Genesis 37

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 But 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 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.	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 Jacob 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.	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 But 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.	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 Now Joseph had a dream, and he repeated it to his brothers, who then hated him more than ever.	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', he said, 'to the dream I had.	6 And he said to them: Hear my dream which I dreamed.
7 We were binding sheaves in the field, when my sheaf suddenly rose and stood upright, and then yoursheaves gathered round and bowed to my sheaf.'	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 '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.	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 He 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.'	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 He 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?'	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 His brothers held it against him, but his father pondered the matter.	11 His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself.
12 His brothers went to pasture their father's flock at Shechem.	12 And when his brethren abode in Sichem feeding their father's docks,
13 Then 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.	13 Israel said to him : Thy brethren feed the sheep in Sichem: come, I will send thee to them. And when he answered:
14 He 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.	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 found him wandering in the countryside and asked him, 'What are you looking for ? '	15 And a man found him there wandering in the field, and asked what he sought.
16 'I am looking for my brothers,' he replied. 'Please tel me where they are pasturing their flock.'	16 But he answered: I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed the docks.
17 The 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.	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 saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot to kil him.	18 And when they saw him afar off, before he came nigh them, they thought to kill him.
19 'Here comes that dreamer,' they said to one another.	19 And said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh.
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.'	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 But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their clutches. 'We must not take his life,' he said.	21 And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, end 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.	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 reached his brothers, they pul ed off his tunic, the decorated tunic which he waswearing,	23 And as soon as he came to his brethren, they forthwith stript him of his outside coat, that was of divers colours:
24 and catching hold of him, threw him into the wel . The wel was empty, with no water in it.	24 And cast him into an old pit, where there was no water.
25 They 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.	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 Then Judah said to his brothers, 'What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood?	26 And Juda said to his brethren: What will it profit us to kill our brother, and conceal his blood?
27 Come, 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.	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 Now 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.	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 wel , there was no sign of Joseph. Tearing his clothes,	29 And Ruben, returning to the pit, found not the boy:
30 he went back to his brothers. 'The boy has gone,' he said. 'What am I going to do?'	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, slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in the blood.	31 And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed :
32 Then 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?'	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 recognised it and cried, 'My son's tunic! A wild animal has devoured him! Joseph has been torn topieces!'	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 Tearing his clothes and putting sackcloth round his waist, Jacob mourned his son for many days.	34 And tearing his garments, he put an sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time.
35 Al 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.	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 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials andcommander of the guard.	36 The Madianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Putiphar, an eunuch of Pharao, captain of the soldiers.