Genesis 37

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 But Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.	1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.
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 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 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 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 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 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 Now Joseph had a dream, and he repeated it to his brothers, who then hated him more than ever.	5 Once Joseph had a dream, which he told to his brothers:
6 'Listen', he said, 'to the dream I had.	6 "Listen to this dream I had.
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 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 '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 "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 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 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 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 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 His brothers held it against him, but his father pondered the matter.	11 So his brothers were wrought up against him but his father pondered the matter.
12 His brothers went to pasture their father's flock at Shechem.	12 One day, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,
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 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 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 "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 A man found him wandering in the countryside and asked him, 'What are you looking for ? '	15 a man met him as he was wandering about in the fields. "What are you looking for?" the man asked him.
16 'I am looking for my brothers,' he replied. 'Please tel me where they are pasturing their flock.'	16 "I am looking for my brothers," he answered. "Could you please tell me where they are tending the flocks?"
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 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 They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot to kil him.	18 They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.
19 'Here comes that dreamer,' they said to one another.	19 They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!
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 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 But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their clutches. 'We must not take his life,' he said.	21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying: "We must not take his life.
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 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 So, when Joseph reached his brothers, they pul ed off his tunic, the decorated tunic which he waswearing,	23 So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;
24 and catching hold of him, threw him into the wel . The wel was empty, with no water in it.	24 then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry.
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 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 Then Judah said to his brothers, 'What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood?	26 Judah said to his brothers: "What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing 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 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 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 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 When Reuben went back to the wel , there was no sign of Joseph. Tearing his clothes,	29 When Reuben went back to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not in it, he tore his clothes,
30 he went back to his brothers. 'The boy has gone,' he said. 'What am I going to do?'	30 and returning to his brothers, he exclaimed: "The boy is gone! And I--where can I turn?"
31 They took Joseph's tunic and, slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in the blood.	31 They took Joseph's tunic, and after slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in its blood.
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 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 He recognised it and cried, 'My son's tunic! A wild animal has devoured him! Joseph has been torn topieces!'	33 He recognized it and exclaimed: "My son's tunic! A wild beast has devoured him! Joseph has been torn to pieces!"
34 Tearing his clothes and putting sackcloth round his waist, Jacob mourned his son for many days.	34 Then Jacob rent his clothes, put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned his son many days.
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 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 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials andcommander of the guard.	36 The Midianites, meanwhile, sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward.