Genesis 37

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 But Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.	1 Now Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where 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 pasturing the flock with his brothers, when he was still a boy. And he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the wives of his father. And he accused his brothers to their father of a most sinful 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 conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven of many colors.
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 Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully to him.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he repeated it to his brothers, who then hated him more than ever.	5 Then it also happened that he recounted the vision of a dream to his brothers, for which reason a greater hatred began to be nurtured.
6 'Listen', he said, 'to the dream I had.	6 And he said to them, “Listen to my dream that I saw.
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 seemed to rise up and stand, and your sheaves, standing in a circle, reverenced 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 brothers responded: “Would you be our king? Or will we be subject to your dominion?” Therefore, this matter of his dreams and words provided kindling 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 Likewise, he saw another dream, which he explained to his brothers, saying, “I saw by a dream, as if the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were reverencing 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 related this to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and he said: “What does it mean to you, this dream that you have seen? Should I, and your mother, and your brothers reverence you upon the earth?”
11 His brothers held it against him, but his father pondered the matter.	11 Therefore, his brothers were envious of him. Yet truly, his father considered the matter silently.
12 His brothers went to pasture their father's flock at Shechem.	12 And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks,
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: “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you 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 everything is prospering with your brothers and the cattle, and report to me what is happening.” So, having been sent from the valley of Hebron, he arrived at Shechem.
15 A man found him wandering in the countryside and asked him, 'What are you looking for ? '	15 And a man found him wandering in a field, and he asked him what he was seeking.
16 'I am looking for my brothers,' he replied. 'Please tel me where they are pasturing their flock.'	16 So he responded: “I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture 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 And the man said to him: “They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan.
18 They saw him in the distance, and before he reached them they made a plot to kil him.	18 And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him.
19 'Here comes that dreamer,' they said to one another.	19 And they said one to another: “Behold, the dreamer approaches.
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 the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.”
21 But Reuben heard, and he saved him from their clutches. 'We must not take his life,' he said.	21 But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and 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.	22 “Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless.” But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return 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 so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,
24 and catching hold of him, threw him into the wel . The wel was empty, with no water in it.	24 and they cast him into an old cistern, which held 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 Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt.
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, 'What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood?	26 Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: “What will it profit us, if we 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 Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers 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 Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt.
29 When Reuben went back to the wel , there was no sign of Joseph. Tearing his clothes,	29 And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find 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 brothers and said, “The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?”
31 They took Joseph's tunic and, slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in the blood.	31 Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, 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 those who carried it to their father, and they said: “We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son 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 when the father acknowledged it, he said: “It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has 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 was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for 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 Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father’s sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: “I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld.” And while he persevered in weeping,
36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials andcommander of the guard.	36 the Midianites in Egypt sold Joseph to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, instructor of the soldiers.