Scrutatio

Giovedi, 28 marzo 2024 - San Castore di Tarso ( Letture di oggi)

Genesis 37


font

1But Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.2This is the story of Joseph. Joseph was seventeen years old. As he was young, he was shepherdingthe flock with his brothers, with the sons of his father's wives, Bilhah and Zilpah; and Joseph brought his fatherbad reports about them.3Jacob loved Joseph more than al his other sons, for he was the son of his old age, and he had adecorated tunic made for him.4But his brothers, seeing how much more his father loved him than all his other sons, came to hate himso much that they could not say a civil word to him.5Now Joseph had a dream, and he repeated it to his brothers, who then hated him more than ever.6'Listen', he said, 'to the dream I had.7We were binding sheaves in the field, when my sheaf suddenly rose and stood upright, and then yoursheaves gathered round and bowed to my sheaf.'8'So you want to be king over us,' his brothers retorted, 'you want to lord it over us?' And they hatedhim even more, on account of his dreams and of what he said.9He had another dream which he recounted to his brothers. 'Look, I have had another dream,' he said.'There were the sun, the moon and eleven stars, bowing down to me.'10He told his father and brothers, and his father scolded him. 'A fine dream to have!' he said to him.'Are all of us then, myself, your mother and your brothers, to come and bow to the ground before you?'11His brothers held it against him, but his father pondered the matter.12His brothers went to pasture their father's flock at Shechem.13Then Israel said to Joseph, 'Your brothers are with the flock at Shechem, aren't they? Come, I amgoing to send you to them.' 'I am ready,' he replied.14He said to him, 'Go and see how your brothers and the flock are doing, and bring me word.' He senthim from the val ey of Hebron, and Joseph arrived at Shechem.15A man found him wandering in the countryside and asked him, 'What are you looking for ? '16'I am looking for my brothers,' he replied. 'Please tel me where they are pasturing their flock.'17The man answered, 'They have moved on from here; indeed I heard them say, "Let us go toDothan." ' So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.18They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot to kil him.19'Here comes that dreamer,' they said to one another.20'Come on, let us kil him now and throw him down one of the storage-wells; we can say that somewild animal has devoured him. Then we shal see what becomes of his dreams.'21But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their clutches. 'We must not take his life,' he said.22'Shed no blood,' said Reuben to them, 'throw him down that wel out in the desert, but do not kil himyourselves' -- intending to save him from them and to restore him to his father.23So, when Joseph reached his brothers, they pul ed off his tunic, the decorated tunic which he waswearing,24and catching hold of him, threw him into the wel . The wel was empty, with no water in it.25They then sat down to eat. Looking up, they saw a group of Ishmaelites who were coming fromGilead, their camels laden with gum tragacanth, balsam and resin, which they were taking to Egypt.26Then Judah said to his brothers, 'What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood?27Come, let us sel him to the Ishmaelites, then we shal not have laid hands on him ourselves. Afteral , he is our brother, and our own flesh.' His brothers agreed.28Now some Midianite merchants were passing, and they pul ed Joseph out of the wel . They soldJoseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver, and these men took Joseph to Egypt.29When Reuben went back to the wel , there was no sign of Joseph. Tearing his clothes,30he went back to his brothers. 'The boy has gone,' he said. 'What am I going to do?'31They took Joseph's tunic and, slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in the blood.32Then they sent off the decorated tunic and had it taken to their father, with the message, 'This iswhat we have found. Do you recognise it as your son's tunic or not?'33He recognised it and cried, 'My son's tunic! A wild animal has devoured him! Joseph has been torn topieces!'34Tearing his clothes and putting sackcloth round his waist, Jacob mourned his son for many days.35Al his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. 'No,' he said, 'I wilgo down to Sheol in mourning and join my son.' Thus his father wept for him.36Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials andcommander of the guard.