It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites, and that our hands be not defiled: for he is our brother and our flesh. His brethren agreed to his words.
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.	28 And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver: and they led him into Egypt.
29 When Reuben went back to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not in it, he tore his clothes,	29 And Ruben, returning to the pit, found not the boy:
30 and returning to his brothers, he exclaimed: "The boy is gone! And I--where can I turn?"	30 And rending his garments he went to his brethren, and said: The boy doth not appear and whither shall I go?
31 They took Joseph's tunic, and after slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in its blood.	31 And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed :
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."	32 Sending some to carry it to their father, and to say: This we have found: see whether it be thy son's coat, or not.
33 He recognized it and exclaimed: "My son's tunic! A wild beast has devoured him! Joseph has been torn to pieces!"	33 And the father acknowledging it, said: It is my son's coat, an evil wild beast hath eaten him, a beast hath devoured Joseph.
34 Then Jacob rent his clothes, put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned his son many days.	34 And tearing his garments, he put an sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time.
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.	35 And alibis children being gathered together to comfort their father in his sorrow, he would not receive comfort, but said: I will go down to my son into hell, mourning. And whilst he continued weeping,
36 The Midianites, meanwhile, sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward.	36 The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers.